THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD - PART 293

And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved! There was a certain man, lame from his mother's womb who was laid daily at the gate of a temple. It is there that he expected to receive some money. As it so happened, Peter and John about to enter the temple were asked to give money. Instead, Peter and John in surmising the situation said, "Look on us." The man did as Peter had said, still expecting to receive from them financial sustenance.

However, as we read in the scriptures, Peter said to the man, "I do not have any silver or gold to give you (imagine - expectancy dashed) BUT what I do have I give to you (expectancy faith arises) - “In the Name of JESUS the Christ, rise up and walk!" Peter, stretching forth his right arm assisted the man to his feet. Immediately, the man’s feet and ankle bones received strength. The man started leaping and standing and walking going straight into the temple. In the temple, he continued leaping and walking, praising God as he went. The people watched as he continued praising God!

Likewise, JESUS when He walked upon earth went about doing good. As He went, He healed all who came to Him with expectancy (faith). Indeed, the New Testament is full of testimonials whereby JESUS delivered and healed all those who came to Him with expectancy of faith. Persons who were oppressed of the devil. How could this be? The spirit of God was in the man JESUS. Yes! God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself.

The God who indwelt the man JESUS the Christ is the very same today as He was in the scriptures. He has not changed. For God remains the same today as He was yesterday. And, as a consequence, we can have expectancy of faith (confidence) that tomorrow God will be unchanged. Recall at Calvary when JESUS in His body bore all of our sin? And with the stripes laid upon His back - those stripes that He received were for our healing?

So just because we do not visibly see JESUS is no reason to believe that He is absent from us. For in Acts chapter 1, we read that the same JESUS who ascended is the same one who has once again descended. Only this time JESUS was NOT TO BE WITH MAN! Oh no! This time, JESUS is to DWELL INSIDE MAN.

Expectant believers being baptized into His death are of God “Raised Again” as new individuals! Believing persons are grafted into HIS Spiritual body, becoming members of His bone and of His flesh. In feature, we still bear the image of the first Adam. However, spiritually we are no longer His offspring. We have been redeemed by the blood of His Holy Spirit, which blood flowed in JESUS veins and which blood was poured from His body at Calvary(paying in full for our freedom)!

This is why we now are the body of the same JESUS who laid down His life for us. Now He inhabits us even as He had His own natural body whilst He dwelt among us. He has bequeathed His inheritance to us! His LAST WILL He has SEALED in His own Blood!