Definitions

*Bible

We believe that the BIBLE is the absolute inspired inerrant Word of God (1 Tim 3:16, Heb 4:12) down to the letter in the original Greek and Hebrew (Matt 5:17-19) and that it is absolutely true truth and inerrant in all that it affirms in the history of man and the cosmos (Gen 1), in all that it teaches theologically concerning man and God (Matt 1, Luke 1-2, Heb 4:12), in all that it teaches and affirms historically, and in all that it teaches scientifically. We do not believe however that what the Bible teaches is exhaustive truth, but that what it does teach is absolutely true truth without error. We believe this because Jesus claimed it was so (Matt 5:17-19, John 5:46-47) and because He came back from the dead to give us absolute proof that it is so (John 2:18-22, Matthew 24:35).  Therefore the Bible is the foundation for all other claimed truth.  If any fact of any discipline contradicts the truth taught in the Bible it isn't true, such as in the case of Evolution and all other social, moral and political or religious teaching which contradicts the clear teaching of the Bible.  Jesus said in John 17:17 "Sanctify them in the truth, Your Word is truth."

*Conservative-Evangelical-Charismatic

What do We mean by Conservative Evangelical Charismatic concepts of Evangelism? We mean Evangelical in the sense that Jesus' will for the church is to seek and to save the lost, and to seek and to save the lost by drawing men to Himself.

We mean Charismatic in the sense that in order for our evangelism to be effective and ministered in love it must be Jesus centered and be motivated out of love-relationship with Jesus.

We mean Conservative in that our evangelism, Evangelistically-Charismatically oriented, must be motivated within the guidelines of Scripture and be brought into submission to the Bible in its total context to be certain that our evangelism and ministering is truly Jesus centered and truly motivated out of love-relationship with Jesus.

*Evangelist-Overseer-Teacher

In 1977 God ordained me (Dale P. Kruse) and called me an Evangelist-Overseer-Teacher.

Evangelist:  I am not an Evangelist as one thinks of an Evangelist, I have the gift of Evangelism.  The gift of Evangelism is not preaching the Gospel, that is the loving responsibility of any bornagain follower of Jesus Christ.  The gift of Evangelism is a calling to motivate, train, and equip followers of Jesus Christ to do the work of Evangelism of which this website is an expression (Ephesians 4:11-13)

Overseer:  As an Overseer I am called to do Pastoral work.  I am called to shepherd and help God's people reach their full potential in Christ which is what my Evangelism and Discipleship training books are all about.

Teacher:  My Teaching gift gives me the ability to communicate clearly and implement my gifts of Evangelism and Overseeing through writing, lectures and video presentations.

*Spirit & Soul & Body

Genesis 2:7 "Then Yehovah Elohim formed man of dust from the-ground, and breathed into his-nostrils the spirit of lives; and man became-a-living soul." (Genesis 2:7)

rx,yE to form, frame
!d;a; Adam meaning: from the ground, Created B.C. 4004
rp;[; dust from rp'[; grey or to pulverize
jp'n: Verb Qal: to breathe, blow
#a' nostril
hm;v;nÒ Noun: breath, spirit, spirit of man, from mv'n: to breath
!yYIj' lives. noun masculine plural
hY:j' life, living creature. fem. sing of masculine
vp,n< soul, soul-life, self-consciousness

1 Thessalonians 5:23 "Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ."

pneu'ma spirit
yuchv soul
sw'ma body

Genesis 2:7
Genesis 6:3
1 Thessalonians 5:23
1 Corinthians 2:14-15
Jude 19
James 2:26

Genesis 2:7 "Then Yehovah Elohim formed man of dust from the-ground, and-breathed into-his-nostrils the breath of lives; and man became-a-living soul."

Zechariah12:1 The burden of the Word-of-Yehovah [Jesus is the Word] concerning Israel. Thus declares Yehovah [Jesus is Yehovah] who stretches out the heavens, lays the foundation of the earth, and forms the spirit of man within him.

Genesis 6:3 "And Yehovah said, ‘My Spirit shall not always strive with man; in their erring he is flesh; and his days shall be a hundred and twenty years.’"

1 Thessalonians 5:23 "Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit⁴¹⁵¹ (pneu'ma) and soul⁵⁵⁹⁰ (yuchv) and body⁴⁹⁸³ (sw'ma) be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." (1 Thess 5:23)

1 Corinthians 2:14-15 "But a man who is motivated-and-controlled-through-his-soul⁵⁵⁹¹ does not accept the things of the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are discerned^350a through the spirit. But he who is motivated-and-controlled-through-his-spirit⁴¹⁵² discerns^350b all things, yet he himself is discerned^350a by no man."

Jude 19 "These are the ones who cause divisions, motivated-and-controlled-through-their-soul⁵⁵⁹¹, devoid of Spirit⁴¹⁵¹."

James 2:26 "For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead." (Ps 104:29, 146:4)

Hebrew j'Wr , Greek pneu'ma 1) Ruach, Spirit of God, wind, breath, spirit, breath of air, air, gas; spirit, disposition as troubled, bitter, discontented; prophetic spirit; God’s spirit departing at death, disembodied being. 2) spirit of man. Noun: masculine singular, 7307; from j'Wr, 7306. 1 Chron 12:18. 1/678; 2/331; 5/924/2, 3, 923/5; 31/CD; 37/CD; 42/CD.

Hebrew vp,n< , Greek yuchv soul, soul-life, self-consciousness. Man’s Soul is the means by which he has self-consciousness, self-awareness, relationship with self. Second, it is the medium between the spirit and the body. Third, it is what man becomes and manifests through his physical body in personality, vocation, and lifestyle as a result of, one, heart response to what he has learned through his mind body, conscience, and emotions; two, through what he has received from God through his spirit; and three, as a result of those abilities and talents God has chosen to give him individually. Noun: feminine singular, 5315; from vp'n: to take a breath, refresh oneself, 5314. Gen 2:7. 1/558; 2/443; 5/917/2, 918/4; 31/CD; 37/CD; 42/CD.

rc;B; 1) flesh. 2) rc;B;AlK; all flesh meaning all physically living creatures of both man and animal. Noun: masculine singular, 1320; from rc'B; to anounce, declare, 1319. 1/123, 31/CD, 37/CD, 42/CD, 52/138.

hY:wIG] 1) person, body of a living man or animal. 2) dead body, corpse, carcase. Noun: feminine singular, 1472; prolonged for hw:GE the back, behind, 1465. 1/133, 31/CD, 37/CD, 42/CD.

sw'ma 1) a living or dead physical body of both man and animals. 2) body of men; spiritual body, 1 Cor 15; soulish body, 1 Cor 15; mystically the body of Christ, Eph 5. 3) Of the body that casts a shadw, in contrast to the skiva the thing itself, the reality, Col 2:17. Noun: neuter singular nominative, 4983; from swvzw to save, 4982. 1 Thess 5:23. 2/395, 5/102/15, 28/CD, 31/CD, 37/CD

When God created Adam and Even, He created man with a spirit, soul and body.

Man’s spirit is the means by which man has God-consciousness and the means by which he communicates with and has a relationship with God.

Man’s soul is the means by which he has self-consciousness and relationship with self.

Man’s body is the means by which he has world-consciousness and the means by which he communicates with and has a relationship with the physical world

When God created Adam and Eve, His intent and plan for man was that he was to be led, motivated and controlled, by the Holy Spirit through his human spirit; not through his soul: his intellect and feelings, or through his flesh, his body: his appetite and desires. When Adam and Eve sinned, their sin was choosing to act out of the initiative of their soul and their flesh. When they did this, their human spirit died. This does not mean it ceased to exist, it means that its ability to communicate with and have relationship with God ceased to function which is the Bible’s definition of spiritual death. Because Adam and Eve were no longer able to communicate with God through their human spirit they were left with only their soul: their intellect and feelings and their flesh: their appetite and desires to lead and guide them through life.

Because all of humanity were present in the loins of Adam when he sinned, all men are born into this world soulishly and physically alive, but spiritually dead, without capacity to communicate with or have relationship with God. This is what is meant by Original Sin.

This is also why man cannot save himself. He cannot save himself because anything he does originates out of the initiative of His soul, not by the Holy Spirit through his human spirit which he does not have. Only what is initiated by God through the Holy Spirit through our spirit is pleasing to Him and accepted by Him. This is why in order for us to be saved God Himself had to take the initiative to save us, and He did by sending Jesus to die on the cross for our sins.

When we believe on the Gospel and pray and ask Jesus to come into our hearts as Savior and Lord, Paul tells us in Ephesians 1:13-14 that as a result of our faith God automatically gives us His Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit then unites with our human spirit and brings our spirit back to life and back into communication and relationship with God. This is why Jesus told Nicodemus that in order to enter the kingdom of God he had to be born from-above. When we are born from below, from this earth we are born soulishly and physically alive, but spiritually dead. In order for our spirits to be brought back to life, Jesus said we must be born-again, born from above which means that when we receive Jesus into our hearts as Savior and Lord the Holy Spirit comes to indwell us and regenerates our spirits and brings them back to life and back into relationship with God. This means we are then able to receive again His will and plans for our lives by the Holy Spirit through our human spirits. We are then again able to be motivated and controlled by the Holy Spirit through our human spirits. Thus the damage done in the Garden of Eden by Adam and Eve is reversed and God’s intended order for man is restored which is to be led, motivated and controlled by the Holy Spirit through our human spirit, not through the initiative of our soulish or fleshly desires.

Being motivated and controlled by the Holy Spirit through our humans spirits, however, does not mean that we are now zombies anymore than it did for Adam and Eve. When we received Jesus into our hearts our spirits were brought back to life so we could receive from God His will for our lives, but we can still with our soul choose not to obey Jesus’ revealed will to us. This then is what Paul means by a Fleshly-Christian: he is referring to a born again Christian who is choosing to act out of the initiative of his soul: his intellect and feelings and his flesh: his appetite and desires rather than to submit himself to the leading and guidance of the Holy Spirit through his human Spirit. Thus a spiritual-man is a Christian who is choosing to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit through His spirit where as a fleshly-man is a Christian who is choosing to follow his own soulish and fleshly desires.

www.layevangelism.com
Top of Page