ACTS 29 TODAY

coming to the knowledge of the TRUTH

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Paul’s Source of Revelation

The Apostle Paul actually received from God the

blueprint for the foundation of the Early Church. That

includes the gifts, offices, and operations of the Spirit in

First Corinthians 12that we already discussed.

The Extent Of Paul’s Revelation Knowledge

As I study the Pauline epistles, I am absolutely amazed

to see the extent of detail that God revealed to Paul’s

spirit regarding the complete foundational structure

for the Church.

It becomes obvious that the revelation Paul received is

every bit as powerful and detailed as what Moses

received on Mount Sinai when God gave Israel the Law.

The revelation given to Moses as he stood in God’s

Presence included not only the Ten Commandments,

but the intricacies of the Law in all of its meticulous

detail and administration.

With the exception of Jesus, Paul undoubtedly received

more direct revelation from God than any man since

Moses. Once I realized that, I became fascinated with

the search to discover Paul’s source of revelation

knowledge. I found the answer in the Book of First

Corinthians, and now I want to show you how to tap

into that same source to receive every good thing God

has planned for your life.

You see, Paul didn’t receive revelation knowledge just

because he was an apostle. He received revelation

because he decided for himself to go into God as far as

he could go to receive everything God had for him.

Jesus said, For many are called, but few are chosen

(Matt. 22:14). Those who are not only called but chosen

make the same decision Paul did.

Paul’s Definition of the Carnal Christian

The entire Book of First Corinthians was written to

Christians who feed only on the milk, not on the meat,

of the Word. Paul classified this kind of Christian as

“carnal”:

And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto

spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in

Christ.

I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for

hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are

ye able. — 1 Corinthians 3:1,2

Paul was saying to the Corinthians, “Look, there are so

many things I want to tell you, but I can’t. You are

carnal. You are not yet able to bear the meat of the

Word.”

Then Paul went on to write the entire book to what he

labeled as the carnal mind — a mind not yet capable of

really receiving, discerning, and understanding

spiritual matters.

(That’s a little scary when you consider how few

preachers in the Church actually understand, much less

walk in, the “milk” of First Corinthians! No wonder the

Church walks in so little of the power of God. No

wonder the world looks at most believers as not having

the answers it needs.)

Then in First Corinthians 3:3, Paul defined what

constitutes carnality:

For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you

envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal,

and walk as men?

In other words, Paul was saying, “Do you not walk as

mere natural men instead of as those who have

received the power of God in a new nature?”

It doesn’t take a super-spiritual Christian to understand

that if envying, strife, and divisions exist among a

group of people, they are walking as carnal men. Who

wouldn’t accuse someone who walked in envy and strife

of being carnal?

God once told me, “Do not hurt people. Do not in any

way destroy them — not for any reason.” Interestingly,

it seems irrelevant to our Heavenly Father what people

do to us. He simply said, “Don’t hurt them.”

The more I attempt to know God, the more I find out

that He wants His love, outlined in First Corinthians 13,

to be fulfilled in me. That includes thinking no evil and

having no regard to the evil done to me. I am also

finding that the further I go into the realm of First

Corinthians 13, the more peace, confidence, and

assurance in my Father I experience.

If we are full of envy and strife, the world labels us as

carnal. But if we begin to walk in the maximum degree

of love and say, “I will not hurt another man,” the world

says we are eccentric. That’s why we should only want

to please Jesus. The world won’t be holding our hand on

the day of reckoning. We will stand alone before Jesus,

accountable for our own actions.

So Paul labeled envyings and strife as carnality. I can

understand that. The more kindly we treat people the

more we let God love others through us the more real

His Presence becomes to us.

But notice something else that Paul labeled as carnal in

First Corinthians 3:4 and 5. He said we are carnal if

we run after men:

For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of

Apollos; are ye not carnal?

Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by

whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man?

In other words, Paul is saying in verse 5: “God gave us

our ministry, and because of that ministry you believed

unto salvation. But He has given every man a ministry.”

Then in verse 6, Paul goes on to say, I have planted[you

received salvation through my ministry], Apollos

watered [he came along to instruct you] ; but GOD

GAVE THE INCREASE.

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ambassador / servant

Larry