11/15/20
Lesson # 4 (Review)
Romans 11:13, “For I speak to you Gentiles, Insomuch as I am the Apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office.
The issue that is before us today is, recognizing Pauline authority, and godly edification. But first there is a question on the table that needs an answer. Why Paul? Exactly why did the Lord Jesus Christ, in his (notice) resurrected, ascended, glorified state, reach down from heaven’s glory, as recorded in Acts 9, and save Saul of Tarsus, and make him Paul the Apostle? Why? That is a great question!
1. Let us be clear, there is much confusion about Apostle Paul, today in Christiandom. So, let us begin with Christ’s earthly ministry. During Christ’s earthly ministry, neither our Lord, nor his 12 apostles ministered to the Gentiles. That is a fact! Romans 15:8 Is clear on this point. Christ came to minister to the nation Israel, only. Why? “To confirm the promises made unto the fathers,” In time past. What promises? The promises of Exodus 19:5-6; “If you will obey my voice, and keep my covenant, then you shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people : for all the earth is mine: and ye shall be unto me a Kingdom of priests, and an holy nation.” Jesus Christ was confirming and validating those covenant promises God made to Israel’s father’s, stated in Ephesians 2:12. Gentiles were strangers from the covenants of promise, aliens from the Commonwealth of Israel, having no hope, and without God in (the world.
2. The books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, record the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ to the nation Israel, exclusively. Jesus confirmed to Israel that the promises made to the patriarchs were true, and he proclaimed the good news that they would soon be fulfilled, “The Kingdom of heaven is at hand.” The verse in Romans 15: 8 prove that Christ’s earthly ministry was exclusively to Israel only.
3. Jesus and his 12 apostles did NOT minister to the Gentiles, which is who weare! All other than Jews are Gentiles. We cannot ignore the divisions that God made in the Bible. That is why Paul, in 2 Timothy 2:15 “study to show yourself approved unto God, a workman that needed not to be ashamed, rightly dividing
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the word of truth. The truth is, God has two programs, Prophecy and Mystery, and they both do not operate at the same time. ALL the Bible is FOR our learning, but not all of the Bible is TO us for our obedience. God has two different programs and two different agencies for His purpose, (1) Kingdom program for the nation of Israel. (2) the mystery program for the church body of Christ. We can know the difference, the KEY to understand is to right division.
4. Matt. 10:5-7: Jesus Christ was sent to the lost sheep of Israel. Scripture clearly states “these 12 Jesus sent forth and commanded them saying, go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter you not: but go rather to the lost sheep of the House of Israel. And as ye go preach, saying, the Kingdom of heaven is at hand(which by the way is Israel’s gospel only).” Jesus clearly said: “go not into the way of the Gentiles”.
5. And Apostle Paul was not one of the 12 Apostles! Rom. 15:16; ”That I should be the minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, ministering the gospel of God, that the offering up of the Gentiles might be made acceptable, being sanctified by the Holy Ghost.” This is crystal clear! After Israel rejected Jesus Christ, their Messiah and Savior, “with wicked hands they slew him (crucified) on the cross (Acts 2:23-24; 3:14-1 5-” denied the Holy & Just One & desired a murderer).
“Give us Barabbas.”
After Israel’s murder of Christ, and the repeated rejection to repent, and the stoning of Stephen (Acts 7:51-60), God, instead of executing wrath (Jesus standing) suspended His dealings with Israel, (Romans 11:11-12; 25-30. God intended for Israel originally, to be a Kingdom of priest’s, an holy nation, and the channel of blessing for the rest of the nations, “to teach us His ways and walk in God’s paths (Isa. 2:1-4).” The 12 apostles were to go to the Gentiles AFTER, the nation of Israel had repented. But Israel did not repent! They had rejected their savior, their King, and the Kingdom of heaven that God was going to establish on this earth. Now, the Gentiles are being saved through the fall of Israel. (Rom. 11:11-12). It is at this point that “The salvation of God will be sent to the Gentiles, and they will hear it.” (Acts 28:28).
6. But God had a secret, kept hid in Himself, hid from ages and generations, in other ages it was not made known. This mystery cannot be found in the Old
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Testament scriptures. That is why it is called “the unsearchable riches of Christ.” (Eph. 3:8) What is this secret, this mystery? “The preaching of Jesus Christ
according to the revelation of the mystery” and God revealed it exclusively to Apostle Paul. Rom. 16:25. The dispensation of Gentle grace was NOW in effect.
7. Jesus sent Paul, a brand new apostle, with a brand new, unique, distinctive gospel, the gospel of the grace of God. And with new and different instructions to us, the Church, body of Christ. The point is, we MUST recognize Paul as our Apostle today. God invested in him and his 13 epistles, Romans through Philemon, FOR and TO us MCBOC, A body of doctrine necessary to produce godly edification, godly education, godly spiritual growth, godliness. (To THINK…WALK…CO-LABOR). Godly edification is a process, and it begins by knowing where to go in the Bible to get it. We go to our Apostle Paul, God’s Special Apostle for all men today, Jew and Gentile, in this dispensation of the grace. That is why Paul said six times “I will not have you ignorant brethren.”
8. We cannot afford to be ignorant of Pauline apostleship and godly edification. Paul said, “I magnify my office.” What did Paul mean? Paul was not boasting in himself (flesh). No, no! This is the same Paul we that hear say in Ephesians 3 8; “unto me, who am less than the least of All Saints, is this grace given. By the grace of God, I am what I am.” No boasting in his flesh at anytime. And we MCBOC are not boasting in the flesh either. Like Paul, we are magnifying, exalting, celebrating, the Office of the Special Apostleship, to us today. For we know some things, we are the beneficiaries of Pauline authority.
9. Godly edification was what Paul was all about. Educating the Saints in the dispensation of grace, to know (knowledge) the doctrine, duty, our position, and our destiny in the heavenly places. We know some things folks. To Paul, God revealed that He was holding back his day of wrath, that He was temporarily suspending his program with Israel, and that he was bringing in a new and unprophesied dispensation Gentile grace.
To Paul, God revealed the mystery of Christ; the secret purpose that He has in Christ which He kept hid in Himself and kept secret, since the world began. In Paul’s epistles alone, God sets forth his program for and about us today, the members of God’s new creation, the “one new man,” church the body of Christ. Yes, we know, that God Is forming the ‘one new man,” through the agency of
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the CBOC, (for what?) to repossess the heavenly places. And replace Satan and his cohorts.
And we also know that in the “Ages to come,” God is going to resume His program with NOI and repossess the earth through the agency of a Kingdom vested in the NOI.
Why Paul? Because godly education, spiritual growth, cannot take place until Pauline authority is recognized. Paul’s epistles are the only way we can know what pertains (belongs) to us, and be educated to know what is for us, and produce fruit unto godliness. Paul’s epistles are the only way that you can know what God is doing today in this Dispensation of gentile grace now in effect.
10. That is why Paul states “I will not have you ignorant brethren.” Satan, our adversary hates Pauline authority, and godly edification. And Satan hates MCBOC, because Satan knows if you follow Paul, you will know that he is a defeated foe, (Col. 2:15) and “we are not ignorant of his devices.” But he has not been bound yet
In Ephesians 4:14 we see SPOE. And Satan has ministers to who are preaching another gospel (kingdom), another Jesus (earthly, miracles, wonders), with another satanic, counterfeit spirit. Any preacher who does not recognize Pauline authority, God’s design for godly edification, is not rightly dividing the word of truth. He may be an unwitting participant, clueless, uninformed, ignorant, but Paul says, he is a false apostle, deceitful worker, Marvel not! For Satan himself is transformed into an Angel of light. Paul told to “Mark them Which caused divisions and offenses contrary to the doctrine which we have learned; an avoid them.” If he is not preaching Jesus Christ according to the mystery,a which contains the “Gospel of the Grace of God” the Only gospel which saves today, he is preaching a counterfeit gospel . (2 Cor. 11:13-15).
That is why we submit to Pauline authority and godly edification.
And that is also why, “Our ApostIe Paul,” said 6 times, “I would not have you ignorant brethren,” concerning Pauline Authority & godly edification.
Colman J. Gilliland 