Reza Safa:  Redemption an Unknown Inheritance, “There was an Iranian Muslim soldier captured and imprisoned by the Iraqi forces during the war between Iran and Iraq (1980-1988).  This young Muslim man’s soul was tired of the hardship he had to suffer at the hand of the Iraqi guards in prison.  So one day he decided to end his life in that prison in Iraq.  He got hold of some pills and was about to swallow them when suddenly he heard an audible voice.  The voice said, “Call upon the Name of Issa (Jesus)!”  The command repeated three times.  He did what the voice told him to do.  Immediately he felt the burden of oppression and hopelessness leave him and his soul was flooded with joy.  Soon after he was released from prison and fled to Sweden.  I met this man in a Swedish refugee camp and after hearing the Gospel from us he accepted Jesus as his Lord and Savior.  You see, he was saved that day in prison in Iraq, by just simply calling upon the Name of Jesus.  He just didn’t know it.

Jesus!  That’s all you have to say, to enter into His salvation.”

“When for a moment a man is off guard, in all probability you will know more truth about him than in all his attempts either to reveal himself or to hide himself.  The ever-present consciousness, habitually hidden, flashed forth.  Later he may apologize and say he did not mean what he said.  The fact is that he was surprised into saying what he was constantly thinking.  In all probability Saul had never said that before and would never say it again, but he had been thinking it for a long time—‘I played the fool.’  There is no escape for any man, as long as reason continues, from the naked truth about himself.  He may practice deceit so skillfully as not only to hide himself from his fellowmen, but in his unutterable folly to imagine he has hidden himself from God; but he can never hide himself from himself.  In some moment of stress and strain he says what he has been thinking all the time. . . Ere Saul knew it, he had said, ‘Behold, I have played the fool.’  That is the whole story of the man” (G. Campbell Morgan, cited by J. Sidlow Baxter, Explore the Book).   

Next, “The word “fool” in the Old Testament seldom, if ever, is used to describe the feebleminded, imbecile, idiot, or moron.  Rather, it always has within it the meaning of a rebel, especially against God and the laws of order, decency, and justice.  Notice in Proverbs how many such characteristics of rebelliousness are listed against the fool, and see God’s attitude toward them.”

The Scripture defines a fool as someone who is self-confident; trusts in his own heart.  (Prov. 28:26 Amp.) ”He who leans on, trusts in, and is confident of his own mind and heart is a [self-confident] fool, but he who walks in skillful and godly Wisdom shall be delivered.” [James 1:5.] 

Being a fool or not is a choice that we make!  {Choose life.}

The mind of Christ has been given to us.  It is the mind of God; it is the mind of His Word.  We can think like the Word! 

So, let’s possess the mind of Christ. To possess something is to own it.  It is to be one with that possession and make it a part of ourselves.  We renew our minds in the Word of God and think like our Savior.

Jesus, on earth, had a master mind.  His mind was a mind of victory and glory.  He didn’t think about defeat, failure or fears.  He never thought outside of God’s Word!  He said, “I and My Father are one.”  John 10:30

I was reading my Bible and pointed out this part to my husband, ”giving the greater honor and richer endowment to the inferior parts”.  Then, Chris read this devotional to me by Watchman Nee, A Table in the Wilderness:

“Now hath God set the members each one of them in the body, even as it pleased him.  1 Cor. 12:18

Tell me, which is the better member, the foot or the hand?  There is, when you come to think of it, no way of comparing them.  Their function in the human body is quite different, and each is equally needed there.  And yet many minimize God’s calling.  Because they cannot be the special member they admire, they decline to take their place at all.  This is exactly the situation described in Jesus’ parable of the men with the talents in Matthew chapter 25.  There was a servant with five talents, and another with two, but the whole emphasis of the parable is on the one-talent man.  The danger is of the one-talent brother burying his talent.  “Since I cannot occupy a place of prominence,” he asks himself, “does it matter therefore whether I occupy any place at all?”  It most certainly does!  For the parable teaches that if two can grow into four, one can grow into two.  It is by functioning that we discover life.  The Church’s life is hampered and impoverished by the holding back of the one-talent members.”

I was elated at how the two revelations merged and it just makes so much sense!  (Here is what I see:)  Just because people feel that they aren’t as significant as other Believers, or they don’t possess an impressive Christian resume doesn’t mean that they can’t greatly be used to shake hell and fill heaven.  Every person has an important call from the Lord!  And, greater honor is given to people who do the smaller jobs or more hidden functions in the kingdom of God!  These people don’t necessarily stand behind the pulpit, lead worship, fund the gospel, set on church boards, etc.  (That is exciting news to me…because, this really reveals that positively everyone is desperately needed!) 

1 Cor. 12:22, “…there is [absolute] necessity for the parts of the body that are considered the more weak.”

It is a happy day!!

Here we see that Jesus inherited His Name.  Out of the above scriptures we understand that the Name of Jesus was given to Him, and that He also inherited that holy Name.  The question is, for what reason did God give that Name to Him?

God gave the Name of Jesus for several reasons:  Firs of all, the Name of Jesus indicates the work of Jesus.

The Angel said to Mary:  ‘You shall call His Name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins…’  Matt. 1:21

Jesus (Yeshua, in Hebrew) means the one who saves.  The Name of Jesus is an active indicator.  The moment you call that Holy Name, the definition of that Name will be in operation instantly.  ‘…whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.’  Rom. 10:13

The moment you call the Name by faith, Jesus’ accomplished work of salvation will be in full operation in you.  It is an active name.  It is an active command.  It is a living Name.  It is a saving Name.  Salvation of God begins the moment you invoke that Holy Name.”

Wow!  Paul, (the apostle of Grace; the one who said in 1 Cor. 11:1 “Follow/imitate my example.”) is saying to these Believers in Corinth to be careful!  (Be very cautious who you fellowship and partner with.)  In the next verse he says, “You cannot drink the Lord’s cup and the demons’ cup.  You cannot partake of the Lord’s table and the demons’ table.” 

Then he warns, “Shall we thus provoke the Lord to jealously and anger and indignation?  Are we stronger than He [that we should defy Him]?  [Deut. 32:21; Eccl. 6:10; Isa. 45:9.]

Some may want to argue…now God is accepting of everyone and their beliefs.  God is love and we need to love and accept everyone no matter what.  They may be at a “different level” than we are.  (While there is truth in that statement, we don’t turn a blind eye to false doctrine and people with unscrupulous manners and reputations.  “Come ye out from among them my people and be ye separate.”  (See 2 Cor. 6:17)  We have a responsibility and it is to do the will of our Father.  Grace isn’t a blind acceptance–it is an empowerment to discern and choose a higher walk!

I have seen too many people get swept into all types of wrong doctrines (in this case a lewd-grace, pantheistic, new-age system would apply) because they didn’t understand the responsibilities of Grace or properly know the Word!  We cannot just pick and choose the scriptures we want and exclude the others.  Preaching truth to the exclusion of other Biblical truths will always equal error!  And, according to the above verses…I don’t want to defy my Father-God!!  Gal. 1:10 para, “Do I seek to please men?” 

(I say all of this is love.  Love is helpful and honest.)  Eph. 4:15

John 8:44 shows us, “You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires.  He was a murderer from the beginning, and has nothing to do with the truth, because there is no truth in him.  When he lies, he speaks according to his own nature, for he is the father of lies.”   

1 John 3:8 says, “He who commits sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning.  The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.”

If this “dual nature” were true then when we die…half of us would go to heaven and the other half would go to hell.  Jesus was stronge enough to deliver us from the power of sin.  The redemption of Jesus was complete and He destroyed the works of the devil (including the sin nature)!

Rom. 6:14, “Sin shall no longer have any domnion over a child of God.”

Rom. 6:6, “…knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin.”