The 100 Fold Obedience lifestyle or the principle of abiding obedience:

By Apostle Carel Marais, preached at Harvester Reformational Church Pretoria, 18 March 2012

Gal 5:16-17 I say, then, Walk in the Spirit and you shall not fulfil the lusts of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh. And these are contrary to one another; so that you do not do the things that you wish. Mat 5:48 Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in Heaven is perfect.

Looking at Jesus we learn that He was so tuned into the Holy Spirit that he never made judgements by Himself but working in tandem with the Holy Spirit. Jesus said that he will say nothing without the Father telling Him what to say.

John 8:28 I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me (NIV) Jesus operated in this 100 fold obedience lifestyle and I believe we can do the same.

If this is true we do not have to do anything than to work in tandem with the Father through the Holy Spirit. There is no pressure to preform. It is open ears trained to hear the voice of the Holy Spirit - connected with obedience that'll lead us into fruitfulness.

John 15:10 If you keep my commandments, you shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love.

You abide in Him if you do what he has commanded you to do. Your cue is obedience not performance. Jesus has already performed in your place. Concerning the effort of man, nothing can surprise Him. God is moved through obedience not performance.

Even the crown you are about to receive in heaven is not for what you have done out of yourself but for what you have been obedient to do.

Die to yourself, so that Christ may live in you. Die to your desires and ambitions, comforts, rights, aspirations, self, the big (I), coming into total obedience to God.

The question would be who we are preoccupied with? Are we preoccupied with Jesus as our source and owner of everything that we possess. Being then grateful for everything we have and using it with a greater sense of generosity and obedience.

Or by nature operating in the realm of the flesh being preoccupied with self and with the sense that we deserve more honor, more money, and more favor that we have received.

This results in a sense of entitlement that complains and demands more privileges and honor because of how we esteem our gifting, accomplishments, dedication or position.

Joh 12:24-25 Truly, truly, I say to you, Unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it abides alone; but if it dies, it brings forth much fruit. He who loves his life shall lose it. And he who hates his life in this world shall keep it to life eternal.

Paul explains: 1Co 2:2 For I am determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. When connecting with the church in Corinth Paul was not interested in their prayer life, praise & worship or evangelism strategies - except if they knew Jesus and Him crucified.

This is called the principle of abiding obedience or the 100 fold obedience lifestyle. Stepping into beat with the Holy Spirit, just as Jesus did with the Father. Getting to know how God thinks, the way He acts, feeling what He feels in His heart.

You can only do this when you dig deep into the word and prayer – finding God's heart beat. You have to think like God to act like God – C Capps.

Eph 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenlies in Christ.

We have been given; because of Grace/God's unmerited favour – every spiritual blessing in the heavenlies. Freely given but in order to receive this unmerited favour we need to cooperate with it. To receive grace given is to go beyond the mere acknowledgement of the truths about grace – in order to receive the benefits of grace we need to participate with the grace given.

Gal 5:16-17 I say, then, Walk in the Spirit and you shall not fulfil the lusts of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh. And these are contrary to one another; so that you do not do the things that you wish. Mat 5:48 Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in Heaven is perfect.

Walking in the Spirit is walking in all of the light we have received – just as the Father is walking in all the light that he has got we too must walk in all the light we have received.

It speaks of the 100 fold obedience lifestyle. Just as Jesus walked in all the light that he received from the Father we too must walk in all the light we have received.

Even a new born believer can walk in perfect obedience to the light that he/she has received. So we cooperate with that which is given freely with the understanding that the more we obey, the bigger the responsibility of walking out the light we have received.

The bigger the light we receive the bigger the responsibility we have to walk in that light – but also the bigger the measure with what we can experience that light. Our ability to experience God increases as the light increases and the light will always continue to increase.

This was Paul’s determined purpose in Phil 3:10 saying; that I may know Him [that I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him, perceiving and recognizing and understanding the wonders of His Person more strongly and more clearly] and that I may in the same way come to know the power outflowing from His resurrection [which it exerts over believers], and that I may so share His sufferings as to be continually transformed [in spirit into His likeness even] to His death, [in hope] (AMP)

I have found that the Holy Spirit will talk to us if we initiate the conversation. Very rarely it happens that the Holy Spirit instates the conversion and most of the time that he does instate the conversation it leads to correction and rebuke or some sort of intervention.

Most of the time we initiate the conversation and He will continue to speak as long as we stay engaged in that conversation. He will continue to lead – to show and to speak depending on how deep we will go.

So the question is how deep do you really want to go? When was the last time God spoke to you or when was it last that you initiated the conversation with Him?

We abide in Him through or obedience. If obedience is the verb of abiding then we will have perfect peace and joy and right standing with God.

The moment we step out of that what God requires from us we lose our peace and joy – and consequently our right standing with God. Being led by the Spirit is therefore not an external action but an internal lifestyle.

Jesus did what He was commanded to do out of a lifestyle of being led by the Spirit and the result was people got saved, healed and delivered wherever He went.

Jesus operated in this 100 fold obedience lifestyle and I believe we can do the same. It is then open ears trained to hear the voice of the Holy Spirit - connected with obedience that'll lead us into fruitfulness.

The Government of Man Versus the Government of God

Scripture Ref: Luk 15:11-24

By Apostle Carel Marais, preached at Harvester Reformational Church Pretoria, 12th February 2012.

The Bible is the most misunderstood book on the planet, not only by those who do not prescribe to it, but also by many of those who claim to know its message. Simply stated, the Bible is about a King, a Kingdom and his royal family of children. The story and message are about the desire of a King to extend His Kingdom into new territories through His royal family. The Bible therefore is about the government and rulership found in Gods Kingdom. Looking at the word “Kingdom” immediately brings thoughts of government, authority, dominion, royalty and rulership to mind. This is manifested in the exercise of authority and jurisdiction over territory and citizenry. The Greek word used for government literally means to steer, to pilot or to act as a rudder. So government is the power given for the purpose of making and enforcing laws for a certain territory. Earthly governments derive their authority from the people either through a process of choice or by usurping authority through force. God's authority as King is inherent. No one gives Him authority. He has authority because of who He is and because He created the earth and everything that lives in the earth. That is why Jesus could say that all authority has been given to Him.(Matt 28:18) His Father had all authority and therefore had the legal right to give it to His Son. In the same way we now have to establish and proclaim that authority on this earth.

Worldly government get their authority by way of a vote or violence - It is not inherent authority. In the Kingdom, God suggests a somewhat different route: when we think our superiors are wrong we are called to pray and submit to them. We like to do what is right in our own eyes. In the Church today we are governed by worldly systems and in the government of man we fight for authority through the most popular vote; and when that does not work we will start a revolution/rebellion which is the root of all sin - the same sin that evicted Adam and Eve out of the garden of eden. This was the same with Israel in Judges 21:25: In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.

Today we are in the same predicament, we have no King, and we want to do what we think is right. Jesus did nothing unless the Father first revealed it to Him – That is submission. Now if the Godhead submits to one another, why can't we? This is the core of what we have to face, the rule of God versus the rule of man, and of course the rule of Satan. The essence of the Gospel is simply: Jesus came to replace the existing Satanic world order with the order of God. The choice is then: Whose government do we accept? Because, we're going to be governed by one for sure! What is the mandate then? It is to restore the church to the original governing concept of God the Creator - it is the restoration of a King, His rulership and His Kingdom.  And the only way to do it - is to start living it. Like Jesus we are to show this new level of operating in a brand new lifestyle. Jesus showed them a better way – we are to show the world a better way.

Gods kingdom is often just the opposite of the kingdom of the earth. So you want to be a leader? Well, start at the bottom and serve. Want to be rich? Give all you have away. Want to overcome those who oppose you? Then love them.  Satan's rule however is manifested through wars, pride, greed, lust, sickness, poverty, cruelty, bitterness and oppression. Easy to chose, it seems, isn't it? But we know it is not as easy, for the devils ultimate tool is deception. He is the father of all lies. The devil has no power whatsoever over us, only that what we give to him, through hurt and human offence we open our hearts to resentment, bitterness, hate, anger and fear. Through sin we give him the legal right to enslave us. This is what we see happen in our Scripture Ref: Luk 15:11-24. Being deceived by foolish ambition and thinking that he could live his life the way that he wants to live it - the youngest son ended up in a pigsty. A change of government took place – he moved from one kingdom to another kingdom Luk 15:15 “And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country” No longer his fathers government, nolonger his own government but “he joined himself to a citizen of that country” And as soon as he moved under a new government – he was subject to and judged by the law of this new government.  Immediately he moved from being a son to a serf, a slave: Luk 15:16-19  “And he was longing to fill his belly with the husks that the pigs ate, and no one gave to him. And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father abound in loaves, and I perish with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, Father, I have sinned against Heaven and before you and am no more worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.” Now suddenly he understands – salvation for him laid in his conversion to the reign and rule of his Father. “Make me like one of your hired servants.” This was his rehma moment – Luk 15:20 And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him.

I believe that this is the time and the season when God is establishing his new governance over Satan through the church; replacing the shadow with the reality. Now is the time for the church to rise up in establishing Kingdom dominion or enforcing Kingdom governance. We now move with Christ in His victory parade enforcing Kingdom dominion and governance over all spiritual tyrants - stripping them of all their sham authority and then marching them naked through the streets.  2Co 2:14 'Now thanks be to God, who always causes us to triumph in Christ, and He revealing through us the odour of the knowledge of Him in every place' A complete victory was achieved by the death and resurrection of Christ, so that every thing is now in subjection to him. Eph 1:20-21 'God raised him[Jesus] from death and set him on a throne in deep heaven, in charge of running the universe, everything from galaxies to governments, no name and no power exempt from his rule. And not just for the time being, but forever'

See we now rule with Christ having the mandate of enforcing the governance of the kingdom of God upon the earth today. We have complete victory through him who loved us. (Rom 8:37)  Satan is no longer in control - but 2000 years ago the church arrived as Christ's occupying army/government enforcing His victory over every power and principality in the heaven's. Jesus is the supreme commander and we his army and Col 2:15 says 'He/Jesus [then] stripped all the spiritual tyrants in the universe of their sham authority at the Cross and marched them naked through the streets'

A new way of living has been announced and a new season has come. It is the season of the revealing of the son's of God who take dominion
over the enemy. A new level has been opened up in the spiritual and Christ is calling every believer to this next level of living. We again need to acknowledge Him as Lord and King. We again need to understand that His original purpose and plan is to extend His rule and reign/government through His children – which is through us. It is coming under His complete governance/rulership. And once we are under the rulership of this King, He then takes personal responsibility for us, not as serfs, but as family and royal children. James 4:7 “Therefore submit to God, resist the Devil and he will flee from you” Submit your will and plans to God, let Him reign in your life and then when you resist the devil, he is facing a living God and not a living me, resulting that he must flee because he is already conquered by Jesus.  We can not conquer the devil on our own, for then we forsake all thework Jesus have done, it is only through the resurrected Christ in us, that we can overcome the enemy. We therefore need not to even fight, argue or reason with him, we have no case with him. Jesus had overcome him.

Resisting on the other hand is another issue; we constantly have to resist his lies and deception with the truth of the word. This is how the kingdom works. There are different levels of maturity, children, young men and fathers. Each have overcome (John 1:12-14) a certain aspect of the evil one, or to say it another way, have come into accepting a certain measure of gods government and rule in their lives. The older, matured persons word and life should simply teach the young. But we see how even the older brother is deceived – staying in his fathers house but not completely submitting to his government. Luk 15:25-32 The father answered the older son in verse 31 “Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours.” What they both missed was that wile living in the house of the Father, while they submit to his government, they come under His welfare. What they missed was that the father's personal commitment was to look after the needs of his children. What they missed was that wile living with dad everything that dad owned they automatically had excess to.

It's the story of a father and  his son's who was ignorant to the concept of kingdom. Like the youngest son we too demand of God to 'give us our share of the inheritance now' Not understanding that inheritance has more to do with power and authority than with money and wealth. What the youngest son missed in the beginning he only understood once he had lost everything, and sometimes in our ambition for money and wealth we will fight to win
the popular vote or even try to come up top by starting a revolution, and in all of that we loose everything. See in this Kingdom he is King; but he is also a dad and today we need to acknowledge that His original purpose and plan is still the same. It is to extend His rule and reign/government over the enemy and the darkness that satan brings over creation. And he wants to do it through you and me. It is to became accurate in the way that we live as a body of believers so that the kingdom of God could be manifested through signs and wonders so that others should come to faith in Jesus Christ. A body of believers becoming accurate in what they do each day, establishing the reign of God on the earth.This is the core of what we have to face, the rule of God versus the rule of man, and of course the rule of Satan. The choice is then: Whose government do we accept? And
the mandate then? It is to restore the church to the original governing concept of God the Creator - it is the restoration of a King, His rulership and His Kingdom.  

Abiding in the rest of God

By Pastor Stephen-John Yeo, preached at Harvester Reformational Church Pretoria, 29th January 2012.

How is it possible to abide in the rest of God when the world is so restless? In John 15 it says that Jesus is the vine and we are the branches. The command is given to abide in the vine which is Christ. It says that we cannot do anything apart from Him. A branch is dependent on the vine for life, sustenance, growth and fruit. The word abide means that I remain where I am, a fixed state. It speaks of unbroken communion with Jesus Chris. If this is true then we can abide in the rest of God. As a body we understand that Jesus is the centre around which al activities are done in the body. He is the head of the body. When Apostle Andre visited us in Sandton, we had a newsletter that said that: “our church is cell based”. Meaning that all the activities in the church revolve around the cell groups. Now I do not have a problem with cell groups, we have cell groups, but listen to what Apostle Andre said to me. “You cannot be cell based, you should be Christ based”. Uh! Why did I not think of that? Wow! That is true. It all about Jesus. Our rest can only be found in one person.

Hebrews 3:7 - 4:11

“Beware, brethren, lest there be any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God.”  Hebrews 3:12

“And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who did not obey? Hebrews 3:18

“So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.” Hebrews 3:19

“For indeed the gospel (good news) was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it.” Hebrews 4:2

“For we who have believed do enter that rest…” Hebrews 4:3

“Since therefore it remains that some must enter it, and those to whom it was first preached not enter because of disobedience.” Hebrews 4:6

“Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience.” Hebrews 4:11

Take note of why Israel could not enter into the rest of God. Unbelief and disobedience. Moses was sent by God to declare good news to Israel. And the Lord said:”I have surely seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows. So I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land to a good and large land…”Ex 3:7-8

Moses brought them good news. No longer will you be slaves. No longer do you have to live in fear. A slave belongs to his master and everything he has belongs to his master. Nothing he has is his own. What kind of advice would a father give his children? Don’t look an Egyptian in the eye, look down or else he will beat you. Don’t ask anything just work. There is no hope of one day having your own land house ECT...

Now Moses comes with good news, vers 2 of chapter 4, the word gospel means good news. God has heard your cry and He is going to give you your own land. No longer will you serve Egypt, but God will be your king. God is going to give you your own house (Deut 6:10-12). You will have your own stuff man! No longer someone beating you with a whip. Your children will be safe. This is GREAT news!!! But Hebrews 4:2 says that the good news that they heard did not profit them because they did not believe it. JA, sure, that will be the day. How will that ever be? It sounds like a fairy tale to me. He has lost it, it happens to people who reach 80.

Unbelief forfeits the rest of God. When Israel reached the border of the Promised Land, we see that they refused to enter it. They wanted to appoint a new leader that would take them back to Egypt (Numbers 14). Here their refusal demonstrates their disobedience. This generation could not enter and died over a period of 40 years. Even the next generations could not stay in the land of rest because of their disobedience. After some time they exited the land because of disobedience. They ended up in exile. So neither Moses nor Joshua could offer God’s people rest.

Then where does our rest come from?

Let’s look at the story of Adam and Eve. Adam and Eve were completely righteous when they were created. They walked and talked with God. They lived in God’s rest. They relied on God for everything. They had no pain, no worries, no frustration and no heartaches. They had fellowship with God. They were made for Him. They were His perfect work and they rested in Him. Then Gen 3 happens, the devil enters the scene. God’s command: ‘but of the tree of knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” Satan says to Eve: “No way, that will never happen.” The temptation was to doubt God’s word. Did God really say that? You will not die. Eve ate the fruit believing that what Satan was saying is the truth. So doubting God’s word she ate. When she lost her trust in God, she lost His rest. Adam disobeyed God’s word. Eve was deceived, Adam disobeyed.  Unbelief and disobedience forfeits the rest of God.

Man was not just sinful but restless. No longer walking in the cool of the day. They are running around in the garden looking for something to cover their nakedness. They never knew things like shame and fear fear. When they hear God they are running around in the garden looking for the best place to hide from God. But God was not going to leave things there. He wanted to bring man back into His rest.

But before He could do that He had to remove the barrier between Him and man. He had to take care of sin. And God sent His son to do that and to give man God’s rest. Through the death of Jesus Christ, man was offered life (John3:16). Rest is another word for life, life as God meant it to be. Not like the world. The world is restless. There is only one person who can offer us God’s rest and He uttered these words:

“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light”. Matthew 11: 28-30

The rest of God cannot be found in a thing, but it is found in a person, Jesus Christ.

What does abiding in the rest of God mean?

1. Rest means to cease from work, action and labor. In other words, no more effort. Apply this to God’s rest then it means no more self effort. Rest is an end of fleshly works, legalistic works.  Something that is, what can I say, trying to steal our liberty that we have in Christ is that there are some that say that there are certain Jewish festival, Sabbath that we must observe if we want to be saved. All these Jewish festivals and Sabbaths are a shadow of Christ. The Sabbath cannot save you. Only Jesus Christ can. The Sabbath did not die for you, Jesus did. When light shines on me then my body cast a shadow. All these things are shadows of Christ. There are men today who experts in shadows. The shadow can only tell you so much. Look at the person making the shadow. A shadow cannot show you what the color of my eyes or hair is, if you look at the shadow you will never see all the details. Why am I standing the way I am standing? Paul , a Jew said : “for I am determined not to know anything among you except Christ and Him crucified, I count all things dung, rubbish that I may gain Christ. Look at the tabernacle, Christ is the fulfillment of everything. The altar, Christ died for us. The lamp stand, Christ is the light of the world. The basin, Christ cleanses us from all our sin. The table of show bread, Jesus is the bread of life.   The veil, the book of Hebrews tells us that Christ’s flesh is the veil through which we enter into the presence of God.  Another word for flesh is body.  The Ark of the Covenant, Jesus is called Immanuel, God with us.  No more self effort. 
2. Rest also means freedom from whatever worries, disturbs or upsets us.  Some people cannot rest mentally and emotionally because they are so easily annoyed by the things that happen to them.  Every little thing upsets us, now rest does not mean freedom from all these circumstances.  I wish I could say that rest means the absence of troubles, but that would not be true. Rest is not the absence of challenges. It means to be inwardly quiet, composed and peaceful. To enter God’s rest means to be at peace with God. It means to be free from guilt.
3. Rest means to lie down, to be settled, fixed and secure. No more running around in circles. We are settled, fixed and secure in Him. Rest involves remaining confident in Him, keeping trust. On the 4^th of January 2012 I woke up hearing these words: “a quiet confidence”.  I started the day looking at the meaning of confidence, but as I was doing this the Holy Spirit showed me that the emphasis was on the word quiet. The Lord wants us to have a quiet confidence in Him. This means that we maintain our confidence in Him no matter what. This is rest. We have absolute confidence in God.
4. The word rest means to lean on. Rest means that you and I can lean on God. We can be sure that He will never fail us nor forsake us. We can depend on Him. Why? For He loves you so much. “Jesus loves me this I know, for the bible tells me so…..”