In 1973 the Holy Spirit repeatedly told me through his instrument of instruction in my life, Dr. Gray at Miracle Valley Bible College in Arizona, USA: ?If you make seeking me the most pre-eminent thing in your life, I will take care of so many things you think you have to take care of.?
The most pre-eminent thing in your life
Apostle Andre Pelser
2004/04/17
Introduction
In 1973 the Holy Spirit repeatedly told me through his instrument of instruction in my life, Dr. Gray at Miracle Valley Bible College in Arizona, USA: ?If you make seeking me the most pre-eminent thing in your life, I will take care of so many things you think you have to take care of.?
I wrote those words down in class; I wrote them in my bible and meditated on them until they became part of my thinking and part of my being. Those words became flesh: I have lived that way since I heard those words. I made up my mind as a young man that I would make seeking God the most pre-eminent thing in my life. Since then I have seen how wonderfully God takes care of things in my life that I thought I had to take care of. It is a partnership of trust ? and it works! To tell you the truth, it works wonders!

Frustrating the Grace of God
Whenever I try to interfere with what God is doing (i.e. taking care of things for me) I frustrate the Grace of God at work in my life. Grace is hard to define. It is an indefinable quality of God?s ability that works when you cannot see it working. It cannot be grasped or manipulated by ambitious men nor controlled by great personalities (i.e. dictators). Grace is not a package deal that you can buy because you want to be more successful in life. It evades the questioning jealous and the envious people; it escapes the grasp of those who are greedy for personal gain. You cannot set a goal to obtain more grace. There are no objectives or aims that can get you into the state of divine grace or favour of God, except through humble obedience to the inner leading of the Holy Spirit in submission to Christ.
Some folk tried to define it as G-R-A-C-E: God?s riches at Christ?s expense. But it is far more than that. Let us try to put it into perspective: if you are found guilty in a court case and the judge decides to give you a chance, he shows mercy. Mercy is undeserved favour and makes us thankful. But Grace is a step beyond mercy. Christ forgives our sins when we confess our sins because He shed His blood for our sins. But when His grace abounds towards us it is more than forgiveness: it is a state of being that makes His yoke easy and His burden light. It is a state of restfulness of the soul that cannot better be described than the green pastures and the still waters that David mentioned in Psalm 23 where our souls are restored and a table set for us in the face of our enemies. That is the place where our cup overflows, not because we are pleading with Him to, ?Fill my cup Lord, I lift it up Lord!?

Christ is pre-eminent in Colossians
In Paul?s epistle to the Colossians Christ is described as being pre-eminent above all vain philosophies as well as the religious traditions in the world. Christ is described as first and foremost in everything. Believers are rooted in Him, alive in Him, hidden in Him and complete in Him. They are clothed with His love and His peace rules in their hearts. By the power of the Holy Spirit and according to apostolic grace they are equipped to make it evident in their lives.
In a predominantly heathen world, it is vital that we as Christians should once again make Christ Jesus pre-eminent in our lives. To know God and to know Christ whom God has sent is called, ?Eternal Life?.
He is pre-eminent both in creation and in redemption. In Him dwells the fullness of the Godhead. All the treasures of wisdom and knowledge that refutes all heresies and rebukes the dead works of religious traditions are hidden in Him.
As we continue to make Him pre-eminent in our lives our faith becomes grounded in His love and our lives begin to bear fruit. We learn to seek things that are above and not merely focus on things on the earth. Our perspective in life completely changes. We put off the old man of sin and selfishness and put on the new man: we are clothed with Christ and His righteousness.

Raising up a new standard
As the enemy rushes into our nation like a flood we should allow the Spirit of God to raise up a new standard against him. We are the standard bearers. Standards were banners that were raised in time of battle as a rallying point where soldiers could gather to get clear instructions. That is a very good definition of what a church should be like that is on the offensive for the kingdom of Christ.
During the present apostolic reformation the Spirit of the Living God is raising up new standards of knowledge and understanding concerning all the operations and purposes of God.
In a world where absolutes have been erased and godlessness on the increase, violence and perversion escalate to heights last seen at the time of Noah?s flood or at the time of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. Religious legalism cannot provide answers for our society; nor can Eastern Mysticism; politicians make promises they cannot fulfil and scientists are trying to create life in laboratories or planning escapes routes to Mars for people who do not want to retain God as Creator in their thinking.

God?s great plan includes you
But God has a plan! His plan is perfect! He is busy raising up a new standard in the church: it is called the manifestation of the true sons of God! This is the representation of the Church of the Firstborn in heaven, the heavenly Mt. Zion or the heavenly Jerusalem where Jesus is the Mediator of a New Covenant based upon better promises. We are part of the great company of godly men and women whose spirits have been justified by faith and perfected by the work of the Holy Spirit.
True sons of God have sufficient grace in their lives for every situation they have to face. As Paul wrote the epistle to the Colossians his left hand was chained to the Roman soldier guarding him, yet he was able to encourage other believers in spite of his circumstances in prison.
True sons of God have the grace to hear from God. By obeying the voice of God in their daily lives they reveal the life of Christ to the world in a practical way: the word is made flesh again ? just as Jesus lived!

To make Christ Jesus pre-eminent in our lives we can meditate on these things:
He is the author and finisher of our faith
He is the Alpha and Omega the beginning and the end
He is the apostle and high priest of our faith
He is the source of power for a new life
He is our redeemer from sin
He is the one who reconciled us to God
He is the one who sustains all forms of life
He is the Firstborn from the dead
He is the Head of the Church

Justified and sanctified by faith
It is no longer an effort to try to please God for we have discovered the route of justification by faith in Christ: He who sanctifies and they who are being sanctified are one. He has become everything we require in life. He has become our holiness. As we know Him better our holiness naturally increases. His grace is sufficient for our every need. Because of His supremacy over everything we easily submit to Him. Christ within is our hope of glory!

Discerning false teachers
By focussing on Him and making Him pre-eminent we can discern false teachers who come to deceive people for their own advantage. They entice with clever reasoning and vain philosophies to draw people after them and then take advantage of their ignorance by drawing them away from the simplicity in Christ.
Asceticism is hard on the body but ha