Edification Company (Part of Edification Ministries)
Religion & Spirituality:Christianity
1st Issued Date: 05 .09.2020
2nd Issued Date: 10.09.2023
It is another week and we thank and rejoice in the Living God, the Father, through the Lord Jesus Christ for His provision, love, care, and his indwelling peace in us by the Divine Person of the Holy Spirit.
Main Bible Scripture:
John 1 v 4
Other Associated Scriptures:
John 5 v 26, John 5 v 24, John 10 v 10, John 6 v 63, John 20 v 30-32, 2Peter 1 v 4, Luke 18 v 18, 2 Corinthians 5 v 17
Prayer:
Father God, in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we thank you for another week of divine health, divine peace, divine provision and divine wisdom and revelation of God, the Father. As we come in our own accord to feed our born-again spirit-beings with the rich nutrient of God’s Holy Word, we agree that your Word is the truth. We trust the Holy Spirit to bring the light of God’s Holy Word into our minds and the direction of that Word into our spirits. We trust you, the Lord Jesus Christ that we will be doers of your Word and not hearers, readers or speakers only. In Jesus Name. Amen
Theme: Eternal Life (ZOE) – God kind of Life
Our theme or subject is Eternal Life, God kind of Life. This eternal life is spelt ‘ZOE’ in Greek in the New Testament. Our main Holy Scripture passage from John 1 v 4 says “In Him was life and the life was the light of men.” For the purpose of this teaching the above scripture can be read as “In Jesus was ZOE and the ZOE was the light [development] of men [human beings].”
There are different Greek words that describe ‘life’ in the New Testament and the most dominant one used is ZOE. I am sure you are now aware that the New Testament was originally written in Greek. I am not a Greek scholar but my STRONG’S exhaustive concordance of the Bible uses the word ZOE to denotes ETERNAL LIFE; the very life of the Living God, the Father of spirits. As we embark on this teaching I will invite you to get yourself familiar with the words below and their meaning:
ZOE is a Greek word meaning eternal life or everlasting life or God kind of life. And it is this life that Christ Jesus came to give to all those who will receive Him and believe on His Name.
Light shines in darkness and it stands for development. The eternal life or the ZOE was the development of men or human beings through Christ Jesus into His kingdom of lights.
There are other Greek words used to describe life in the New Testament. It is important that we know and understand the context and the ‘life’ the Holy Bible is referring to when we feed on the Holy Written Word of God in English language and others. For example, there is another Greek word ‘Biosis’ which is translated ‘Life’ in most English Bible versions which means ‘manner of life’ and does not have the same meaning as ZOE, the eternal life of God. For example, in Acts 26 v 4 reads “My manner of life or ‘Biosis’ from my youth, which was spent from the beginning among my own nation at Jerusalem, all the Jews know.” I read from New King James Bible version. Also, there is another Greek word ‘Biotikos’ which simply means “pertaining to this life here on earth” which does not have the same meaning as ZOE, the eternal life of God. For example, in 1 Corinthians 6 v 3,4 uses ‘Biotikos’. It reads “Do you not know we shall judge angels? How much more things that pertain to this life or ‘Biotikos’? If then you have the judgements concerning things pertaining to this life or ‘Biotikos’, do you appoint those who are least esteemed by the church to judge?” I read from the New King James Bible.
This is the reason why God the Father in Christ Jesus has put teachers in the Church, to teach the Good News of Christ, nothing else. Teachers are called in God’s ministry to teach and edify God’s children. Every teacher called in the office of the teacher is anointed to stand in that office to teach the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ and nothing else. However, my experience has been that the ‘so-called teachers and preachers’ of God are more keen to teach theology or religion at the expense of the true teaching of the true gospel of Christ Jesus. A true teacher or preacher of God speaks nothing but God’s Word. This is because it is through the teaching of the gospel of Christ which causes faith to come to a person (see Romans 10 v 17).
We have noticed from our main scripture that ““In Jesus was ZOE and the ZOE was the development [light] of men [human beings].” It is sad that this eternal life which Christ came to give to those who receive and believe in Him has not been readily taught in our church meetings. I am therefore, thankful to God through Jesus Christ that this ‘need’ is laid in my born-again spirit-being to teach on the subject of eternal life or ZOE.
John chapter 1 v 10-13 reads “He [Jesus] was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own and His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His Name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”
When an individual receives and believes in Jesus Christ he or she is born of God and becomes new creation in Christ – A CHILD OF GOD! You may ask, brother Thomas, how do I receive and believe in Christ to be become a child of God? I am glad you asked. It is simple, all you have to do is say this prayer: “I confess with my mouth the Lord Jesus, and I believe in my heart (in my spirit) that God raised Him from the dead.” Welcome brother or sister to God’s family! Do find a local Bible believing church to fellowship. You can also get daily feeding or edification of the Holy Written Word of God via: Thomasoseiboakye.podbean.com OR visit YouTube and type in the search The Company Teaching. Subscribe to these to access timeless teachings and edification episodes.
What happens to an individual if he or she is born of God?
This individual receives ZOE or eternal life of God, the very life of God he also receives the nature of God who is love, Agape. First of all, God’s Word teachers that an individual is a spirit-being, he or she has a soul and he or she lives in the body or the flesh. This individual’s spirit-being is made a new creation in Christ Jesus. This person soul and the body are not made new creation, only his spirit. The person or the man on the inside is born-again and it is this supernatural birth of the human spirit by the Father of spirits which imparts eternal life or ZOE into the child of God. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new (see 2Corinthians 5 v 17).”
You need to know and understand that our old nature life was according to the prince of the power of the air, that is Satan and we did partake that life and nature when the first Adam willingly handed his authority in the Garden of Eden at to Satan. That life and nature brought to mankind spiritual death and consequently physical death to our flesh or body. We became mortal. God the Father did not create Adam to be mortal, it was the life and nature of Satan, the spiritual death which dominated the human spirit that brought mortality to human flesh or body. But, to God be glory forever! All those who are born of God shall receive the incorruptible body at the second coming of Christ. Spiritual death is separation from God’s eternal life or ZOE. Spiritual death does not mean cessation or end of life. Spirit-beings never cease to exist and whether you are saved or unsaved, you are a spirit-being and when you leave or go out of the body or the flesh, you live on. The real you, is the spirit-being and not your flesh or soul. There is an unseen realm and unseen beings and they are real, but they are unseen with our natural senses. Jesus speaking to Nicodemus said “spirit gives birth to spirit and flesh gives birth to flesh.” Again, Jesus speaking to the Samaritan Woman said to her “God is a Spirit and those who worship Him must worship Him in spirit and truth.” In Hebrews 12 v 9, God is called the Father of spirits. Genesis Chapter 1 v 26 reads “God said, let Us make man [human being] in Our image, according to Our likeness….”
God is a Spirit and His nature is eternal life or ZOE. If God is a Spirit and He expects His worshippers to worship Him in spirit and in truth. And if God is the Father of spirits and human-beings are made in the image of God according to His likeness, then by necessity an individual is a spirit-being.
Romans 8 v 16 says “The Spirit of God testifies or bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.” Notice that the Holy Spirit does not testify or bear witness with our intellect, our mind, our reasoning, our emotions or even our bodies. The Holy Spirit of God testifies or bears witness with our born-again spirit-being. Proverbs 20 v 27 says “The spirit of a man [a person] is the lamp or the light of the LORD, searching all the inner depths of his heart.” It is human spirit that God the Father uses to enlighten a person not his body or soul. It is therefore incredible that the Church in general has failed in its duty to teach children of God to focus on and develop the born-again spirit-being which has the ZOE or eternal life of God to dominate the desires of the body and the un-renewed soul.
What God the Father has throughout the ages been working on was to get His own life [ZOE] back to mankind but He has to do this in adherence to spiritual law, else Satan will accuse Him of injustice and unfairness. This is because Adam willingly sold us out to Satan in the Garden of Eden. And God the Father, although Sovereign could not just snatch us back from Satan, He would be unjust and unrighteous Judge in doing so. And God will not do any such thing. So God told the serpent[Satan] in the Garden of Eden, “I will put enmity between you and the woman [Mary], and between your seed and her Seed [Jesus]; He [Jesus] shall bruise your head and you shall bruise His heel (Genesis 3 v 15).” Then came the Seed of a woman, the Second and the Last Adam, Jesus Christ who not only bruise Satan’s head but left him paralysed and made a public show of him totally defeated, triumphing him in it (see Colossians 2 v 15). Although, the Second and the Last Adam, Jesus Christ, has defeated Satan and is able to give to anyone ZOE or the eternal life of God but because God created human beings to have ‘free will’, God in Christ Jesus cannot force ZOE or eternal life of God on us, because if He acts that way, Satan again will accuse Him of unjust and unrighteousness because of spiritual law. Just as there are natural laws, there are also spiritual laws and God is the Righteous Judge pertaining spiritual law. God is the Righteous attorney general over spiritual laws. God is the Righteous Judge and He cannot change. Therefore, the only way for whosoever to partake in ZOE or the eternal life of God is shown in John 3 v 16 “For God so love the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have ZOE or eternal life.”
Friends, this eternal life is in Christ and He is granted, authorised and able to give to ‘whosoever’ believes in Him. This is the Good News that Christ brought to mankind that God was in Christ reconciling mankind to Himself, not counting their sins against them and has given to us, believers, the message of reconciliation. Religion and modernistic view will turn people away from this important message because they are cheated by human philosophy and empty deceit, according to the basic principles of the world and not according to Christ (see Colossians 1 v 8).
Satan is a spirit and he was created with a will and was gifted with music and was in the same position as Gabriel and Michael. He has a throne which was beneath God’s Kingdom or Heaven, and he sinned or disobeyed by saying in his heart “I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God, his Creator. I will be like the Most High (see Isaiah 14 v 13, 14).” In other words, he disobeyed and challenged his Creator and that has been his nature ever since, disobedience. Satan was created by God and was perfect in his ways from the day he was created till iniquity was found in him (see Ezekiel 28 v 15). He is now the father of disobedience and that is his nature (see Ephesians 2 v 1-2). Disobedience regarding obeying God’s Holy Written Word. The Holy Bible does not give us all the information we would like to have on the events of ‘Pre-Adamite’ earth and about Lucifer or Satan, however, Isaiah 14 v 12-19 and Ezekiel 28 v 13-19) give us a little snap shot.
But hold on a minute, have you realised that all that Satan has been wanting through disobedience, Christ Jesus, the second and the last Adam has obtained through obedience. For Philippians 2 v 9-11 says “Therefore God also has highly exalted Him [Jesus] and given Him the NAME, that at the NAME of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Obedience to God and His Word makes an individual receives and lives the best that God has to offer in Christ Jesus. Also read Ephesians 1 v 19 – 21.
If an individual is born of God, he or she partakes the very LIFE of God – ETERNAL LIFE or ZOE. For Romans 6:23 says “For the wages of sin is death (spiritual death), but the gift of God is eternal life or ZOE.” Jesus Christ is God’s Ultimate gift to the world and they that receive Him and believe in His Name partake this Eternal Life. For John 3 v 16 says “For God so love the world that He gave His Only Begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting or eternal life or ZOE.”
This very LIFE or ZOE recreated our spirit-beings to become sons or children of God in Christ Jesus. If an individual receives this eternal life, there is an instant noticeable changes in him or her. There is new perspective of his or her manner of life. There is an instant change on the inside of this individual; this eternal life affects his or her habits, conducts, manner of life and speech. Effectively, if this individual continues to feed on God’s Holy Word and acts or obeys the Holy Written Word of God, the new person on the inside or the born-again spirit-being dominates this individual’s body and the soul which in themselves were not born-again or created a new when the spirit-being was created new in Christ Jesus.
From our main scripture passage, we noticed that this eternal life or ZOE in Christ was the light or development of men or human beings. The development of this eternal life in every born-again child of God grows and matures when this person continues to feed on God’s Holy Written Word. The eternal life of God develops God’s children into spiritual maturity which affects and influences a person’s soul and body. If we allow this eternal life of God to develop and dominate us, we become conscious of the fact that God’s Holy Written Word is the absolute truth. And if we live by God’s Word we worship the Father in spirit and in truth in the Name of Jesus. If we allow the eternal life of God to develop us, we become conscious of the fact that the love of God has been poured in our hearts by the Holy Spirit. And we love as God loves. If we allow the eternal life of God to develop us, faith matures in us instead of fear. If we allow the eternal life of God to develop us, we begin to bear the fruit of the Spirit of God instead of the works of the flesh. The fruit of the Holy Spirit is love, joy, peace, patient or longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. People, saved or unsaved begin to notice the fruit of the Spirit in us when we allow ZOE or the eternal life of God to develop and influence us. The acts or works of the flesh or the body are sexual immorality (adultery, fornication), impurity and debauchery (excessive indulgence in sex, alcohol, or drugs), idolatry and witchcraft, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions (disagreement that leads to discord), factions (infighting) and envy, drunkenness, orgies (a wild party characterised by excessive drinking and indiscriminate sexual activity), and the like. Those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God because they have not received and believed on the Name of Jesus Christ for the eternal life of God to dominate the works of the flesh. It is important to emphasise that the eternal life of God does not develop an individual to be a ‘good person’ as the world defines ‘good’. The eternal life of God develops and individual to bear the fruit of the Spirit. For if you are in Christ you are God’s workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God the Father prepared beforehand that we should walk in them (see Ephesians 2 v 10). A person can adjust his or her conduct to appear good, well educated, well-mannered and so on yet he or she still is dominated by envy, debauchery, dissension, orgies, drunkenness, factions and so on. A person may be a member of a church and be religiously educated instead of the ZOE educated and can be dominated and controlled by the works of the flesh or the body.
I dare to ask the question, why did Jesus come?
A religious minded individual replied, “Jesus came to give us religion”. But that is not why Jesus came.
A self- righteousness individual replied, “Jesus came to give us a “code of conduct to live ethically in this life”. But that is not why Jesus came.
Another religious minded individual replied, “Christ came to give us the church.” But that is not why Jesus came.
Why did Jesus come? Let us read John 10 v 10 “The thief [devil] does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I [Jesus] have come that they may have life or ZOE, that they may have ZOE more abundantly.” Jesus came that you and I might have eternal life of God and not just that but to have this eternal life in abundance.
A religious minded individual is a person who educates and develops in church traditions at the expense of the Holy Written Word of God. Jesus did not say “I have to give you church traditions.” Jesus said “I have come to give you ZOE and ZOE in abundance.”
How do we know that this ZOE or eternal life is God kind of life?
The answer of course is in the Holy Written Word of God. John chapter 5 v 26 reads “For as the Father has life or ZOE in Himself, so He has granted the Son [Jesus Christ] to have life or ZOE in Himself.” God the Father granted Jesus Christ eternal life, His very life. And because Jesus is granted this eternal life, He, Jesus died (spiritually and physically) on the cross for every person so that whosever believes in Him shall not perish but to have this eternal life, the very life the Father has granted Him. It is only through this eternal life or ZOE that an individual can have the Father’s life and this life is only found in Christ Jesus because the Father granted it to Him. This is the reason why John 14 v 6 says “Jesus said to Thomas, “I am the way, the truth and the ZOE or eternal life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” Also, in Romans 4 v 12 says “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other NAME under heaven given among men [human beings] by which we must be saved.” This NAME is Jesus Christ (see Acts 4 v 8-12). As the Father has ZOE in Himself so He has granted Jesus Christ to have eternal life. Therefore, He, Jesus is willing and more than able to grant this ZOE to whosoever believes in Him.
How does this eternal life or ZOE develop in our born-again spirit-beings to influence our body and soul?
Friends, Jesus came to give you and I ZOE, eternal life and I like you to pray this prayer as you wake up every morning:
“I am a child of God, born of God and the very nature and life of God live in me. I have the mind of Christ Jesus and I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. The eternal life of God is my wisdom, is my knowledge, is my intellect. In the Name of Jesus Christ, I pray, Amen.
Closing Prayer
Heavenly Father in Christ Jesus we thank you for your incorruptible living Word, that Word has come to us, help us to be doers thereof. In Jesus Name. Amen.
To God be the glory forever and ever in Jesus Name by the power of the Holy Spirit. I know that you are edified, exalted and comforted by this teaching, why don’t you share it with others to edify, to exalt and to comfort them also? It is also important to get your feedback and how together, through the weekly teachings we are growing in faith in God’s Holy Written Word. Amen
Amen.
By: Bro Thomas Boakye
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