PERCEIVE, BELIEVE, AND RECEIVE

Matthew 16:16 He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"

Living a life as a disciple of Jesus Christ seems that have its sure share of trials, dealings, and wilderness experiences. So much so that we can allow human nature and worldly influence to creep into our mind and logic concerning the Lord’s dealings and proving within our life.

This post I have written deals with a simple principle that I believe Christ wants us to daily lay hold of in our communion and journey in Him.

As I observed the lives of some believers I know of who “undoubtingly” have a love for the Lord, but has entertained a specific unwavering mindset of daily defeat in the trials of life. And as I pondered upon this I felt within my spirit the Lord say, “but who do YOU say that I am?”

Within this question I believe holds many answers, but also is a key hole waiting for the right key to enter in and unlock the benefits within The Name of Jesus.

One day the Bible makes mention of when Jesus was with His disciples and He first asked them what the world thinks who He (Jesus) is. (When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets. -Matt. 16:13-14)

Due to Jesus’ uniqueness in nature, the world immediately tried to label Him as nothing but a familiar past experience, thus resulting in the lack of benefiting the newness of life He came in and came to distribute to all who believe upon Him.

You see, when we experience something that we never experience before, we immediately will put up a wall of division from receiving anything new. It is so easy to remain in our comfort level, yet still hoping of something greater to come and infiltrate our life for the better. It is easy and yet damaging spiritually to be stagnant of moving forward in Christ and not being open and teachable at all accounts to what bears witness to His Name! It is so easy to wait for a past experience and yet not be willing to receive the new thing that God may be doing in the earth.

Now granted there are false doctrines and purposeless manifestations that claim to bear witness of Jesus. Now Christ can do anything. He can make gold pixy dust fall from the sky in a church service, he can fill gold fillings, and etc…but my God, if Jesus is present and moving I rather Him bless me with a new set of teeth or deliver me and purify my heart as a heart of gold, a heart after His righteousness! The Lord can do things to get our attention, but for a purpose. Jesus healed others, that His word and who He is might be revealed to the people. That the deadness in their hearts might open to receive the life of purpose Himself to enter in and direct them unto holiness, righteousness, perfection, glory, and victory!

But then Jesus asked the second question to His disciples, this questioned is what mattered the most to Him, because he was asking specifically to those who claimed to be intimate with Him and actually KNOW Him. A question geared to ones who left all they knew in order to give themselves fully to the life of heaven that walked this earth. Jesus then asks his disciples after hearing from them what the world thinks to be, “But who do you say that I am?”

The disciples were just common people in the world that responded to the call of Christ to follow Him. They too experience trials, tribulation, emotional heartache, and etc… Plus when you follow Jesus you will indeed experience such things. Jesus said that the world will hate you, because they first hated Him. It is a given to go through tough times, but in Jesus, in His name you can come through graciously and victoriously! Jesus wanted to see if His disciples found they key to success in Christ. As a Father to His children, He wanted to know if they finally grasped the understanding and acceptance of the love, the Father has and willing to give for His children. Literally died for them to know.

But who do you say that I am?

Peter (in verse 16) blurted out with all His heart who and how he has received Jesus. Peter saw what miracles Jesus has done. Healing blind eyes for those who were blind and in need to see. Also clearing out deaf ears, for those in need to hear again. Casting out demons, for those who need to deliverance from bondage of deception and torment. Raising up the dead for those who have been graciously given renewed life to complete the purpose God has for them in the earth. These acts were brought to remembrance in Peter as he heard the question asked. I believe he heard the Comforter Himself, The Spirit of truth that dwelled among him, bring to light that surely this Jesus must be The Anointed One in order to meet every need no matter how great the circumstance! Peter first perceived who Jesus was before he then received who Jesus is.

Like the Samaritan woman at the well. She perceived Jesus to be a prophet once He spoke prophetically to her and revealed her situation and sin of being with many men. At first she didn’t receive Him as a prophet, but just a Jew, but once Jesus spoke and His word revealed who He was, then she perceived Him as a prophet and then received Him as the Christ who reveals ALL things!

John 4:28-29 The woman then left her waterpot, and went her way into the city, and saith to the men, Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ?

Peter says in response to Jesus’ question… “You ARE the Christ! The Son of the living God!”

Immediately! Once confession was released out of Peter’s mouth who Jesus is, he then received the benefit within how he received Him! Jesus then first calls Peter BLESSED! Why is that? Because Peter than just gained more of Christ in him. In other words, now upon the foundation or the rock, the understanding of who Christ is, Peter can now experience the benefit of Jesus’ anointing within and through his life! What is true has now become a truth to Peter. But it doesn’t end there…

Matt. 10:41 …and he that receiveth a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward.

For example, if your receive your mother as a mother or in the name of “mother” you will then receive from her the benefit of love, nurture, care and all that bears witness to what a mother can give. If you receive a Saviour as a Saviour, then you will receive what a Saviour can give…salvation!

It depends on how you receive Jesus! It is as simple as that! There are some though who only receive Jesus as only a Saviour and yet don’t experience joy in their life because they never perceived and received Jesus as a joy giver!

John 15:11These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and [that] your joymight be full.

Peter received the benefit that upon His understanding and receptivity to Truth Himself being the Christ, the Anointed One, the Son of the Living God that Jesus will build within Peter a dwelling place where Jesus can operate through. That through a life yielded to the authority of the Son of the living God, others may come unto the vessel being used and come to find Jesus. Why? Because Jesus dwells within! True Life has moved in and death had no choice but to move out! The enemy of darkness then lost territory within Peter’s mind once Peter opened up and spoke out to receive Jesus for who He is!

Really, the church is not just a gathering of believing saints, but the indwelling of the Spirit of Christ that overcomes the territory of death with the newness of life and operates the only way life can…in bringing deliverance to those that are bound and binding things that need to be bound! It is the Kingdom of God being operated and advanced in the earth!

Matthew 16:17-19 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell (death) shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

But truth be told Christ is not fully made to be received as a Saviour, a Redeemer, a Deliverer, a Comforter, or anything in your life unless first He is made and received as your heavenly Father! A Father is all things to the child. God our Heavenly Father is all things! I believe this is why Jesus addressed God as nothing but as Father except for the one time when on the cross! God wasn’t the guy upstairs, the big man, none of that. You wouldn’t say that your mother is just the lady who feeds you, your brother just some guy you live with…No! Why? Because you received them as your mother or brother and you acknowledge who they are! Now it is true that they are who they are naturally in relation to you, but it is a truth and that truth changes how you relate to them and what benefit you will receive in the relationship.

Those who fail to acknowledge who God truly is will inevitably experience nothing of what He has to offer, but rather will feed upon man-made thoughts and accusations or assumptions, rather than Spirit revealed truths and wisdom! Praying point blank prayers, because they don’t know who Jesus is! That is why I believe, we have many churches that are operating under more influence of the idea of carnality and numb to the fact that the Spirit of God has lifted and is not present! Like Samson, he really had no clue who the Lord was until after he lost his anointing in strength. Sometimes we never know what we have until we lost it. The Bible says that after Samson told his secret to Delilah, he then was bound up and tried to shake himself as he has before, but didn’t know the spirit of God has left him, thus Samson remained bound!(Judges 16:20) I believe it wasn’t just because he told his secret, but it was by how he perceived God prior. He had no fear of God, because He really didn’t know Him. It wasn’t until Samson was literally blind and powerless that he began to realize that the same God who once anointed him with strength and by His order called Samson into existence naturally with the ability to see, that perhaps the same living God is a Restorer, perhaps the same God can heal blind eyes both naturally and spiritually, perhaps the same God can provide strength when weak. And Samson during his handicap began to perceive God in times past and he received God for who He was and began to call upon the Lord with regard of who He is! A Deliverer, a Strength giver, a Restorer!

My fellow reader, you may be in a place where you feel as if you are not experiencing the Lord in any dynamic way that you need to see Him be in your life. Well I encourage you to ask yourself…”Who do I say that the Lord is? Who is He really in my life? How have I received Him?” The Word of God tells us who He is, but we got to lift the wall of assumption and put our confession into the key hole of truth and call upon Jesus for who He is. Jesus desires for us to know Him deeper and in a more intimate way. We got to first know Him before we can experience anything from Him. Like how a Doctor will direct you first in a procedure you are allowing him to perform on you to cure a problem. The Doctor wants to make sure you are on the same page with him. If you have a problem we go to a Doctor, we receive him as what he is and what he can do in order to cure what we need cured. Well the Bible shows that God is the Great Physician and He can cure all things. He can meet every need if only we come to Him and receive Him for who He is.

And not only are we called to go deeper to receive Jesus for who He is, but the principle shown in Matthew 10:39-41 encourages us on how we should receive each other in the Lord. I believe if we, as the church, begin to receive each other as the Lord receives us and begin to acknowledge the work of God in each other’s lives, well then the House of God will begin to witness more of release of life giving benefits out of God’s glorious hand upon a people, upon a world.

John 8:58, 14:6 Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am. Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

God Bless