What gets int he way of someone seeing Christ?
Galatians 3:1 ¶ Oh, foolish Galatians! Who has cast an evil spell on you? For the meaning of Jesus Christ’s death was made as clear to you as if you had seen a picture of his death on the cross. 2 Let me ask you this one question: Did you receive the Holy Spirit by obeying the law of Moses? Of course not! You received the Spirit because you believed the message you heard about Christ. 3 How foolish can you be? After starting your Christian lives in the Spirit, why are you now trying to become perfect by your own human effort? 4 Have you experienced so much for nothing? Surely it was not in vain, was it? 5 I ask you again, does God give you the Holy Spirit and work miracles among you because you obey the law? Of course not! It is because you believe the message you heard about Christ. 6 ¶ In the same way, “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.” 7 The real children of Abraham, then, are those who put their faith in God. (NLT)
What had happened to these Galatians?
Teachers had come along after they had received Christ and began to teach that they now were obligated to do certain things to prove their devotion and to continue experiencing the favor of God. They were being told they needed to perform certain righteous deeds in order to maintain the power of God at work in their lives.
These teachers were moving these Galatians away from the gospel they had received regarding Christ Jesus. They were putting the eyes of the Galatians on the horse as opposed to the rider.
Our hope and acceptance began in Christ and it remains in Him today, and into eternity!
Our lives are hidden with Christ in God! We are the righteousness of God in Christ!
About The Author
- Tim Atchley
- Knoxville, Tennessee, United States
- I currently serve as Senior Pastor of Harvest Church in Knoxville, Tn. I was sent out from Trinity Chapel of Knoxville in 1993 accompanied by my wife Sheila our four children Sarah, Hannah, Josiah & Isaac and a handful of bold, brave and committed believers determined to plant our first church. Pioneering is hard work but well worth the journey. That is why we desire to make disciples of Christ who will, like us, also embrace the call to plant churches.
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Friday, February 27, 2009
Christ in You Part Three
Many things circulated today do nothing to establish us in the gospel of grace through Jesus Christ. It is more inclined to further trap us in an attitude of condemnation as we read or listen and discover that we fail to measure up even more than we thought, and we have not been told clearly what to do about it other than try harder.
Meanwhile, anything we do absent the full working of His grace within us does nothing to reveal the glory of God at work in us and through us.
Our problem is not a need for a more specific teaching on how to conquer this particular weakness we discovered we have. The solution is the same as it has been from the beginning of the church.
Look to Him! We must begin to realign the who we are. with the who He is.
The enemy of our souls loves nothing more than to see Christians become driven by their well intentioned attempts at getting free through personal sacrifice and greater due diligence in trying to will themselves to change.
He knows it will end in defeat and discouragement.
The more we look at ourselves, our successes and failures alike the more we identify with the wrong source.
We are getting caught up in the horse and not the rider.
Our identity is what changes who we are. Who and what we identify with is the source of our sanctification and power.
We do not for instance get to experience the power of God because we walk more worthily than any other believer. "Well, God uses me more because I pray more, and read more, and I don’t watch bad shows, or listen to bad things, or tell bad jokes. I am holy, and therefore God is able to use me."
That wreaks of self righteousness which is something God abhors.
Jesus was noted as a winebibber and a glutton and was doing miraculous works and it greatly offended the religious leaders of His day. Why?
They were the, "respected holy ones," who kept true to the traditions, rules and expectations. Surely if God were going to do something significant He would do so through them.
But he used someone who came up out of Nazareth, can anything good come out of Nazareth?
They could not see the rider for the horse he sat on. They missed the point of life, Christ in you the hope of glory.
Meanwhile, anything we do absent the full working of His grace within us does nothing to reveal the glory of God at work in us and through us.
Our problem is not a need for a more specific teaching on how to conquer this particular weakness we discovered we have. The solution is the same as it has been from the beginning of the church.
Look to Him! We must begin to realign the who we are. with the who He is.
The enemy of our souls loves nothing more than to see Christians become driven by their well intentioned attempts at getting free through personal sacrifice and greater due diligence in trying to will themselves to change.
He knows it will end in defeat and discouragement.
The more we look at ourselves, our successes and failures alike the more we identify with the wrong source.
We are getting caught up in the horse and not the rider.
Our identity is what changes who we are. Who and what we identify with is the source of our sanctification and power.
We do not for instance get to experience the power of God because we walk more worthily than any other believer. "Well, God uses me more because I pray more, and read more, and I don’t watch bad shows, or listen to bad things, or tell bad jokes. I am holy, and therefore God is able to use me."
That wreaks of self righteousness which is something God abhors.
Jesus was noted as a winebibber and a glutton and was doing miraculous works and it greatly offended the religious leaders of His day. Why?
They were the, "respected holy ones," who kept true to the traditions, rules and expectations. Surely if God were going to do something significant He would do so through them.
But he used someone who came up out of Nazareth, can anything good come out of Nazareth?
They could not see the rider for the horse he sat on. They missed the point of life, Christ in you the hope of glory.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Christ in You Part Two
Let’s face it we like ABC formula’s. We like to think that there must be a very specific teaching regarding our personal situation that will improve us as a person and enable us to become better so we can hold our heads up high in public without shame.
We want something that will call us to pull up our boot straps and get with it so that once we do so we might boast of how we dug deep down into our own personal reserves and willed ourselves to healing and deliverance.
There are teachings designed to get us on track again by calling us to live according to purpose, it all sounds magnificent because it tells us we need a purpose larger than ourselves and it stirs us inside and as would any motivational work it moves into temporary action.
We all fall prey to these well intentioned teachings and devices unleashed on the church. It seems the church is forever missing the forest for the trees.
A young father and his son who lived in New York regularly jogged together through the city early in the morning. Their normal course took them by a statue of General William Tecumseh Sherman seated on a horse. One of their regular rituals was to pause at the foot of familiar old Sherman before resuming their run. Then the father took a job on the west coast and the day came for their last jog and their last rest at the foot of the famous Civil War General. The father pointed out the significance of this last stop before Sherman. The next day they would be gone. “Take one good long last look at old Sherman,” he said to his son. Then, as they stood and were about to resume their run the boy said, “By the way, Dad, who is that fellow sitting on the back of Old Sherman?”
That is what the Holy Spirit through Paul is dealing with when it comes to trying to get the church to see and understand what is most important to them.
We pause beneath the cross on our daily run as it has become our habit and we lose sight of what is important. We are inclined to ask who is that fellow on that cross.
We would rather worship the cross than one who hung on it. We think it is all about the cross.
Yes, Paul spoke adoringly regarding the cross but it was not because of the cross itself but rather the one who hung from it.
What we just read in Colossians did not say, “cross in you the hope of glory.” I distinctly recall it saying Christ in you!
We want something that will call us to pull up our boot straps and get with it so that once we do so we might boast of how we dug deep down into our own personal reserves and willed ourselves to healing and deliverance.
There are teachings designed to get us on track again by calling us to live according to purpose, it all sounds magnificent because it tells us we need a purpose larger than ourselves and it stirs us inside and as would any motivational work it moves into temporary action.
We all fall prey to these well intentioned teachings and devices unleashed on the church. It seems the church is forever missing the forest for the trees.
A young father and his son who lived in New York regularly jogged together through the city early in the morning. Their normal course took them by a statue of General William Tecumseh Sherman seated on a horse. One of their regular rituals was to pause at the foot of familiar old Sherman before resuming their run. Then the father took a job on the west coast and the day came for their last jog and their last rest at the foot of the famous Civil War General. The father pointed out the significance of this last stop before Sherman. The next day they would be gone. “Take one good long last look at old Sherman,” he said to his son. Then, as they stood and were about to resume their run the boy said, “By the way, Dad, who is that fellow sitting on the back of Old Sherman?”
That is what the Holy Spirit through Paul is dealing with when it comes to trying to get the church to see and understand what is most important to them.
We pause beneath the cross on our daily run as it has become our habit and we lose sight of what is important. We are inclined to ask who is that fellow on that cross.
We would rather worship the cross than one who hung on it. We think it is all about the cross.
Yes, Paul spoke adoringly regarding the cross but it was not because of the cross itself but rather the one who hung from it.
What we just read in Colossians did not say, “cross in you the hope of glory.” I distinctly recall it saying Christ in you!
Monday, February 23, 2009
Christ in You Part One
Colossians 1:27 To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. 28 Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus. (NKJV)
Colossians1:27 God wanted everyone, not just Jews, to know this rich and glorious secret inside and out, regardless of their background, regardless of their religious standing. The mystery in a nutshell is just this: Christ is in you, therefore you can look forward to sharing in God’s glory. It’s that simple. That is the substance of our Message. 28 We preach Christ, warning people not to add to the Message. We teach in a spirit of profound common sense so that we can bring each person to maturity. To be mature is to be basic. Christ! No more, no less. (The Message)
I hear people testify they wish to experience the glory of God.
I’ve been in prayer meetings where the focus of intense and passionate prayer was for God to reveal His glory.
C.S Lewis compared the modern Christian experience of glory as being that we splash around in mud puddles while there is a vast ocean right around the corner.
It is possible to go to church on any given Sunday in this country and hear a message specially catered to appeal to a certain aspect of one’s life. Always with the promise that it will be that one thing that will release the glory of God in our lives.
I wonder what would happen if we decided to simply preach the gospel and believe that it will point people to Christ who is the hope of glory.
There are so many well intentioned programs and teachings available today that are meant to help believers, but are they helping?
Is it possible that having so many options available has led believers not to victory, but to confusion about what to believe?
I could be persuaded to believe that in our nation the church has been adding to the message and therefore departing from the simple and basic truth intended.
Colossians1:27 God wanted everyone, not just Jews, to know this rich and glorious secret inside and out, regardless of their background, regardless of their religious standing. The mystery in a nutshell is just this: Christ is in you, therefore you can look forward to sharing in God’s glory. It’s that simple. That is the substance of our Message. 28 We preach Christ, warning people not to add to the Message. We teach in a spirit of profound common sense so that we can bring each person to maturity. To be mature is to be basic. Christ! No more, no less. (The Message)
I hear people testify they wish to experience the glory of God.
I’ve been in prayer meetings where the focus of intense and passionate prayer was for God to reveal His glory.
C.S Lewis compared the modern Christian experience of glory as being that we splash around in mud puddles while there is a vast ocean right around the corner.
It is possible to go to church on any given Sunday in this country and hear a message specially catered to appeal to a certain aspect of one’s life. Always with the promise that it will be that one thing that will release the glory of God in our lives.
I wonder what would happen if we decided to simply preach the gospel and believe that it will point people to Christ who is the hope of glory.
There are so many well intentioned programs and teachings available today that are meant to help believers, but are they helping?
Is it possible that having so many options available has led believers not to victory, but to confusion about what to believe?
I could be persuaded to believe that in our nation the church has been adding to the message and therefore departing from the simple and basic truth intended.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Abiding in Christ Part Five
How was it we came to Christ at the first?
We came to Him as horrible messes on the premise that through faith in Christ we could be saved and made presentable to God. It is only through Christ that we can remain presentable to Him.
Romans 11:5 Even so then, at this present time there is a remnant according to the election of grace. 6 And if by grace, then it is no longer of works; otherwise grace is no longer grace. But if it is of works, it is no longer grace; otherwise work is no longer work.
Jesus calls us to life. Life in Him! Through Christ we have received this life and it is through Him that we continue in it. It is by walking in connection with Christ, abiding in Him.
John 1:17 For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
God has not asked us to behave like teenagers and do whatever our peers are doing that looks good. He has not taught that maturity in Christ is our becoming less dependent on Him.
There is not a list of do’s and don’ts that we can follow to produce abiding.
He calls to our hearts and says come to me, all you who labor and I will give you rest! Learn the unforced rhythms of grace, learn of me for I am meek and lowly of heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
There is a place of abiding that produces such an abundance of the life of Christ in us that we cannot help but produce the fruit that we should. We know we are abiding when we cease from our own works and trust in His.
It is a relationship by faith built upon grace so that he might receive the glory and not we ourselves.
This is what fuels the affections for Christ. This what will lead believers to a place of passion for Christ.
We came to Him as horrible messes on the premise that through faith in Christ we could be saved and made presentable to God. It is only through Christ that we can remain presentable to Him.
Romans 11:5 Even so then, at this present time there is a remnant according to the election of grace. 6 And if by grace, then it is no longer of works; otherwise grace is no longer grace. But if it is of works, it is no longer grace; otherwise work is no longer work.
Jesus calls us to life. Life in Him! Through Christ we have received this life and it is through Him that we continue in it. It is by walking in connection with Christ, abiding in Him.
John 1:17 For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
God has not asked us to behave like teenagers and do whatever our peers are doing that looks good. He has not taught that maturity in Christ is our becoming less dependent on Him.
There is not a list of do’s and don’ts that we can follow to produce abiding.
He calls to our hearts and says come to me, all you who labor and I will give you rest! Learn the unforced rhythms of grace, learn of me for I am meek and lowly of heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
There is a place of abiding that produces such an abundance of the life of Christ in us that we cannot help but produce the fruit that we should. We know we are abiding when we cease from our own works and trust in His.
It is a relationship by faith built upon grace so that he might receive the glory and not we ourselves.
This is what fuels the affections for Christ. This what will lead believers to a place of passion for Christ.
Friday, February 20, 2009
Abiding in Christ Part Four
There are more works being performed in independence or under condemnation and guilt today than there are because it was birthed as a burden from the Lord Himself.
When the Lord births something in the heart it comes with the full deposit of His Grace to do it. Success is no longer dependant on how it looks to others, or how many participate in it. I simply do it because it is God breathed.
I can be assured of His heart in the matter and instead of condemnation I get the privilege of being convinced of His love, acceptance and grace. This is the result of abiding in Him.
So how can I know that I am experiencing an abiding relationship with Christ?
We must first address the matter of our attempting to be righteous on our own. Abiding is grace based through faith.
When we fall into the trap of presenting ourselves as being our best without being in fellowship with Christ we are denying the truth and we set up an atmosphere of non abiding.
Titus 3:5 not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit,
1 John 1 reminds us, 4 And these things we write to you that your joy may be full. 5 ¶ This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. 8 ¶ If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.
Pretending we have it together gets us no where and cannot produce an abiding in Christ lifestyle.
Pretending may help us keep face in the Christian community but it will prohibit the production of true fruit. The longer we remain in such a state the more dried up we become.
On any given Sunday in churches, people who are not abiding in Christ as they should are well dressed, singing the songs, and praying as though they have been tight with Jesus all week. Ongoing fellowship with Jesus is a stranger to them.
Denial is not the answer, confession is. This why the grace of God is so important to us.
You cannot pray hard enough or sing hard enough to fix this. God did not receive us because we had so been able to clean ourselves up to become presentable to Him. We came by faith.
When the Lord births something in the heart it comes with the full deposit of His Grace to do it. Success is no longer dependant on how it looks to others, or how many participate in it. I simply do it because it is God breathed.
I can be assured of His heart in the matter and instead of condemnation I get the privilege of being convinced of His love, acceptance and grace. This is the result of abiding in Him.
So how can I know that I am experiencing an abiding relationship with Christ?
We must first address the matter of our attempting to be righteous on our own. Abiding is grace based through faith.
When we fall into the trap of presenting ourselves as being our best without being in fellowship with Christ we are denying the truth and we set up an atmosphere of non abiding.
Titus 3:5 not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit,
1 John 1 reminds us, 4 And these things we write to you that your joy may be full. 5 ¶ This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. 8 ¶ If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.
Pretending we have it together gets us no where and cannot produce an abiding in Christ lifestyle.
Pretending may help us keep face in the Christian community but it will prohibit the production of true fruit. The longer we remain in such a state the more dried up we become.
On any given Sunday in churches, people who are not abiding in Christ as they should are well dressed, singing the songs, and praying as though they have been tight with Jesus all week. Ongoing fellowship with Jesus is a stranger to them.
Denial is not the answer, confession is. This why the grace of God is so important to us.
You cannot pray hard enough or sing hard enough to fix this. God did not receive us because we had so been able to clean ourselves up to become presentable to Him. We came by faith.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Abiding in Christ Part Three
When Jesus declared allow the little children to come to me and forbid them not for of such is the kingdom of God, he was showing us something profound.
When children are small they are so easily influenced by loving parents. The ability to relate and connect come easy. They more often than not want to be like their mother or father. They seek to imitate the ones they love. This is usually how it works in a loving family.
When the teenage years hit kids begin to think for themselves, and so they should. But if they lose respect and the affections grow dull they feel they know about as much as the parent if not more and something in the relationship begins to change. Often a tension emerges. Conflict occurs.
In their quest to assert their independence and make their own decisions they don’t even realize how much it is influenced by a greater respect for their peers than their parents, and more conflict arises. The once close relationship with mom and dad changes.
Likewise in our walk with God there are things that enter our hearts and begin to compete with our affections and respect for the Lord.
The enemy comes and begins to convince us that we should have long since been able to handle some things on our own. After all they are petty things we should know enough to just do it. He’ll even use the righteousness of the law to snare us. He’ll try to get us to move under good works to establish our sense of righteousness.
The goal of the enemy is to move us to a place of independence in our hearts which automatically draws us away from our place of abiding in Christ.
This is best evidenced in the temptation of our Lord in the wilderness.
Every temptation the enemy hurled at Jesus was Scripturally based. Satan never used an anti Scripture temptation he simply sought to twist the intent of the Scriptures.
He wanted Jesus to prove Himself by acting independently from the Father. To take up good things to prove He was the Son of God. He wanted Jesus to establish self affirmation. Why else would he say, “if you are the Son of God, then….”
But Jesus never removed Himself from His dependence upon the Father for the works He would perform. He withstood the attempt of Satan to move Him from abiding in relationship to the Father.
This battle is not foreign to any of us. You feel it every time you stop at an intersection and see someone holding a sign saying will work for food. Many know the condemnation when the light turns green and nothing was given. Why the condemnation?
There are many causes that are good out there. Many projects started by men with pure motives and good intentions. But pure motives and good intentions does not make it God’s will for every believer. This is why Jesus could respond easily to the criticism of the woman who poured expensive perfume on His feet when they said why was not this sold and the money given to the poor?
Their is the things in God's timing and there are the things that we want it to be God's timing but are not. Jesus was connected to the Father and in tune with the Spirit as a result and could discern that this woman was acting according o the Spirit. Meanwhile the men criticizing her were too busy thinking their idea was superior and more righteous than what she was doing.
Many a seemingly good work has been done by a non abiding believer. If these men had gotten their way they would have sold the perfume and given money to the poor and everyone around them would have applauded them for their generous hearts. But Jesus would not have been anointed for his death as a result and the greater purpose of the moment would have been missed.
When children are small they are so easily influenced by loving parents. The ability to relate and connect come easy. They more often than not want to be like their mother or father. They seek to imitate the ones they love. This is usually how it works in a loving family.
When the teenage years hit kids begin to think for themselves, and so they should. But if they lose respect and the affections grow dull they feel they know about as much as the parent if not more and something in the relationship begins to change. Often a tension emerges. Conflict occurs.
In their quest to assert their independence and make their own decisions they don’t even realize how much it is influenced by a greater respect for their peers than their parents, and more conflict arises. The once close relationship with mom and dad changes.
Likewise in our walk with God there are things that enter our hearts and begin to compete with our affections and respect for the Lord.
The enemy comes and begins to convince us that we should have long since been able to handle some things on our own. After all they are petty things we should know enough to just do it. He’ll even use the righteousness of the law to snare us. He’ll try to get us to move under good works to establish our sense of righteousness.
The goal of the enemy is to move us to a place of independence in our hearts which automatically draws us away from our place of abiding in Christ.
This is best evidenced in the temptation of our Lord in the wilderness.
Every temptation the enemy hurled at Jesus was Scripturally based. Satan never used an anti Scripture temptation he simply sought to twist the intent of the Scriptures.
He wanted Jesus to prove Himself by acting independently from the Father. To take up good things to prove He was the Son of God. He wanted Jesus to establish self affirmation. Why else would he say, “if you are the Son of God, then….”
But Jesus never removed Himself from His dependence upon the Father for the works He would perform. He withstood the attempt of Satan to move Him from abiding in relationship to the Father.
This battle is not foreign to any of us. You feel it every time you stop at an intersection and see someone holding a sign saying will work for food. Many know the condemnation when the light turns green and nothing was given. Why the condemnation?
There are many causes that are good out there. Many projects started by men with pure motives and good intentions. But pure motives and good intentions does not make it God’s will for every believer. This is why Jesus could respond easily to the criticism of the woman who poured expensive perfume on His feet when they said why was not this sold and the money given to the poor?
Their is the things in God's timing and there are the things that we want it to be God's timing but are not. Jesus was connected to the Father and in tune with the Spirit as a result and could discern that this woman was acting according o the Spirit. Meanwhile the men criticizing her were too busy thinking their idea was superior and more righteous than what she was doing.
Many a seemingly good work has been done by a non abiding believer. If these men had gotten their way they would have sold the perfume and given money to the poor and everyone around them would have applauded them for their generous hearts. But Jesus would not have been anointed for his death as a result and the greater purpose of the moment would have been missed.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Abiding in Christ Part Two
Ephesians 2:10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
Today many are bogged down in the mire of another man’s work or good idea. We need the ability to walk according to what God has given us to do.
Relationship birthed burden is so much more freeing and fruitful than taking up the cause of others.
It may seem easier to try and run on another’s burden because it isn’t dependant on us having any familiarity or closeness with the heart of our Lord for ourselves.
But in cases such as this good becomes a robber of the best. The best in the life of any believer is the will of God for their life.
The marking of our life is not after the pattern of another man or woman. It is after the Fathers desire to produce in us His Son Jesus Christ.
This production of the life of Jesus in us and our becoming conformed to His image cannot be achieved by our own contrived good works, or by our trying harder. It is purely born from being connected in relationship in such a way that we are continually looking to Jesus.
When we are actively engaged in relating to Him, fellowshipping with Him. We find ourselves curious to know what He thinks about what we should be doing. We want to know what He says about life, and about the things going on in this world. His heart becomes our focus. His wisdom is of great value to us.
The journey of abiding is a journey of continual discovery regarding who Christ is and what He is like so that we might be like Him.
Today many are bogged down in the mire of another man’s work or good idea. We need the ability to walk according to what God has given us to do.
Relationship birthed burden is so much more freeing and fruitful than taking up the cause of others.
It may seem easier to try and run on another’s burden because it isn’t dependant on us having any familiarity or closeness with the heart of our Lord for ourselves.
But in cases such as this good becomes a robber of the best. The best in the life of any believer is the will of God for their life.
The marking of our life is not after the pattern of another man or woman. It is after the Fathers desire to produce in us His Son Jesus Christ.
This production of the life of Jesus in us and our becoming conformed to His image cannot be achieved by our own contrived good works, or by our trying harder. It is purely born from being connected in relationship in such a way that we are continually looking to Jesus.
When we are actively engaged in relating to Him, fellowshipping with Him. We find ourselves curious to know what He thinks about what we should be doing. We want to know what He says about life, and about the things going on in this world. His heart becomes our focus. His wisdom is of great value to us.
The journey of abiding is a journey of continual discovery regarding who Christ is and what He is like so that we might be like Him.
Monday, February 16, 2009
Abiding in Christ
John 15:4 "Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. 5 "I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. 6 "If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. 7 "If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. 8 "By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.
I have been in Christ since October of 1983. In that time I have heard this passage preached many times and each time I have felt the pressure to do something on my part about this.
I have always viewed this from the angle of what I must do to stay connected. That word abide always got me.
Inevitably there would always be someone there to tell me to pray more, read more, worship more, etc.
I don’t recall ever being told to learn to enjoy the relationship I’ve been given in Christ. That I should bask in the glory of His work and receive the grace He had freely offered and allow that to warm my affections for Him and draw my heart ever closer to Him.
Fact is many believers today have embraced gospels that are good enough to get them in but powerless to establish them in the faith. They actually teach more along the line of what we must do to establish ourselves in the faith.
Many a believer has been exhausted by this kind of thinking and reached the point of feeling like giving up and truth is they would give up if they weren’t so afraid of losing their salvation and risking going to hell.
I have encountered so many who walk under the influence of condemnation rather than life. I myself have spent time in my journey making decisions based on condemnation rather than abiding in Christ.
The truth is there are many good works dreamed up by people and thus imposed on God rather than birthed by Him.
In fact I would dare to say that the idea of God breathed burden in the heart through fellowship with Him is almost a forgotten practice in the church.
I have been in Christ since October of 1983. In that time I have heard this passage preached many times and each time I have felt the pressure to do something on my part about this.
I have always viewed this from the angle of what I must do to stay connected. That word abide always got me.
Inevitably there would always be someone there to tell me to pray more, read more, worship more, etc.
I don’t recall ever being told to learn to enjoy the relationship I’ve been given in Christ. That I should bask in the glory of His work and receive the grace He had freely offered and allow that to warm my affections for Him and draw my heart ever closer to Him.
Fact is many believers today have embraced gospels that are good enough to get them in but powerless to establish them in the faith. They actually teach more along the line of what we must do to establish ourselves in the faith.
Many a believer has been exhausted by this kind of thinking and reached the point of feeling like giving up and truth is they would give up if they weren’t so afraid of losing their salvation and risking going to hell.
I have encountered so many who walk under the influence of condemnation rather than life. I myself have spent time in my journey making decisions based on condemnation rather than abiding in Christ.
The truth is there are many good works dreamed up by people and thus imposed on God rather than birthed by Him.
In fact I would dare to say that the idea of God breathed burden in the heart through fellowship with Him is almost a forgotten practice in the church.
Friday, February 13, 2009
More on Relevance
I remember growing up and being at school and we had different groups of people in school. There were the nerds, the jocks and the hoods. I would dare to say there new names for groups now.
Whichever group you wanted to fit into would be determined by the way you dressed and carried yourself.
Hoods for instance were a jeans and tee shirt group who generally smoked cigarettes and enjoyed getting into trouble. They acted tough, emphasis on acted.
Jocks were little more preppy in their dress and were usually too busy to be in trouble in school.
Ironically it was believed that however you turned out during the school year was based on who influenced you.
Now couch that thought in the light of all the attempts on the part of the church to be relevant to the modern culture. If I wear a cut off shirt and spike my hair and you do likewise the idea was mine and I feel in control of the influence. I do not look to you for anything because you seem to me to be in need of what I have. I am the leader because you became the follower.
Everytime the church attempts to change itself according to the culture it sends a message of insecurity and disbelief in the power of the gospel. All the books on the churches need to adjust and become more relevant to the modern culture is like a plea for the church to reduce itself to antics that will only prove to convince the culture that they are in charge and have the answers.
I seem to remember that the generation of Jesus wanted Him to present Himself in an entirely different way than He did. They were not looking for a suffering Savior, they wanted a conquering King who overthrow Roman rule. They wanted a Lion not a Lamb.
But Jesus did not adjust Himself to what spoiled children demanded of Him. He stayed true to His purpose. He led by staying on course and expecting that teh only ones who would follow would be the ones the Father had selected for Himself.
Oh that we the church could walk in that same confidence and not be moved by all the gimmicks and books telling us to do crazy and outrageous things. The gospel is still the power of God unto salvation and the church is to continually be conforming to the image of Christ and not the culture. may God give us grace to see it through to the end.
Whichever group you wanted to fit into would be determined by the way you dressed and carried yourself.
Hoods for instance were a jeans and tee shirt group who generally smoked cigarettes and enjoyed getting into trouble. They acted tough, emphasis on acted.
Jocks were little more preppy in their dress and were usually too busy to be in trouble in school.
Ironically it was believed that however you turned out during the school year was based on who influenced you.
Now couch that thought in the light of all the attempts on the part of the church to be relevant to the modern culture. If I wear a cut off shirt and spike my hair and you do likewise the idea was mine and I feel in control of the influence. I do not look to you for anything because you seem to me to be in need of what I have. I am the leader because you became the follower.
Everytime the church attempts to change itself according to the culture it sends a message of insecurity and disbelief in the power of the gospel. All the books on the churches need to adjust and become more relevant to the modern culture is like a plea for the church to reduce itself to antics that will only prove to convince the culture that they are in charge and have the answers.
I seem to remember that the generation of Jesus wanted Him to present Himself in an entirely different way than He did. They were not looking for a suffering Savior, they wanted a conquering King who overthrow Roman rule. They wanted a Lion not a Lamb.
But Jesus did not adjust Himself to what spoiled children demanded of Him. He stayed true to His purpose. He led by staying on course and expecting that teh only ones who would follow would be the ones the Father had selected for Himself.
Oh that we the church could walk in that same confidence and not be moved by all the gimmicks and books telling us to do crazy and outrageous things. The gospel is still the power of God unto salvation and the church is to continually be conforming to the image of Christ and not the culture. may God give us grace to see it through to the end.
Friday, February 6, 2009
Set Free Part Five
The Apostle Paul said, “in my flesh dwells no good thing.”
The law, as holy as it is could only show me how wrong I was, it could never fix me.
But thanks be to God! Jesus came in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: he condemned sin in the flesh that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in me and in you who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the spirit.
To walk according to the Spirit is walking in agreement with what has been done already by Jesus Christ. It is the ability to accept His work as being enough and resting in what He has done.
Anyone who attempts to mix the law with having received Christ is thinking carnally. They are trying to complete in the flesh something that was began in the spirit of life that is in Christ Jesus.
When someone argues that yes I am saved by grace but now I must keep the law. They are already set up for a major failure and a life of condemnation.
The Spirit doesn’t come to make us able to fulfill the law Christ has already done so on our behalf.
This is why our freedom comes only through identification with Jesus. He must be our substitute not just to get us into the Kingdom at initial salvation, but to carry us through to the end of our journey.
Only through surrendering our lives to Him and looking unto Him can we be saved and can we be free.
Jesus said, “Whoever the Son sets free is free indeed.”
The law, as holy as it is could only show me how wrong I was, it could never fix me.
But thanks be to God! Jesus came in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: he condemned sin in the flesh that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in me and in you who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the spirit.
To walk according to the Spirit is walking in agreement with what has been done already by Jesus Christ. It is the ability to accept His work as being enough and resting in what He has done.
Anyone who attempts to mix the law with having received Christ is thinking carnally. They are trying to complete in the flesh something that was began in the spirit of life that is in Christ Jesus.
When someone argues that yes I am saved by grace but now I must keep the law. They are already set up for a major failure and a life of condemnation.
The Spirit doesn’t come to make us able to fulfill the law Christ has already done so on our behalf.
This is why our freedom comes only through identification with Jesus. He must be our substitute not just to get us into the Kingdom at initial salvation, but to carry us through to the end of our journey.
Only through surrendering our lives to Him and looking unto Him can we be saved and can we be free.
Jesus said, “Whoever the Son sets free is free indeed.”
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Cold and Timid Souls
“It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasm, the great devotion, and spends himself in a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows in the end the triumph of high achievement; and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.” — Theodore Roosevelt
Set Free Part Four
My son Josiah was learning to ride a bike as early as four. I would grab on to help him and he would say, “four can do anything.”
You can figure out the rest for yourself. That is indicative of an independent spirit. He refused to acknowledge his need for me as a source of help.
If we insist on doing it ourselves we get the alarming discovery of failure just as Paul did. But sometimes we need to reach the end of ourselves before we can look to Him and receive help.
When it comes to walking free from condemnation by walking according to the Spirit we must learn to identify with the right person, not the right thing.
Romans 8:2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, 4 that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
Now we hear that there is a law of the spirit of life. This is not a law such as what we have on the side of the road on a large sign with a number.
This is a law such as the law of gravity. It just is. It cannot be changed by man. Gravity just is. You throw up a brick above your head I hope you move or have some Tylenol.
There is a law of the spirit of life. This law is not written on paper, it is not stored in a library somewhere. It is embodied, tucked away in a person.
Jesus said, “I have come to give life and to give it more abundantly.”
The law of sin and death, that just and holy law, the written code of moral conduct cannot give anyone life. It can only do what it was created to do. It proves all unrighteous before God.
I love how it says what the law could not do!
Why? Because it was weak through the flesh.
The law identifies with me and shows me how wrong I am. It cries out against me daily declaring I need to be better. But because it calls to me to fix myself it fails to fix me because it relies on my flesh to get it done. Thank God for the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus.
You can figure out the rest for yourself. That is indicative of an independent spirit. He refused to acknowledge his need for me as a source of help.
If we insist on doing it ourselves we get the alarming discovery of failure just as Paul did. But sometimes we need to reach the end of ourselves before we can look to Him and receive help.
When it comes to walking free from condemnation by walking according to the Spirit we must learn to identify with the right person, not the right thing.
Romans 8:2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, 4 that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
Now we hear that there is a law of the spirit of life. This is not a law such as what we have on the side of the road on a large sign with a number.
This is a law such as the law of gravity. It just is. It cannot be changed by man. Gravity just is. You throw up a brick above your head I hope you move or have some Tylenol.
There is a law of the spirit of life. This law is not written on paper, it is not stored in a library somewhere. It is embodied, tucked away in a person.
Jesus said, “I have come to give life and to give it more abundantly.”
The law of sin and death, that just and holy law, the written code of moral conduct cannot give anyone life. It can only do what it was created to do. It proves all unrighteous before God.
I love how it says what the law could not do!
Why? Because it was weak through the flesh.
The law identifies with me and shows me how wrong I am. It cries out against me daily declaring I need to be better. But because it calls to me to fix myself it fails to fix me because it relies on my flesh to get it done. Thank God for the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Relevance
When I consider the modern day mantra regarding relevance I think of the scene from the movie Hook. The lost boys sit down to eat and their bowls are filled with steam but have no food in them. They think they are filling their bellies with substance but they are living on fluff.
I find that in history the people who stand out the most are those who dared to be different in their own generation. Had they succombed to a modern idea of relevance we would not have many of the things we so enjoy today. Instead of carving out new ideas and birthing things in creative genius they would have been busy shopping for the latest trends in clothing, or shopping for the newest and hottest music.
Thanks be to God every generation has had a remnant who will salt their world with difference. Not difference for the sake of difference, but difference because they have discovered their purpose in life is not to imitate others, but rather to stand apart.
Modern Christianity's attempt at relevance is nothing more than a cheap imitation of the world. May God restore us to being the salt of the world, a city set on a hill, and a light to the nations.
To quote my lovely wife Sheila, "Every attempt at relevance always forfiets excellence"...
Who will dare to be different in a culture saturated with sameness?
I find that in history the people who stand out the most are those who dared to be different in their own generation. Had they succombed to a modern idea of relevance we would not have many of the things we so enjoy today. Instead of carving out new ideas and birthing things in creative genius they would have been busy shopping for the latest trends in clothing, or shopping for the newest and hottest music.
Thanks be to God every generation has had a remnant who will salt their world with difference. Not difference for the sake of difference, but difference because they have discovered their purpose in life is not to imitate others, but rather to stand apart.
Modern Christianity's attempt at relevance is nothing more than a cheap imitation of the world. May God restore us to being the salt of the world, a city set on a hill, and a light to the nations.
To quote my lovely wife Sheila, "Every attempt at relevance always forfiets excellence"...
Who will dare to be different in a culture saturated with sameness?
Set Free Part Three
Something happens when I get the revelation of identification. I know what it is like to live according to rules. Neil Silverberg will sometimes joke about something by saying he doesn’t want to take part because he doesn’t want to miss heaven on a technicality. But he really is joking when he says that. Neil knows about the finished work of Christ.
Many people when they read the Scripture or hear mention of a walk of life. They immediately think of what they haven’t done right and what they have done wrong. We just read in the NKJV two contrasting walks in the passage in Romans 8:1
We read about not walking according to the flesh and we think of giving in to the tendency to commit sins.
Then the thought comes that to walk according to the Spirit means walking with our heads in the clouds performing miracles, knowing everyone’s thoughts even before they say a word, and speaking in tongues continuously. The idea communicated in the passage gets reduced to our thinking of course if we walk according to the spirit we will not be condemned because we will not be doing anything wrong to feel guilty about.
How can you talk in tongues and cuss at the same time?
How can you pray and fight with someone at the same time?
These sound like great revelations but they are not what the Holy Spirit is getting at here.
The matter of flesh and spirit here are about identification.
Flesh is not always about sin in the sense of my doing horrible things. Sure there is a list of the works of the flesh given to us but in this particular case that list does not play into this instruction. The flesh spoken of here has to do with the independent attitude we can find ourselves walking in. An attitude of I can do it myself. Paul clearly speaks of the desire to do good things. The flesh is weak to carry out righteousness after the standard of God.
The flesh in this matter is my wanting to add to what Christ has done through the will of the flesh as opposed to identifying with Christ and allowing change to come from within according to the working of His Spirit within me.
God is not impressed with what I am working on about me, He is only impressed witht he work of His Spirit to conform me to the image of His Son. That cannot be accomplished in the strength and will of the flesh.
Many people when they read the Scripture or hear mention of a walk of life. They immediately think of what they haven’t done right and what they have done wrong. We just read in the NKJV two contrasting walks in the passage in Romans 8:1
We read about not walking according to the flesh and we think of giving in to the tendency to commit sins.
Then the thought comes that to walk according to the Spirit means walking with our heads in the clouds performing miracles, knowing everyone’s thoughts even before they say a word, and speaking in tongues continuously. The idea communicated in the passage gets reduced to our thinking of course if we walk according to the spirit we will not be condemned because we will not be doing anything wrong to feel guilty about.
How can you talk in tongues and cuss at the same time?
How can you pray and fight with someone at the same time?
These sound like great revelations but they are not what the Holy Spirit is getting at here.
The matter of flesh and spirit here are about identification.
Flesh is not always about sin in the sense of my doing horrible things. Sure there is a list of the works of the flesh given to us but in this particular case that list does not play into this instruction. The flesh spoken of here has to do with the independent attitude we can find ourselves walking in. An attitude of I can do it myself. Paul clearly speaks of the desire to do good things. The flesh is weak to carry out righteousness after the standard of God.
The flesh in this matter is my wanting to add to what Christ has done through the will of the flesh as opposed to identifying with Christ and allowing change to come from within according to the working of His Spirit within me.
God is not impressed with what I am working on about me, He is only impressed witht he work of His Spirit to conform me to the image of His Son. That cannot be accomplished in the strength and will of the flesh.
Monday, February 2, 2009
Set Free Part Two
Romans 8 is all about identification.
Paul had identified with the flesh and found that it led to failure and death.
The mind of the flesh is performance based. It is how human beings affirm themselves and measure their worth. They set out to prove they are something through what they can, or cannot do.
But the flesh has a major problem. It is weak. In competition there is always someone better and something could always be done better than it already is being done. The heights of perfection have not been attained and never will be in the flesh.
My family are all UT fans and when Kentucky pounded Tennessee recently in basketball (we weren't happy about that) a young Kentucky player had a game high 54 points. However, he did not make 100% of all his shots. To most that was a great game, but it was not perfect.
A co worker used to say to me all the time, “it takes 100 atta boys to erase one what the heck were you thinking?”
There are many Christians today who identify with their failures more than their triumphs. It’s called, letting your mistakes get into your head. If that continues on without being addressed it can really cause great damage to a persons faith.
There is only one cure.
Romans 8 began with, “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.”
In the Greek now means, now. There is therefore now no condemnation. There is a state of being that takes place instantaneously when a person gets hold of the revelation of identification.
Now only works for those who are in Christ Jesus. It does not say those who finally got their act together and began to live perfectly. It does not say those who are finally playing by the rules.
It uses the terminology of identification. “in Christ Jesus.”
I have once again been gripped by Colossians 3:3 For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
That is some major security. My life is hidden with Christ in God. Who can get tome there?
Paul had identified with the flesh and found that it led to failure and death.
The mind of the flesh is performance based. It is how human beings affirm themselves and measure their worth. They set out to prove they are something through what they can, or cannot do.
But the flesh has a major problem. It is weak. In competition there is always someone better and something could always be done better than it already is being done. The heights of perfection have not been attained and never will be in the flesh.
My family are all UT fans and when Kentucky pounded Tennessee recently in basketball (we weren't happy about that) a young Kentucky player had a game high 54 points. However, he did not make 100% of all his shots. To most that was a great game, but it was not perfect.
A co worker used to say to me all the time, “it takes 100 atta boys to erase one what the heck were you thinking?”
There are many Christians today who identify with their failures more than their triumphs. It’s called, letting your mistakes get into your head. If that continues on without being addressed it can really cause great damage to a persons faith.
There is only one cure.
Romans 8 began with, “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.”
In the Greek now means, now. There is therefore now no condemnation. There is a state of being that takes place instantaneously when a person gets hold of the revelation of identification.
Now only works for those who are in Christ Jesus. It does not say those who finally got their act together and began to live perfectly. It does not say those who are finally playing by the rules.
It uses the terminology of identification. “in Christ Jesus.”
I have once again been gripped by Colossians 3:3 For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
That is some major security. My life is hidden with Christ in God. Who can get tome there?
Set Free Part One
Prayer: “Father, I come to You in the glorious name of Your beloved Son Jesus and I ask for revelation as we read Your Word. I ask that the person of Jesus Christ, His work that is finished, and the amazing hope that it offers would be revealed to our hearts. I also ask that you confirm Your Word with Your power being released in us. I thank You Lord Jesus for all that You have done, may Your worth increase in our hearts through this revelation.”
Romans 8:1 ¶ There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, 4 that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
Like you and I the Apostle Paul had encountered a struggle.
He discovered that although he greatly desired to please the Lord and tried diligently to do so in his flesh, he often failed to live up to the standards set.
He wanted to do the right thing and would end up doing the wrong thing. He was so aggravated with himself over this he referred to himself as, “wretched man that I am.” But through this struggle he gained a revelation about the nature and weakness of the flesh. This revelation was so eye opening Paul felt that he needed to be delivered. Paul in this same statement asked the question, “who will deliver me from this body of death?”
All this appears in Romans 7. Paul is really showing himself vulnerable and at the end of himself in all this. But before he writes what we already have read in Romans 8 he concludes something glorious and liberating at the end of chapter 7, he says, “I thank God, through Jesus Christ our Lord!”
Paul discovered identification and substituation and believed it to be something more than just a positional statement.
My boys love the game of basketball. They likely don’t remember when they were small how I would lift them up to shoot the ball into the hoop and then say to them, “you did it!” They could never had made it if I had not lifted them up to do so.
But that picture does not fully capture the essence of what is spoken in Romans 7&8. To compare with the picture given in Romans I would have to take the shot myself and then give the points to my sons. Then it would be an official substitution. I would shoot but it would count as though they had done so because I would be seen as a substitute. The points would be credited to them even though I made the shot. All they have to do is be willing to enjoy the points as if they had made them. But their celebration would be limited to their believe that it counts as theirs. They would have to become identified with their substitution.
As we will discover, Christ is our substitution not to just get us in but to bring us to the end of our journey. We are truly more than conquerors through Christ.
Romans 8:1 ¶ There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, 4 that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
Like you and I the Apostle Paul had encountered a struggle.
He discovered that although he greatly desired to please the Lord and tried diligently to do so in his flesh, he often failed to live up to the standards set.
He wanted to do the right thing and would end up doing the wrong thing. He was so aggravated with himself over this he referred to himself as, “wretched man that I am.” But through this struggle he gained a revelation about the nature and weakness of the flesh. This revelation was so eye opening Paul felt that he needed to be delivered. Paul in this same statement asked the question, “who will deliver me from this body of death?”
All this appears in Romans 7. Paul is really showing himself vulnerable and at the end of himself in all this. But before he writes what we already have read in Romans 8 he concludes something glorious and liberating at the end of chapter 7, he says, “I thank God, through Jesus Christ our Lord!”
Paul discovered identification and substituation and believed it to be something more than just a positional statement.
My boys love the game of basketball. They likely don’t remember when they were small how I would lift them up to shoot the ball into the hoop and then say to them, “you did it!” They could never had made it if I had not lifted them up to do so.
But that picture does not fully capture the essence of what is spoken in Romans 7&8. To compare with the picture given in Romans I would have to take the shot myself and then give the points to my sons. Then it would be an official substitution. I would shoot but it would count as though they had done so because I would be seen as a substitute. The points would be credited to them even though I made the shot. All they have to do is be willing to enjoy the points as if they had made them. But their celebration would be limited to their believe that it counts as theirs. They would have to become identified with their substitution.
As we will discover, Christ is our substitution not to just get us in but to bring us to the end of our journey. We are truly more than conquerors through Christ.
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