Dear Partner,
Let’s begin reading 1 Corinthians 11:23, in the Amplified Bible, Classic Edition.
- For I received from The LORD Himself that which I passed on to you [it was given to me personally], that The LORD Jesus on the night when He was treacherously delivered up and while His betrayal was in progress took bread.
The Apostle Paul said, “IT WAS GIVEN TO ME PERSONALLY”! How and when did that happen? Read with me John 20:17 (AMPC):
- Jesus said to her, Do not cling to Me [do not hold Me], for I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to My brethren and tell them, I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God.
The entire book of Hebrews is the record of what Jesus did before He came back and said what is recorded in Luke 24:39 (AMPC):
- See My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself! Feel and handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones, as you see that I have.
NO BLOOD! Look at Hebrews 9:12-14:
- Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.
- For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh:
- How much more shall the Blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?
“BY HIS OWN [SINLESS] BLOOD HE ENTERED IN.”
“But Brother Copeland, isn’t that the role of the high priest?”
Yes, it is. But, let’s let THE BOOK answer that question. Once again, let’s look in the book of Hebrews at Chapter 3:1 (AMPC): “So then, brethren, consecrated and set apart for God, who share in the heavenly calling, [thoughtfully and attentively] consider Jesus, the Apostle and High Priest Whom we confessed [as ours when we embraced the Christian faith].” Let’s look at another very important thing our High Priest did with His BLOOD. Hebrews 9:22-24 (AMPC) says:
- [In fact] under the Law almost everything is purified by means of blood, and without the shedding of blood there is neither release from sin and its guilt nor the remission of the due and merited punishment for sins. By such means, therefore, it was necessary for the [earthly] copies of the heavenly things to be purified, but the actual heavenly things themselves [required far] better and nobler sacrifices than these. For Christ (the Messiah) has not entered into a sanctuary made with [human] hands, only a copy and pattern and type of the true one, but [He has entered] into heaven itself, now to appear in the [very] presence of God on our behalf.
Remember “the rich man” in Luke 16:22-23 (AMPC)? “And it occurred that the man [reduced to] begging died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried. And in Hades (the realm of the dead), being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far away, and Lazarus in his bosom.”
All the First Covenant people of God were in “Paradise,” or “Abraham’s bosom.” Jesus, then, led captivity captive. Heaven had been cleansed of Adam’s sin which polluted everything up to, but not including, the throne of God. His Blood is now on the heavenly mercy seat, which is the Ark of the Covenant. Read Psalm 22 in the AMPC. Jesus went into hell for three days and three nights (Matthew 12:38-40). With that psalm of David in His heart and coming out of His mouth, He defeated satan and took the keys of death away from him (Revelation 1:18). The devil had to bow his knee in his own domain! Now look at Hebrews 2:9-10 in the AMPC:
- But we are able to see Jesus, Who was ranked lower than the angels for a little while, crowned with glory and honor because of His having suffered death, in order that by the grace (unmerited favor) of God [to us sinners] He might experience death for every individual person. For it was an act worthy [of God] and fitting [to the divine nature] that He, for Whose sake and by Whom all things have their existence, in bringing many sons into glory, should make the Pioneer of their salvation perfect [should bring to maturity the human experience necessary to be perfectly equipped for His office as High Priest] through suffering.
And then, Hebrews 11:1-6, the Hall of Fame of Faith!
- Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good report. Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear. By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh. By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God. But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
Now go to Chapter 12:1: “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us.” Think about and meditate on this scripture. My spiritual father, Oral Roberts, and just one year ago, my “preaching buddy” for over 50 years, Jerry Savelle, are now part of that great cloud of witnesses.
Now turn to and read Galatians 1:17 (AMPC), then 1 Corinthians 11:23 (AMPC) and now Romans 8:15 (AMPC): “For [the Spirit which] you have now received [is] not a spirit of slavery to put you once more in bondage to fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption [the Spirit producing sonship] in [the bliss of] which we cry, Abba (Father)! Father! For I received from The LORD Himself that which I passed on to you [it was given to me personally], that The LORD Jesus on the night when He was treacherously delivered up and while His betrayal was in progress took bread.”
The Bible does not say how long the Apostle Paul was in Arabia. Second Corinthians 12:1-4, then, is his account of where the book of Hebrews was revealed: “It is not expedient for me doubtless to glory. I will come to visions and revelations of The LORD. I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven. And I knew such a man, (whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) how that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.”
That, dear Partner, is what “the thorn in the flesh” was all about in 2 Corinthians 12:7 (AMPC): “And to keep me from being puffed up and too much elated by the exceeding greatness (preeminence) of these revelations, there was given me a thorn (a splinter) in the flesh, a messenger of satan, to rack and buffet and harass me, to keep me from being excessively exalted.” “Paul’s thorn,” then, was not sickness or disease. Faith Lesson! In 2 Corinthians 12:8 (AMPC), he asked three times that The LORD would remove that messenger of satan from him: “Three times I called upon The LORD and besought [Him] about this and begged that it might depart from me.”
Read God’s answer to Paul in verses 9-10 (AMPC):
- But He said to me, My grace (My favor and loving-kindness and mercy) is enough for you [sufficient against any danger and enables you to bear the trouble manfully]; for My strength and power are made perfect (fulfilled and completed) and show themselves most effective in [your] weakness. Therefore, I will all the more gladly glory in my weaknesses and infirmities, that the strength and power of Christ (the Messiah) may rest (yes, may pitch a tent over and dwell) upon me! So for the sake of Christ, I am well pleased and take pleasure in infirmities, insults, hardships, persecutions, perplexities and distresses; for when I am weak [in human strength], then am I [truly] strong (able, powerful in divine strength).
Praise God forevermore!
So whatever the month of June looks like or feels like, rejoice and be glad in it! Whatever it is, when we are weak in human strength—spirit, soul, body, financially or socially—we, like the great Apostle Paul, are truly strong, able and powerful in divine strength!
First John 4:4 says: “Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.” Read this letter over, and make the Holy Spirit’s words through the Apostle Paul your own. These are things I pray for and over you at every meal and in the airplane, whether I’m flying or not!
As you sow your BLESSING seed this month, read the confessions and pray for Gloria and me, as well. I heard The LORD say, It’s time. For what? For a million Partners. You and I have an accredited Bible college to build which will one day be Kenneth Copeland University!
So remember, God Loves you, we Love you, and Jesus is LORD!
Love,
PS. YOU ARE ONE IN A MILLION! And to Gloria and me, that’s very special.
