How are we known by God?

God is very clear in His Word about how He sees us and how we can see ourselves. He is so clear, in fact, that He authored seven epistles just to tell us who he has called us to be and how he sees us!

What God's perspective is our state. Our state, once we are born again and are God's children, can never, ever change. According to God, all of the members of the body of Christ are His wonderful children!

Ephesians 1:4-6

According as he hath chosen [selected, picked, called] us in him before the foundation [(Greek word) katabolē: overthrow or destruction] of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having [by His foreknowledge since he is all-knowing] predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.

Our standing, however, can and does fluctuate. Just like my mother will always love me regardless of my actions, and I will always be her daughter, we will always be loved by our heavenly father. There are times, though, when my mother doesn't approve of the things that I do. My actions don't affect whether or not I am her daughter (anyone that looks at our faces can clearly see that). They do affect the quality and sweetness of our relationship. Our relation doesn't change, just the relationship. The relation took very little effort. All that had to happen for me to be her daughter was for me to be born. The relationship takes work to maintain and keep sweet. This concept applies directly to our standing with God. The quality of our actions directly affect our standing, our relationship, with God.

If we know what our state is by reading the Church epistles (Romans through Thessalonians), how do we find out about our standing and whether our relationship is sweet with the Father? Let's go to the Word to find the answer.

John 15:5,8

I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.- Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.

 Philippians 1:9-11

And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment; That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ; Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.

 Matthew 7:17-18, 20

Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.-Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.

 The context of the passage from Matthew is in light of false prophets, but this is true of people in general. The fruit being referenced is the manifestation in the senses realm of the effect that those people are producing. It's what can be seen in their walk day by day and moment by moment. It's the effect of their thoughts, actions and words. We know people's fruit and are able to get insight into what is going on behind the scenes in their lives. What type of fruit is there, and what does that fruit indicate?

God's Word gives very clear answers.

Galatians 5:17, 19-23

For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.-Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness (unbridled lust, excess, licentiousness, lasciviousness, wantonness, outrageousness, shamelessness, insolence), Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance (always changing or disagreeing with the truth), emulations (an envious and contentious rivalry, imitation or mocking, jealousy), wrath, strife (conflict or competition), seditions (rebelliousness), heresies (lying or blaspheming), Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings (letting loose, rioting), and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

  When we are observing ourselves and others in the body, we can look at the fruit we or they are producing. If the thoughts and motivations behind the actions we take are godly, the fruit that we produce will reflect that. We will be manifesting the more than abundant life in our quality of living and love. The opposite is also true. When we miss the mark and our deeds and words are being motivated by less than godly influences, we will not be manifesting the more than abundant quality of life. God is wonderfully clear! We are always his children, and that never  changes, but we can use our 5 senses to see what is going on in our walk with the Father. All that we have to do is look at the fruit!

so, I know that it's been a while...

Life has simply been tremendous and a push lately. In the area where I live, The Word has been moving very quickly and dynamically. We ran a Defeating the Adversary class, and it was awesome! The Word that was taught was prepared so simply and wonderfully that it was inspiring to the students that were sitting through the class for their first time as well as those that were taking it again. At the close of the class, one of the teachers of the class shared with the students a challenge. This challenge was to speak God's Word mightily and dynamically and to reach people that were hungry for the truth of God's Word. The goal of the challenge was to unify the body of people there in the aspect of outreach. The desired effect was the growth of the individuals in our area as well as the growth of the body of believers in this area. One measurement of this goal was the upcoming foundational class that we are going to run in April. The teacher that laid down this challenge said that we want to reach enough people that are really wanting The Word NOW, and to be able to sign the number of students necessary to run this class in a short period of time...two weeks. That would mean that we would be registering at least one person for the class every two days.

The gauntlet was laid, and the race began. It has been so fulfilling and amazing to see the lives of the believers increase in quality as they have worked to satisfy and meet this goal! Seeing people really get excited about speaking for God and being His ambassadors has been both wonderful and inspiring. God's Word really does stand always!

 Php 3:12-15

Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Let us therefore, as many as be perfect [mature], be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you.

p.s. I'll let you know later how the class goes...