Living in the Spirit

Living in the Spirit

By

Gary Primo

November 28, 2013

Introduction

At baptism we put to death the old physical man of sin and become a new man of spirit and righteousness. We are given a clean slate – a perfect score. Our duty is to hold onto that perfect score. Our duty also, from that point on, is to live in the spirit; as aliens in this physical world.

I find that too many people are wasting their time and energy pursuing silly doctrinal disputes rather than focusing on the spiritual aspects of our walk. I will be using Yahushua’s final pray in John 17 as the basis for this study.

Throughout his prayer Yahushua consistently asks of his Father that all his followers be made one with the Father as he (Yahushua) was. The question for all of us is, “What does that mean; and how do we achieve it”?

Let’s find out?

The Message of John 17

John 17:1 - These words spoke Yahushua, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee:

The glory went both ways. The Father glorified the son in granting him the right to be the firstborn of the new creation (crossing over into the next dimension). The son glorified the Father by seeking spiritual perfection at all times and qualifying to be the first to complete the plan of the Father.

If we truly believe in Yahushua, we should be doing everything possible to model ourselves after him and follow in his footsteps. We bring honour and glory to the Father when we do this. When we honour and glorify Him, He will also honour and glorify us. Sounds simply, don’t it?

2 - As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him.

3 - And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true Elohim, and Yahushua HaMashiyack, whom thou hast sent.

It was the Father who made the choice of who he was going to call. Salvation is not something anyone can be forced into. It has to be made by free choice. Many thousands heard Yahushua speak and witnessed his miracles, yet in the end only 500 remained steadfast and loyal.

When an individual hears the truth and afterwards rejects it, there is really nothing more that can be done for that person. Therefore, it can only be assumed that Yahuwah has decided to call some out of the world at this time and will likely call the others at another point in history. After all, it would be unfair to those who have never heard the gospel to not be given an equal opportunity for salvation. I can only assume that such an opportunity will present itself at the last resurrection.

The only true route to eternal life is in knowing the one true Elohim and His son whom he sent to us. Only those who truly believe in and lead lives of obedience to Yahuwah can truly know Him or His son. Since the most of the world does not fit that criterion, they will not know eternal life either (at least, not at this time).

Learning and following the Father’s word is the first step in getting to know the Father. His word teaches us the nature of Yahuwah. We are to be striving to develop the same nature in ourselves. The central ingredient of that nature is love. All of the law is rooted in love. If love is the central focus of our life, then we are no longer under the law. I am not talking about self love, but the out flowing love that knows no restrictions or dimensions – that same agape love that flows freely from the Father.

4 - I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gave me to do.

5 - And now, O Father, glorify thou me with your own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.

When we obey the Father and follow His ways, we give glory to him. If we obey and follow any other person, we give glory to that person. I am talking about those who would establish and promote themselves as “god-on-earth” like the many “popes” and other religious leaders of this world. They delude their followers into believing that they hold all truth and that salvation can only come by following their rules and instructions. I declare them all to be false prophets and false teachers. There is only one teacher, Yahushua, and there is only one Elohim, Yahuwah. We have no need of any other. We have no need to “double check” or seek clarity of Yahuwah’s word through another man. His word is self explanatory and can be taken literally.

The work that Yahushua had to do was conclude his creation process. He was not a complete creation until he passed the final test – obedience unto death. He had to perform this test because up until that point, no one of the creation ever had and there was no example that it was even possible. The lesson of Yahushua’s sacrifice was not for mankind only, but the entire angelic creation also.

What was the glory that Yahushua had “before the world was”? It was the glory of being the firstborn of the creation, the only begotten son of the Creator Elohim and the great prince over all the creation. He was the creator of everything else that was created.

Now, added to his former glory, is the glory of being the first to complete the plan of Yahuwah and graduate to the new creation (or the next phase [dimension] in the creation process). Therefore, he does have preeminence in all things. He was the first born of the original creation; he was the firstborn of the new creation and he is the first to complete the plan of Yahuwah.

6 - I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gave me out of the world: yours they were, and thou gave them me; and they have kept thy word.

7 - Now they have known that all things whatsoever thou hast given me are of thee.

8 - For I have given unto them the words which thou gave me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me.

Like any of the other created beings, Yahushua (in the beginning) had to be instructed in the way of Yahuwah. The same words of instruction that Yahuwah gave to His son, Yahushua gave to us. They are the words that lead to perfection, righteousness, the outpouring of pure spiritual love and to salvation. How dare we presume that we might come to salvation by any other means than the Messiah did! He is the only perfect example we have to follow.

It was because of the words that Yahushua spoke and the deeds that he performed that his followers believed he was sent from Yahuwah. His words always tested true and his deeds gave witness to his words. The same held true for his apostles for as long as they lived.

Why is there such a difference between the words and deeds of the apostles and the church today? Is it simply that Yahuwah does not work that way anymore; or is there a spiritual element that we are missing? Have we reverted to Israelites focusing totally on the physical elements of the law rather than the spiritual, losing sight of the bigger picture?

Notice that Yahushua makes the claim that he manifested the Father’s name to those whom the Father gave him. At the time, the ban on using the Father’s name was already deeply entrenched in Jewish custom. This is not what the Father wanted. He commanded His appointed prophets to declare His name to the world. Therefore, this should be one of our objectives also.

9 - I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are yours.

10 - And all mine are yours, and yours are mine; and I am glorified in them.

11 - And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through your own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are.

Yahushua did not come to save the whole world at that time. He came to save only the called out ones. They who suffer the most in this physical life will be granted the most glorious positions in the new creation. When we sacrifice our lives for him, Yahushua is glorified by our actions and thus the Father also is glorified. In return, Yahuwah will honour us. There is no dishonour in giving ourselves over to Yahuwah, even though we may not see it now. We most certainly will see it in the future.

What does Yahushua mean by becoming “one, as we are”?

The existence of this universe is all about us becoming one with the Creator. The same energy or spirit that gives life to the entire universe is the same that gives life to us. All life is interconnected and dependent on each other.

Of course mankind is so into himself that he cannot fathom that. Man thinks that all of creation is centered on him alone. This is the mindset that blinds him to the reality of the living universe around us. We all came from one seed and that one seed came from Yahuwah.

Becoming one with Yahuwah is taking on His nature. When we take on that nature, it allows us to change from mortal to immortal when resurrected. Such nature is incorruptible and we must put on this nature to gain salvation. Nothing that remains corruptible is going to enter the spiritual Kingdom. It is impossible. Everything that remains corruptible will be burnt up. We are to be living, speaking and acting as if we were in the Kingdom at this very moment (or earnestly striving to be).

Yahushua asks the Father keep his disciples through His own name. This is the thing that identifies us as being of Yahuwah. If we use any other name, we are identifying ourselves with another (pagan) god.

Just as the basis of Yahuwah’s nature is love; in true agape love there is no corruption. Our thoughts and deeds must be pure. Let’s take a brief look at Matthew 18.

Matt. 18:8 - Wherefore if thy hand or thy foot offend thee, cut them off, and cast them from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life halt or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into everlasting fire.

9 - And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire.

10 - Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven.

11 - For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost.

There is no sacrifice too great to gain promotion into the new creation. That is what these first two verses are about. No matter what our personal problems are (and I have many myself), I still see our primary focus being on the spiritual elements of our walk. It is like graduating from breast milk to steak and potatoes. We are to be GROWING in the spirit the whole while we are walking. For some this is a tougher job than for others; however, if they overcome, I would imagine that their reward would be greater.

Likely the lowest in the pecking order amongst humans are the children. They are the weakest; therefore, they suffer the greatest abuse. With Yahuwah a child is to be respected every bit as much as an adult. Yahuwah can see many thousands of our years into the future. He knows the men and women we are to become. He also knows the new creatures we are to become. Yahuwah help anyone that abuses a child and traumatizes them. Love is to be our example at all times, in all situations and especially with our own families. That is where we learn our most valuable lessons.

Yet, this is a journey we must complete on our own. That is the only way to make our corruptible nature incorruptible. This is what “overcoming the world” is all about. We are no longer humans. We are spiritual beings who lack the confidence in ourselves to fully open ourselves up to the spirit and become one spirit with the Father. If we can accomplish that, I see no reason why we won’t be as Yahushua was, or his apostles, in exuding the full power of the spirit. Perhaps we are just not believing hard enough?

What was it that was lost (v. 11)? Overall, it would be all of mankind. However, more specifically it is the lost 10 northern tribes of Israel. Salvation is offered first to the children of Israel and second to the rest of the world. Yahushua declared on numerous occasions that the apostles were being sent to the Lost Sheep of Israel – i.e. the northern ten tribes. So it could be that Yahushua’s first coming was to save all the children of Israel. His next coming may be to save all the rest. The 144,000 will be made up of 12,000 from each tribe.

I have no idea who would qualify today as a “pure” Israelite, but if anyone knows, Yahuwah does. Of course there will be a great multitude of Gentiles who come through the tribulation also, but at the end, not the halfway point. Israel comes first, then the rest of mankind.

John 17:12 - While I was with them in the world, I kept them in your name: those that you gave me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled.

This is a signature verse for all the sacred namers. It declares that Yahushua declared the Father’s name to his apostles and that they declared it to the people. Yahuwah’s name was not hidden, but glorified. So must we use His name, call upon it, pray and meditate in it and proclaim it before the entire world. That too is part of becoming one with the Father – not being ashamed of His name.

13- And now come I to thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves.

Can we even begin to imagine the “joy” that filled Yahushua when he graduated from mortal to immortal? I highly doubt it. I would presume that this joy filled Yahushua from the first day of his existence.

How can anyone be depressed when we know we have such glory awaiting us? Yet we allow the cares of this world consume us and direct our thoughts almost continually. It is difficult not to. However, I doubt that Yahuwah would put such as task before us, if it were not achievable.

Yet we are expected to reflect the love that Yahuwah has shown us outwardly toward the rest of the world. We are to practice demonstrating this love in our everyday walk with Yahushua. We can practice with our families, friends and co-workers. Even our bosses! Practice makes perfect.

14 - I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.

15 - I pray not that thou should take them out of the world, but that thou should keep them from the evil.

16 - They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.

17- Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.

Yahuwah’s word (instruction) is truth. It helps us know Yahuwah. It leads us into a close personal relationship with Yahuwah. It helps us become one in nature with the Father.

This was what was missing in the case of ancient Israel. They held the physical law so close that they ignored the spiritual (weightier) aspects of the law. The spiritual aspect of the law is love. When we have love, we have no further need of the physical law, for it will be ingrained in our nature.

The world hated Yahushua when he came the first time. They hated him because his words condemned them to eternal death. No one wants to hear that. That is why at funerals of loved ones that never knew or even attempted to know Yahuwah; the dead are presumed to have graduated to heaven, even though they could care less about Yahuwah.

Of course, if we expound the same words that Yahushua spoke, we will be equally hated. We are not to be of this world, but as aliens in a strange land. Abraham demonstrated this when he when to live in the Promised Land which was filled with pagans at the time. We are to be beacons of life eternal. We are not to hide our light under a bushel. We must not declare to be of Yahuwah and live as the world lives. We are to be sanctified and set apart from the rest of the world through adherence to His every word. And for this we will be hated. Expect it and do not be surprised when it comes.

18- As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world.

29 - And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.

It is the truth of Yahuwah (His word) that sanctifies us. The world will see us as a bunch of weirdoes. Yet we are the pride of Yahuwah. We are not to care what the world thinks of us, but are to be busy carrying on the work of Yahuwah at all times.

If we were not kept in the world, the world would not have an example/witness for/against them. Once we are judged, we will be judges ourselves, judging the rest of mankind and angels. We will judge with love and mercy, as we, ourselves, were judged. We will then have the same heart as Yahuwah.

20 - Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;

21 - That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.

22 - And the glory which thou gave me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:

Becoming one with the Father is the key to successfully completing our spiritual walk with Yahuwah. You will notice that Yahushua was not praying that we follow the law perfectly, have all our doctrines correct or possess all knowledge for entry into the kingdom; merely that we become one in “nature” with Yahuwah and “love” the creation as He does. Perfection comes afterward.

We are destined to share the same glory with the Father that Yahushua did. That means that we will be JUST LIKE THE FATHER; as Yahushua now is.

At the moment of this writing, the town where I live is hosting a huge “Santa Day” celebration. The festivities and activities go on from 10:00am to approximately 7:30pm. People come in by the bus loads to take part in it. Would we ever witness such an outpouring of excitement in hearing the word of Yahuwah? I highly doubt it. At least, not in this age. The world has their god, whom they worship (Santa Claus/Satan). Their god is a total fraud and they know it; yet, they prize their traditions above all else. The world worships anyone and anything besides Yahuwah. And they think that we are strange? What we are is a stranger in a strange land. That is something we should be proud of.

It is to be through us that the world comes to the knowledge that the Father sent Yahushua. We are to be spreading the word in any small way we can. This is what we are to be doing with the “talent” that Yahuwah has given us. That talent is the promise and opportunity to gain eternal life.

23 - I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.

Perfection comes by no other means than by becoming one in nature with the Father. One can know the Scriptures by heart from beginning to end; however, if we do not possess this oneness with the Father, we are like musical instruments that make no noise – useless. We must allow Yahushua to fully indwell us and live his life through us. Only then will the world recognize us. We must be the real thing, not a counterfeit. We must love the way the Father does; or at least, be in the process of becoming “living love” as the Father is, to become perfect. When perfect in love, we will have attained total perfection.

Formerly I was a part of the Worldwide Church of God, under Herbert W. Armstrong. The largest failure of that church was the lack of love demonstrated by the parishioners. I was witness to vicious gossip and slander of not only the members, but the leadership also. While they took so much pride in the small amount of truth they did have, the members completely ignored the weightier (spiritual) aspects of the law. They called themselves the Philadelphian church while they were really a much better example of the Laodicean.

Things should not be so with us. We should be focusing on perfecting the spiritual first, which will only come through a constant outpouring of agape love. The physical aspects will then take care of themselves afterword.

24 - Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou loved me before the foundation of the world.

We will never behold the complete and true glory of Yahushua until we are with him, where he is – in the new creation (kingdom). If we wish to be where he is, we must become what he became – one with the Father in spirit, nature and love. There simply is no other way.

The entire creation began with the love of Yahuwah; and so it will end, as well. Love is the key. Yahuwah desired to reproduce his own race with His nature in them. No one will achieve that goal apart from the love of Yahuwah being firmly planted in them.

This should be our sole focus – not bickering about silly things that have no bearing on our salvation at all.

Love is the central point of our walk with Yahuwah. When we have love, we have the nature of Yahuwah in us. That is what binds us to the universal energy (spirit) of Yahuwah and guides us in all our decisions, words and actions. Being one with the universe is the equivalent to being one with Yahuwah. They are one and the same spirit.

When Yahushua walked the earth, all the elements of nature were subject to his command. He didn’t pray and fast before doing any of the wonders he did. He simply spoke and the elements obeyed. He was completely one with the universe and the Creator of it. The apostles enjoyed such power to a slightly more limited degree – likely because they were not fully filled with degree of faith that Yahushua enjoyed. However, they did not live side by side with the Father as Yahushua had for thousands of years. Still they were on the right track and still in the learning process, just as we are.

25 - O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee: but I have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me.

26 - And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them.

The world has never known or understood the love of Yahuwah. Therefore, they do not know Yahuwah. Rather they think of Him as a cruel task-master, who prevents them from enjoying all the pleasures in this life.

The Gnostics attempted to distinguish between the Father and the son. They saw Yahuwah as the “mean old god of the Old Testament”. They believed that Yahushua actually “replaced” the Father. Likewise, they believed that the New Testament “replaced” the old. They believed that the way of the Gentiles replaced the way of the Jews. Simply put – they rejected and buried the Creator of all life, to replace Him with one of the creation, instead and became Christians. Man has always preferred to worship the creation rather than the Creator. Nothing has changed since the first day Yahuwah created man.

Conclusion

As I said earlier, upon baptism we all start our spiritual walk with a perfect score. All we have to do is hold onto it. That is the first act of love that Yahuwah demonstrated towards us. From that point on, we are to reciprocate that love towards all others – even those who torment us. This is a taller order than most think, because we are judgmental creatures by nature. We are quick to react without thinking.

We are to learn to judge out of love as Yahuwah does; not out of hatred or contempt as men do. From that moment on our prime focus should be on learning to love the entire creation the way Yahuwah loves it. There is no commandment against love. The law is based on love and love encompasses all the law. When we learn to love as Yahuwah does, we will have fulfilled all the requirements of the law.

The best place to begin is with our own families. That is where we have the most trouble controlling our emotions. That is where we need to practice demonstrating love the most.

It is often difficult to control our impatience with our children, but we are to be demonstrating agape love towards them at all times too. We are to be nurturing and guiding them into becoming respectable and respected members of the family – not tearing them down and ruining their self esteem. We seldom realize the long term effects of our negative reactions.

We are to be in the process of learning to speak and act as one with Yahuwah at all times and in all situations. This takes lots and lots of practice. For those coming from backgrounds such as mine, this may be particularly more difficult. I used to be very quick to anger and often resorted to violence. I did spend a shot time in jail and numerous nights in police stations. I was proud and didn’t give a hoot about anyone but myself. Even though I have come a long way from those days, I still have a long way to go.

The trick is to stop and think before you speak or act. Meditate for a few minutes on what the Father would say or do if in your shoes. Then speak or act out of love – not anger, jealousy, hatred or pride.

As I already mentioned, the best training ground is within our own families. We start with our mates and then our children. Men symbolize the Father; and women the son. We are to learn to speak and act as one, respecting and emphasizing with each other at all times. We do our fair share of the work and equally participate in the rearing of our children. It should not all be yelling and spanking. We need to exhaust all efforts to put love firmly in the foreground of everything we do.

After our families come all our friends and coworkers. After them, the stranger and the destitute. We are to love all of Yahuwah’s creation as He does. Perhaps the best starting place is to love Yahuwah in the very same manner He loves us – unconditionally. It is easy to love Yahuwah. It is not so easy to love our fellow man. Yet Yahuwah expects us to display His (agape) love towards all the creation, at all times, as He does.

There is an old Beatles song called “All you Need is Love”. This our action call – to learn the love of Yahuwah and demonstrate it throughout all our everyday interactions with others, If we practice it long and hard enough, it is bound to become ingrained in our nature. Once we learn and take on this trait, we will have taken one giant step towards becoming one with the Father and the son; and will be that much closer to guaranteeing our place in the Kingdom to come.

Yahuwah Bless

G.P.