Perfect Love and the End of Fear
Perfect love is not flawless behavior but mature, complete love that brings the heart into wholeness and casts out fear. When we fully receive and experience God’s love—especially in light of Christ’s finished work—we gain boldness before God, freedom from torment, and the security to love others without defensiveness or resentment. As His love ripens in us, fear loses its grip, relationships heal, and we become stable, joy-filled witnesses of His grace in the world.
Subscribe to my YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/clintbyars?sub_confirmation=1
“There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.”
The Battlefield of Family
If we are honest, the greatest testing ground of love is not the church lobby or the Sunday handshake. It is the family table. It is marriage. It is parenting. It is strained conversations with adult children. It is the unresolved tension between siblings. It is the memory you still carry from something said—or not said—twenty years ago.
Jesus said we would be known by our love for one another. Nowhere is that love more visible—or more challenged—than in our homes.
And it is no coincidence that family is where the enemy applies the most pressure.
Because if fear, resentment, self-protection, and offense can take root in our closest relationships, then love never reaches maturity. We learn to survive instead of connect. We protect instead of prefer. We justify distance instead of pursuing reconciliation.
Sometimes the next step toward healing feels like the “make amends” step in recovery. It is uncomfortable. It feels exposing. You might think, You don’t understand what happened to me. And you may be right—real pain exists. Real betrayal exists. Real abuse exists.
But the gospel does not leave you defined by what happened to you.
It invites you into wholeness.
Perfect Love Defined
The foundation for this conversation is found in 1 John:
1 John 4:18 (KJV)
“There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.”
Most of us read that and immediately think, God loves me. And that is true. But John is not describing flawless love. The word “perfect” here means complete, mature, brought to fullness. Like fruit that has ripened on the vine.
When God’s love reaches maturity in you, fear loses its oxygen.
Fear has torment attached to it. Anxiety. Shame. Defensiveness. Self-protection. The constant low-grade hum of fight-or-flight. Many believers are walking with Jesus and still living in survival mode.
Temptation cycles torment us. Relational wounds torment us. Anxiety about the future torments us. Even the thought of standing before God one day can quietly produce fear.
John says fear reveals something: love has not yet matured in that area.
That is not condemnation. That is diagnostic.
Love Begins with Him
John anchors this entire discussion in the revelation of Christ:
1 John 4:9–10 (KJV)
“In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.
Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.”
Love did not begin with your response. It began with His initiative.
God manifested—made visible—His love in Christ. Jesus entered our broken world and dealt decisively with sin and death. The cross was not about soothing a temperamental Father; it was about breaking the dominion of sin and death over humanity.
You are not fighting for love. You are living from it.
And when that revelation becomes more than doctrine—when it becomes personal—fear begins to loosen its grip.
Identity and Authority
Part of maturing in love is understanding your identity in Christ. Scripture says:
James 4:7 (KJV)
“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”
Deliverance is not about dramatic rituals or endless spiritual warfare techniques. It is about identity. When you know who you are in Christ, the enemy has nothing to exploit.
Jesus said:
John 14:30 (KJV)
“For the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me.”
Wholeness removes footholds. Trauma, fear, and resentment create cracks where lies can settle. But when love matures, those cracks close. The enemy may come—but he finds nothing to grab.
Boldness in the Day of Judgment
John takes this even deeper:
1 John 4:17 (KJV)
“Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.”
This is one of the most profound statements in the New Testament.
The maturity of love is revealed in this: boldness in the day of judgment.
If the thought of standing before Christ produces anxiety, then His love has not yet reached maturity in that part of your heart.
Scripture says:
Hebrews 9:27 (KJV)
“And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.”
For the believer, this is not a judgment of condemnation but of evaluation. Paul explains:
1 Corinthians 3:11–15 (KJV)
“For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble;
Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is.
If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.
If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.”
If you are in Christ, your sin was judged at the cross. The foundation is secure. Mature love produces boldness, not dread.
Imagine walking into your Father’s house with joy, not hesitation. Not groveling. Not bracing for disappointment. But belonging.
That security changes everything.
Where Love Becomes Practical
John concludes:
1 John 4:19 (KJV)
“We love him, because he first loved us.”
Love flows from revelation. You cannot sustainably love others from obligation. You love because you have been loved.
This is where the conversation becomes uncomfortable.
Romans 12 calls us to prefer one another. If you read it slowly—not as a checklist, but as identity—it confronts defensiveness. Brokenness says, If I prefer them, they’ll take advantage of me. Wholeness says, I am secure enough to love.
Many of our relational struggles are not about the other person’s behavior but about our unresolved fear. We drag past pain into present conversations. We interpret neutral moments through old wounds. We protect ourselves before anyone even attacks.
But what if love matured?
What if you thought about that painful memory and the wall did not go up? What if the automatic defensive response was gone? What if you could say, “Lord, if I’m the problem here, show me,” without fear?
That requires security.
And security comes from being rooted in love.
Rooted and Grounded in Love
Paul prayed this over the church:
Ephesians 3:16–19 (KJV)
“That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;
That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,
May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;
And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.”
Strength in the inner man. Rooted and grounded in love. Experiencing the love of Christ beyond intellectual knowledge.
This is not theory. This is encounter.
You can pause in the middle of fear, temptation, or relational tension and draw from His love. You can let Him strengthen you inwardly. You can let Him expose resentment. You can let Him heal trauma.
The Holy Spirit is constantly, subtly inviting you toward wholeness. Not with force. Not with condemnation. But with gentle prompts:
Release the offense.
Send the text.
Admit your part.
Choose gentleness.
Let the wall down.
The question is not whether God is willing. The question is whether you will let Him love you into wholeness.
The Miracle of Maturity
We often pray for revival, miracles, and visible demonstrations of power. Those matter. But what if the greater miracle is a believer who carries no resentment? A Christian impervious to the lies of the enemy because fear has been displaced by mature love?
Perfect love casts out fear.
Not by denial.
Not by pretending wounds do not exist.
But by ripening.
When His love reaches maturity in you:
Fear of judgment fades.
Fear of rejection weakens.
Defensive self-protection relaxes.
Relational courage rises.
You become whole.
And whole people love well.
An Invitation
Take inventory. Where does fear still have a voice? Where does resentment still rise? Where do you feel the need to protect yourself?
Bring that area to Him.
Say, “Lord, I trust You. Love me into wholeness here.”
Because when His love reaches maturity in you, fear has no place left to stand.
And when fear loses its place, love finally becomes who you are.
Offices, Gifts, and Fruit - Correcting the Five Fold Authoritative Mindset
This message dismantles the hierarchy mindset in church by grounding everything in the New Covenant reality that “Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27) and that “the anointing… abideth in you” (1 John 2:27)—not on a few leaders, but in every believer. Offices and gifts are real, but they are expressions of the same Spirit “worketh all in all,” given “to every man to profit withal” (1 Corinthians 12:6–7), so we don’t strive for special anointings or permission structures. The call is simple: stop obsessing over calling labels and go bear fruit—live organically from union with Jesus, love God, love people, and let the Spirit weave the body together through what “every joint supplieth” (Ephesians 4:16).
Subscribe to my YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/clintbyars?sub_confirmation=1
“But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.”
Bear Fruit: The Anointing That Abides, the Same Spirit in All, and the End of Spiritual Striving
I want church to be meaningful to you. I want it to add value to your life—real value—where when you take the time to show up, participate, give, serve, open your home, and do life with people, it isn’t just religious obligation. You aren’t doing “Christian things because Christians do Christian things.” You’re being strengthened, nurtured, and encouraged to bear fruit where God has planted you. Because the world doesn’t need more productive religious organizations—it needs to see a healthy family of God on the planet. Not just visions accomplished. Not just ministry boxes filled. A healthy body. A living church.
And here’s the thing: so many believers aren’t being strengthened to bear fruit where they actually live. Instead, they’re being trained to come “catch the vision,” then figure out what box they can stand in to help accomplish an organization’s goals. There’s a place for structure. There’s a place for organization. I’m not trying to dismantle everything about church. I’m saying we’ve often flipped the order. We’ve made people serve systems instead of making the church serve people—serve their growth, their healing, their clarity, and their fruitfulness.
That’s why I’m saying something that will set you free if you let it: quit worrying so much about what your calling is. Quit worrying about what you think God wants you to do. And just bear fruit.
Say it plainly: bear fruit.
Because once fruit starts showing up, the fruit itself tells a story. You don’t have to chase labels. You don’t have to chase titles. Fruit will become visible, and at some point someone can look at it and say, “That fruit looks like shepherding.” Or, “That fruit looks like evangelism.” Or, “That fruit looks like teaching.” But if you chase the label first, you end up with a lot of people trying to be something, trying to “get into ministry,” trying to climb, trying to qualify, trying to measure up—while everyday life passes by fruitless.
Most Christians don’t need a grand blueprint. They need a fruit-bearing life.
Daily life looks like this: you wake up and ask, “How can I be a life-bringer today? How can I bear fruit today?” And if the fruit that naturally comes out of your life eventually demands some structure around it—fine. If it doesn’t—who cares? Be part of the body and bear fruit. A fruitful believer is already participating with the Holy Spirit’s work in the earth.
Hearing God Isn’t Spooky: It’s the Spirit in You
One of the biggest reasons people get stuck is because they’re waiting. Waiting for God to “tell them what to do.” Waiting for the church to start something so they can join it. Waiting for permission. Waiting for clarity. Waiting for some moment where the heavens open and they finally “hear God.”
But the Holy Spirit is not trying to train you into spiritual uncertainty. He is trying to saturate you with sonship confidence.
Sara shared a simple testimony that I love because it’s not spooky—it’s practical. During worship, she realized God had been leading her in health decisions in a way that felt almost effortless. She started taking a liver supplement before tests ever came back. She started making sourdough bread—something she normally would have avoided—yet sensed peace about it. She bought new pans and stopped cooking with cast iron, and later, the blood panel confirmed she needed to reduce iron intake. Then a trainer and nutritionist told her she needed more carbs for lifting and hormones—confirming what she’d already been leaning into.
Here’s the point: this wasn’t a dramatic prophetic moment with religious language and fanfare. It was an organic, intuitive walk with God. The Spirit leaned into daily life and she responded with simple steps. That’s what it looks like when you know God is good, when you know He is for you, when you know He has placed His Spirit within you. Your inner life starts agreeing with His wisdom so naturally that obedience doesn’t feel like pressure—it feels like harmony.
And that’s why identity matters. That’s why the character of God matters. When you know God is good, when you know you’re a new creature, when you know the Spirit is in you, you stop panicking about whether you’re hearing Him. The Spirit’s leadership from within becomes an organic collaborative process—His wisdom leaning into you, and you responding.
This is also why it’s less about constantly crying, “Speak to me!” and more about praying, “Help me see You clearly.” Because as I see You, I become like You. When your vision of God is clear, the fear-driven uncertainty starts to break. The exhausting loop of, “Is that God? Is it not God?” begins to fade. And that’s a sweet spot—when you trust His nature, trust your new creation identity, and live without constant suspicion.
Sara said it plainly: if you’re always doubting that inner voice, lean into learning who God is. You’ve got to know He is for you, that He is good, that He wants good for you—your health, your family, your work, your finances—He is good. And that confidence grows through daily connection: gratitude, conversation, prayer, awareness.
That’s not just “hearing God.” That’s becoming persuaded.
The Church Works Like Family, Not Like a Ladder
Then Bob shared something that puts language to what so many people carry quietly. He’s been saved around fifty years. For decades he lived in organized church systems with obvious hierarchy. The unspoken message was: if you’re really walking with God, you end up in “the ministry.” And ministry meant authority. It meant being “anointed above others.” It meant climbing. Striving. Measuring up.
And what did that produce? Stress. Performance. A sense of never quite measuring up. And it also produced something else: people on pedestals. Not because Bob is power-hungry. He’s a kind, sincere man. It’s just the system trains you into a way of thinking that doesn’t match the kingdom.
So he asked the honest question: if church isn’t hierarchical, what is it?
And the answer is simple: brothers and sisters.
That’s it. Family.
Not climbing. Not competing. Not striving for rank. Not trying to get close enough to God that you can have authority over other people. Bob said it: “That’s totally whacked out,” because Jesus cut that mentality off at the knees from the beginning. James and John wanted seats of power—right and left hand—and Jesus told them plainly that His kingdom doesn’t work like Gentile systems of domination.
If your model of church requires people to climb, then the most “spiritual” people become the ones who win the ladder game. But Jesus didn’t build a ladder—He built a family. And when family is restored, fruit becomes normal. Peace becomes normal. Love becomes normal. People stop disqualifying themselves and start living.
Offices, Gifts, Fruit: Real—But Flowing From the Spirit Within
Now, to balance it clearly: the offices are real, the gifts are real, the fruit is real. But they are not “special anointings.” They are outgrowths—expressions—of the Spirit who is already within you.
Jesus said:
John 15:16 Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.
That’s the assignment. Not “go find a title.” Not “go qualify yourself.” Not “go discover the secret will of God.” Go and bear fruit.
And the basis of this friendship-centered life is here:
John 15:15 Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.
And the Spirit’s role in this friendship is not gatekeeping. It is declaring.
John 16:15 All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall shew it unto you.
So what does that look like in the body? It looks like the Spirit revealing Christ through you, then weaving you together with others as you naturally bear fruit.
Offices (Ephesians 4) — Administration for Service
Ephesians 4:11–12 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
Offices are for equipping. For building up. For helping the saints do the work of ministry—not for controlling them.
And the end result is maturity and stability:
Ephesians 4:14–16 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine…
But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:
From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth… maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.
That line matters: “every joint supplieth.” Not a few joints. Not the “anointed class.” Every joint. Every part. Every believer.
Gifts (1 Corinthians 12) — No Competition in the Spirit
Paul is relentless about one theme: the same Spirit.
1 Corinthians 12:4–7 Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.
And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord.
And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all.
But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.
Every man. Profit withal. Not performance. Not competition. Not hierarchy.
And Paul keeps repeating the point:
1 Corinthians 12:9 To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit;
That’s why you don’t look at someone flowing in prophecy and decide you’re “less than.” That mindset comes from a ladder-based church model, not from the Spirit of Christ.
And this is where we have to correct an Old Covenant misunderstanding. Under the Old Covenant, the Spirit came upon people for specific tasks—king, prophet, judge—and those anointings were portioned and could be transferable. That’s why Elisha could ask Elijah for a double portion. Elijah did not have the fullness.
But under the New Covenant, the anointing is not a portion resting upon a few. The anointing is an indwelling reality for all believers.
The Anointing That Abides: No More Double Portion Mentality
Here is the New Covenant anchor:
1 John 2:27 But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you… and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.
It abides in you.
That’s why you don’t need to chase “special anointings.”
That’s why you don’t need to chase “impartation” like you’re missing something.
That’s why you don’t need to live under “covering” systems that treat the Spirit like it is portioned out through spiritual elites.
The Spirit is not distributed through people. The Spirit is given to people.
And here is the revealed mystery that stabilizes it all:
Colossians 1:26–27 Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints:
To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:
That’s the mystery.
Christ in you.
So yes: offices, gifts, and fruit are real. But they grow out of this root: Christ within, revealing Himself outward.
Be a Fruit Farmer: Simplify the Whole Thing
If you want a picture for this, think like a farmer. A farmer doesn’t wake up every day in confusion asking, “What is my calling?” A farmer wakes up with intention. He knows what fruit he wants. He knows what grows where he is. He commits to the process. He works the ground. He waters. He nurtures. And he trusts that seed has life in it.
So the question becomes simple: what kind of fruit do you want to see?
Do you want to see the lost saved?
Do you want to see religious people recover from trauma and control and performance-mindedness?
Do you want to see single moms helped?
Do you want to see healing increase?
Do you want personal fruit—more health, more kindness, less anger?
Then be intentional to sow where you are planted. Engage what strengthens you. Participate in ways that bring life. And stop disqualifying yourself because you don’t have a title or a spotlight.
A lot of people aren’t comfortable being themselves because they don’t know who they are in Christ. They’ve been forced into models where they feel like they have to become something else. They enter a church and, without saying it out loud, they’re asking, “Who do I need to be here?” That is not freedom. That is not family. That is not the gospel.
The gospel says: I know who I am, and I can be me in Christ. If we can work together, great. If not, I still bear fruit. I still love. I still live in union with Jesus.
Homework: Read These Chapters and Let Them Rewire You
Here’s the homework from the message, highlighted and clarified:
Read Ephesians 4 (slowly).
Focus on why Jesus gave offices: “for the perfecting of the saints… for the edifying of the body.” Pay attention to this: “every joint supplieth.” Ask the Lord: What fruit are You bearing through my “joint” in the body?Read 1 Corinthians 12 (slowly).
Mark every time you see “the same Spirit.” Let it dismantle comparison and competition. Ask: Where have I believed I’m “less than” because of someone else’s gift expression?Meditate on 1 John 2:27 and Colossians 1:26–27.
Say it out loud until it doesn’t just sound true—it feels true:
“The anointing… abideth in me.”
“Christ in me, the hope of glory.”
Let the Spirit persuade you that you are not lacking.
The Conclusion: Persuade the Heart of God’s Love Until Fear Has No Place
Now let me land where this really ends—because fruitfulness, freedom, gifts, and maturity all come back to one internal issue: fear.
Fear is the engine under religious striving.
Fear is what makes people chase titles.
Fear is what makes people crave hierarchy and “covering.”
Fear is what makes people doubt every inner impression and constantly wonder, “Is that God?”
And fear does not leave because you get more information. Fear leaves when the heart becomes persuaded of love.
You don’t overcome fear by trying harder.
You overcome fear by being convinced—deep in the heart—of God’s goodness and love for you in Christ.
That’s why the most powerful prayer isn’t always “Speak to me.”
It’s: “Help me see You clearly.”
Because as you see Him, you become like Him. And as you see His love, fear loses its argument.
So here’s how you persuade the heart:
You saturate in who God is.
You return to the revealed mystery: Christ in you.
You practice daily connection: gratitude, conversation, prayer, awareness.
You act on the impressions of wisdom without constantly second-guessing.
You bear fruit where you are, trusting the Spirit to weave you into the body.
And as you do, something happens: uncertainty fades. Performance loses power. Comparison breaks. And love becomes the environment you live in—not something you occasionally visit.
When the heart is persuaded of God’s love, you stop living like a slave trying to qualify, and you start living like a friend who trusts the Father. You stop being driven by fear, and you start being led by the Spirit. You stop obsessing over what you are “supposed to be,” and you simply become what you already are: a branch in the Vine, bearing fruit naturally.
You lack nothing.
Christ is in you.
Now go bear fruit.
What the Modern Prophetic Movement Gets Wrong About Spiritual Authority
Jesus didn’t call us servants—He called us friends. This message explores how the Holy Spirit leads believers plainly, not through control or hierarchy, and why elevating authority over relationship creates confusion instead of freedom.
Subscribe to my YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/clintbyars?sub_confirmation=1
“But Jesus called them to Himself and said to them, “You know that those who are considered rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant.”
Over the last few weeks, we’ve been talking about what it means to be a friend of God. Not casually. Not arrogantly. But biblically.
Jesus said in John 15:15,
“No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not understand what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you.”
We’ve been unpacking that. Friendship means shared purpose. A servant doesn’t know what the master is doing. A friend does. And Jesus said, “All things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you.”
We also looked at John 16:15,
“All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you.”
The Holy Spirit declares what belongs to Jesus — and Jesus is heir of all things. That means the Spirit is not hiding truth from you. He is not teasing you with mystery. He declares plainly.
We’ve talked about how Jesus became like us, as Hebrews tells us in Hebrews 2, suffering fully, entering death fully — “He was dead. He died our death.” We’ve looked at the Psalms prophesying the Messiah: “Sit at My right hand until I make Your enemies Your footstool.” We’ve seen how even “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” was not poetic exaggeration but prophetic fulfillment.
And we looked at how Jesus gained authority — not by seizing power — but by becoming the servant of all.
That brings us to the heart of this message.
The Authority Problem in the Modern Prophetic Movement
In many circles today, there is an emphasis on “apostolic authority.” The idea is that God is restoring apostles to lead the church with spiritual authority over other believers. In some expressions, this teaching goes even further.
It suggests that this restored apostolic structure is necessary to cleanse or prepare the body of Christ for the return of Jesus. That Jesus is coming back for a spotless bride — and if the bride is not spotless enough, He will delay His return.
That is where we must slow down.
Yes, Scripture speaks of a spotless bride. But the leap from “He is coming back for a spotless bride” to “He is not coming back until the bride is spotless” is an extrapolation — and that extrapolation creates room for control.
Because once you teach that the return of Christ depends on the church being spiritually mature enough, then someone has to manage that maturity. Someone has to enforce it. Someone has to become the gatekeeper.
And that is where corruption enters.
I love the church. I love the charismatic church. I love the gift of prophecy. But we cannot elevate one gift — and then sweep corruption under the rug to protect a movement built around that gift, as we saw with those who didn’t expose Shawn Bolz.
We are seeing the fallout of that right now.
When authority is positioned above identity, abuse follows. When movements are built around gifts instead of Christ, leaders become untouchable. When apostles are framed as spiritual governors necessary to prepare the bride, people begin to believe they must align under the right covering in order to be spiritually safe.
That is not the gospel.
Jesus Rebuked the Authority Mindset
James and John once asked Jesus for positions of power. They wanted to sit at His right and left hand. That was not about intimacy — it was about authority.
And Jesus answered in Mark 10:42–45:
“You know that those who are considered rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant. And whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”
He did not say authority doesn’t exist. He said it does not function that way.
“It shall not be so among you.”
Jesus reframed the entire concept.
Jesus has all authority in His kingdom and He shares it with us. It expresses itself through service. It is not positional dominance; it is sacrificial love.
When the disciples sought power, Jesus corrected them. When the enemy tempted Him with authority over the kingdoms of the world in the wilderness, He refused. That third temptation — bow and receive the kingdoms — was a fast track to what was already promised: “Sit at My right hand until I make Your enemies Your footstool.”
But Jesus would not gain authority apart from the cross. He would not seize what was promised through force. He chose servanthood. Any system that elevates authority over service has drifted from the pattern of Christ.
The Fivefold Is for Equipping, Not Control
The fivefold ministry mentioned in Ephesians exists to equip and mature believers. It is not a ladder of power. It is not a chain of command. It is not a cleansing structure to make the church worthy of Christ’s return.
Jesus is not waiting for apostles to perfect the bride.
The Father will send the Son at His appointed time.
The idea that apostolic alignment accelerates or delays the Second Coming places weight on leaders that Scripture does not place there. It also pressures believers into submission under fear-based urgency.
And fear-based urgency is fertile ground for manipulation.
I am not attacking people. I am confronting a structure.
Because once you believe that your spiritual safety, maturity, or readiness for Christ depends on proximity to a particular leader, you have surrendered confidence in the Holy Spirit within you.
You Can Hear God for Yourself
Jesus said in John 16:15 that the Holy Spirit will take what belongs to Him and “declare it to you,” and in John 16:25–27 He promised to speak “plainly about the Father,” because the Father Himself loves you—plainly, not mystically, not through layers of spiritual hierarchy. John confirms this in 1 John 2:20, 27, saying you have an anointing from the Holy One and that the anointing abides in you, which does not eliminate teachers but eliminates dependency and gatekeeping. So prophecy should confirm what God is already speaking in you, not replace your discernment—because you are not a servant in the dark, you are a friend, indwelt by the Spirit, and you can hear God for yourself.
God's Presence Manifests in the Atmosphere of Love
In John 14–17, Jesus repeatedly connects the manifestation of God’s presence to keeping His commandments—but He defines those commandments as loving God and loving people, rooted in the truth that “We love Him because He first loved us.” When heard as a servant, His words sound conditional and legalistic; when heard as a friend, they become a relational invitation where obedience flows naturally from being loved. Love is not permissive but transformative—it grounds us, fills us with joy and peace, produces unity that reveals Christ to the world, and creates the very environment where His Spirit works most powerfully.
Subscribe to my YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/clintbyars?sub_confirmation=1
“Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.”
When you read the teachings of Jesus, you have a choice.
You can hear Him as a servant, or you can hear Him as a friend.
That choice matters more than we often realize—because how you hear Him determines how you apply what He says, how you experience God’s presence, and whether the Christian life feels relational and empowering or heavy and legalistic.
Jesus Himself makes this distinction explicit. In John 15:15, He says, “No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you.”
That statement is not poetic filler. It is a deliberate redefinition of our relationship with God. And it sits right in the middle of one of the most important stretches of teaching Jesus ever gave—John chapters 14 through 17—where He prepares His disciples for life after His physical departure.
In those chapters, Jesus is not merely teaching theology. He is charging His friends with the work they are going to continue once He leaves. He is explaining how the Spirit will live in them, guide them, empower them, and reveal truth to them. And at the same time, He repeatedly emphasizes the importance of keeping His commandments.
That combination—Spirit empowerment and obedience—has often been misunderstood. When heard through the ears of a servant, Jesus’ words can sound like conditions, requirements, or spiritual hoops we must jump through to access God. But when heard through the ears of a friend, something very different emerges.
And that difference is the heart of this message.
The Gap Between Belief and Experience
One of the most common struggles among believers is not a lack of belief—it’s a lack of experience.
We believe God loves us.
We believe Christ died for us.
We believe grace is available.
We believe the Spirit lives in us.
Yet many people quietly live with a disconnect between what they believe is true and what they actually experience in daily life.
This isn’t about hypocrisy. It’s about real people dealing with real pressures—fear, anxiety, disappointment, insecurity, relational tension, unresolved pain—and wondering how the gospel actually applies when “the rubber meets the road.”
We know what Scripture says. But we also know what our experience feels like. And too often, those two things don’t line up.
That gap is where frustration grows. It’s where people begin to think God is distant, withholding, or unpredictable. And it’s often where people slip into a servant mindset—believing that God loves them, but still feeling like they’re at His mercy.
Servant Thinking Produces Confusion
Jesus directly addresses this issue when He says in John 15:15, “A servant does not know what his master is doing.”
That line explains so much.
When you think like a servant, confusion feels normal. You’re always trying to discern what God might be doing, why something happened, or whether He’s pleased with you. You’re left interpreting circumstances, emotions, and outcomes as signs of God’s will.
I said it plainly in the sermon: “If you’re confused, you’re thinking like a servant.”
Jesus does not want His followers living in confusion. He doesn’t want us guessing. He doesn’t want us reading tea leaves in world events or personal circumstances to try to decipher His intentions.
That’s why He follows that statement with something astonishing: “But I have called you friends, for everything I have learned from My Father I have made known to you.”
God is not hiding from you. He is not withholding information. He is not interested in keeping you in the dark.
We Don’t Interpret God Through Circumstances
One of the dangers of servant thinking is that it tries to understand God by interpreting physical events.
I shared an example in the message of someone claiming that an ice storm was a form of God’s justice because the word “justice” contains the word “ice.” As strange as that may sound, that kind of thinking is more common than we realize.
We look at disasters, sickness, political turmoil, or personal hardship and assume God must be communicating something through them.
But that thinking is backwards.
As I said in the sermon, “You don’t understand the spirit by a physical circumstance. You look at God, you extrapolate truth from Him based on His Word, then you look at the circumstance.”
The brokenness in the world is not a message from God—it is the result of sin entering creation. Death, decay, storms, sickness, and disorder are not divine communication tools. They are evidence of a world not functioning as God intended.
Jesus didn’t interpret storms to understand the Father—He spoke to them.
The Holy Spirit Declares What Belongs to Jesus
In John 16:13–15, Jesus explains the role of the Holy Spirit after His departure. He says the Spirit will guide us into truth, and then He adds something critical: “He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you.”
That phrase tells us exactly what the Spirit does.
The Holy Spirit doesn’t exist to create mystery, confusion, or dependence on spiritual elites. He exists to declare what belongs to Jesus.
And what belongs to Jesus?
Everything He has authority over.
As I said in the message, “What belongs to Jesus is what He has authority over—and that’s everything.”
That means when the Spirit speaks, reveals, or moves, He is testifying to Christ’s finished work—His victory, His authority, His righteousness, His peace, His life—and making those realities known to us.
This is why genuine prophecy always points back to Jesus. It doesn’t elevate fear. It doesn’t make people dependent. It doesn’t leave you confused. It testifies to what Christ has accomplished and invites you into expectation.
Love Is the Environment Where God Manifests
Throughout John 14–17, Jesus repeatedly connects the manifestation of God’s presence to one specific thing: keeping His commandments.
This happens at least four or five times.
In John 14:15–17, Jesus says, “If you love Me, keep My commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper… the Spirit of truth… for He dwells with you and will be in you.”
In John 14:21, He says, “He who has My commandments and keeps them… I will love him and manifest Myself to him.”
In John 14:23, He adds, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word… and We will come to him and make Our home with him.”
And again in John 15:9–11, “If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love… that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.”
If you hear those statements as a servant, they sound conditional and legalistic. They sound like rules you must obey to earn God’s presence.
But Jesus is not speaking as a lawgiver. He is speaking as a friend.
His Commandments Are Love
Jesus is careful to define His commandments clearly.
In John 13:34–35, He says, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you… By this all will know that you are My disciples.”
And the foundation of that love is revealed in 1 John 4:19: “We love Him because He first loved us.”
That verse changes everything.
We don’t love God to get Him to love us. We love Him because He already does.
Obedience is not a prerequisite for relationship—it is a response to it.
As I said in the sermon, “You can’t love Him unless you know He loves you first.”
When you hear Jesus’ commandments as a servant, they feel like pressure. When you hear them as a friend, they feel like an invitation into alignment.
Love Is Not Permissive—It Is Transformative
Jesus’ love was never permissive. It never ignored sin. But it also never shamed or condemned people into transformation.
Love rescues. Love strengthens. Love matures.
I reflected in the message on how Jesus loved His disciples before the cross—rough fishermen, a tax collector, flawed men who didn’t fully understand Him. He walked with them. He was patient. He was kind. He didn’t excuse sin, but He also didn’t relate to them through condemnation.
Love doesn’t let sin stay—it empowers you to leave it behind.
As I said, “The more I feel and know His love for me, the less I even desire those things.”
This is why love is not sentimental. It is powerful. It grounds us. It stabilizes us. It changes who we are from the inside out.
Joy, Peace, and Stability Flow From Love
In John 15:11, Jesus says He spoke these things “that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.”
Joy is not something we chase. It’s something that remains when we abide in love.
And this is where the kingdom becomes tangible. Scripture tells us that “the kingdom of God is righteousness, peace, and joy.” When peace is ruling your heart, you are experiencing the kingdom now.
This is why Jesus’ words are not about hype, revival moments, or emotional highs. They’re about a steady, anchored life—one that produces fruit over time.
Unity and Love Are the Church’s Witness
In John 17:20–26, Jesus prays not only for His disciples, but for us—for all who would believe through their word.
And what does He pray for?
Unity.
“That they all may be one… that the world may believe that You sent Me.”
Jesus does not say the world will believe because of miracles alone. He says the world will believe when they see love-fueled unity.
Love is evangelistic.
It reveals the reality of Christ to a watching world.
Hearing Jesus as a Friend Changes Everything
When you hear Jesus as a servant, you strive.
When you hear Him as a friend, you respond.
When you hear Him as a servant, obedience feels heavy.
When you hear Him as a friend, obedience flows naturally.
When you hear Him as a servant, you fear failure.
When you hear Him as a friend, you run toward Him when you fall.
This is why Jesus says plainly, “I no longer call you servants… I have called you friends.”
And this is why love must become more than a concept. It must become a way of life.
As I said at the end of the message, “When you let Him love you, He’ll speak to you.”
That is the invitation.
Let Him love you—especially when it’s hard.
That’s where His Spirit works most powerfully.
What's His is Yours
Jesus said the Holy Spirit takes what belongs to Him and declares it to us. This message explores how Christ’s authority is shared, not withheld—and how we learn to live from it.
Subscribe to my YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/clintbyars?sub_confirmation=1
HOMEWORK
“He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you.”
Jesus said that the Holy Spirit would remind us of everything He said. That statement only carries its full weight when we remember something else Jesus said just moments earlier—that we are not servants, but friends.
In John 15:15, Jesus says, “No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you.” Friendship, in Jesus’ definition, is marked by disclosure. Servants are kept in the dark; friends are brought into understanding. Jesus makes it clear that He has not withheld anything the Father made known to Him.
That is the relational context in which the Holy Spirit operates.
Jesus goes on to say that the Holy Spirit would “teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you” (John 14:26). This means the Holy Spirit is not working from a posture of secrecy or restraint. He is not selectively revealing God’s will to a spiritual elite. He is reminding, revealing, and making known what already belongs to us in Christ.
The Holy Spirit is not withholding. He is declaring.
Later, Jesus explains this even more clearly: “He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you” (John 16:14–15). That statement leaves very little room for doubt. What belongs to Jesus is what the Holy Spirit declares to us.
So the question becomes: what belongs to Jesus?
The things that belong to Jesus are not merely objects or possessions—they are realms of authority. Jesus possesses authority over sin, death, sickness, peace, wisdom, reconciliation, righteousness, identity, provision, and purpose. Everything He accomplished through His obedience—His death, burial, resurrection, ascension, and priesthood—exists within His authority.
And Scripture tells us that we are not observers of that authority; we are participants in it.
Paul says, “The Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things 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 2:10–12). The Spirit’s role is to make us aware of what has already been freely given—not to negotiate it, earn it, or unlock it through performance.
He continues by saying, “We have the mind of Christ” (1 Corinthians 2:16). This isn’t poetic language. It is an invitation into shared perspective—seeing situations, decisions, and struggles through Christ’s finished authority rather than our natural limitations.
Paul also reminds us that we are “heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ” (Romans 8:17). A joint heir does not receive leftovers. A joint heir receives access. That means wherever Jesus has authority, the Holy Spirit is faithful to declare how that authority applies in our lives—especially in the areas where we are seeking God.
So when you are facing a decision, struggling internally, or unsure how to move forward, you don’t have to start by asking, “What should I do?” You can begin by asking, “What does Jesus already have authority over here?” Look at where He was obedient. Look at what He conquered. Look at what He carries as Lord. Then expect the Holy Spirit to give wisdom and insight into how Christ’s authority can strengthen you and bring about the Father’s will in that area.
This is not guesswork. It is relational discernment.
And it is rooted in the heart of the Father. Jesus Himself said, “Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom” (Luke 12:32). God is not reluctant. He is not cautious about sharing. He delights in giving His kingdom—His rule, His authority, His life—to His children.
That is why the Holy Spirit speaks the way He does. He is not trying to limit you; He is trying to remind you. He is always declaring what is already yours in Christ.
A closing affirmation (in the voice of the Holy Spirit)
I am reminding you of what already belongs to you in Christ. His wisdom, peace, authority, and life are available to you now, and I gladly make them known as you look to Him. What is His, I am faithful to share with you, because you are one with Him.
Jesus Calls You a Friend: Living From His Perspective, Not Confusion
Jesus doesn’t relate to you as a servant trying to figure Him out. He calls you a friend. And a friend knows what the Father is doing. Confusion isn’t a sign God is withholding—it’s an invitation to renew your mind and live from the identity Jesus already gave you.
Subscribe to my YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/clintbyars?sub_confirmation=1
“No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you.”
Jesus calls you a friend. And when He takes the time to give you a specific perspective, we should make sure that perspective becomes the foundation of what we believe.
In John 15, Jesus deliberately gives us His view of us. He tells us plainly that He no longer sees us as servants, but as friends.
John 15:14–15 You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you.
This is only possible because of the new birth, and because through Christ’s finished work we have been given the right to become the children of God.
John 1:12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name.
Jesus goes on to explain the difference between a servant and a friend. A servant does not know what his master is doing. But since we are no longer servants and are His friends, He says that He is making known to us everything the Father has made known to Him.
That statement deserves time.
Ponder it for a while. Sit still. Take a few deep breaths. Allow the Holy Spirit to illuminate the depth of this truth. Let it saturate your heart to the point that it actually changes how you see yourself.
As I did that, the insight that came was this: if Jesus has made everything known to us that the Father made known to Him, and if Scripture tells us that we have the mind of Christ, then that means that in every situation and in every decision we face, it is possible to have the mind of Christ—and to know what the Father has made known to Christ about that issue or decision.
1 Corinthians 2:16 For who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ.
If you’re confused, it’s not because God is withholding from you. It’s because you’re thinking like a servant and not like a friend.
Confusion reveals where we need to renew our minds—where repentance is needed—and where we need to put on the new man. The new man is a friend of God, someone Jesus shares His knowledge with.
James reinforces this when he writes:
James 1:5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.
You’re God’s friend. You have the mind of Christ. It brings Him joy to share His wisdom with you. In fact, Scripture says it brings Him great pleasure to give you His kingdom.
Luke 12:32 Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.
Your responsibility is to believe that. To persuade your heart of His reality until it becomes your reality. When you do, you’ll find that you don’t have to live in confusion.
His word will emerge from your spirit into your heart. And when you are thinking like a friend of God, it will begin to take shape in your thoughts and emotions. His wisdom will become a natural fruit in your thinking—sometimes so natural it almost feels like your own thoughts.
That is His grace at work.
This is how it functions. He is in you like leaven, quietly working His way through your entire being.
Matthew 13:33 The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till it was all leavened.
Your role is simple but intentional: take Him at His word. Put on the mindset that you are His friend—because He deliberately tells you that you are.
Believe it. Let it guard your thinking. Put off every thought that contradicts it. And make confident decisions from your sonship in Christ.