CRUMB 0074 – ALL ROADS LEAD TO PAUL

Part #2 of “THE FINAL STEP BEYOND THE CROSS”

“As We Navigate Through Life In Search Of ‘The Truth’, Meaning And Purpose, All Roads Must And Do Lead To Paul The Apostle”.

Just as Moses was God’s chosen man to represent the Law, Paul was God’s chosen man to represent and be the ambassador of Grace.

And these two men cannot abide under the same tent.

Moses could not be bypassed during the dispensation of the Law.

Even though Moses died, he still could not be bypassed. His ministry continued till Christ Jesus came on to the scene, and fulfilled every ‘jot’ and ‘tittle’ of that Law.

Then, and only then could Scripture boldly declare in [Romans 10:4], that“Christ is the end of the law for righteousness”.
And the amazing truth is that it is available “to everyone that believeth (+nothing else)”.
In like manner, Paul cannot be bypassed during this age of Grace.

Though Paul is dead, he yet cannot be and must not be bypassed.

For his ministry is the ‘only one’ that will continue in the “Spirit Of Truth” [John 16:13].

The ministry of Paul the apostle is the only authentic ministry for today, for it is Christ’s “Heavenly ministry”.

And this ministry is the ‘ONLY ONE’ that God will recognize today, respond to and truly bless without measure.

This is because God Himself has instituted this dispensation and He both cannot and will not operate outside of it.

And this “Heavenly Ministry” will continue till Jesus Christ comes like a “thief in the night” to take His Church, the Body of Christ.

That will happen when the the fulness of the Gentiles be come in” [Romans 11:25].

And that is when the moment that last believer steps into the Body Of Christ.

Understanding A “Dispensation”

A dispensation in simple terms is simply a “period of time” or “age”.

It is a period of time where God is dealing with the human race under a certain set of instructions.

Before the Crucifixion of Christ Jesus, it was the “dispensation of the Law” that was in operation.

The Ten Commandments with its stringent demands, were the governed by “thou shall” and “thou shalt not”.

Though the Law was given to Israel, it applied to the whole world.

That is why Scripture categorically states in [Romans 3:19], “that every mouth may be stopped and ‘all the world’ may become guilty before God”.

The Law Fulfilled

But the great news is that Christ Jesus fulfilled the demands of that stringent Law on our behalf.

And having fulfilled it to perfection, HE was able to be that one time all-sufficient sacrifice to purchase our redemption.

God, being ‘fully satisfied’ with this sacrifice, was able to release and pour out without measure, His Grace on all mankind.

That is why Paul can confidently by revelation make this wonderful statement in [Ephesians 2:8-9]:

“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God”.

And what does one do when offered a gift?

You can either humbly accept it or pridefully reject it. There are no ‘in-betweens’.

In this “Age of Grace” God is freely offering us Salvation, which is eternal life in heaven.

HE is offering us this through His Son, Jesus Christ as a free gift “WITHOUT THE LAW”.

We ‘no longer’ have the demands of the Law hanging like a sword over our heads.

So Paul the apostle can close that statement by saying that it is, “not of works, lest any man should boast”.

This is the “dispensation of the Grace of God”, the age where both we live and God lives today.

The Road Map And Blue Print

Paul alone has the road map and the blue print for this age of Grace or the “dispensation of the Grace of God”.

The Ascended Lord Jesus Christ in Glory revealed the mysteries of this age to none other than Paul the apostle.

These mysteries, which were kept secret in the mind of God, have been revealed to us through this man [Colossians 1:25-26].

Paul was the one that the Lord Jesus Christ chose to entrust the revelations of the mysteries of this age to.

He was the one that the LORD counted faithful, for which Paul was ever grateful.

“And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord”, he says with a humble heart of gratitude.

He states in [1 Timothy 1:12], “Who hath enabled me, for that He counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry”.

How clearly the Holy Spirit directs him to write this “faithful saying, worthy of all acceptation”.

“Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief”.

The word chief here means ‘of first importance’.

“HOWBEIT” he says, “for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me ‘FIRST’, Jesus Christ might show forth all long suffering”.

Not forgetting that the Holy Spirit is directing Paul’s pen, look at the reason he gives.

That he, Paul, might be, “for a pattern to them”.

This refers to both Jews and Gentiles alike, “which should hereafter believe on Him (Christ Jesus) to life everlasting”.

Clear, Plain And Simple

How clear, plain and simple it is to see that Paul’s apostleship indeed “is by the commandment” [1 Timothy 1:1].

And this commandment is “of God our Saviour, and the Lord Jesus Christ, which is our hope”.

When Scripture is using the phrase, “by commandment”, really means that it’s not open for debate or discussion.

It is a settled issue by the sovereignty of Heaven.

Knowing this, how seriously are we to take this? And how much preeminence are we to give Paul the apostle of the Gentiles?

To keep it clear, plain and simple, “JESUS CHRIST IS OUR SAVIOUR”.

Paul is our apostle, ‘NOT OUR SAVIOUR’.

We DO NOT worship Paul. We worship ONLY Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour.

But all instructions today relating to every area of our earthly, spiritual and eternal life come “through” Paul’s pen.

AND THE LIVING SOURCE IS THE ASCENDED JESUS CHRSIST IN GLORY.

Coming To Terms With The Truth

It is imperative that we all come to terms with this truth concerning Paul’s apostleship.

This is not just any truth. This is Heaven’s Truth, for the eternal destiny of every soul on this planet hangs in the balance.

Paul the apostle is “an irreversible and unchangeable act of heaven” and his ministry is absolutely exclusive for this day and age.

And the Gospel of our salvation, which comes through him, is an exclusive Gospel.

Many previously and even today, are of the opinion, that Paul and the other apostles essentially preached the same Gospel.

NO they did not! They could not have.

Received By Direct Revelation

Paul is the only one who could claim that the Gospel ‘he received’ was by direct “revelation of Jesus Christ”.

HE categorically and clearly makes this statement in [Galatians 1:11-12].

 The question we really need to be asking here is, “where is Jesus Christ, when Paul receives ‘this exclusive Gospel’ from HIM?”

The book of [Hebrews 1:1-3], answers that question so wonderfully.

Christ Jesus, after purging our sins, “sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high”.

And that is in Heaven. That is from where we are receiving our instructions today.

No Mixing Of Ministries

We cannot and must not mix the Ministry of Jesus Christ on earth to the Jews with Paul’s for the Gentiles.

“Now I say”, Paul so clearly states in [Romans 15:8] , “that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God”.

What is Paul talking about here? Who was “the circumcision”?

That is exclusively talking about the Jews, the nation of Israel. They were “the circumcision”. There are no Gentiles on the scene here.

And now Paul gives us, not just any reason, but an absolute Scriptural one:

“To confirm the promises made unto the fathers”.

Jesus Christ came to fulfill what God had promised ‘by covenant’, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

And so Jesus Christ was under that covenant obligation. That is what His ministry was all about and we need to recognize that.

HE was a minister to the Jews, the nation of Israel “under the Law”.

Peter and the other apostle’s ministry were the visible extension of Christ’s ministry on earth.

They were the ones to do the “greater things” which Christ Jesus was speaking to them about in [John 14:12].

They are to be recognized for what they were and must be left where they belong today.

The Old Not Made Redundant

Does that mean that they and the rest of Scripture are made redundant because of Paul the apostle?

By no means, or “God forbid”, as Paul would say in his linguistic and literary style.

We need it all. We need ‘every’ Word of God, for it is “profitable for doctrine, reproof, correction and for instruction in righteousness”.

“All Scripture is God-breathed (given by divine inspiration)[2 Timothy 3:16].

But what is the purpose of studying and learning from the rest of Scripture today?

Scripture once again, answers this question wonderfully in [Romans 15:4].

“For whatsoever things were written aforetime”, Paul is referring to the Old Testament, “were written for our learning”.

Now he gives us the reason why, “that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope”.

Called To Follow Christ Jesus 

Having placed our faith in the Gospel we are called to follow Christ.

To do this, according to Heaven’s mandate, the Holy Spirit specifically tells us to follow Paul the apostle [1 Corinthians 11:1].

“Be ye followers of me even as I also am of Christ”.

 Just as the other apostles were the extended arm of Christ’s earthly ministry, we are to be the extended arm of Christ’s heavenly ministry.

This can only happen if we follow Paul, as Scripture directs us to do so.

Yet, there are so many within the framework of Christendom that will just refuse to come to terms with this truth.

As a result, in a manner of speaking, they have become a law unto themselves.

Somehow, they just do not want to humble themselves and submit to the genuine apostolic authority of Paul.

That is why so much of denominational confusion has increasingly crept into Christendom.

With the world heading rapidly towards the ‘inevitable’ landslide in these times, we really do need to gird our loins with Pauline truths.

We need to spend this final season of human history with Paul the apostle.

 

We continue this series of ““FINAL STEP BEYOND THE CROSS” in the next Crumb 0075.

 

 

 

 

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About Joshua David Mukerji

A life filled with depravity, a conscience hardened and seared as with a hot iron, with eyes filled with tears on a road leading to nowhere, with an amputated spirit, devoid of any meaningful hope or purpose, moving on like a ship on a tumultuous sea without a sail, the author, from out of nowhere, has an encounter with a Living God that would radically change his life. With an infallible Hope imputed into his spirit, he moves on. Not claiming to have got there yet, but one thing he does: forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, he presses on with this Hope that will never fail. If you feel you somehow or in some way connect with any part of this, stick around. There are messages of True and Living Hope coming your way. You ‘will’ get there yet!!!
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