The Spiritual Life: spiritual series, #1

By Kagiso Anson Bareki

Discover the power of a realistic approach to Christian living.This book will help you deepen your faith by taking you beyond the bandwagon of religious people who view the christian life as a mere church catch-phrase. You will 

learn from it how to be strong in your faith,effiecient in bible study and progressive in character development.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Kagiso Anson Bareki
• Release date: Feb 2, 2017
• ISBN: 9789996802560

Kagiso Anson Bareki

Kagiso Anson Bareki is a preacher,teacher and speaker whose reputation has grown through motivational sessions conducted in the wellness program, an initiative from the Botswana government for all civil servants. He is the founder of Anson Publishing and the institute of theology and commerce in Botswana. His inspiring oratory talent has on this account been beneficial to civil servants,churches and mentorship teams. He is the author of 16 books,a husband to Masego and father of two . He resides in Botswana and his publications are read internationally.

Book preview

Table of Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

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Chapter 1

Spiritual

Truth

Lead me in Your truth and teach me, For You are the God of my salvation; On You I wait all the day (Psalms 25:5).

Many, upon entering the Kingdom are  zealous and full of ‘‘life’’. After a while, they soon discover that to be ‘‘full of life’’ is not wrong per se, what matters profoundly is whether we are full of the life of the Holy Spirit or our own life. If only we are willing to allow the Holy Spirit to do in us what He so greatly desires... He will lead us to such a point where we will have nothing flowing and directing our lives apart from God. Our attitude will become Christ-ward and our self-esteem will turn into ‘‘Christ -esteem.’’ When one is confident in self, such a person may confess that many things are possible to him or her. Confidence in Christ, is on the contrary, what makes one to say, ‘‘I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me ,’’(Philippians 4:13).We, upon being dealt with by the Holy Spirit,will now come to the same acknowledgement as Paul, that it is indeed ‘‘not I, but Christ’’, (Galatians 2:20).Paul was not reading a scripture when he confessed this spiritual truth. He had come to a personal and deep understanding of the work of the Holy Spirit in his life.  Such an understanding comes through revelation. To read a verse is one thing and to experience it is altogether a different phenomenon.  It is not enough to quote what Paul wrote. It is not even sufficient to teach it. One must truly experience what he meant thus coming to a clear understanding of the things of God.

The most deceptive thing about the beauty of God’s word is that we are often misled to think that quoting or reading scripture is enough.  In the end we come to an interesting standpoint and begin to realize that a lot of things mentioned in the bible are as good as ‘‘noble ideals’’ to us. We need to come to the true knowledge of Christ. It will take the Holy Spirit. Remember that the Lord had said He (the Holy Spirit) ‘‘shall guide you into all truth’’,( John16: 13). Formerly, Christ had called Him the ‘‘Spirit of truth’’ (John15:  26).  Peter, upon accurately identifying  Christ, was told that ‘‘flesh and blood’’ is not the source of his revelation (Matthew 16:17). We learn here the simple implication of this verse, which is that spiritual things cannot be  comprehended intellectually. There is no learning of Spiritual things apart from God. And ‘‘God is Spirit’’ (John 4: 24). Knowing this then... pray that the Holy Spirit may open your eyes to understand the ‘‘spiritual life.’’ I  pray that my life and writing  be  an illumination of God’s truths thus bringing you into further liberation. You ‘‘shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free’’, (John 8:32).The truth alone does not set us free. Knowledge of the truth liberates us. To know something is to have some intimation with it. That is why the  bible says, ‘‘Adam knew his wife Eve, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Cain’’,(Genesis 4:1).Actually,the word intimate is  from late Latin intimat- ‘made known,’ from the verb intimare1.Unless we become intimately involved with the truth, we shall never be free. I pray that while reading this book,revelation may come upon you, and a new page may be opened in your life.

Chapter 2

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Spiritual

Life

And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding, that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life (1 John 5:20)

I am told a famous evangelist once shocked masses by confessing that he does not know Christ. He had led so many to Christ yet his life came to a point where he could not pretend any longer.  After coming to admission  of his  helpless state, he  called on the Lord to come to his aid—particularly to reveal Himself to him.‘‘Lord, I want to know you’’, the man  confessed. In the years that followed, his Christian life became altogether different. It should not be shocking that one who so vehemently  preached the Gospel did not know Him. It happens quiet often. Those  who serve  do not always  enjoy what is being served. Have you heard that some of the co-owners  of the Kentucky  Fried Chicken brand are  vegetarians? Though they serve the masses with fried chicken delicacy , they are not with most of us in the ‘‘munching’’  of fried  chicken. It’s  odd though, but not completely  unusual. There  are  many in  the  church who preach  a Christ  unknown to them. When  one talks  of the spiritual  life, the other may respond by saying:  ‘‘I hope you’re not trying to suggest  that I don’t know the spiritual  life. I have been  attending  church long enough  to  know such things.’’ The spiritual life cannot be known or claimed on the basis of extensive church attendance. It is a matter  of one’s life under the guide of the Holy Spirit. It is as such  possible for those who are of  repute in the church to not intimately know the Lord nor the power of spiritual life in Christ.

The Lord is strange to many people. This brings to remembrance the reading in Luke chapter 5. Here, Peter is fishing along with some other folks and openly expressing himself to Jesus. He tells Jesus that they had not caught fish during the entire night. Later, at Jesus’ instruction,  a miracle  occurs.  Peter  and folks  catch enough fish to break a net. The Bible says, when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, Oh Lord’’, (Luke 5:8)  This was the same Peter who seemed to know the Lord in the beginning but as revelation  came upon him, he realized that  the  Lord was more than he had initially  thought. It is possible for one to walk with the Lord and yet still show signs of not knowing Him. John the Baptist, upon seeing Jesus , is recorded to have said, ‘‘behold, the lamb of God’’, (John 1:35). This showed that John  knew the Lord. While in prison and faced with much difficulty, the same John sent his disciples to ask Jesus, "are you the one or should we expect someone else?’’ (Matthew11: 2) Here was John, someone who earlier on seemed knowledgeable of the Lord now asking a question of serious doubt. Many people like John, find themselves in a predicament of incomprehension. Though such may boldly assert, ‘‘I am Christian’’, they do not vividly understand their claim. Such was the position of many believers even at