Life Lesson: Experiences for the Building

Let no one say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God; for God cannot be tempted of evil, and He Himself tempts no one. But each one is tempted when he is drawn away and enticed by his own lusts; Then the lust, having conceived, gives birth to sin; and the sin, when it is fully grown, brings forth death. Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. (James 1:13-16, RecVer)

Spiritual things are not so simple. The enemy does his works to complicate the sinners' situation. However, God became a man in Jesus Christ to save man from his sins and from the complicated situations. On the one hand, God predestinated us, yet on the other hand, God gave man a free will. How do we reconcile God’s predestination and man's free will? When a brother sins, we need to have mercy, if need be, snatched them out of fire. In some cases, we have to show mercy in fear, hating even the inner garment spotted from the flesh.

Keep yourselves in the love of God, awaiting the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. And on some have mercy, on those who are wavering; Save them by snatching them out of the fire. On others have mercy in fear, hating even the inner garment spotted from the flesh. (Jude 21-23, RecVer)

In fact, there are sins that are gross and there are sins that are unto death. However, sin is sin. But where do we draw the line? There are many things beyond our understanding. In such cases, we leave the matter to the Lord who is the Judge. We leave the matter to the Lord and not try to do anything about the sinful situation except pray for such ones. What can we do except prayer? So, do what you can do best in such situation, pray.

Failures among God’s chidren have been used greatly by God to expose the real condition of a person. Jacob's twenty years' experiences in his uncle Laban's house was an exposure of his natural man. Since then, it was God’s dealing with his naturalness, failures after failures, stripping him of all his natural strength so that God can gradually work in him, transform him, and mature him, to make him a man of blessing.

God, in His sovereignty, caused all things that transpired in Jacob's life to perfect him, especially through his failures. All that he schemed for himself to meet his selfishness in Laban's house, in preparing to meet his brother Esau with the intense fear he had within, the dealings caused by the loss of his loved ones in experience - Rachel, Deborah, Isaac, Joseph, Benjamin, all were stripped off from him. Ultimately, the result of all his failures opened the way for God to work in him and lead him to maturity. His maturity was evident in his spirit being revived and his heart growing numb which is a proof of his soul and spirit being divided, a true sign of maturity. 

And they told him, saying, Joseph is still alive, and he is ruler over all the land of Egypt. And his heart grew numb, for he did not believe them. And they told him all the words of Joseph, which he had said to them; and when he saw the wagons which Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of Jacob their father revived. (Genesis 45:26-27, RecVer)

After this experience of maturity, he simply started blessing people. His supplanting hands became blessing hands. He blessed Pharaoh and all his chidren.

And Jacob blessed Pharaoh and went forth from Pharaoh’s presence. (Genesis 47:10, RecVer)

Failures are the path one has to pass through to be exposed, dealt with, be transformed, and finally be matured to become a blessed man and a man of blessing, a channel to bless those who needs to be blessed. 

In all these ways, in our experiences, we gain Chirst, and knowing Him in a subjective way the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus. These are the experiences of the Triune God and becoming mature in the divine life for the building up of the Body of Christ. 

But what things were gains to me, these I have counted as loss on account of Christ. But moreover I also count all things to be loss on account of the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, on account of whom I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as refuse that I may gain Christ (Philippians 3:7-8, RecVer)