Enlightened: The Purpose of Spiritual Understanding

By Edmund Danilo Auguis

Englightened: The Purpose of Spiritual Understanding is an inspiring book for those who are lost and wanting to find direction. It is for those who want to put substance into their spiritual life without being too religious and sacred. Pastor Edmund passionately expounds the benefits of respectful human interaction and relationship as showed by Jesus Christ centuries ago. He talks about the various aspects of enabling oneself to fully understand one's unique purpose in life while likewise preparing the self for the challenges that will come along. Pastor Edmund expounds on the mental and spiritual readiness that one should endeavor to learn successfully overcome the difficulties. Truly an Enlightening book for today's troubled world.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse UK
• Release date: Oct 13, 2015
• ISBN: 9781504945219

Edmund Danilo Auguis

Pastor Edmund Danilo Auguis is the head pastor of God Most High Christian Ministry-UK, which is a nondoctrinal, nonsectarian, nondenominational, and full gospel church. He has been a pastor for two decades and has the burden to propagate the gospel everywhere possible. He is Filipino by origin but now resides in United Kingdom with his wife, Annabelle, and four children. He is professionally a registered nurse but endeavors to serve full-time in the ministry.

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© 2015 Edmund Danilo Auguis. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 12/21/2015

ISBN: 978-1-5049-4520-2 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5049-4519-6 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-5049-4521-9 (e)

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Scripture quotations marked KJV are from the Holy Bible, King James Version (Authorized Version). First published in 1611. Quoted from the KJV Classic Reference Bible, Copyright © 1983 by The Zondervan Corporation.

Contents

Foreword

Acknowledgements

Preface

Introduction

Chapter 1 To Walk Worthy of the Lord

Chapter 2 To Be Fully Pleasing to Him

Chapter 3 To Be Fruitful in Every Good Work

Chapter 4 To Increase in the Knowledge of God

Chapter 5 To Be Strengthened with All Might

Chapter 6 To Be Grateful to the Father

Chapter 7 Getting Understanding

Appendix 1Prayer of Acceptance

Foreword

Of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh.

Ecclesiastes 12:12b

Books do not come from nowhere—or perhaps, if they do, that may be where they are headed. And while I hope the readers of this book do not decide nowhere is the destination of this work, I can say, without fear and hesitation, that the writer has his sources in many places and persons.

In the light of the verse quoted above, Enlightened: The Purpose of Spiritual Understanding, is a book that is perspicaciously written to bring about the message that the author has in his heart to convey to those who have ears to hear and eyes to see the hidden treasures of wisdom and knowledge that are in Jesus Christ, the Lord (Colossians 2:3).

Enlightenment in spiritual matters is what the churches need today. But how will they be enlightened if they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach, except they be sent? (Romans 10:14b–15a). That is why, when I started reading this book, I felt the sincerity and passion of the author to do just that—to preach the truth in love that enlightenment will come about to those who would make a commitment to read it.

This book deals with the basics of spiritual growth that is necessary for each of us to grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:18). Growth is an indication that something or someone is alive. It can only be accomplished through caring, nurturing, watering, and pruning. In the life of the believer, this is accomplished through hearing, reading, and studying the Word of God with the help of the Holy Spirit and a loving and caring minister.

Proper preparation through prayer is the key to spiritual growth. Our acts can be no wiser than our thoughts. Our thinking can be no wiser than our understanding. This, indeed, is what this book is all about: to offer to those who are seeking for enlightenment in spiritual matters an insight which will help them desire to acquire knowledge and understanding that is so vital to the life of a believer.

Written in language so simple that even a child could understand the author, as a prudent householder, balances the teachings of the Old and the New Testaments to serve his flock. Enlightened: The Purpose of Spiritual Understanding is a book that you will want to read yourself, recommend to friends and give to young people just starting out in their walk with the Lord Jesus Christ.

Tito S. Venida

Church Pastor

Christ International Fellowship Ministries

Washington, USA

To the children of God in the entire universe whose hearts’ desires are to seek more enlightenment as they continue to advance their spiritual walk and journey with the Lord. May this book be a light on you all as you endeavour to be worthy and fully pleasing to the Lord. After all, God is coming for a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle. May you be inspired to go beyond traditions, routines, and rituals to pursue an intimate relationship with the Lord and manifest a fruitful and productive life.

Acknowledgements

First of all, I would like to give God all the glory for all the things He has wrought in me and for enabling me to put into writing this simple enlightenment. Truly indeed, I can do nothing apart from Him. This book would not exist at all if only by my own endeavour. This is just my way of conveying my gratitude to the Maker of heaven and earth, the God Most High, and the source of knowledge and wisdom. I believe He moved me and gave me the faith, courage, devotion, determination, and strength so as to let others experience jointly with me as I continually receive His benefits daily.

I thank the Lord Jesus, the Redeemer and lover of my soul. It is only through Him, for Him, and with Him that all come into being. I also thank the Holy Spirit, my Teacher, my Mentor, my Guide, my Comforter, and my Support as I carry with me the burden and responsibility to bring this project into completion.

To the members of God Most High Christian Ministry-UK, who have been with me in good times and bad and who committed themselves in working with me and the church vision, you all inspire me and make my life as a pastor more enjoyable, you all contributed my success in this book.

To Bobbi Olayvar who put the layout of the manuscript and has done tremendous job with his gift in graphics design, God bless you more.

I am also grateful to Pastor Tito Sario Venida for his patience in reading the manuscript and for writing the foreword without any hesitation.

Lastly, to my family, for the understanding they offer during my lengthy hours of meditation and prayer.

May God bless us all.

Preface

Knowledge is so essential because understanding is impossible without it. I mean our knowledge determines our understanding. The more we know, the more we understand. We could not understand more with less knowledge. Proverbs 9:10 tells us that the knowledge of the Holy One [is] understanding. Also in Hosea 4:6 we have been told that God’s people perish because of lack of knowledge. Despite the increasing revival in many countries, the accessibility of information through the Internet which could be handy all the time, the proliferation of books and religious materials, and the eradication of the barriers in propagating the gospel we had decades ago, the lack of understanding among the people of God is still an issue that has to be dealt with.

As Mahatma Gandhi said, he believes in Christ, but he doesn’t believe in Christians. He encountered so many who professed to be Christians but who didn’t manifest the power of God’s word transforming their lives. This is so true even in our present-day situation. Most of us might have the intention to live a godly life and desire to imitate God’s example as written in the Scriptures and yet we tend to be conformed with the systems of the world.

If I then, [your] Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them(John 13:14–15, 17).

Imitate me, just as I also [imitate] Christ (1 Corinthians 11:1).

Maybe, or most probably, the problem lies behind our lack of understanding to the word desire, as it is not merely to want something but the willingness to sacrifice something to obtain that desire (Dr Myles Munroe). We want to obey God’s written word, but we fail to spend an enormous time in reading and meditating on it as commanded in Joshua 1:8–9. Rather, we get ourselves busy on our leisure and pleasures. Unbelievers and believers alike spent days and nights on Facebook and other social networking sites but cannot even read a chapter of the Bible each day. There are those who manage to read their Bibles, yet they don’t go any further in their quest for understanding. It’s worse if they just say that what they have read was beyond their understanding or comprehension in the first place. This is not supposed to be a problem for us, as we have a Helper.

But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear [them] now. However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own [authority], but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come (John 16:12–13 NKJV).

For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God

(1 Corinthians 2:11–12 NKJV).

Unfortunately, even the Spirit-filled, proclaiming Christians lack this enlightenment. Doing those things which are not supposed to be done proves my point that some Christians lack said understanding. We can mention an endless list of those deeds.

To mention just a few, first of all, the Lord said pagans are seeking their basic needs and believers seek the kingdom of God (Matthew 6:32–33). As God’s creation and children, it is His responsibility to provide our needs; yet we keep failing to prioritize the kingdom of God due to our pursuits of worldly things. We don’t trust Him enough, and we do not just believe Him and His Word in seeking first His kingdom. We find it quick to confess we trust God, but we do not have a firm reliance on His integrity and faithfulness. Our lives have been so busy with our jobs that we’re losing the kingdom. I am not saying you have to quit your work and attend church or read your Bible all the time. Man does not live on bread alone but by every Word that proceeds out of the mouth of God (Matthew 4:4). Please don’t get me wrong. It is God’s command for us to labour six days a week, but for one out of those seven days, we should rest from our labour and allocate time to feed our souls with His Word. If we are just honest enough to admit, seeking the kingdom of God is not our priority, even if it is in our list. We’d rather have a day out, go to parties with our friends and colleagues, work an extra shift or overtime, and enjoy our beds after being exhausted by our stressful lives of having too much to do with less time to do it.

Secondly, because of our misunderstanding of God’s grace, we deceive ourselves. We reckon ourselves to be righteous even though we are so far from it. To be righteous as defined by Dr Myles Munroe, in his books regarding the kingdom, is to be full of rights, to be in a right relationship with God, and to be in a right standing with our King. Since we don’t have the right idea of God’s concept of righteousness, we claim for it, but we do not have the evidence to support our declaration. There are people who continue to live in their old selves, believing God will forgive them anyway. Yes, there is no doubt that God accepts and loves you no matter who you are, but He doesn’t want you to stay the way you are. It is for this reason that His grace was given to save us from the bondage of sin and its wages so we would have a right relationship (righteous) with Him once again. To be righteous also means to live on what is right. You might say, I thought it was through the blood of Jesus that we became righteous. Yes, there’s no argument on that. Before you oppose this concept, have you considered the number of divorces among Christians? Have you wondered why Christianity is almost a history in some countries due to immoralities of the leaders of the church in those countries? Do you have a picture of Christians involved in illicit relationships? The point I’m stressing is that we should at all costs stand on what we believe is right when we are confronted with dilemmas. The problem of the majority of Christians—noticeably prevalent in all generations—is that we know what is right but we are still not doing it. We cannot just go to church and still live a life contrary to God’s will. We should pursue holiness at all cost without compromise.

Thirdly, although the list could go on, it makes me sad to see divisions within the family, within the local church, and among the churches at large. Jesus said if we become one as He is with the Father, the world will know that He was sent by the Father, and the Father loves them as He loved Jesus (John 17:20–23). It seems to me that churches have been deprived of the enlightenment that a house, a nation, or a kingdom cannot stand on its own if it is divided among itself. We’ve been so dedicated on our local churches that we forgot the benefits of being united with others, and we don’t pray and work with other members of the body of Christ or other churches. Two [are] better than one, because they have a good reward for their labour’ (Ecclesiastes 4:9) and For in fact the body is not one member but many" (1 Corinthians 12:14 NKJV).

Seriously, we should be united as one, although not necessarily one ministry or one church but one mission which is in accordance to God’s desire that all men will be saved and come to know the truth (1 Timothy 2:4). I mean, there should be unity among churches. Instead, the number of denominations nowadays is countless—breakaways here and there. Criticism among the churches is pandemic, we scatter more than we gather, and we are part of the problem instead of part of the solution.

It is my heart’s desire to be of help to the vast majority that need more understanding, especially the little ones or little churches who have no direct access to the availability of information and resources to elevate their spirituality. I am nobody and didn’t have the opportunity to study in university for theology, but this is not a hindrance for we can understand what we ought with the help of the Holy Spirit. I am aware of the fact that there are lots of books available out there, excellent Spirit-filled authors, dynamic and uplifting messages. Yet I do believe they are doing well their part, and I have to do mine. This book might not bless everybody, but it will somebody.

Join me as we deal with the questions thrown to us every day, whether from believers or non-believers, from our minds or the minds of others, and from the enemies’ confrontations. But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect (1 Peter 3:15).

May the Holy Spirit enlighten us and grant us the spiritual understanding in Jesus Christ’s Name, Amen.

(If you haven’t prayed the prayer of acceptance, please see Appendix One and do so.)

Introduction

I grew up in a small town where there was not much transport available. Most of us were walking when going to school and coming home. Public transport was so rare that if you missed one, you had to wait for ages. To compensate for the situation, people had bicycles as means of transportation, contrary to our lifestyles these days that bicycles are for leisure. Next to the bicycle was the motorcycle, although it wasn’t that popular at that time due to financial constraints. Still, some people managed to have one. Fortunately, my father had his own, which he taught me how to drive when I was still thirteen years old as the setting wasn’t complicated for me. I cannot forget his main instruction to me: Use the gears to conserve fuel. Without understanding what he meant, I kept it in mind, and I didn’t even bother to question him or let him explain about it. For so many months of driving our motorcycle with a side car, not to mention that it wasn’t an issue of not having a licence that time, I was still wondering what my father wanted me to do while driving. Out of curiosity, I literally used the gears. Even if the speed required a low gear, I still put it in fourth gear, so I ended up stalling the engine. I didn’t even understand what the purpose of the gears was and why I had to change them. I was just trying to obey my father to use the gears. It would help you understand what I’m talking about to say that the motorcycle’s gear I was using was rotary. You had to click front for the first, second, third, and fourth gear. If you click front again for the fifth time, it went back to neutral. So here’s myself on a plain road, on the fourth gear, thinking what my father told me to use the gears, I clicked front again for the fifth time. Guess what happened? It went back to neutral with the engine on revolution. I clicked front again which put me to first gear which was not required and only proved my ignorance. Since it only functioned like an engine brake for me, I again clicked front, and it put me to second gear all the way until I reached my destination. This was the very thing my father tried to avoid, consuming more petrol by using lower gears all the time. For me, mission accomplished, I used the gears, literally not to stay in one gear.

No wonder the Apostle Paul, in his first letter to the Corinthians, chapter 13, verse 11, said, When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things.

Now I know what gears are for and their use. I can apply them at the right time. I believe this is also the case with many of us; we live on what we perceive to be right or according to our understanding, even if it is not what is meant by God. We have lots of misconceptions to the point of doing our own will, outside of God’s will, and defend it to the full.

With the increase of denominations, sects, religions, and congregations these days, the questions raised regarding the Bible are beyond counting. The world’s population is confused as to who is right or wrong, who is declaring the truth or just merely boasting their own interpretations of the Bible, which religion has the right gospel, and so on and so forth. At the same time, all church leaders and religions are claiming to be right and to have understanding. Instead of doing the work God has entrusted us, we become self-centred and out of focus, and we play a part in destroying the church He commanded us to build. Nobody admits to having misinterpreted the Bible; all claim to have the promptings of the Lord, to have the guidance of the Holy Spirit (for those who believe in the Holy Spirit), and believe themselves to be doing what is right but unconsciously forget the purpose of God for giving us spiritual understanding.

Have you ever come to ask why God gives us spiritual understanding? Did you ponder how nice would it be to live in the world if the church leaders and those who claim to have known God are evidently displaying the proofs of their so-called enlightenment? Can we prove it by preaching? Does the number in our congregation support it? Do the signs and wonders commend us to have them? Can preaching alone