Excerpt

The Exercise and Demand of Learning

Our growth is not primarily tied to our attendance in church but it is tied to how much learning we have acquired of Christ.

Our being in Church is for us to consciously and deliberately apply ourselves to learning. Anyone who will attain Christ must be in the company of those who are in Church with the sole purpose of learning how to walk in the way that pleases God. (1 Thess. 4:1)

Learning does not come easily and usually it requires someone who will stay on us to ensure we go through the process of learning. We cannot continue to live based on assumed knowledge, as life itself is meant to be lived based on understanding.

As a people, as we increase in knowledge we should also increase in obedience. This is what shows that we are truly learning. It is to such people who have this progression of growth that Jesus will come. (1 Thess. 3:4-13)

‘To put away’ means to change. It is by learning that we are changed but the measurement of our learning process is most times too slow, hence making our change not commensurate with our exposure to knowledge. (Eph. 4:23-25)

Precepts are the knowledge we receive through hearing, while lines are the measurements of demand which is placed on us to determine how much we have learnt. This is essential to determine our progress or spiritual growth.

No one can by themselves measure their own growth, which is why God places us under ministers who will administer both the precepts and the lines of measurement to us. (Eph. 4:7)

The things of the spirit are calculated and there is no room for excess; everything is measured and quantified. There can be exceeding measures and measurements that are above, but nothing is in excess or wasted in the spirit. (Exod. 25:39-40)

We cannot separate our desire to please God from the desire to please those He has put over us, because God also gave them the measurements to determine our growth spiritually.

Spirits are giants and they have the ability to discern our spiritual posture because they also have calibrations of measurements. Hence, they are not deceived by the form or postures we put up which sometimes may not correlate with our true spiritual stature. (Lk. 22:31)

Righteousness must be learned continuously for a soul to arrive at being sanctified, as sanctification is not a quick fix. It is the process of learning righteousness that produces in us a lifestyle. (1 Thess. 4:1-4)

Sanctification means separation or to be adjusted/returned back to a true form. Sanctification makes a man live a life that stands out and is a product of justification. Before a man can be sanctified, he must first have lived by the wisdom of righteousness. (Eph. 4:1-3, 1 Cor. 1:30)

Abstinence from fornication is not just to avoid being found in the very act of it, but to know how to possess our vessel in sanctification and honour. A frame that is healthy is one that is pure - a man who is healthy is in charge of his vessel and not his vessel controlling him. (1 Thess. 4:4)

Sexual purity is not just abstinence from sex. It is in the learning of doctrine over time that purifies and enables us to possess our vessels in sanctification and honour. (1 Thess. 4:5)

Affection is meant to be shown among brothers and sisters alike. Brotherly love among brethren should be expressed the way affection is shown when we are with our natural family.
(Rom. 12:10)

When we cannot warmly greet each other with a gentle touch, it shows we are distant. Even our pets always want to be close to us anytime they see us. (Act. 20:37)

The product of the spirit of the last days is the loss of natural affection. The fear of sin can make a soul lose the ability to be affectionate. Gentilic laws can never teach us how to possess our vessels in purity, only the doctrine of the gospel can. (2 Tim. 3:3, Rom. 1:31)

The first thing that must die in us is the kind of natural affection that ties us to only one person. Proper learning of doctrine allows affection to flow unrestricted among brethren. The fear of sin is death to the soul and does not allow affection to be expressed as it should.(Act. 20:30-37, 2 Tim. 3:3)

The law of righteousness teaches us to express love freely without it being soiled with sexual emotions. This is what it means to possess our vessels in sanctification and honour. (1 Thess. 4:4)

When a soul is able to, by obeying commandments, allow his affections to be dispersed among many people around him, such will be delivered from and immune to sin that isolates one to destroy.

The reason it will be difficult to obey commandments that border on being affectionate with one another is because of the weakness of our vessels. But the essence of wisdom is to teach us how to obey commandments, to be able to separate us from the unlawful motives that may be resident in our vessels. (1 Cor. 1:30, 1 Thess. 4:3)

We must know how to relate with others who do not have our understanding, as not everyone will accept the kind of affection we show to our brethren. Moreso, the commandment of love among the brethren is higher than the natural affection we show for our natural family.
Most times, the posture of righteousness that the world sees in the church is not accurate because they are not the product of the learning of doctrine, which is what will deliver to us the true practice of righteousness. (Rom. 6:17)

Learning the doctrine of the gospel is meant to reprogram our conversation of life, thus making us men who are strangers even in this present world. (Act. 20:30-37)

The code of God’s life is not on the surface and except a man tarries in the learning of truth and doctrine, grace will not be granted for the life to flow out of us. Our background and upbringing always give us a form of righteousness, which most times is not the same as God’s righteousness. (Rom. 16:16-17)

Doctrine teaches to live based on God’s demands and kills the savour that a soul derives from self-gratification. The world teaches men to kill ‘self’ but not the pleasure that it brings. (Rom. 1:32)

Many things in our environment, especially our cultures and traditions, teach us against the law of God. This is why it is usually not easy to obey commandments that will break us from the mold that our environment wants to fit us in.

Our interpretations of our experiences are what will determine if we are raised to stature to confront our issues. Religion does not give the right interpretations of life demands, thus making us continue in the bondage of sin, even if we seemingly show a life void of sin.