In almost every religion and human philosophy, there are levels, which people can achieve through the means of natural knowledge, technics and methods. If you want to enter a new level, you should first do something to achieve that level. When you have achieved that level, there will be a new level ready to be achieved. Until you have achieved the highest level. In almost every religion and human life philosophy, people climb from the bottom to the top and have one goal in mind and that is to achieve the highest level. The more people learn and do and prove themselves, the higher the level they walk in and the more satisfied they become. Who doesn’t want to achieve new spiritual levels? But the truth in Christianity is, that there are no spiritual levels to achieve. This is a lie of the devil, who wants you to believe, that there are spiritual levels.
The maturity of the sonship of God
The degree in which a person moves and walks in is not a spiritual level, but the maturity of the sonship of God. No one can enter a new spiritual level by his works, because through the new birth in Jesus Christ a person has obtained the highest spiritual status, 即: 神之子. A higher spiritual level doesn’t exist!
基于这个事实, that there is a lot of ignorance and a lack of knowledge about the new birth among believers, and because many believers don’t study the Bible for themselves, but believe and adapt everything what (well-known) religious leaders say, many believers don’t really know and understand what the new birth means. They are ignorant about their position in Jesus Christ and who they are in Him.
They listen to doctrines, coming from well-known carnal preachers, who are influenced by the (神秘的) world and strange religions, human philosophies and rely on their own knowledge and wisdom, and apply methods and elements of the world to the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Since the world’s interest for eastern religions and philosophies has increased, and the spirit of the world has entered many churches, this interest has also entered many churches. Many elements have been taken from these eastern religions and philosophies and have been applied to the doctrines in the church. One of those elements is the preaching of achieving new levels. There are many religious leaders, who preach about spiritual levels and how to achieve new levels. But can you achieve new spiritual levels in the Kingdom of God? Where do we read in the Word about achieving new levels?
Can you achieve new levels?
Nowhere in the Word, we read about achieving new levels. Jesus didn’t say to His disciples: “if you apply these methods and develop those technics and do that, then you will enter a new level and you will walk in that new level”. Jesus didn’t say either: “I give you power over a small part of demonic powers to cast them out and over a number of sicknesses. When you have proved that you can do that, and return you will receive more power and authority until you receive all power to cast out all demons and all sicknesses“.
If Jesus had told this to His disciples, then it wouldn’t be 优雅 不再, but the disciples would have achieved it by themselves, by applying certain methods, technics and by their own works.
But Jesus said something else. He told His disciples, that He would give them power and authority over 全部 the devils and to heal diseases.
Then he called his twelve disciples together, 并赋予他们凌驾于一切魔鬼之上的力量和权威, 并治愈疾病. 他差遣他们去传讲神的国度, 并治愈病人. (鲁 9:1-2)
Nowhere do we read anything about levels of faith, anointing, healing or deliverance. We also don’t read, that the disciples had to achieve certain levels before they were sent out by Jesus.
Jesus preached and revealed them the Kingdom of God (and the 神的旨意) through means of parables, He called God’s people to 悔改 罪恶的, cast out devils and healed the sick. Jesus did, what He had seen His Father do, and when He sent His disciples, they did, what they had seen Jesus do.
The only one, who wants you to think there are levels, is the devil. He uses carnal preachers, who teach believers about walking in new levels of spirituality and that there are levels of faith, anointing, 康复, and deliverance. Because if you believe, that there are levels of faith, levels of anointing, levels of healing and levels of deliverance, they become massive strongholds of the devil in your carnal mind. You will always think, that you don’t have enough knowledge, don’t know the methods or technics, or haven’t done enough to achieve and walk in a certain level, and therefore you will not do what the Word tells you to do. The devil wants to keep every believer away from the truth of God’s Word and keep them ignorant and passive for the Kingdom of God, and he succeeds by using all these carnal doctrines from other religions and philosophies, to ensure that believers stay carnal.
And here we have the problem, why not everyone walks in faith, call others to repentance and preach the gospel of Jesus Christ, 有神迹奇事跟随他们. Because the flesh stands in the way. The only obstacle, that prevents people from walking in faith is their flesh.
Unbelief is in the flesh
The disciples, who were not yet born again and had been given power and authority to deliver and heal everyone, under the old covenant, were able to heal and deliver everyone. Jesus had given them all authority and power, which they needed. There was only one thing, that stood in the way and that was not, that they didn’t walk in the right level, but that their flesh stood in the way. Unbelief is present in the flesh, since the old man is carnal and sense ruled and not spiritual.
The old man belongs to the unfaithful and perverse generation, who always needs some kind of proof in order to do something. The old man is sense ruled and therefore lives after what (s)he sees, hears, smells and feels. 基于这个事实, that the old man wants to see something first, and needs some kind of proof before the old man believes, the disciples were not able to heal all the diseases. Although Jesus had given them all power and authority, they were not able to heal the boy, who was lunatic and sore vexed.
Because when the father of the son, who was lunatic came to Jesus, he told Him that His disciples were not able to cure his son. When Jesus healed his son, His disciples asked Him, why they were not able to heal him.
The reason why the couldn’t heal the boy was not that they didn’t pray or fast enough, as so many preachers say. The real reason why they couldn’t heal the boy was due to their unbelief (垫 17:19, 三月 9:19).
Unbelief is present in the flesh and as long as the flesh is not crucified 和 laid down yet, unbelief shall always be present. You crucify and lay down your flesh through a.o. prayer and fasting (另请阅读: what is fasting?). 这就是为什么耶稣说, that this kind goes not out but by 祷告 和 禁食. This kind didn’t relate to the evil spirit (devil), but to the faithless and perverse generation of the carnal old man (垫 17:14-21, 三月 9:17-29).
Walking in faith instead of levels
After you become born again and 更新你的想法 与神的话语, apply the Word in your life and through your relationship with God the Father and Jesus Christ by the Holy Spirit, you shall walk after the spirit in faith. You shall spiritually mature as a son of God into the likeness of Jesus Christ. You shall trust and rely upon Jesus; the Word and listen to what He says, instead of trusting and listening to what the world says.
For in Him dwells all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. And you are complete in Him, which is the head of all principality and power (上校 2:10)
圣经说, that at the moment you become born again, you become a new creation. 你不再是罪人, but you have been made the righteousness of God in Christ. You have been made complete in Him, and don’t lack anything. You cannot add anything and achieve new levels of spirituality.
脱去旧人，穿上新人
The only thing you must do is die to ‘self’ and put on Christ, in other words, 赶走老人 和 穿上新人. The more the old man dies, the more the new man becomes visible. 再次, this has nothing to do with levels. You cannot say, that this week we will enter a new level. Because when you become born again, you have reached the highest position in life. From that moment you become born again and become a son of God, you are seated in Christ and reign together with Him over every power, 公国, rulers of the darkness of this world, and spiritual wickedness in high places.
Jesus Christ lives inside of you; 新的创造, by the Holy Spirit and therefore you have everything you need to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ, and represent and bring the Kingdom of God on this earth.
Walking in the authority of Jesus Christ means walking in faith. Walking in faith means that you believe the Word and rely on the Word and therefore do the Word and walk in the Word. No matter what the world says, you believe and keep standing on the Word. When the world says, that something cannot be done, while the Word says that it can be done, you decide who you believe: 道或世界. The world always contradicts the Word and sows and reap in the flesh unbelief, 害怕, 焦虑, 愤怒, 妒忌, 冲突, 恨, 情欲, 欲望, death etc.. The Word on the other hand sows and reap in the spirit 信仰, 和平, 喜悦, 爱, 长期受苦的, life etc.
信仰就像一粒芥菜种
For verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you (垫 17:20)
耶稣说, that if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you can move mountains. Therefore you don’t need big faith and don’t have to achieve certain levels of faith in order to move mountains. Because Jesus said, that a little bit of faith already can move mountains. But as long as you stay carnal and keep living after the flesh and after this world system, you shall not be able to walk in faith, with signs and wonders following you. Your carnal mind shall resist and stop the works of the Kingdom of God and keep people away from coming to Jesus.
Faith is not a fruit of the flesh and doesn’t come forth out of the lies of the flesh, but it is a fruit of the spirit and comes forth out of the truth of the Spirit. Levels are part of the flesh and the world system and are not part of the spirit and the Kingdom of God.
唯一的事情, the disciples had to wait for before they were allowed to do the great commission, was the promise of the Father, Who Jesus would send to them, namely the coming of the Holy Spirit (lu 24:49)
When the disciples received the Holy Spirit on the day of 五旬节, they had received all power from God in order to do what Jesus had commanded them to do. They immediately walked in the fullness of His power.
When you become a son of God through regeneration, you have begotten the highest place in Jesus Christ. You don’t need any new level, but knowledge of God’s Word in order to find out who you are in Christ.
Through the knowledge of God’s Word, you shall get to know God and 他的意志, so that you shall walk in faith and destroy the lies of the devil, which have been built throughout those years as strongholds in your mind.
Through the knowledge of the Word and by applying the Word in your life, you shall walk in the truth of the Word in faith and represent, preach and bring the Kingdom of God on this earth, 呼召人们悔改 and reconcile them back to God through Christ. This is the commission of every born again believer.
Establish the Kingdom of God by faith on this earth
所以你们去吧, 并教导万民, 奉父之名给他们施洗, 和儿子的, 和圣灵的: 教导他们遵守我吩咐你们的一切事情 (垫 28:19-20)
And He said unto them, Go ye into all the world, 向一切受造之物传福音. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. 相信的人必有这些神迹随着他们; 他们将以我的名义赶鬼; 他们会说新的语言; 他们必拿起蛇; 如果他们喝了任何致命的东西, 它不会伤害他们; 他们要按手在病人身上, 他们将会康复 (三月 16:15-18)
And He said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His Name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And ye are witnesses of these things (鲁 24:46-47)
You don’t have to spend hours and days in prayer, while fasting, in order to find out your calling. Jesus has already given you the answer about your calling. Every believer and follower of Him should be a witness of Jesus Christ, preach the gospel, preach repentance and the remission of sin by the blood of Jesus Christ, teach all nations and make them disciples of Jesus, teach them to keep all that Jesus has commanded, baptize them in the Name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost, cast out devils, heal the sick by laying on of hands, speak with new tongues, take up serpents and if they drink any deadly thing, 它不会伤害他们.
All that Jesus commanded, wasn’t meant for His disciples, who lived at that time, but for all His disciples, who are prepared to lay down their own lives, take up daily their cross and 跟从耶稣. If you follow Jesus and keep 他的诫命, then while you are on your way, doing what He has commanded you to do, you shall enter your destination.
Paul never talked about levels, but about spiritually mature as a son of God and running the race, whereby everything revolves around running with patience and persistence while keeping your eyes on Jesus, the Author, and Finisher of our faith in order finish the race (赫布 12:1). 很遗憾, many believers lack this mentality. As soon as something happens, they drop out, and rather be spectators, watching others run the race of life. But this is not the will of God. He wants everyone to enter the race and be patient and persistent to the end.
‘成为地球之盐’
