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DECREASE = INCREASE
(John 3:30) "He must increase, but I must decrease." Do we think we have come so far that we should not have to decrease? The Spirit and the flesh are enemies. Do we not yet understand that the flesh, with its proud and destructively sinful nature, is an enemy of our soul? We must make room in these temples that the blessings and power of the kingdom may abound. Yes, we that have accepted the sacrifice Jesus made, and have made Him Lord of our lives and are saved, but are we filled to overflowing with His Spirit? Are we abiding in the true vine and bearing good fruit? No church and no Christian, no matter their name or their fame, is truly successful without the power and blessing of God. To be blessed is to have more of Jesus operating and less of self. Throughout the Old Testament, the emphasis for atonement of sins was put on the sacrificing of animals. It became easy for one to walk away from confession with an unchanged heart - just less a couple of livestock. When God made the final atonement for our sins through the shedding of the blood of His only begotten Son, things changed. Now, when the atonement for sin is accepted, the recipient not only walks away clean and forgiven, but Jesus is from that point on living in that person. That is the power and blessing of God. Christ living in us is the hope of glory. (2 Cor 9:10) " Now he that ministereth seed to the sower both minister bread for your food, and multiply your seed sown, and increase the fruits of your righteousness;" God is a God of increase. When Jesus plants the seeds of His Word in our hearts, He expects to reap a harvest. It is our responsibility to recognize when that seed is being choked out. When Isaiah prophesied of the coming Messiah, he said, "Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end..." (Isa.9:7). That means the number of people being brought into His kingdom, and the areas of their individual lives He will govern, shall ever increase. Ultimately all of creation will bow and confess that Jesus Christ is Lord of all. We that believe in and make Jesus Lord of our life now are to bow every area of our lives to His governing so that His glory may be seen in the earth. This is a process, and done according to His timing, but we must be willing to change. Sometimes when God pours out His blessings, people get the feeling that they have arrived, and that they don't need to go any farther. But God has a plan. The plan of God is that His kingdom increase, and that the fruit of that kingdom constantly increase. The process can be likened to a river. The river keeps going until it enters a sea or ocean. But it never literally stops. We must not stop. The Lord is constantly taking us from glory to glory. When Christians stop growing, they stagnate and the water turns bitter. The name for this stagnation is "lukewarmness," and it is the leading cause of spiritual death. When growth in the spirit is stifled, the flesh will spring up as a weed and continue to choke it out. When that is happening, we must decrease! Isa 58:6 "Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?" How do we decrease? Fast and Pray.
- KURT THURSTON
February 1997 Newsletter | Different Types of Conscience | Pastor's Journal February 1996 Decrease = Increase | They Went Into the Sea On Dry Ground | The Shepherd's Keeping Revised: July 23, 2009.
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