Seperation & Sanctification

Issue 20                  [July 25, 2010]

Separation - 1.  keeping of things apart: the act or process of separating things or people 

2.  state of being apart: the state or duration of being apart from other things or people 

3.  place of meeting or space between: a place, line, or mark that shows where two things meet, or the gap between them 

4.  agreement not to live together: the act of stopping living together as husband and wife while remaining married, or a formal agreement to do so, especially one made in a court of law 

5.  departure from group: dismissal from a job, or release from military service

Encarta ® World English Dictionary © & (P) 1998-2005 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

Sanctification - 1.  make something holy: to give something holy status 

2.  free somebody from sin: to perform a ritual or other act intended to free somebody from sin 

3.  bless something through religious vow: to give a religious blessing to something such as a marriage, usually through an oath or vow  sanctified the marriage

4.  officially approve something: to give social, moral, or official approval to something

rules sanctified by tradition

5.  make something route to holiness: to make something a means of achieving holiness or a source of grace 

Encarta ® World English Dictionary © & (P) 1998-2005 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

Purify - 1.  vti make something pure: to rid something of harmful, inferior, or unwanted contaminants, or get rid of harmful, inferior, or unwanted contaminants

We use special filters to purify the water.

2.  vt make somebody spiritually pure: to free somebody of sin, guilt, or defilement, e.g. in a ceremony or a ritual cleansing 

Encarta ® World English Dictionary © & (P) 1998-2005 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

      What happened to the three S’s Salvation, Sanctification, and Separation? Salvation is the deliverance from the un Holy, Sanctification is to make it Holy, and separation is when we KEEP it Holy.

     Why is it through the course of time that Christians are so mystified by Gods saving power and all of his glory but after a few years it goes from Marvelous to mundane?

      Separation in the Old Testament was looked upon with a serious attitude. The woman when delivering a child was not to come in contact with any hallowed thing nor was she allowed to come into the sanctuary until her “purification” was fulfilled [Lev 12:4] .

      What does it mean to be separated? If you were a child on a field trip or with your family on vacation and you became separated from your family then fright would come upon you because the security was removed from your life and uncertainty has taken its place. When sin is in our life it separates us from God and the security and safety has been removed from us also. When we are living the perfect will of God then we have the security of knowing that no matter what comes our way, God is there on our side and we will be found victorious.

      There is another way to look at separation. We, as Christians are required to separate ourselves from the things of the world. The old song says; “this world is not my home, I’m just passing thru, my treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue.” We are IN the world but we are not OF this world. We are children of the King and should act accordingly. In order to fill this requirement we have to refrain from certain things of this world. We are not to partake of things that will jeopardize our walk with Him. If we are truly spiritually minded then we will lay our treasures on Heavenly things and not of the temporal things of this world.

      We can have worldly friends in our everyday walk thru life as long as they do not become a greater influence on us than our spiritual family ands friends. God, Pastor, Saints, Family and others should be our priority listing of influence. When our co-workers or school friends have a greater pull on us than our pastor, the word, or our conscience, then we have to re-prioritize.

      If we become enchanted by someone of the opposite sex and they are not spiritual, then we have to separate ourselves and realize what do we put our faith in, ourselves or God to bring us a companion?! Have faith in God and he will reward you for your labor.

      We have to look at our fellowship as well as our friends also. There are many out there who have a form of Godliness but deny the power thereof from such turn away [2 Tim 3:5]. You will not find any fellowship circles that are 100 percent spiritual and agree on every T jottle or every eye crossing. You have to ask yourself the question; where do I draw the line? There are things that may not be Heaven or Hell but there are some things that are, so if you are having doubts, pray and seek God, He is sure to lead you in the right path if you are sincere. Whatever you do never give into the crowd or the many signs and wonders that will come. Paul said there will be many grievous wolves to come in not sparing the flock. There will be some who may be sincere but who are not sincere enough to lay down things that are sin. You may not find in your Bible where it says “thou shall not watch TV” but good teaching and a sincere love for truth will cause you to remove yourself from that thing. There is not a scripture which spells it out in black and white of no tight skirts or splits or short sleeves but good Holy-Ghost teaching with sometime in the prayer room will lead you in the right path.

      I am not looking to clash swords with anyone that is never my purpose or ambition in life. I am simply stirred up in my spirit about things that go on here and there and I feel to discuss them. I have a love for this glorious gospel a desire to be saved and an appreciation for the truth. I am disturbed from time to time when I see or hear of things that shouldn’t be within Apostolic Churches. Am I one to judge or remove the tares? God forbid, that is not for me to do.

      If the bridge was out and you were on your way to work how would you feel If I warned you? There are two actions that would take place in your life. One, you could be mad and blame me for you being late for work or two, you could be thankful that you will have the opportunity for another day. The same goes fore every preacher that steps behind the pulpit and preaches without fear or favor. He may make you mad but he still has a job to do, and that is to warn you of the impending danger that lies ahead.

      When you are convicted of your sins and you repent, you have taken the first step in making yourself holy. You are free from sin and now you will attempt to do your very best to refrain from all manner of sin. Just as a marriage between a man and a woman, your relationship with God is very much the same way. The more attention you show God and the more faithful you are to God the better the relationship will be and the more he will bless you. If you are constantly unfaithful, then your blessing meter will read in the negative.  The better you separate yourself from sinful magnets the better your walk with God will be.

      The water purification systems they have nowadays may be a little expensive but they are worth it in the long run. The filters are there to remove impurities in the water. Separation from worldly things is essential for a better quality of walk with God. There are things that may not even be essential but the more you filter out the better quality of your walk with God!

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Scripture For Your basket:

2 Thessalonians 3:14 and if any man obey not our word by this epistle, NOTE that man, and have no dealings with him, that he may be ashamed.

2 Timothy 3:5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.

2 Timothy 4:3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;

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Editors Comments:

 When things come up and upset us we should ask ourselves the question, Why am I upset? If someone brings up a moral or doctrinal issue and it causes our blood pressure to raise 15 points, is it because of our flesh or our spirit? What is it that motivates us in our every day walk ?

     Remember that right smack dab in the middle of sin is the letter I. I is always the root cause of sin. If you lack the fruits of the spirit, you are focusing more on yourself than others. Study out the fruits and see if I speak truth.

 I wish to thank each and everyone who contribute to this newsletter. Be it in the form of money, prayers, encouragement or just a simple Thank You, it is very much needed and greatly appreciated!!!

   

     I am also looking into making Landmark Publishing a "non-Profit" and expanding this little venture. Please don't hold me to the coals if it doesn't work out, I have much research to do and a whole lot of prayer time ahead of me!! This is ALL up in the air and may not be where I need to be, but I ask everyone to help me pray about it!

Sincerely,

Brother JW