Quit Trying and Start Dying!: A Testimony of Revelation Regarding the Destination of God’S People. Do We Believe?

Copyright © 2013 David Joel.

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Scripture taken from the New King James Version unless otherwise noted. Copyright 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Noted scripture taken from the King James Version of the Bible.

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ISBN: 978-1-4908-1251-9 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4908-1252-6 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2013918580

WestBow Press rev. date: 10/29/2013

Contents

Dedication

Introduction

1   Definitions

2   3’s

3   Christ is Everlasting to Everlasting

4   Trying To Do Good

5   The American Dream

6   3 Principles of Death

7   3 Principles of Life

8   Good, Acceptable, Perfect

9   Sin in the world, & Sin in the Church

10   Called and Chosen

11   The Cross

Dedication

I dedicate this work to the Everlasting God, my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. For without You inhabiting my mortal body, this work would not have been accomplished. These words are for all who hunger and thirst for His righteousness, who love God first in any and all circumstances, who are placing all of their confidence on Him, and whose hope is resting fully on that Glorious Day.

Introduction

KING DAVID KNEW IT. ISAIAH and Jeremiah knew it. Ezekiel, Daniel and the minor prophets knew it. There’s no question that Jesus knew it. Likewise, we cannot doubt that all the writers of the New Testament knew it. All these men had a desire for something that surpassed the physical realm in every capacity. Not only that, but they were also willing to give away everything they were given to obtain it.

I am speaking of our destination.

Today’s church is going in way too many different directions. I don’t know about you, but I am very tired of religious, and political, correctness. I’ve heard too many leaders speak on subjects that are contrary to the Word of God, or should I say, the New Covenant. Too many speak on the warm fuzzy subjects rather than the topics that bring His holy fire into the sanctuaries. Even the vast majority of politicians that say they are Christian never say anything about Christ in their messages. Not to mention, their lifestyles are nothing but examples of greed and partiality.

Brothers and sisters, this just will not do.

There has to be something, or a combination of things, that will get His people back on the same sheet of music and going in the same direction. While pondering on these subjects I had to ask myself, David, what are you doing about it? Of course, the answer was nothing. I was going to church, tithing, reading articles, signing petitions, sending e-mails and making phone calls all the time it seemed. But I began to see that I wasn’t willing to step out of my comfort zones. This was the beginning of a process that is shaking me even today.

In May of 2011, I asked the Lord, Let me share in Your sufferings. Just as quickly as the words left my spirit, I heard, David, are you sure you want this? I said, Yes, Lord. I can’t live without it. If you’re not aware of it yet, I must tell you; God is faithful to His word.

It must have been in my spirit already, but when He asked me to write this, I was dumbfounded at first. I’ve never in my life even thought of myself as an author. I would much rather speak to people. But, His reassurance sent me on a nine-month journey doing something I’ve never done. All He said was trust Me. The highs and lows I experienced while writing this were without any doubt the most profound refining moments I’ve ever been through. And I praise Him that He’s not finished yet.

About a year before this, the Spirit showed me that trust was something I lacked in a big way. (Can anyone else identify with this?) At the time I was unemployed and spending my afternoons during the week as a volunteer teaching at the local jail. It was then that the Spirit told me, Start treating this like your full-time job. I wondered if it was just me talking until the Spirit spoke to a brother in Christ and confirmed what I’d heard.

I don’t know if any of you have ever done anything like this before, but for the next six months I was teaching eight to twelve times a week, from thirty minutes to an hour and a half each session. Our Lord showed me that if I did what He asked me to do, there would be no way I could prepare beforehand the messages I would deliver to the inmates. I would have to trust Him.

The revelations began to come like a flood. I’m not kidding. The Spirit was showing me exactly what He does. The mystery was unfolding in my understanding each and every day. All fear, anxiety and doubt simply vanished in His mighty wind. I soon lost count of how many times the men said, David, we talked about that subject last night. It was the most fun I’d ever had, watching some of the men’s minds and lives change as their understanding of the mystery increased.

It’s very sad to see that the majority of the church seems to be firmly attached to specific doctrines instead of the source, Christ; to the blessings instead of the one who blesses, Christ; to the provision rather than the one who provides, Christ. Without the source, all is vanity. These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men (Matthew 15).

I firmly believe that we are in the last days, and that Jesus is at the door. Our rescue is imminent, and we must allow our great God and Father to show us what we lack. We can see what our lack of boldness is doing to our country, and the world. Very few brethren are willing to express the truth of God rather than religious or political correctness.

We must understand that the Word of God was given to us because, being born into a world full of sin and wickedness, we are separated from our Father. He allowed every word of His Holy Book to survive to this time in history because we need every word to understand who He is, and so we’ll know how to make it home. I mean, how else can we know how to be like Jesus unless we subject ourselves to every word. The Holy Bible is, in fact, a vast description of His perfection.

As we all know and believe, Jesus is the Christ, and was raised from death by the power of God. Since He is still alive, we must understand that He is still speaking. Since He is still speaking, we must be aware that His voice will confirm every word in His Holy Book. It’s the only way to discern His voice from the enemy. Thy word is true from the beginning: and every one of thy righteous judgments endureth for ever (KJV, Psalm 119:160). This is how we test the spirits (I John 4) in both revelation and application.

There’s a very fine line between the truth and the lie, and brothers and sisters, we must stop straddling the fence. The letters to the seven churches apply to today. I could wish you were cold or hot (Revelation 3). The process begins in each of us when we realize that we are all wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked.

That is what brings me to this point; the opportunity to share with you much of what our Lord has allowed me to see. I will warn you now though that much of this will be difficult to swallow. But, it lines up with Scripture perfectly. Yes, I said it, perfectly. I can say without hesitation that He wrote this through me, and often corrected me in the process. It’s certainly not everything He has to say, but it’s what has been extremely valuable in my journey home. I’m certain it will be valuable to yours as well.

Another important point to make is this: With Scripture like having a form of godliness but denying its power (II Timothy 3), we must know from the context of this that the Word is speaking of our lack of trust, and our misdirection. And the Word is speaking of the church, not the world. The Word and the Spirit have been given to us to guide us (John 16) and transform us (Romans 12), not to be present with us for our convenience.

It would be impossible for me to say that there is only one topic explained in this work, when in reality it is a focus of many topics culminating into the most important one. The Spirit, as always, knows exactly what each one of us needs in regards to doctrine, reproof, correction and instruction (II Timothy 3), and He seems to have structured this with the first three chapters being the foundation for the final eight. All I will ask is that you read the entire work. Also, keep these three principles in mind as you read: Drawn by design, placed by design, and moved by design. You will see a much clearer, brighter reality as you continue, which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets: that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, of the same body, and partakers of His promise in Christ through the gospel (Ephesians 3).

All Scripture is from the New King James Version Holy Bible. Make sure you have your Holy Bible next to you as you read this. You’ll need it. The majority of the Scripture references I give are chapters only, as I’d like for you to read the entire chapter in each reference. And, please pray before you open it each time. Ask the Holy Spirit to come and build your trust in, and guide you to, the Father of lights.

May God bless you all, and all you bless.

1

Definitions

IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO UNDERSTAND any written work unless we first understand the definitions of the words that are used. When we understand the meaning of words, the context comes alive! This principle holds true in God’s Word more than any other publication (Ephesians 3, Hebrews 4). Also, it should be a profound warning to each of us to use the gift of discernment in everything we read.

When we begin to seek the deep truths of what God inspired the writers of the Old and New Testaments to express, the Triune God begins to come into full focus. Not only that, but we also see to the fullest extent who Jesus Christ is, what He’s done and what He’s doing, and how we get home.

My desire and request to God from my heart and soul has been, Lord, take me deeper. He has answered, of course, and is still answering in ways that leave me breathless. It is these truths that I teach with excitement and fervor. I have found that the Holy Spirit doesn’t stop at definitions from the Strong’s Concordance or a collegiate edition dictionary. Oh no! He expounds on every word and phrase from the depths of God’s heart, leading us to the whole truth (John 16).

The definitions we’ll cover have unlocked truths that have made me exceedingly hungry for more, and I trust they will do the same for you. The purpose of this chapter is to clarify, correct and stabilize knowledge, and reject supposed knowledge, in the body of Christ, and so readers will know what is meant by their use in the text of the Word and this work. This also allows Him to show us how different words are spiritually connected for the revealing of His glory.

Some are elementary and known by many. But, I will warn you now that many of these definitions oppose the convenience we accept in a free society like ours. I have seen that many words are applied by today’s church only to the extent that it doesn’t disrupt their agenda and comfort, and this is deadly (II Timothy 4). If we constantly seek to comfort ourselves, why would we need the Comforter (II Corinthians 1)? ‘For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,’ says the Lord (Isaiah 55).

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BAPTISM, BAPTIZE

The common definition of this is to make overwhelmed, and to cleanse and purify, and denotes a total change in the entire being of a follower of Christ. This is one of the most important and meaningful terms of the Gospel, and is defined with clarity by the Scriptures as well.

In Matthew 28, before Jesus ascended to the right hand of the Father, He tells us: All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things I have commanded you; In an upcoming chapter I will go into detail about the significance of this particular statement, but for now I will elaborate on John the Baptist and water baptism.

In Mark 1 and Luke 3, Scripture tells us that John came preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. The clear meaning of this comes from Paul in Romans 6: Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His Death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, . . . Jesus was wrapped in burial cloth, placed in a tomb and sealed in by a large stone. He was dead. Then He was raised from death by the power of God.

What Jesus accomplished in the physical realm, we are now commanded to do in the spiritual realm. Paul continues with, For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him. Read this next verse carefully. For he who has died has been freed from sin.

There’s a definite plan in these verses that says we are being prepared for God Himself to inhabit our spiritually dead bodies. To be poor in spirit is to be rich in the Spirit. Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 5). We are overwhelmed, cleansed and purified in the death of our old man, then made alive by Christ, who John said will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire (Matthew 3, Luke 3).

Bear in mind John’s baptism of repentance. These two terms are closely related.

As stated before, there is much more on this subject in upcoming chapters.

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BLESS, BLESSED, BLESSING

So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it (Isaiah 55).

This is a very important verse in regards to the definition of this word. It will surprise many people to learn that blessing or "being