John 15 Study: Abiding In Christ, 4of10, Evans Olang

John 15:7-8, “7 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. 8 By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples” 

God’s will that we see in the Bible is His permissive or perfect will (1Thessalonians 4:3,  1Thessalonians 5:18, Psalm 143:10).  To discern the will of God we must KNOW, THINK, PRAY and ACT biblically. These two vs. will be our foundation, Romans 12:1-2, “1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God–this is your spiritual act of worship. 2 Do not CONFORM any longer to the pattern of this world, but be TRANSFORMED by the RENEWING of your mind. Then you will be able to TEST and APPROVE what God’s will is–his GOOD, PLEASING and PERFECT WILL”(NIV). CONFORMED is to act or be in accord or be in agreement with something, in this case the world (Psalm 1, Romans 8:7, Colossians 1:21). TRANSFORMED on the other hand is to change the nature, function or condition. Other word suitable is to convert.

Discernment Is Not Optional, Inspired by Pastor John MacArthur

1Thessalonians 5:21-22, “But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good; abstain from every form of evil”

A scripture often quoted in Matthew 7:1, says, “Judge not, that you be not judged” and this could be thought to mean being silent and receiving all things in the name of Christ asking no questions or else you may be labeled judgmental. The same chapter vs. 15, says, “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. 16 You will know them by their fruits”. How can you then know false prophets without judging first? The One who said do not judge at the beginning is giving indication that it’s ok to judge. I think the “judge not” is in reference to someone’s salvation. There could be 101 clear signs suggesting someone is not saved, the ultimate judge of their souls is God. We can share the gospel and let them examine themselves to see if they are in the faith. The judging I am still addressing today is discernment, what is going into my system must be evaluated. I hate to be deceived, deception is lethal the reason we have to judge everything preached and said by the word of God.

See What I See, 2of2, Evans Olang

2Kings 6:17, “And Elisha prayed, and said, “LORD, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.” Then the LORD opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw”

There is a great difference between SEEING WHAT YOU BELIEVE and BELIEVING WHAT YOU SEE. I prefer the first one, it teaches you to see things through the eyes of faith. Faith negates facts, it sees beyond the natural and presents a whole new picture of things which produces hope. People can see something the way it is, you are seeing what it can be, that is seeing what you believe.You can be in a situation that everyone has stopped hoping for good for it or you can be like the woman with the issue of blood who saw far beyond the natural that she could be healed and in the midst of it encourage yourself into the victory, trusting in the One who is able and touched the hem of His garment.

See What I See, 1of2, Evans Olang

2Kings 6:17, “And Elisha prayed, and said, “LORD, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.” Then the LORD opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw”

Have you ever been frustrated because someone or some people did not see what you see? You have vision, shared it but the impression they gave you indicated they did not see it, catch it or were unwilling to see it? You sit and wonder why they can’t see what I see? I’ve been there, been frustrated and in the midst of it, the Lord taught me something profound.

2Kings gives us a picture of Elisha and the Syrians. Elisha discerned the plot the Syrians had against the Israelites and he sent a message to warn the king of Israel of what awaited them.