Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us. (I Peter 2:12—NIV)

Notice in the above passages that the "good deeds" of God's workmanship are a lesson to mankind:

Notice also that when Paul tells us we are risen and shall appear with Christ, the first thing he discusses is our need to turn away from sin:

When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. (Colossians 3:4,5—NIV)

"He that has this hope in him purifies himself," First John says.

We can understand from the above that when God's grace through Jesus Christ does not result in the doing of the good works that God has prepared for us to do, we have received the grace of God in vain.

How often do Evangelical teachers quote Ephesians 2:8,9 without including verse ten, without referring to the context from verse 15 of Chapter One, thus giving a totally false impression of the nature and purpose of the Christian salvation. This is a shameful practice and which hopefully will cease in the near future as we are confronted with the realities of the spirit realm and of the Kingdom of God.

We are in the closing days of the Church Age. God is emphasizing the bringing of the Body of Christ to maturity, also the forming of the saints into an army.

We see the evidence of Satan and his demons all around us. The tares of rebellion and wickedness are coming to maturity. But so is the wheat.

The original sin was disobedience, both in the heavens and on the earth. It is through total obedience that the victory will be won. We must love not our life to the death if we are to tear down the strongholds of Satan.

God is ready now to apply His lexicon of righteous, holy behavior to the angels and to mankind. But He must have people who can illustrate in their personality the righteous, holy, and obedient behavior defined in the lexicon. Until such behavior is forthcoming there can be no successful judgment of mankind and the angels.

There are seven feasts of the Lord.

The churches have been at Passover, the first feast, at salvation through the blood of the cross.

The churches have been at Pentecost, the fourth feast, at the work of the Holy Spirit in producing the testimony that can overcome the accuser.

Now we are facing the final three feasts of the Jews: the Blowing of Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, and the Feast of Tabernacles. The spiritual fulfillment of these three feasts has been reserved for the end time, for the period when lawlessness and wickedness have come to maturity. To experience the last three feasts we must love not our life to the point of death.

To be continued.