The Believer’s song - Soon and Very Soon…
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Stand by for a Bible study. 
I want to provoke my readers to consider what the term ‘Christian’ really means. The term ‘Christian’ has to do with a new humanity that has been created in Christ Jesus.
But I have a second purpose for this study. I want to encourage my Christian brothers and sisters to keep in mind our heavenly destiny. So as a beginning point, let’s take time to listen to Andrae Crouch…
Now for a word from the great apostle to the nations. Paul writes:
“For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.”(Ephesians 2:8-10 nasb)
Note carefully the term, “We are His workmanship.”
This expression comes from the prophets. The term Christian relates to the workmanship of God as it is found in the prophetic writings. The apostle Peter instructs us to never be ashamed of this name.
He writes:
“…but if anyone suffers as a Christian, he is not to be ashamed, but is to glorify God in this name.” (1Pet4:16)
The prophets of old spoke of the work of God’s hand in two senses. One had to do with the original creation. The other spoke of a new creation.
This new creation would deeply affect the human family. In the new work of God’s hand, there would be a bringing forth of God’s children in the earth.
God promised Abraham that his descendants would be as the sand of the seashore …
… and as the stars in the heavens. That same promise passed to Isaac and on to Jacob. Yet the Patriarchs never saw these children in their lifetime.
God spoke through Isaiah, saying,
“Therefore thus says the Lord, who redeemed Abraham, concerning the house of Jacob; Jacob shall not now be ashamed, nor shall his face now turn pale; but when he sees his children, the work of My hands, in his midst, they will sanctify My name, indeed they will sanctify the Holy One of Jacob and will stand in awe of the God of Israel.” (Isa29:22,23)
The Lord again speaks through Isaiah;
“Thus says the Lord, the Holy One of Israel,and his Maker, ‘Ask Me about the things to come concerning My sons, and you shall commit to Me the work of My hands.” (Isa45:11)
It is so important for believers to understand that the work of the cross was not to produce a new religion 
in the earth. The cross had to do with God’s heavenly children.
Listen to these Scriptures:
“Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfector of faith, who for the joy set before Him, endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Heb12:2)
What was the joy set before Jesus? Hear again;
““Behold, I and the children whom God has given Me.” (Heb2:11,13 respectively)
How desperately we need to understand the deeper meaning of the cross. 
Let’s bring it to where we live. Many of us have seen pictures of the earth taken from the space shuttle. The earth is beautiful. We see a perfect orb of blue encompassed with swirling clouds.
Yet on the earth we see a different picture. We see the drug scenes, violence in schools, wars and devastation, famine in various places, earthquakes, and wasting diseases.
The ugly on the earth continues, and according to the Scriptures, it will grow worse as the day of the Lord approaches.
This is why we believers are instructed to set our affection on things above and not on the things of the earth.
As for proper perspective, Paul said,
“[God] raised us up with [Christ], and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness towards us in Christ Jesus.” (Eph2:6,7)
The Lord very much wants His children to be heavenly minded.
God’s Redeemer has come and is coming…
All through the Scriptures, the prophets pointed to God’s Redeemer. Jacob spoke of Him as “Shiloh.” Moses called Him “The Prophet.” Isaiah called Him “The Branch.” Zechariah told the people to ‘look for the wounds.‘ Jeremiah said that God was going to give us a new heart. It goes on and on and on.
The message was that God’s redemption would complete itself with a Savior and in a new creation. The new creation would be the work of God’s hands. No man would have a part it it. Our works of righteousness would never enter the picture.
But what of the term ‘Christian’? Where does this term fit in?
It is so amazing at what you can learn through the prophets. God speaks through Isaiah, and says,
“For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not keep quiet, until her righteousness goes forth like brightness, and her salvation like a torch that is burning.”
In 33ad, the torch was lit. The righteousness of God went forth as a torch burning. It continues to burn today.
He goes on to say,
“The nations will see your righteousness [the righteousness of Christ], and all kings your glory [Jesus shares God's glory with us]; and you [God's covenant children] will be called by a new name which the mouth of the Lord will designate.” (Isa62:1,2)
The term, “mouth of the Lord” is a Hebraism for the prophetic utterance…
… or for a divine oracle. Here it says God’s people will be given a new name by a prophetic oracle.
But it doesn’t stop there. God speaks even more clearly in Isaiah chapter 65, where He shows a clear distinction between those who received Jesus as the Messiah, and those who set themselves against His Christ.
Listen carefully -
“I permitted Myself to be sought by those who did not ask for Me; I permitted Myself to be found by those who did not seek Me. I said, ‘Here am I, here am I,’ to a nation which did not call on My name.” [Speaking of the gospel going to all the nations. V1]
The Lord then directs attention to the historical elements of a divided Judaism. The righteous portion of Israel would enter into the redemption program of God. The rejecters will walk a path of devastation.
“Behold, My servants [new covenant community] will shout joyfully with a glad heart, but you [rejecters of Christ] will cry out with a heavy heart. And you [the rejecters] will wail with a broken spirit. … But My servants [new covenant community] will be called by another name.” (Vv14,15)
The issue of the heavy heart was to a people who would no longer have an overseeing covenant relationship with the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Jesus drew attention to this, when He said,
“Many will come from the east and west, and recline at the table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven; but the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (Matt8:11,12)
Twice in Isaiah, God says His servants will be “called by another name.” Keep in mind that this expression speaks of a divine oracle or a prophetic utterance. Now listen to Acts 11:16,
“…For an entire year they met with the Church and taught considerable disciples; and the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.”
The early Christians had several designations to begin with…
…but the term Christian became the proper name for the new covenant children of God. Christ was the firstborn from the dead. True Christians are born out of death and take upon themselves the name Christian. Christian means ‘belonging to Christ,’ ‘followers of Christ,’ ‘like Christ,’ and even ‘the anointed ones.’ We have been anointed with the life of Christ.
It is interesting how this term reaches back to Abraham and the prophets. Note that new covenant believers are actually called ‘the children of Abraham.’ We, like Abraham, are pilgrims.
What does God say in the Old Testament? He says, “Do not touch My anointed ones, and do My prophets no harm.”(Psa105:15) This expression reaches across history, and includes all the Abrahamic family up to the very last child of to be born of God.
When Jesus describes the new covenant children of God, He explains them as a prophetic people. He said,
“He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’ But this He spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive, for the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.” (John 7:37,38)
The new covenant children of God were all to be anointed with the life of Christ.
This anointing would reveal itself as ‘life’ flowing from their lips. The children of sin would have death flowing from their lips.
Did Moses know about the creation to come? Most assuredly. His dream was to see these children of God. Moses knew full well that the people he then worked with were not the new creation people. He spoke of this in his song of redemption. In Revelations this song is called the song of Moses and the Lamb.
Part of the song of Moses says,
“The Rock! His work is perfect, for all His ways are just; a God of faithfulness and without injustice, righteous and upright is He.”
Paul said that the Rock is Christ.
Moses goes on to describe the unrighteous generation;
“They have acted corruptly toward Him. They are not His children, because of their defect; but are a perverse and crooked generation.” (Deut32:4,5)
The defect issue has to do with the unregenerated person. All sinners carry a spiritual defect. This defect can only be removed by the blood of the Lamb in an act of regeneration.
Why do the words of Moses sound so familiar? Peter quoted from them on the day of Pentecost, when he preached Jesus as the Christ of God. He told the peoples,
“Be saved from this perverse generation!’” (Acts 2:40)
The redemptive program is not an issue of anti-semitiism.
The early Church was exclusively Jewish at the beginning. The perverse generation would apply to all who made themselves the enemy of Christ. By extension this applies to anyone, Jew or Gentile. But in a prophetic sense it spoke of those in Israel who turned from Christ.
So, we now have on this planet two kinds of humanity. You have the Adam-ites, and you have the Christ-ites. The latter group is known as Christian. The former group needs to hear the good news sent from heaven, that they, too, may become Christ-ites.
Think about it. Is there anything more important in life than sharing the heavenly message with the Adam-ites? We are dealing with people of destiny. Christians have a divine destiny. Those who reject Jesus will not be found with the children of God. Their eternity is elsewhere.
As I bring this devotional study to a close, consider these words from Paul concerning the Christian:
“For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself.” (Phil:3:20,21)
Think about it.
Soon and very soon, we are going to see the King!
Much love coming your way,
Buddy
