Can You Embrace the Truth

Do You Know What It Cost Jesus To Redeem You?

2011-07-11T14:49:00.000-04:00

(NKJV) Romans 3:21 But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets,

But now, is a transitional phrase implying that something has changed, something is different, you need to pay close attention to what that something is and how it is different.

The something that is the subject of the but now here is; “the righteousness of God”

Interestingly it is not the righteousness of God that has changed though. The thing that has changed concerning the righteousness of God is how it is now revealed. You see at one time there was a particular way in which it was revealed, it was through the Law.

The Law showed us how different God is from man. It demonstrated His absolute holiness, and it showed us that God is righteous. The Law revealed the great divide between us and the Father and through it we realized His righteousness was unattainable due to the weakness of our human flesh. Even the ones most devoted to the Law needed a sacrifice to be made on their behalf on the Day of Atonement. Even the man God used to give the Law (Moses) had to be covered on the Day of Atonement by means of a sacrifice.

The sacrifice offered each year on the Day of Atonement and other sacrifices and offerings and special observances throughout the year were the proof that, man in comparison with God as it pertained to righteousness, came up short. This reality was made possible through the gift of the Moral Law we refer to as the Ten Commandments. The prophets clearly understood this as is revealed by the Prophet Isaiah.

(NKJV) Isaiah 64:6 But we are all like an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; we all fade as a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, Have taken us away.

But here the Scripture clearly says the way in which the righteousness of God is revealed has changed. Somehow the righteousness of God is being revealed without the Law and it is being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets. What could this mean?

In Matthew 17, Mark 9, and Luke 9 we read where Jesus took some witnesses with Him up to a mountain to pray.

(NKJV) Matthew 17:1 Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, led them up on a high mountain by themselves; 2 and He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light.

This is referred to as the Mount of Transfiguration. On this Mount Jesus was glorified. This is strangely similar to another man in Scripture went up a mountain with witnesses and while there had a glory experience.

(NKJV) Exodus 24:13 So Moses arose with his assistant Joshua, and Moses went up to the mountain of God.

(NKJV) Exodus 24:15 Then Moses went up into the mountain, and a cloud covered the mountain.

Why did Moses go up that mountain? God told him to in order to receive the Covenant of the Law to give to the people. And when Moses came down he put a veil over his face. In another place of Scripture we discover something about the ministry Moses received to give to the people and how it was glorious but it is compared to another ministry that has greater glory.

(NKJV) 2Corinthians 3:7 But if the ministry of death, written and engraved on stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of the glory of his countenance, which glory was passing away, 8 how will the ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious?

The issue is about the glory that accompanied the Covenant Moses was given and the Covenant Jesus was given. There was such a glory on the Covenant that was revealed through Moses that he had to cover his face.

Like this event where Moses went up the mountain to receive the Covenant and others witnessed the glory from it, Christ is transfigured (meaning His very form changed) His face shone like the sun and His clothes were as white as the light. Jesus is there regarding the Covenant and how it is to be delivered to the people. But in the case of Christ there is no fading to His glory.

Keep in mind that the Covenant at Mount Sinai was between God and the people. It was between the divine and the fallen, the infinite and the finite, the living God and the people dead in their sins and trespasses.

The Law was dependent upon human effort because man had his end to keep in that Covenant. Israel declared we will do all that God commands. But even though they would fail to meet the standard of righteousness revealed, God was using it to reveal His own righteousness nonetheless. It was the prevailing means of revealing the righteousness of God to man. But remember our text?

(NKJV) Romans 3:21 “But now the righteousness of God is revealed apart from the Law being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets.”

What does the mount of transfiguration have to do with this? To answer that we read further in Matthew.

(NKJV) Matthew 17:3 And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him.

Moses represents the Law since the Law came through Moses and Elijah represents the Prophets since he was declared to be the one who would precede the coming of the Messiah.

There is a witness of the Law and the Prophets occurring regarding the righteousness of God on this mount and it is signified by a glory that is eternal in nature since this New Covenant would be made by God the

Father with Himself (Christ the Son). Fallen man is not made a responsible party in the agreement of this Covenant so God as a man makes it on our behalf.

While Jesus is standing there with the Law and the Prophets (Moses and Elijah) the righteousness of God is revealed in Him and witnessed to by them. Jesus was and is the very righteousness of God! But more took place than just the witness by the Law and Prophets, they had something to say to Jesus regarding what would be required of Him.

What did the Law and the Prophets on that Mount speak with Jesus about?

To answer that question we turn to Luke’s account of the Transfiguration in:

(NKJV) Luke 9:30 And behold, two men talked with Him, who were Moses and Elijah, 31 who appeared in glory and spoke of His decease which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem.

This is about what it will cost Jesus to redeem us. Jesus will establish His New Covenant with blood just as Moses did except, in this New Covenant the blood will be Jesus’ own. Moses went up the mountain to get the covenant for Israel and it was set in place by the sprinkling of blood, Jesus went up the mountain to get the

New Covenant and established it with His own blood. The discussion that takes place between Moses, Elijah and Jesus involved a declaration of what will be required to fulfill the righteous demands of the Law and forever satisfy the wrath of God against sin. It will involve Jesus death on the cross. He would take our place although He is not deserving of death or punishment seeing He was without sin.

In view of the cross of Christ we give Jesus our sin (Disobedience) and He gives us God’s own righteousness (His obedience.) It is no ordinary righteousness we have been given in Christ. It comes at great expense to Jesus and to the Father that this righteousness is even made possible.

When someone wishes to take some of the credit for righteousness or seeks to establish it on their own as though it is attainable by a great effort on part towards obedience, it diminishes the great length and tremendous price Jesus paid to make our salvation possible.

If the righteousness spoken of could have been purchased at man’s expense, it would not even come close to the majesty and measure of God’s own righteousness. God’s Holiness as it pertained to the Law of His righteousness could not be satisfied by the weak and beggarly elements of human effort.

How do we know what is involved, how it is received, who is responsible to make it possible, who it is for, and whether or not there are exceptions?

(NKJV) Romans 3:22 even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

What righteousness is this about? “Even the righteousness of God.”

How is it received? Through faith.”

Who is responsible to make it possible? “Christ Jesus.”

Who is it for? To all and on all who believe.”

Is there any exceptions? “For there is no difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”

God is righteous and He has shared His righteousness with those who believe in Jesus Christ.

So how can we be legally declared righteous before God and never brought before the judge on these charges again?

(NKJV) Romans 3:24 being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,

Justified is a legal term. It is when a judge declares you acquitted of all charges against you.

It is when He declares, “not guilty.” We were given a court appointed advocate at no charge to us.

But here is the reality. We are guilty of violating the Law. As a result we are counseled to plead guilty in humility before the judge! So if we are so guilty and we are pleading guilty, how then are we declared not guilty?

Well our advocate takes care of this at His expense. You see the Advocate we were assigned has favor with the judge because the judge is His Father and our advocate graciously takes our place so we can stand in His favor even though we do not deserve it. This is what is called mercy (undeserved kindness.)

How did He achieve this? He paid our death penalty for us. That is what the word redemption means. It means to pay the purchase price.

What was the price? The price was death through suffering involving the shedding of blood.

(NKJV) 1Peter 1:18 knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.

Our advocate said I will be guilty in their place and I will take their punishment. “In Christ” we are justified freely by His grace.

Why would He do such a thing?

(NKJV) Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. 10 For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.

Our salvation came at great cost to Christ. It is a glorious salvation! The covenant He has established through His blood is more glorious than any covenant ever made.

Unlike the elder brother in the prodigal son story who never went after the younger brother when he left home and lived recklessly, Jesus our elder brother left the glory of heaven to seek us out and bring us home to the Father. Our elder brother actually loves us and cares for us!

Unlike the elder brother in that story who was angry over the fact that part of his inheritance was being used to welcome the lost younger son home, Jesus our elder brother gladly makes us joint heirs with Him!

(NLT) Romans 8:16 For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children. 17 And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering.

What a glorious salvation is ours through faith in Jesus Christ!! What a glorious reality of life!! What amazing blessing and benefit belongs to us as a result of His obedience!!

Do you really understand that you are accepted in the Beloved through Christ? Do you really comprehend the amazing love that is now yours to be realized in Christ?

God’s righteousness has been revealed now through Christ and made available through Christ!

(NKJV) 2Corinthians 5:21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

What kind of response should this understanding and revelation spark in us?

(NLT) Romans 12:1 And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice — the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. 2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

The way to love has been opened up before us. A deposit of righteousness eternally glorious and mighty has been imputed to us in Christ!

We love Him because He first loved us.

The key to genuine spiritual growth is not a greater acquaintance with myself, my contributions, but rather it is realized when I ponder the great gift of God’s Son and through the power and work of the Holy Spirit my heart is awakened to the truth of His love and great sacrifice to redeem us all.

So I close by simply quoting,

(NLT) Romans 8:31 What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? 32 Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else? 33 Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one — for God himself has given us right standing with himself. 34 Who then will condemn us? No one — for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us. 35 Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? 36 (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.’’) 37 No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. 38 And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow — not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. 39 No power in the sky above or in the earth below — indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

God’s Way of Provision and Peace

2011-07-11T14:41:00.000-04:00

Last Sunday, I spoke from (NKJV) Romans 3:21 But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;

We investigated the development of the New Covenant of Christ and witnessed through Scripture how Moses (The Law) and Elijah (The Prophets) spoke to Jesus on the mount of transfiguration regarding His death which would enforce His New Covenant. We discovered the righteousness of God without the Law manifested and being witnessed by the Law and the prophets.

We learned that our salvation came at great cost to Jesus and as a result it is most reasonable that we offer our bodies as living sacrifices due to the lavish love, mercy and acceptance made available through Christ.

So, with the priceless blood of Christ in view and the call to be a living sacrifice, today I want to consider something Jesus stated that is very profound and worthy of our consideration and acceptance.

(NKJV) Matthew 6:33 "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

In this statement Jesus has promised something. “All these things shall be added to you.”

What are the “all these things” He is referring to?

(NKJV) Matthew 6:31 "Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 "For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.

Jesus has declared how well God cares for the fields and clothes them, how well God cares for the birds and feeds them, thus demonstrating His ability to care for His own. He is demonstrating that God is able.

In this same declaration in Luke 12 Jesus compares the lilies of the field to the glory of King Solomon. A Jewish King who was believed to have been the wisest, wealthiest, best dressed man in Jewish history up to that point. Jesus says not even Solomon was a well adorned as the fields of lilies.

This comparison Jesus uses demonstrates that man’s best effort to cover himself cannot compare with the clothing that God can supply as is evidenced in nature itself. What is the promise Jesus made?

He has promised to feed and clothe us. It is a very profound promise. But how is it released?

"But seek first the kingdom of God”

I want to take a look at this word “seek” for a moment because some may read this as saying we are to make something happen by some work we do. But is that the correct way to see the word seek here?

The word seek in the Greek is: ζητεω zeteo dzay-teh’-o 1) to seek in order to find 1a) to seek a thing 1b) to seek [in order to find out] by thinking, meditating, reasoning, to enquire into 1c) to seek after, seek for, aim at, strive after 2) to seek i.e. require, demand 2a) to crave, demand something from someone

It actually fits right into what I have desired to see as a result of preaching the gospel concerning God’s righteousness. My desire in saturating you in the gospel of Jesus Christ is that it will stir meditation, consideration, thoughtful reflection and a yearning for what is offered freely through Jesus. By this occurring eyes are opened in the power of the Holy Ghost and lives are transformed. The gospel works in us to generate a genuine faith that produces hearts for the kingdom and a people who are diligent to be about His purposes and matured in the faith.

But we began by considering the instruction to seek after something. So let’s examine more closely what it is specifically that we are to seek. There are two specific things mentioned.

First mentioned is the Kingdom of God. Too often the phrase “the kingdom of God” is ambiguous to us because the concept is so foreign in our modern culture. So we need to define it.

The word Kingdom here, is the Greek word - βασιλεια basileia bas-il-i’-ah

1) royal power, kingship, dominion, rule

1a) not to be confused with an actual kingdom but rather the right or authority to rule over a kingdom

1b) of the royal power of Jesus as the triumphant Messiah

1c) of the royal power and dignity conferred on Christians in the Messiah’s kingdom

2) a kingdom, the territory subject to the rule of a king

3) used in the N.T. to refer to the reign of the Messiah

In essence Jesus is saying we should greatly desire, meditate on, and crave to be under, the rule and authority of Jesus Christ. We should greatly desire to see Him as the object of all authority to us and we should walk in the royal power and dignity conferred on us in His Kingdom as we seek to become more and more yielded to His rule and reign in our hearts. Jesus has a right to occupy a place of preeminence in our lives.

What is preeminence? It is superiority and authority.

This is why on the mount of transfiguration when Peter asked to build three monuments one for Moses, one for Elijah and one for Jesus to commemorate the moment, the Father spoke from Heaven in a loud voice and said concerning Jesus, “this is my beloved Son, hear Him!”

If Moses could have spoke up he would have said, Acts 3:22 Moses said, ’The LORD your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from among your own people. Listen carefully to everything he tells you.’

Jesus stated, “all authority in heaven and on earth has been given unto Me, go therefore”

Jesus is more than just a Savior, He is both King and Lord over those who confess to be His, and as such, He has established His Kingdom which is the Kingdom of God in the hearts of those who actually put their faith in Him. The proof of being a part of His kingdom is our submission to His rule and reign in our lives.

So when Jesus says seek first the Kingdom of God it is a very profound statement.

This leads us to ask: who are we living for in this life?

Do we live to please ourselves and achieve our best life now, or do we live to manifest His rule and reign in our lives?

Are we offering our bodies as living sacrifices as a reasonable act of worship to Him?

If not, perhaps we should ask if we have truly met the majestic and wonderful Savior described in Scripture.

When we come to Jesus something is supernaturally altered in our hearts and our affections are turned towards Him, the Bible teaches us that, “we love Him because He first loved us.”

Jesus rules the kingdom of God, this rule is established in men and women who by faith have been reconciled to God the Father through Him, and are now being led by the Spirit. They represent Christ in the earth.

This evidence of the work and power of the Holy Spirit in their lives guiding them and sanctifying them is the seal of their inheritance in Christ, and it’s the proof of the work of grace that identifies those that are His. This is what we are to crave to know, to live, to own!

But there was a second thing Jesus said we were to seek.

"But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness”

This is where some people can easily get tripped up. This is where many have launched themselves back under a self imposed best effort to attain righteousness and whether they are willing to admit or not, have miserably failed. Scripture declares that in our flesh there dwells no good thing.

The righteousness Jesus speaks of is not, “man produced” righteousness. It is God’s own righteousness.

Romans 3 reveals how man has failed to attain to such a high standard of righteousness. Last Sunday we heard how that even the most righteous men we know in history apart from Jesus Christ had to have sacrifices offered for their sin due to their unrighteousness.

God has declared that His righteousness can only be achieved through what Jesus has made possible as a result of His perfect obedience and sacrificial death on the cross for us. There is nothing to add to it.

Therefore, if someone rejects the solution provided in Christ alone they are refusing to be submitted to the rule of God’s kingdom and they are rejecting the offer of His own righteousness through Christ by faith.

God, under the installment of the New Covenant, has established the manner by which men are to be justified, sanctified, and glorified. He has determined how men are to be brought under the rule of Christ and declared accepted by God having their right standing with Him maintained through faith in Christ.

This offer from God can be rejected by sincere, zealous, but ignorant men who seek to establish righteousness through their own efforts and according to what they declare is the way. This is very clear in the Bible.

(NKJV) Romans 10:1 Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved. 2 For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. 3 For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God. 4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.

Notice, they did not submit to the righteousness of God because they sought to establish their own righteousness.

How were they doing this? They did it by observing the Law in order to achieve righteousness.

What does it say Christ is the end of? He is the end of the Law for righteousness.

Who does this apply to? It applies to those who believe.

This serves as an instruction for anyone whether Jew or Gentile who would seek to establish righteousness through placing their trust in the Law for receiving righteousness, or maintaining it. The principle conveyed here in this body of truth still applies today.

I can just imagine Paul remembering how his own zeal for God and for the Law led him to persecute the church even putting to death those who had embraced the New Covenant of Christ because in his zeal he was thinking they were against God. Paul boasted in his devotion to the Law and his deep discipline as a Hebrew before he met Christ. But after he met Christ all this perception changed, his eyes were opened to the truth of Christ and the reality of grace. After coming to Christ he made his boast in the cross of Christ and attributed his righteous living to a living by faith in the Son of God who gave Himself for him. This bold message of grace caused problems for Paul, and led to Jews seeking his death due to claims that he was breaking the Law and profaning their synagogues.

Although Paul preached grace made possible through Christ he lived the reality of the kingdom he was not devoid of self control and discipline. He lived by the Spirit and thus manifested obedience to Christ in how he lived.

This is what James was getting at when he stated works without faith is dead and so also faith without works is dead. James was not trying to get people focused on works for works sake. He is trying to demonstrate that genuine faith produces good fruit. No fruit no faith, but in James’ argument is the idea that a self imposed fruit can just as much be without faith as the man with no fruit. He is not promoting self imposed works and a greater effort, he is promoting a true faith. Faith will always have an object or a source to it. In this case it applies to the righteousness of God that we are told to seek after first.

So how do we seek after and attain God’s own righteousness?

(NLT) Galatians 3:15 Dear brothers and sisters, here’s an example from everyday life. Just as no one can set aside or amend an irrevocable agreement, so it is in this case. 16 God gave the promises to Abraham and his child. And notice that the Scripture doesn’t say “to his children,’’ as if it meant many descendants. Rather, it says “to his child’’ — and that, of course, means Christ. 17 This is what I am trying to say: The agreement God made with Abraham could not be canceled 430 years later when God gave the law to Moses. God would be breaking his promise. 18 For if the inheritance could be received by keeping the law, then it would not be the result of accepting God’s promise. But God graciously gave it to Abraham as a promise. 19 Why, then, was the law given? It was given alongside the promise to show people their sins. But the law was designed to last only until the coming of the child who was promised. God gave his law through angels to Moses, who was the mediator between God and the people. 20 Now a mediator is helpful if more than one party must reach an agreement. But God, who is one, did not use a mediator when he gave his promise to Abraham. 21 Is there a conflict, then, between God’s law and God’s promises? Absolutely not! If the law could give us new life, we could be made right with God by obeying it. 22 But the Scriptures declare that we are all prisoners of sin, so we receive God’s promise of freedom only by believing in Jesus Christ.

This righteousness of God spoken about by Jesus can only be realized through faith in Christ. Jesus is the child spoken of regarding the promise given to Abraham even before there was a Law in existence. The ongoing realization of the promise of life and our experience of it continues to be by faith in Jesus.

Why? It is how God established it to be and if I truly want to be under the rule of His kingdom I must do so according to the way He has declared I should. Genuine faith is how the very life of Christ is received by us.

The way of the Holy Spirit indwelling us is opened to us by this means of faith. The letter to the Galatians is really about how the work of the Spirit is released in the lives of believers so they can bare the fruit of the Spirit against which there is no Law.

(NLT) Galatians 5:22 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!

Those who by faith come to Christ are filled with the Spirit, and as a result of this life change they no longer live for themselves but rather bare the fruit of the Spirit. They will, by their actions and way of life, prove that the Law has been written on their hearts. They will in essence be keeping the Law.

How can we be assured of this?

(NLT) Galatians 5:14 For the whole law can be summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.’’ 15 But if you are always biting and devouring one another, watch out! Beware of destroying one another. 16 So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. 17 The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions. 18 But when you are directed by the Spirit, you are not under obligation to the law of Moses.

Tim Keller in his Book the Prodigal God makes this astute observation:

“(Faith in the gospel restructures our motivations, our self-understanding, our identity, and our view of the world. Behavioral compliance with rules without heart change will be superficial and fleeting. The gospel is therefore not just the ABC’s of the Christian life, but the A to Z of the Christian life. Our problems arise largely because we don’t continually return to the gospel to work it in and live it out. That is why Martin Luther wrote, “The truth of the gospel is the principle article of all Christian doctrine……Most necessary is it to know this article well, teach it to others, and beat it into their heads continually.” Tim Keller goes on to say, “Wait,” I have heard people object. “You mean that in order to grow in Christ, you keep telling yourself how graciously loved and accepted you are? That doesn’t seem to be the best way to make progress. Maybe the motivation of religion was negative, but at least it was effective! You knew you had to obey God because if you didn’t, He wouldn’t answer your prayers or take you to heaven. But if you remove this fear and talk so much about free grace and unmerited acceptance—what incentive will have to live a good life? It seems this gospel way of living won’t produce people who are as faithful and diligent to obey God’s will without question.” But if when you have lost all fear of punishment you also have lost incentive to live an obedient life, then what was your motivation in the first place? It could have only been fear. What other incentive is there? Awed, grateful, love.)”

Most objections to the gospel of grace being the primary body of truth used to equip the saints is rooted in a fear that people will disobey God because of the freedom it declares. But freedom simply reveals the truth. If knowing about freedom in Christ yields the fruit of disobedience in a person it isn’t that the gospel is evil, or that the message needs to change. It simply reveals that the person rebelling has a messed up heart and has not clearly seen the truth as they ought. There are multitudes of people who have discovered this gospel of grace, been set free in their hearts through faith, and who live in obedience to the kingdom of Christ!

If the church is to recapture the apostolic sending mandate by which it is meant to salt the earth she must return to the call of genuine disciple making in the gospel. We must recapture the truth that our lives are not our own because we now belong to Christ and thus we are to be about His kingdom business in this earth.

The equipping ministries listed in Ephesians 4 are given to the church in order to equip her to do the work of the ministry.

What ministry? The ministry of reconciliation made possible through Christ!

We are called as a local church to pastor this city by being a light for the gospel of Jesus Christ in it. We are called to make disciples for Jesus Christ right here in Knoxville TN.

Based on the promise Jesus made regarding our seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness we can rest assured that the time and the resources needed to do this are available to us.

We just need to rise up in faith and embrace His promise to care for our needs as we are seeking His kingdom and His righteousness first, according to the way He has prescribed it should be done.

God’s own righteousness in us is settled in Jesus, we are reconciled to God through faith in Christ, we remain reconciled to God through faith in Christ, we are perfected in our faith by the work of the promised Holy Spirit, and we are made fruitful as we continue to walk in faith receiving the work of the Spirit in our life.

This tells me that we can make disciples for Jesus Christ because His ministry of reconciliation has now become ours as we walk in submission to Him in His kingdom and live out the reality of His righteousness in us.

Do not be fooled into seeking your own kingdom and your own righteousness. If you do you must become your own source for all these things and last I checked you do not possess all authority in heaven and on earth.

Live out what you have been given in Christ by faith, and you will discover you are living as He would in this earth. You too can be about the Father’s business.

Have you been worried about the way things are going in our economy?

Are you killing yourself to make ends meet?

Have been convinced you do not have the time to be doing what you have been called to do as His disciple?

Are you consumed with many troubles as a result of being your own source of provision for all these things?

God’s resources never run out, his kingdom is not experiencing a deficit, he has not been overspending, His power is unlimited, and His love for us knows no end.

He has promised all the resources of heaven to meet our needs when we seek His kingdom first and His righteousness.

The call of the gospel is to get this right God’s way!

(NKJV) Romans 8:32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?

It is time to stop seeing things from a natural perspective and start seeing through the eyes of the Spirit.

Seek the kingdom and His righteousness!

Let the King of glory come in!

Healthy Relationships Part Two

2010-10-13T10:12:00.000-04:00

Until Christ arrived and changed things Jews were considered the people of God while Gentiles were dogs, they were pagans, rejected people as it pertained to God. This led to an attitude of competition and jealousy that reared it’s ugly head even in the church.

This attitude of superiority is what fueled the Judaizers and corrupted the faith of many a Gentile believer by bringing them into works righteousness and away from true faith. All because someone played the superiority card which will tend to fuel envy and jealousy. It will draw people into error and it can divide relationships.

The fact is there are no elite people in the Kingdom, all are equal in God's sight through Christ. We are either in Him or we are not. Being Jewish will not make anyone any more important than another and there is no greater spirituality to be gained by it. Nor will being rich elevate someone to a place of prominence in the Father's courts. It has nothing to do with your human birth right, social status, gender or race. It has to do with Christ.

Elitism spawned through misunderstanding the work of Christ causes divisions, it did so in the eraly church. What was the fix?

Ephesians 2:9 Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. 10 For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. 11 ¶ Don’t forget that you Gentiles used to be outsiders. You were called “uncircumcised heathens’’ by the Jews, who were proud of their circumcision, even though it affected only their bodies and not their hearts. 12 In those days you were living apart from Christ. You were excluded from citizenship among the people of Israel, and you did not know the covenant promises God had made to them. You lived in this world without God and without hope. 13 But now you have been united with Christ Jesus. Once you were far away from God, but now you have been brought near to him through the blood of Christ. 14 ¶ For Christ himself has brought peace to us. He united Jews and Gentiles into one people when, in his own body on the cross, he broke down the wall of hostility that separated us. 15 He did this by ending the system of law with its commandments and regulations. He made peace between Jews and Gentiles by creating in himself one new people from the two groups. 16 Together as one body, Christ reconciled both groups to God by means of his death on the cross, and our hostility toward each other was put to death. 17 He brought this Good News of peace to you Gentiles who were far away from him, and peace to the Jews who were near. 18 Now all of us can come to the Father through the same Holy Spirit because of what Christ has done for us. 19 So now you Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners. You are citizens along with all of God’s holy people. You are members of God’s family. 20 Together, we are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself. 21 We are carefully joined together in him, becoming a holy temple for the Lord.

God has only one way to correct dysfunctional relationships and that is through the cross. The cross is the place where I die to myself and come to grips with what God says about me, my situation, and the others involved. It is God’s means of bringing death to self so Christ might be seen in me.

Healthy Relationships Part One

2010-10-11T08:51:00.000-04:00

The more time I spend in Scripture the more convinced I become of how important relationships are to God. But relationships are not just important to God, they are important to us as human beings. From the beginning of time man has had a need to have relationship even when he had sweet fellowship with God himself.

We were created to engage in relationship with others.

Adam walked in the cool of the garden with God, he enjoyed wide open fellowship with his creator. But as he named the animals he noticed they came in pairs. Each male had a companion. This must have registered in Adam’s heart. God knew Adam needed help so he caused a deep sleep to come upon him and he made a woman for Adam from Adam’s rib.

Adam knew he needed relationship in this life with another human being.

We are all in the same condition as Adam. We are created to have relationship. Some happen to be better at it than others.

One thing is for certain ever since Adam sinned relationship dysfunction has been a reality.

Sin caused Adam to blame Eve. The person he longed for, and loved to the point of sacrifing for he later blamed. This is true because sin brings dysfunction into any relationship. Think about it. Adam was willing to wilfully partake of the fruit knowing it was forbidden because of his desire for Eve. But after it was accomplished and sin was conceived Adam was trying to put the blam on her.

Sin devalues relationship. The absence of valuing relationships and the inability to give honor to whom honor is due is a reflection of decay and weakness, not strength.

It is a common place practice in the world, but did you know Christians struggle with this as well?

James 4:1 What is causing the quarrels and fights among you? Don’t they come from the evil desires at war within you? 2 You want what you don’t have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous of what others have, but you can’t get it, so you fight and wage war to take it away from them. Yet you don’t have what you want because you don’t ask God for it. 3 And even when you ask, you don’t get it because your motives are all wrong —you want only what will give you pleasure.

It is possible to be born again and still be engaged in dysfunctional relationships all around you. Believers can continue to be carnal.

Jealousy and envy are still alive and well in humanity and the church is made up of redeemed human beings. If we stray from holding the Lord as precious and seeing Christ we can begin live only for ourselves. This leads people to jealousy and envy of others as opposed to wanting the best for others.

In families sometimes siblings will become jealous of one another based on what they think might be favoritism being shown to a particular member.

The age old wanting what belongs to someone else has been a plague for all human history. Cain killed Able out of jealousy. Josephs brothers sold him into slavery to get rid of him. The disciples argued over who would be the greatest as they walked along the road with Jesus.

This competition for prestige or prominence has been the ruin of many relationships throughout history. Sin has damaged relationship with God and with others. Only through Christ can we truly engage in healthy relationship again.

The Call to Follow Part One

2010-09-13T07:36:00.002-04:00

Mark 8:34 When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, "Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. 35 "For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it. 36 "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? 37 "Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? 38 "For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels."

We should take note of the fact that Jesus was addressing more than just the twelve who had left everything to follow Him. He is addressing a crowd and He uses the term “whoever.”

Because of the whoever, this truth about following Jesus applies to anyone and everyone without exception.

Jesus just took away any option of following Him on our own terms. He set the terms and made them very clear. They appear here in Mark 8, in Matthew 16, and in Luke 9.

This is the language of salvation. Being saved means following Jesus. There is no salvation apart from following Christ.

There are no differing plans when it comes to salvation. This is about eternal life, not insurance, there is no base plan that costs less yet covers all the basics.

So we find that in these terms set by Jesus there is the issue of denying oneself, taking up our own cross, and following Jesus.

I love this particular call to follow because it defines purpose for all who follow Christ. If you ever needed a vision for life here it is. This is the essence of what it means to be His and walking with Him in life.

The Fear of the Lord Part Four

2010-09-09T07:28:00.000-04:00

Godly sorrow produces a work of repentance that releases the life of Christ in me. A life that gives to others good things. This is a New Covenant work of the fear of the Lord! It is rooted in my actions and their impact on my relationship with God and others.

New Covenant grace does not grant us the freedom to do as we would wish, but rather, it is to bring us into relationship with the God who loves us and is now able to dwell in us. It places us in relationships within the body of Christ where we are meant to grow.

God is still in the business of transforming lives by turning enemies into sons. Sons who love and respect their heavenly Father and once Jesus is living in them they delight to do His will. God promised He would give a New Covenant in which he would write His law on the hearts of those who believe. He has written that Law and it is not the Old Law. It is the Law of Christ.

The Law of Christ is love one another. It is in engaging this practice that we embrace our cross and find ourselves walking in the fear of the Lord.

Usually when someone speaks of taking up their cross they apply it to keeping some aspect of the law more devotedly. They speak in terms of giving up some particular thing in life. The cross of Christ was about more than just paying for sin. He paid for sin because sin was standing between us and God and it interferes with our relationship one to another.

Taking up our cross is realized in the giving of ourselves for one another in life. The cross Jesus bore was for others not Himself. Taking up my cross involves preferring you and wanting to see you walking in right relationship with the Father and with me.

This is what empowered the apostles under the influence of the Holy Spirit to address misconduct in the church by reminding them who it is they claim to have believed and what that means regarding their relationship to God and to one another.

Legalism demands a cold adherence to rules because it thinks sin is the only issue with God. It is concerned about appearances more than people.

Legalistic people can cut someone off someone without so much as a wink. They cut and run when the going gets tough. They do so claiming that they are walking in the fear of the Lord while they are oblivious to how it is directly tied to our relationship with the Father and our relationships within the body of Christ.

They do not direct others to Christ on the basis of grace because they do not understand that only through the grace of Christ can true change really come. They are sin conscious based on appearances and therefore unable to deal with others on the basis of relationship.

If you want to see a believer change point them to Christ.

If you want to see a sinner saved point them to Christ.

The power to change is found only in Christ.

The Christ who lives in us walks in the fear of the Lord which teaches us to hate evil, shouldn’t that effectively influence us to love God and each other?

Growth and change will always be relationally based. Our forefathers in the church grew stronger as they lived in the fear of the Lord. A fear of the Lord that was relational and others minded.

How is your relationship with the Father?

How are your relationships in the fellowship where He has placed you?

Are you committed in relationship to a group of believers?

The Fear of the Lord Part Three

2010-09-08T07:19:00.000-04:00

For the New Covenant believer the fear of the Lord is all about being like Christ in my relationship to the Father and my relationship to others. If I walk in the fear of the Lord I am aware of the importance of the relationships I have been given. Primarily the one I am privileged to enjoy with God at the expense of Christ! This leads me into genuine transformation!

If we stop short on our understanding the fear of the Lord we relate it only to sin. Remember it is to hate evil. The evil spoken of targets others. Our understanding the fear of the Lord should include the why we should hate evil. That involves relationships.

I've many Christians over time speak of not grieving the Holy Spirit and they are usually applying it to moral behaviors based on Law keeping.

The Scripture in Ephesians regarding grieving the Holy Ghost has to do with how we treat each other. He is grieved when we fail to walk in the fear of the Lord. A fear of the Lord which is aware and concerned for the good of others around us.

In 1 Corinthians Paul had written regarding a situation where a person was engaging in immoral behavior and nothing was being done about it. In fact the Corinthians instead were boasting of how merciful they were for not taking a grossly immoral man to task, and this was beginning to have a negative impact on the church. Paul wrote to help the Corinthians see how this man was bringing harm to others because of his practice of evil and how they as well were hurting others by ignoring it. Paul spoke sternly to them about this and it made them upset with Paul as a result. But they changed their minds about it and embraced Paul’s instructions. In turning their hearts to God in the fear of the Lord that considers others they were empowered to handle the situation and they opened their hearts again to Paul.

2Corinthians 7:10 For the kind of sorrow God wants us to experience leads us away from sin and results in salvation. There’s no regret for that kind of sorrow. But worldly sorrow, which lacks repentance, results in spiritual death. 11 Just see what this godly sorrow produced in you! Such earnestness, such concern to clear yourselves, such indignation, such alarm, such longing to see me, such zeal, and such a readiness to punish wrong. You showed that you have done everything necessary to make things right.

Godly sorrow brings about change. It brings repentance! New Covenant grace has not taken away this work of repentance in the lives of those who put their trust in Jesus.

True repentance alters the way in which I live based on the life of Christ now in me. My repentance is not based on an emotion. It is not saying I am sorry just to silence the other party because they bother me. It goes much deeper than that. I am repentant because my heart is softened once again to care.

It is the ability to recognize how my actions or decisions have affected those I claim to care about. When God is at work bringing me to repentance it involves the impact my actions have had on my relationship to Him and with those around me. Only then can I be aware of a genuine sorrow because it is godly in that it is others aware.

The Fear of the Lord Part Two

2010-09-07T07:34:00.001-04:00

In the book of Acts there is a man named Saul who was going from town to town causing Christians to suffer. He was being evil, while he was deceived in thinking he was doing good.

In his zealousness for the Law he hated Christians because through their faith in Christ and promotion of the gospel many of the Jews were being brought out of the Old Covenant system of righteousness into grace righteousness made possible by Jesus.

One day, while Saul was on his way to Damascus to persecute more Christians, Jesus revealed himself to Saul asking Saul why he was persecuting Him. Saul was made to realize the evil he had been doing and he repented and was born again and renamed Paul. This brought about a time of peace to the church since their greatest enemy was now made a friend. Paul’s experience of a real work of the fear of God caused him to love the ones he had before been mean to. As a result it had an impact on the church.

Acts 9:31 The church then had peace throughout Judea, Galilee, and Samaria, and it became stronger as the believers lived in the fear of the Lord. And with the encouragement of the Holy Spirit, it also grew in numbers.

There is something stated in this passage I want us to take particular notice of. It says that the church became stronger as the believers lived in the fear of the Lord!

The word fear in the Hebrew is used in two ways. It is used when someone is afraid of something. That is a general use.

But it is used in a different way when it is applied to God. When it is directed towards God it means reverence, respect, awe, piety.

The fear of the Lord does not mean I get more serious about keeping the law. That is not what is at the heart of it.

The fear of the Lord is relational. I desire to be like that which I admire and respect. When in relationship to God through Christ I have Christ revealed to me more and more by the work of the Spirit I find I long to be more like Him.

The Fear of the Lord Part One

2010-09-06T07:36:00.000-04:00

Those who are born again are called the temple of God because Christ now dwells in us. A prophecy concerning Christ might give us a clue about what that will produce in us.

Isaiah 11:2 The Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon Him, The Spirit of wisdom and understanding, The Spirit of counsel and might, The Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD.

It is interesting to me that among this list is the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord.

Jesus walked in the fear of the Lord. He hasn’t changed who He is in order to live in us.

So, how can we know if we are walking in the fear of the Lord?

Proverbs 8:13 All who fear the LORD will hate evil. Therefore, I hate pride and arrogance, corruption and perverse speech.

How many? All!

What will they do? Hate Evil.

But why will they hate evil?

The Hebrew word translated evil here is interesting. It is the Hebrew word ra-ah and in almost every scenario it implies something really bad. It implies hurtful things, destructive things, mean things. In one of it’s definitions it uses the word malignant. That is a word we associate with cancer in a very negative way. A malignant cancer is of the worst sort. Another definition speaks of being vicious in disposition. It involves what someone does towards others. Evil’s goal is to use and hurt others.

Using others for selfish gain and being mean towards others is something Jesus hates. Jesus taught His disciples to pray keep us from evil.

How Forgiven Are You? Part Five

2010-09-02T19:00:00.001-04:00

The issue that makes the Old Covenant obsolete is one of source. Christ dealt with the very source of our sin and He did this in the Holy of Holies in heaven itself, thereby making it possible for us to worship God the way we were meant to!

Our consciences are now made clean through His blood so that we can, with no condemnation, approach God freely! The Old Covenant is what made us aware of our sin and continually reminded us of our unholy nature and behavior.

Hebrews 9:15 That is why he is the one who mediates a new covenant between God and people, so that all who are called can receive the eternal inheritance God has promised them. For Christ died to set them free from the penalty of the sins they had committed under that first covenant.

Under the New Covenant we are set free from the penalties and liabilities of the Old Covenant that condemned us to death and refused to allow us access to God!

You may be saying I cannot approach God in the condition I am in. Jesus says, I paid for that! Come near! Find grace to help!

Ephesians 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,

Romans 3:21 But now God has shown us a way to be made right with him without keeping the requirements of the law, as was promised in the writings of Moses and the prophets long ago. 22 We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are. 23 For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. 24 Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins.

How forgiven are you?

Comparisons between the Old and New Covenant

2010-09-02T08:10:00.000-04:00

1a) The Old Covenant was a covenant between God and a specific race of people.

1b) The New Covenant is a covenant between God and His Only Son Jesus Christ and people of all races and walks of life are invited to partake of it.

2a) The Old Covenant was a covenant of death intended to prove to men they could not be holy through any effort on their part.

2b) The New Covenant is a covenant of life that makes men holy through the work of Christ.

3a) The Old Covenant was a temporary covenant between an infallible, infinite God and fallible, finite men.

3b) The New Covenant is everlasting because it is between the infallible, infinite God and His infallible, infinite Son.

4a) The Old Covenant could only work from the outside in and therefore depended on men's ability to do something in order to be holy.

4b) The New Covenant makes someone a New creature on the inside making them holy by faith in what Jesus did.

5a) The Old Covenant demanded that men fix themselves, which is impossible.

5b) The New Covenant works from the inside out and makes men what they could never be by any self effort. New Creations.

6a) The Old Covenant concentrated on what a man can do.

6b) The New Covenant focuses on who a man has come to know.

Why would anyone want to live under the Old Covenant when the New Covenant is far superior?

How Forgiven Are You? Part Four

2010-09-01T19:00:00.004-04:00

The Old Covenant would need to done away with and a New Covenant established for all time, put in force by Christ before the issue of a clean conscience could truly be a reality for the people of God. We now have a High Priest who sat down because His one sacrifice took care of the issue of sin for us once and for all. No need for any more trips to the mercy seat to remove sin.

Hebrews 10:12 But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God,

Hebrews 9:11 So Christ has now become the High Priest over all the good things that have come. He has entered that greater, more perfect Tabernacle in heaven, which was not made by human hands and is not part of this created world. 12 With his own blood––not the blood of goats and calves––he entered the Most Holy Place once for all time and secured our redemption forever.

We can be confident that our sins past, present and future have been taken care of is because JESUS went into the real holy of holies, the one in heaven, and He sprinkled His own sinless holy blood on the, God made, original, mercy seat!

Jesus did not play with prototypes made by human hands! Little girls play with dolls and doll houses in preparation for the real deal when they mature, get married and start families.

What mature, sane woman, would wish to replace her home, her children, and her husband with a doll house and dolls? What could ever convince her to go back to the former days?

Once she has the real thing she has no need or desire to go back to the preparation phase of living. Jesus is the real thing and He entered the real Holy of Holies in heavn itself and He sprinkled His own blood on the real mercy seat!

Hebrews 9:13 Under the old system, the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a young cow could cleanse people’s bodies from ceremonial impurity. 14 Just think how much more the blood of Christ will purify our consciences from sinful deeds so that we can worship the living God. For by the power of the eternal Spirit, Christ offered himself to God as a perfect sacrifice for our sins.

Oh the blood, of Jesus! He has done it! Once and for all!

How Forgiven Are You? Part Three

2010-08-31T19:00:00.001-04:00

The Law magnified the issue sin and placed Israel under a very detailed and involved system for addressing the sin problem. It also placed hindrances on their experience of God personally as the High Priest was the only person allowed beyond the veil.

Hebrews 9:8 By these regulations the Holy Spirit revealed that the entrance to the Most Holy Place was not freely open as long as the Tabernacle and the system it represented were still in use. 9 This is an illustration pointing to the present time. For the gifts and sacrifices that the priests offer are not able to cleanse the consciences of the people who bring them. 10 For that old system deals only with food and drink and various cleansing ceremonies––physical regulations that were in effect only until a better system could be established.

Under the Old System there was no way to put sin behind you because the thought of it would be ever before you. That is the fruit of the Old Covenant. That was it’s purpose. God intended that to be the case in order to set the stage for His Only Son to come and be the final sacrifice for all eternity!

It was never God’s intention to permanently deal with the sin problem in the Old Covenant. It was God’s intention to set the stage for His Son to come and establish a New Covenant that would deal with the problem once and for all and last forever.

Under the Law man’s conscience is plagued by the guilt of sin continually. This is still the effect of the law and of observing any of the ceremonies attached to it’s keeping.

Notice how it makes it clear that the gifts and sacrifices were unable to cleanse the consciences of the people who brought them.

There was no once and for all solution to the sin problem under the Old Covenant. This is why we have Hebrews 9:10 “For that old system deals only with food and drink and various cleansing ceremonies––physical regulations that were in effect only until a better system could be established.”

How Forgiven Are You? Part Two

2010-08-30T19:00:00.003-04:00

Sometimes ignorance is born of an arrogance that leads someone to think mankind can achieve holiness by self effort. Misplaced Confidence is usually rooted in pride and arrogance.

Fact is no one is made holy by behavior. The reason is we would have to be able to change ourselves into being holy at our core, we would have to be able to change our very nature otherwise any attempt at holiness would be tainted by our unholy state of being.

Being holy is more of a source problem than a behavior problem. Behavior is a byproduct of who we are at our core. Self righteousness denies that source is an issue. This is why God hates self righteousness in any form. It is a denial of the truth concerning the sin nature inherent in mankind which is the real reason for our inability to be holy without Christ.

So God gave Israel the Law and made sure they understood that to offend in just one tiny thing was to offend in everything. So for these Israelites there had to be a means of addressing the sin problem that was about to be made amazingly evident by the entrance of the law. How can already sinful man rid himself of sin?

Under the Old Covenant the means of handling sin involved continual sacrifices being offered and an annual atonement sacrifice made by the High Priest for the sins of the people once a year.

Animal blood was used to purge the holy articles made by human hands because they were tainted as a result of being made by sinful man and thus under the Law they had to be purged with blood.

So the High Priest had to be cleansed and also had to cleanse the articles of worship before going into the Holy of Holies to offer a sacrifice for the sins of the people.

Hebrews 9:21 And in the same way, he sprinkled blood on the Tabernacle and on everything used for worship. 22 In fact, according to the law of Moses, nearly everything was purified with blood. For without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness. 23 That is why the Tabernacle and everything in it, which were copies of things in heaven, had to be purified by the blood of animals. But the real things in heaven had to be purified with far better sacrifices than the blood of animals.

How Forgiven Are You? Part One

2010-08-29T23:13:00.000-04:00

Is there such a thing as overconfidence, or misplaced confidence?

Based on an Alliance for Excellent Education Fact sheet dated March of 2008

The following details how fifteen-year-old students from the United States compare with fifteen-year-olds in other Developed member countries in the Program for International Student Achievement measures of academic proficiency.*

Science: We are ranked 21st of 30 countries.

Reading: We are ranked 15th of 29 countries.

Math: We are ranked 25th of 30 countries.

Problem Solving: We are ranked 24th of 29 countries.

Other sources site that one area where American youth excel is in the arena of confidence. We are first place in confidence despite our poor academic performance, and problem solving abilities.

Even the low achieving of society score high in self confidence.

Perhaps this generation suffers from the same dilemma Israel suffered from when she was brought up out of Egypt.

I say that because self confidence was Israel’s problem when they stood at the base of Mount Sinai after leaving Egypt.

They were ignorant about the fact that as human beings they had been born into sin, by nature they were already unholy. The Commandments were made on the basis of holiness and perfection. These Israelites were so self confident that they failed to understand that they would never be able to do what God in His holiness would demand. But you know, they had self confidence!

Israel at the base of the mountain said to Moses, you speak with God and whatever He tells us to do we will do. They had tons of self confidence! In their minds they were going to adhere to whatever God said they should, and they were sincere about it.

Plenty of misplaced confidence! Did they understand holiness?

Everlasting Glory Part Four

2010-08-26T08:35:00.000-04:00

The veil robs people of what is available to them only through Christ. It is not Christ ..... and.

Once the veil is lifted we will reflect!

2 Corinthians 3:18 So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord––who is the Spirit––makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image.

The glory of the New Covenant is not partaken of through the use of the Law in any form.

The glory of the New Covenant can only realized through faith in Christ alone and as we believe, we behold, and as we behold, we are changed.

Understanding the nature of this New Covenant matters because it will be what gets us off the roller coaster ride that is so common to Christians today.

Believers can fall prey to spending a good amount of their lives in a spiritual turmoil. Plagued by an insecurity born from guilt and fear that somehow they will never measure up because they are comparing themselves to a system that is obsolete and has been replaced!

I have good news! In your own efforts to be good you will never measure up!

Why on earth is that good news? It is good because that is exactly why Christ came to earth. He came to initiate through His death and resurrection a better hope. A better covenant not dependant on our effort but one that relies entirely on His works.

The only thing we bring to the table is a faith made possible by the working of the Spirit in our hearts.

Under this New Covenant, it is all of God and the glory is not a fading one it is a growing one as mankind is made to look into the brightness of the glory of the Messiah who has come!

What does this mean for us here today?

It means that by grace we can continually approach His throne and find the help that we need. As we do, we grow spiritually and we reflect more fully His image and His glory is seen by others through us.

Jesus is desiring to reveal Himself to others through a people who by grace through faith, not the Law manifest His life at work in them. That is the living gospel this world needs to see!

Everlasting Glory Part Three

2010-08-25T08:05:00.000-04:00

Everyone does not enjoy this revelation of a New Covenant. Sometimes this glorious truth hits the intellect of some whose minds are hardened to it and they refuse to see it because they demand something different.

2 Corinthians 3:14 But the people’s minds were hardened, and to this day whenever the old covenant is being read, the same veil covers their minds so they cannot understand the truth. And this veil can be removed only by believing in Christ. 15 Yes, even today when they read Moses’ writings, their hearts are covered with that veil, and they do not understand.

There it is clear as day. Those whose minds are hardened have a veil over their face and cannot see clearly because of it. It specifically refers to Law lovers. They are hardened in their thinking towards anything that even hints of replacing what they have known, or what they think they know about the Law given through Moses.

But if through the preaching of the gospel they are turned to Christ, the veil is taken away and they begin to understand the freedom that is theirs through Christ and the life of the Spirit.

2 Corinthians 3:16 But whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 17 For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.

But what freedom is spoken of here?

The freedom spoken of here is freedom from the veil!

Freedom from legalistic living and thinking! Freedom from Old Covenant death and condemnation brought on by attempting to adhere to the law. Freedom from the spiritual death it produces in man.

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.

Behaving well will never make someone a son, but a son will behave. Knowing Christ changes us, we do not change ourselves and then claim Christ. It is by faith we are made righteous and enabled to receive. This is the beauty of the New Covenant, Christ made a covenant with God the Father. Now we stand in what He did apart from the empty man made promises of better behavior.

Everlasting Glory Part Two

2010-08-24T07:00:00.001-04:00

There are some who argue that what Jesus did in establishing His New Covenant merely renewed or made better the Old Covenant.

Ever traded in an old car for a new one? The number one reason for trading in an old car for a new one is that the old car has become obsolete. Therefore a new one is needed.

Hebrews 8:13 In that He says, "A new covenant," He has made the first obsolete. Now what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.

Jesus is the Mediator of a New Covenant. But not just a New Covenant, a new and better Covenant. It is better because it has no expiration date on it. It is everlasting and it comes with an even greater glory than the first that isn’t fading!

2Corinthians 3:8 Shouldn’t we expect far greater glory under the new way, now that the Holy Spirit is giving life? 9 If the old way, which brings condemnation, was glorious, how much more glorious is the new way, which makes us right with God! 10 In fact, that first glory was not glorious at all compared with the overwhelming glory of the new way. 11 So if the old way, which has been replaced, was glorious, how much more glorious is the new, which remains forever!

This is good news folks! What Christ accomplished replaces anything and everything that existed before. But it doesn’t replace it with a mere equivalent to what was before, it offers something far superior! Because it is so superior we can have great confidence and boldness.

2 Corinthians 3:12 ¶ Since this new way gives us such confidence, we can be very bold. 13 We are not like Moses, who put a veil over his face so the people of Israel would not see the glory, even though it was destined to fade away.

This New Covenant glory is not a fading glory because it will never be replaced or improved upon. It is also not a glory that requires we hide it by veiling our faces because it is not a ministry of death like the covenant of Moses was. The Old Covenant Moses brought was a covenant of condemnation and death. The Scripture makes this plain. We already read in VS 6 “The old written covenant ends in death; but under the new covenant, the Spirit gives life.” Jesus brought us glorious life.

Everlasting Glory Part One

2010-08-23T08:20:00.001-04:00

Scripture reveals that God often chose to use physical realities as prophetic parallels. For instance:

In 2 Kings 13 King Jehoash of Israel was told by Elisha the prophet to take a hand full of arrows and strike the ground with them. The kings half hearted attempt resulted in a limited victory over his enemy Syria. Had he struck the arrows five or six times as opposed to just three it would have meant that his enemy Syria would have been completely destroyed.

When Moses came down from the mountain after receiving the Ten Commandments from God he had a glory on him that resulted in his having to wear a veil over his face. Moses had to go up into the very glory of God in order to be given the commandments that marked the Covenant made between God and Israel. It was a glorious Covenant to Israel, the first one they had ever received as a nation from God. It began with glory.

But the Bible tells us clearly that it was a fading glory.

2 Corinthians 3:7 The old way, with laws etched in stone, led to death, though it began with such glory that the people of Israel could not bear to look at Moses’ face. For his face shone with the glory of God, even though the brightness was already fading away.

God was saying something prophetic through the veil Moses wore. He was speaking prophetically through the natural. How can we know this?

The veil hid a glory that was fading. The Old Covenant written on stone tablets was a fading covenant the veil of Moses was meant to reveal it would not be an everlasting covenant.

God was prophetically speaking to the people of Israel that they should not look to this covenant as the one that will be with them forever but that when One greater than Moses comes a New Covenant made through Messiah would replace this Old one.

2 Corinthians 3:5 It is not that we think we are qualified to do anything on our own. Our qualification comes from God. 6 He has enabled us to be ministers of his new covenant. This is a covenant not of written laws, but of the Spirit. The old written covenant ends in death; but under the new covenant, the Spirit gives life.

Just as Jesus is superior to Moses, the Covenant Jesus set in motion is superior to and replaces the Old Covenant brought through Moses.

Hearts for the Kingdom Part Four

2010-08-22T07:00:00.001-04:00

At home sometimes we play a music channel while we do chores etc. On one particular day I happened to notice the background for the music channel that was playing and the scene was breath taking.

In the background were these majestic mountains and someone apparently laying on their back and taking in all this amazing beauty of creation, because in the foreground was a pair of feet with hiking boots on pointed to the sky.

The sky above was rich blue with billowing white clouds dispersed in it and these amazing mountains in the background. I thought to myself what an amazing creation of God.

It was then that the Holy Spirit broke in on my thought and said, "If you think that is amazing just open your eyes each day you walk out your door. Every time that you look at another human being you are beholding the greatest work in all creation. Nothing in creation exceeds the handiwork of God revealed in mankind."

I began to think of how devalued mankind had become in my own heart. I was reminded how that in the gospel mankind is not a devalued creation at all. The Creator Himself came to earth to redeem mankind, to reconcile the crown of creation to Himself. This most beautiful and marvelous aspect of creation has been marred by the fall and Christ came to reclaim it.

Through the gospel I want to have a different motivation towards men. I want to stand in awe of what God originally made and have my heart ache as His does over the distortion of it that took place in the fall. I want the gospel to produce in me a fresh desire to see this crown of creation restored in newness of life to the One who made it.

May God grant us even more boldness to proclaim His word to those we encounter each day as we go about our lives.

May He open up the riches of His grace and truth to our hearts not so we could hoard them for ourselves but so we might know the abundance of His generosity and shed our spiritual poverty realizing we have more than enough to give to others simply because we are in Christ.

May we begin to see our world through the eyes of a kingdom driven heart and may His presence ignite us to be His all the time.

Hearts for the Kingdom Part Three

2010-08-21T07:00:00.001-04:00

Acts 4:31 is built on the foundation of two men who had the courage to expect God to do something in the marketplace and use it as a door to preach the gospel and as a result were arrested and persecuted for their preaching of the gospel.

They were not arrested for the man being healed, seldom will anyone be persecuted for such a wonderful miracle. They were arrested because they went beyond the miracle and spoke specifically about who did it and why. They preached Christ!

They gave credit to Christ and then spoke forthrightly concerning the truth about Him. For this the leaders of the temple sought to silence them with threats and held them overnight in jail.

After being released and having stood their ground in the gospel they met with the believers and prayed for more of this kind of ministry to happen so that others might see, hear and believe the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Their motive in prayer? Others might see, hear and know Christ!

They prayed Scripturally concerning the prophetic words concerning Christ and for themselves they simply asked for boldness to preach.

They were determined to see the kingdom advanced. From this heart motivation they simply lived their lives and God confirmed their living with His presence wherever they went.

There is no great concern revealed here in this portion of Scripture for how lively of a meeting they might have. They appear to me to be more concerned about the gospel going forth and people being set free by the truth of it working in their hearts. As a result their meeting together was by nature more lively!

There is a freshness in such thinking and living. There is a presence of God that is manifest to a generation when a people determine to be committed to what matters most.

Hearts for the Kingdom Part Two

2010-08-20T12:23:00.000-04:00

Peter and John were simply doing their usual thing and going up to the temple to pray around 3 in the afternoon when the two of them witnessed a man lame from birth being placed at the gate called Beautiful to beg.

On this particular occasion it must have registered in Peters spirit that the Holy Ghost wanted to do something. I say this because the lame man is no stranger to the people who go up to the temple. All know his story and are familiar with his suffering in life. He is there to beg regularly. So we can assume Peter and John would know something of this man as well seeing they are not strangers to the temple either.

But on this day, Peter decides to do something. He approaches the man and stretches forth his hand with a simple statement. I have no silver or gold but what I do have I give to you.

What did Peter possess?

He was a possessor of the Kingdom he had Christ living on the inside, he was full of the Holy Ghost. Everything that defies the status of a broken fallen world was residing in Peter and John. It resides as well in us.

What I have I give to you! Where did learn such an extravagant generosity that sets no prerequisites on what a man must do to receive?

Maybe it is revealed in the name he spoke when he told the man to rise up and walk. Peter had witnessed extravagant love unbound, untainted, pure and unsullied expressed through Jesus. He had witnessed the free will offering of Christ, he had seen the generosity and willingness of a savior who would not only do good for those who were seeking help, He would even lay down His life for those who were to be called His own.

At one point in Peters life he had denied, ran away and hid himself, and eventually came out of hiding to go fishing.

Like the rest of us he struggled with his faith and he struggled between what his mind wished to analyze and what his heart desired to believe. Reconciling the two would be a journey for Peter just as it was for all the others who followed Christ and will be for us.

But by this time in Peters life he and the others had at least come to terms on some simple realities.

1) Christ was alive because they had seen Him after he had raised from the dead.
2) The kingdom of God was to go forth in the earth conquering the hearts of men and women everywhere according to God’s will and power at work in them through the gospel.
3) They were commissioned to speak this good news wherever they found themselves.

These three basic realities fueled a fresh motivation in their hearts that stirred their prayers and moved them to action each day they went about their usual business.

Hearts for the Kingdom Part One

2010-08-18T09:03:00.000-04:00

Acts 4:31 (NKJV) And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness.

Most would enjoy being part of a meeting where the place was shaken. I’ve been at prayer meetings where they prayed the place would be shaken. But is it accurate to pray such a thing?

If we separate Acts 4:31 from what precedes it and what follows it we might assume it is a recipe for meeting prayers.

But never once did even one of the believers in Acts 4:31 ask that the place be shaken. It simply says when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness.

Somehow I do not think these believers were worried about the meeting itself. I think they were praying from a motive to advance the Kingdom of God where they lived!

In Acts 4:31 believers in Christ were doing life with a kingdom heart and mindset. As we go about our business and engage each day with a kingdom heart and mindset we too can discover the willingness of God to manifest His presence to others.

Jesus wants His gospel proclaimed and He will manifest Himself to others as do life with the motive of advancing His kingdom.

Acts 4:31 does not exist as a motivational passage for powerful meetings. It exist as a passage sandwiched between many other passages revealing a lifestyle and motivation that existed in the hearts of those early believers.

Without what happened to Peter and John as they did ordinary daily life we would not have an Acts 4:31 passage to begin with.

Standing in the Truth

2010-08-01T08:28:00.001-04:00

1Corinthians 5:1 ¶ I can hardly believe the report about the sexual immorality going on among you––something that even pagans don’t do. I am told that a man in your church is living in sin with his stepmother. 2 You are so proud of yourselves, but you should be mourning in sorrow and shame. And you should remove this man from your fellowship.

What on earth is happening here?

As a pastor I have discovered deception can masquerade in many forms. Here we find the Corinthian church was deeply decieved. In these last days it should not catch us unaware that we too will encounter people who lack discernment and the courage to deal in the truth with those who practice gross immorality. Let's draw our attention to the man mentioned in this text.

I look at this and I see that the man would likely claim there is no pretending in his life. He is still mingling with others in the church but he has not hidden the sin he is in.

Grace is not about tolernace. It is not true grace to allow such a vile sin to go unchecked in a church body. Here was a man, in a sin, that even the godless pagans would find offensive and yet he still expected to enjoy fellowship with believers in Christ as though he were normal since he was not hiding his sin from anyone.

The church in Corinth was allowing this man to be in charge of their response to his sin by pretending along with him that what he was doing was okay. They were obviously pointing to this situation as the proof of their love because Paul says they are proud of themselves about their acceptance of this man despite his sin.

But we discover their "love" was no love at all in this case. They were deceived in their handling of this man up to this point. If they loved him they must take the difficult stand against what he is doing and they must realize that if they continue in their loving tolerance mindset they are condoning his behavior and it will become a license to others to follow his example.

Can a church grounded in grace actually bring discipline to a member in deep sinful behavior? Absolutely, and it should when appropriate.

By Grace Know Your Place Part Four

2010-07-30T07:51:00.002-04:00

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If we wish to be Christ like in our character humility is a must. Jesus humbled Himself, so we too must humble ourselves. This is an act of the will on our part.

True humility at work does not see others as stepping stones for something I need in life. Others do not exist for my benefit, I exist for theirs.

Humility enables me to serve others and feel grateful that I can do so on any level.

Humility enables us to fulfill Philippians 2:14 ¶ Do all things without grumbling or questioning,

Just imagine how much would get done in the kingdom of God if the body of Christ embraced in this type of humility?

In fact the way to be blameless and innocent children of God without blemish in such a generation as we live in can only be realized through humility.

If you want to be relevant in this generation and make your mark as a shining light then humility is the way to do so!

Do you know your place?

On the job? In the home? In the church? In your neighborhood? Among your friends? At school? In society at large? At this season of your life?

How do you respond to those in authority in your life?

It is one of the surest tests we have for evaluating the level of humility we walk in. Christ humbled Himself and became a servant and so will we if we walk in humility.

Superior minded people seek to be served by others, but the humble desire to serve others and delight in the privilege to do so.

By grace know your place and enjoy it!

By Grace Know Your Place Part Three

2010-07-28T23:56:00.000-04:00

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In the order of things in life anytime something or someone gets this wrong it creates a situation that we define as dysfunctional. Original sin makes mankind by nature dysfunctional. Observe.

A marriage relationship where the wife lords over her husband is considered dysfunctional, a child who tries to force their will as opposed to the parents creates a dysfunctional home. An employee who thinks they can boss the boss creates a dysfunctional work relationship. We would think it strange if someone tried to arrest a policeman just because he gave them a ticket.

Where there is humility and mutual submission there is peace and harmony.

Leaders who lack humility can become manipulative tyrants or too timid to address or accomplish anything. Avoidance for the sake of convenience and comfort is self serving and lacking humility. Being a tyrant is about the same thing but achieved in a different but more obvious way.

Leaders aren’t perfect just as those who follow aren’t perfect. Leaders are placed in authority by someone else in authority. It always has to come from someone with greater authority. There will always be leaders and followers. Although it is true leaders aren’t perfect it is still possible to have good leaders and still have conflict and tension.

Knowing our place is important for more reasons than we realize.

Submission and a gracious response to authority on any level is most difficult where there is a lack of humility in either the authority themselves or the one under authority.

Philippians 2 has some very eye opening and heart challenging revelation about the character of Christ in it.

Philippians 2:1 ¶ So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, 2 complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. 3 Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. 12 ¶ Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. 14 ¶ Do all things without grumbling or questioning, 15 that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world,

Wow! Even Jesus knew His place.

By Grace Know Your Place Part Two

2010-07-27T08:19:00.000-04:00

I often hear people trying to define or measure grace based on how tolerant of sin or obnoxious behavior in others we might be. The nicer we are to them the more grace we exhibit. Although it is true that grace can change the way we respond in situations involving sin it also enables us to understand our place in all areas of life and keeps us from barging into things we have no business being in. Grace enables us to respond to authority with humility.

We are living in a generation that seems more and more out of touch with this truth in life. There seems to be a growing contempt for authority on any level.

For instance: Scripture teaches us to respect our elders due to their years of life and wisdom. A humble person is more than willing to extend this kind of courtesy to the elderly.

In the Scripture we are told that the older women in the church are to teach the younger women some specific things about life.

The only way this exchange of wisdom and practice can occur is if the older women are willing to impart and the younger women have the humility to listen, watch and learn.

If we remove the ability to know our place in the body we all will eventually suffer from it. Although we have all received grace and our salvation is on equal footing, there is an order to things.

In speaking to the church of Corinth regarding the issue of order the Holy Spirit moves Paul to use the analogy of the human body and express what kind of chaos would result if certain body parts started to think they no longer needed each other or decided they wanted to have a more honorable position.

1Corinthians 12:18 But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. 19 If all were a single member, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, yet one body. 21 The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.”

We need each other and we need each other through humility to know our place and by grace enjoy being there.

By Grace Know Your Place Part One

2010-07-26T08:55:00.000-04:00

Luke 14:7 ¶ Now he told a parable to those who were invited, when he noticed how they chose the places of honor, saying to them, 8 “When you are invited by someone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in a place of honor, lest someone more distinguished than you be invited by him, 9 and he who invited you both will come and say to you, ‘Give your place to this person,’ and then you will begin with shame to take the lowest place. 10 But when you are invited, go and sit in the lowest place, so that when your host comes he may say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at table with you. 11 For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Jesus was watching the others in the room and observes something that opens a door to teach. Life is filled with teachable moments for anyone humble enough to be taught.

Jesus used this parable to teach two important things that should never be ignored:

1) By grace know your place and enjoy it

2) Humility leads to honor, high mindedness leads to disgrace.

The art of knowing ones place is based on an attitude of humility. Nothing teaches us our place in life better than grace. It is God who calls us and gives us our place in the body of Christ. It is by grace we have been saved through faith, it is not of ourselves it is a gift. We did not earn the right to be His because we possess some amazing ability to choose better than others. That would mean we were smarter and with that attitude we are likely to look down on those not as wise as ourselves in their choosing.

In this parable a lot of assuming was going on. A Pharisee was hosting a feast and obviously invited his religious elite friends to it. Self righteous people can tend to be oblivious to the truth concerning their place and these folks were of that sort. They were coming into the feast and choosing the choicest seats without any thought that the seat they were choosing may be meant for someone the host has preferred to give it to. They just assume the host would consider them of such great importance that they should take the choice seat. People who think too much of themselves and their abilities end up in humiliating situations over and over again from not knowing their place by grace.

Jesus portrays the one who invited people as the only one with the authority to determine which seats belonged to whom and what measure of honor they should be given. We do not get to determine the level of honor we are due. That is up to God and those He has placed in authority in our lives.

The Key To Personal Revival Part Five

2010-07-24T07:00:00.001-04:00

Romans 12:16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be conceited.

Have you ever tried being friends with a conceited person? Superior minded folks are usually critics and are difficult to fellowship with. No one else ever measures up and they act as though they are doing you a favor by giving you five minutes of their time.

Remember the two thieves at the cross? One said, if you are the Son of God then get us down from here! The other one wouldn’t even look at Jesus and he said please remember me when you come into your kingdom. One was humble the other arrogant thinking he deserved better oblivious to his guilt and just punishment and unable to recognize the love, mercy and greatness of the one next to him. He had a sense of entitlement but he received nothing.

A lack of humility makes us blind and numb. It leads us to having a sense of entitlement in life. A, “you owe me” attitude. Entitlement treats others as though they owe us something and if they fail to deliver we become angry with them.

How many people have you ever encountered who are angry with God because he did not do for them what they felt they deserved and now they are bitter with Him?

Humility has always been and will always be the key to personal revival in our lives. Humility makes me able to realize I need you and you need me and we both desperately need Christ all the time. It is the gateway to grace being put to work in me.

My personal revival begins when I humble myself, approach His throne of grace boldly to get the help I need so I can also be of help to you even when I am weak. Humility such as this is the key to my personal revival and yours. I encourage you today to come boldly before His throne of grace and find the help you so desperately need! He still revives the heart of the humble!

The Key To Personal Revival Part Four

2010-07-23T07:00:00.001-04:00

Have we forgotten the encouragement of Colossians 2:6&7?

Have we testified that we are rooted in Christ but neglected being built up in Him and established in the faith?

We are continually built up in Him by remaining receptive to His grace. When we receive we realize how it is of Him and not us. How can we discern we are receiving as we ought?

The common response to receiving is, “thank you.” This simple response reveals the level of humility a person walks in. It is not demonstrated when someone refuses to look you in the eye, or speaks in a timid monotone voice. Humility is most rightly expressed through thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is the recognition that I have received something from someone other than myself. I did not do this on my own and therefore it is right to say thank you to the one responsible for making it happen.

While my father and mother were alive it would have been most inappropriate for them to thank me for being their son. I did not choose them they chose me when they decided to bear a child together. Instead the appropriate response would be for me to thank them for giving me life in the first place.

You know you have been embracing a wrong gospel when it fails to produce in you a genuine gratitude for God that results in giving thanks to Him for His great mercy and generosity.

What kind of thanksgiving am I referring to?

Athletes who receive honors will out of courtesy say thank you. But it does not mean they have this same spirit of thanksgiving at work in them. They may feel that they earned the trophy or award by their hard work and amazing talent. Their “Thank You” is appropriate to say, but in such a case it is said based on their appreciation that someone noticed their achievement. This civility is accepted as an appropriate response in such situations. But it is not the thanksgiving spoken of here in Colossians.

A humble act of thanksgiving recognizes the contributions made by others realizing that without them one would not have achieved anything at all. An example of this would be reflected if that same athlete were say, “I want to give thanks to God who gifted me with certain abilities that have enable me to achieve great things in this sport, I wish to thank my trainer and coach who have helped me focus so I might improve at what I do, I wish to thank my Father and Mother who gave me life and sacrificed to make it possible for me to engage in this sport investing their time and resources into making my dream a reality, and I wish to thank the fans whose encouragement helps me strive to do better.”

Humility has always been a difficult practice to embrace in the church when people embrace wrong doctrine regarding the gospel. Paul had to ask the Corinthians, “what do you have that you did not receive from another?”

Humble people recognize the contributions of others and thank them for what they mean to them this is why without humility at work in us we are unable to experience genuine community and fellowship as the body of Christ. We miss out!

The Key To Personal Revival Part Three

2010-07-22T08:14:00.000-04:00

James 4:6 But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: "God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble."

1Peter 5:5 Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for "God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble."

We need to return to where we were when we first came to Christ.

ESV Colossians 2:6 Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, 7 rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.

How did we receive Christ?

We had to come to the foot of His cross empty, sinful, helpless and humbled. We had nothing to give Him and we were made aware by His Spirit that He had everything to give to us.

We brought Him our unrighteousness, our self will, our independence, or brokenness. He gave us His righteousness, His love, His purpose, His life, His power, and His healing. We came to Him empty and we were filled. This is how we are to walk daily with Him. We are to empty ourselves out to Him so we might be filled with all His fullness. This is done in humility and faith.

A humble person never loses sight of their need for Christ and His willingness to love them and empower them with His grace.

This is what Paul spoke of when he was saying in his weakness Christ is made strong. The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak, we ask God to help us in our weaknesses by filling us with His Spirit afresh.

We stumble when we embrace the deception that we could manage on our own and stop asking for His help.

The Key To Personal Revival Part Two

2010-07-21T07:00:00.001-04:00

The prescription for restoration, for healing, for a fresh start, and for empowerment from God, is the same for all of us no matter where we find ourselves. If you are in this condition and needy today I have good news for you, there is hope! There is an answer!

First: we have to cease pretending to be something we’re not. This despair will not be broken by putting up a front that we have it all together. This is likely the greatest hindrance there is to personal revival. Honesty and vulnerability is the only thing that can help any man or woman, and yet, it is the hardest thing for someone who is struggling to walk in.

I am not superman! I am not a man of steel there are many things I can be weakened by in life. I am a man, a human being and I have weaknesses and frailties, emotions, and five senses that God gave to me for a purpose. These things can sometimes be an asset and sometimes they are my greatest weaknesses. Sometimes what we think to be our greatest strength can become our weakness.

No matter how weak I might feel, no matter how defeated I may appear to be, no matter how strong the snare of the enemy, the prescription of God remains simple, it stays constant, it never changes!

It is the solution to sin, to prayerlessness, to a lack of hunger for the word, to my avoiding Christian fellowship, to feeling inferior to others who seem more spiritual. It is God’s timeless answer.

What is it?

Humble yourself! God revives the humble!

Isaiah 57:15 For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite.

Humility is not a last option when all else fails, it is our first and only option else we fail.

The Key To Personal Revival Part One

2010-07-20T14:15:00.000-04:00

It would seem of late as though the only way one might be validated is if they have either had and are still having supernatural experiences or are being used to bring about such experiences in others. There can be an addiction to spiritual highs. I enjoy the spiritual highs as much as the next person. They are exciting!

But what about those who are in the midst of struggle?

What about those who feel very distant from God right now?
Seventy disciples had been sent out two by two by Jesus. When they met with Jesus they reported how demons were subject to them in His name and were all excited about it Jesus said in:

Luke 10:20 “do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice that your names are written in Heaven.”

Jesus gave them something constant to rejoice in because men of God have their mountain top experiences as well as their valley experiences and both spiritual experiences have their place and purpose in our lives. We all love the spiritual high times when we feel most like we have it together as we should, but they are not the constant in our lives, nor are the valley experiences, thank God.

It is the valley experience that gives validation to the idea of personal revival in the first place. The fact that I can struggle and need God can be a good thing. But there has been a strange ideology sweep through Christianity that implies that the less dependent upon God we become, the better off we are. Some propose it is Christian maturity. The fact is you and I need grace just as much today as we did when we came to Christ at the first.

Paul the Apostle boasted in his weaknesses because it was through those weaknesses that Christ was made strong. When Paul was in weakness and something was accomplished there was no mistaking it was Jesus who made it possible, the idea that others would have to acknowledge Jesus was doing it thrilled Paul.

Life has a way of making us feel numb sometimes. It has a way of beating on us until we begin to wonder if we are conscious or not. It can come at us so fast that we wonder what to do next.

It is in these weak moments that we least expect God will use us to do anything. It is in these types of moments that we, based on our feelings, feel far away from God. It is at these times that we question whether we can hear clearly from the Lord or not. We wrestle with ourselves and with the principalities. Sometimes we become disappointed and find ourselves tempted or even giving into sin in some area.

How can we ever be restored?
How can we who are in such despair get free?
Where is personal revival for those of us who feel as though we have forgotten what it means to walk with Jesus?

I can promise you this. The prescription for restoration, for healing, for a fresh start, and for empowerment from God, is the same for all of us no matter where we find ourselves.

If you are in this condition and needy today I have good news for you, there is hope! There is an answer!

An Exhortation to Disciples Part Seven

2010-07-19T07:00:00.001-04:00

2Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.

There are Three important things we should note here regarding the Scriptures we dealt with the first two in a previous post and will address the third in this final post:

3) The purpose intended in the proper use of them.

a. Making us competent (Competent is a loaded word here. It is translated in other versions as complete or perfect. The idea is that of it being a tool used of God in our lives to bring about growth in the life and righteousness we have received through faith in Christ. It is intended that what we have received within become outwardly expressed as we grow in the truth. It is used in the sense that we were custom made for a specific purpose and through knowing the truth we discover what we are fitted for in life and we become effective in the gift we have been given.)

b. Equipping us for every good work (It is in the Scripture that we discover: 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.

God has a wonderful plan for our lives that is not discovered ambiguously by us but rather as we invest ourselves in knowing His word and allowing the Holy Spirit to use that word to unveil to us His heart and plan for us intended to be known though belonging to Christ.)

As you can see these few verses of Scripture are loaded with sound instruction for any disciple of Christ who is serious about knowing Him and desiring to live godly “in Christ.”

These passages will only prove to be frustrating for those intent on adding to what has already been done as opposed to desiring to understand what has been done so they might walk in fullness of faith regarding what has become their through knowing Jesus Christ.

These passages reveal their riches to those in relationship with God through Christ alone.

An Exhortation to Disciples Part Six

2010-07-18T07:00:00.001-04:00

We should never seek to diminish or marginalize the importance of the Scripture in our lives. It is through the Word of God that we discover the truth concerning Christ. There is a reason the Holy Spirit moved on men to write it for us. There is a reason God has so well preserved it throughout the ages for us. It needs to once again become cherished in the church. Here we find that the Holy Spirit speaking through Paul to Timothy is going to promote the use of it in the life of a disciple of Jesus for some very specific reasons. It is true there are those who use it maliciously to abuse others or to try and control others with it but we should not allow the misuse of it by others to make us disinclined to being good students who use it properly.

2Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.

There are Three important things we should note here regarding the Scriptures in this post we will cover the first two:

1) How much of it is God inspired. (Here the Holy Spirit makes it clear that all of it is God breathed. There are not portions that are more inspired than others, all of it is useful to us when properly used and understood.)

2) What things it is profitable for in the life of a disciple of Christ.

a. Teaching. (It is clear that it is intended that Scripture be taught. It is meant to instruct us in matters of relating to God through Christ, in matters pertaining to understanding life in this world being lived as disciples in Christ, and in matters pertaining to how to rightly relate to one another through love and the responsibilities that brings upon us. Our Father has not left us without a means of insight into His character and His direction for our lives.)

b. Reproof. (This word has more to do with getting something right than it does the typical notion associated with it. Most see this word and think of being set straight by someone. The idea here is a positive right discovery of the truth rather than a negative shaking of the finger in ones face and being told one is wrong. It speaks to the idea of our discernment growing and being fine tuned by the instruction of Scripture.)

c. Correction. (This word is just as it appears. The way we discover we have missed the mark in some area is through an understanding of Scripture. But this is not about becoming astute in the Law. It is about becoming astute in matters pertaining to the truth. We need adjustment in matters pertaining to the differences between the old and the new covenant for instance. It is through having the Scripture opened to us by the revelation of the Spirit now that we are in Christ that we discover the benefits of New Covenant grace.)

d. Training in Righteousness. (This language implies that it is already a done deal but now it is time to understand what the done deal is and how it is meant to work in our lives. This is training meant to make us righteous, we already are made righteous through faith in Christ alone. This is more to do with bringing us to the place of revelation understanding regarding what this imputed righteousness we have been given produces in us as we yield to the work of the Spirit and the life of Christ in us.)

An Exhortation to Disciples Part Five

2010-07-17T07:00:00.005-04:00

2Timothy 3:14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it 15 and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.

We are to know three important things: Vs14

1) Who we learned the truth from (herein lies the secret to exposing untested and possibly unreliable teachers that abound through the avenues of media and other sources. There are many good teachers and gifted men and women out there but there are also as many if not more unreliable ones. Here we find the Holy Spirit admonishing young Timothy through Paul to know who he has learned the truth from. There is relationship involved and it is supposed to count for something in our efforts to rightly discern who we should trust and what teachings to believe. When we know who we learned from we also know the way in which they have lived and the example they have set for us through practice. Embodied in this may well be the instruction found in:

Hebrews13:17 Obey your spiritual leaders, and do what they say. Their work is to watch over your souls, and they are accountable to God. Give them reason to do this with joy and not with sorrow. That would certainly not be for your benefit.

If someone doesn’t trust the ones in leadership where they enjoy Christian community and are being taught the Scripture, then why would they wish to be there? A disciple should be able to trust that the men in charge of caring for their souls are genuine, sincere, equipped and discerning. Men able to teach who are sound in their understanding of Scriptural truth and committed to the gospel. A disciple engaged in Christian community should at least have enough knowledge to know and trust that the leaders follow Christ. This is why there is a list of credentials for elders and deacons in the church.)

2) We should know the benefit of being acquainted with Scripture from childhood (If you have had the privilege of growing up in the church or in a Christian home where the Scriptures have been taught to you then you are a blessed person indeed. There seems to be a growing number of people who speak about this particular privilege as being negative. They wish to marginalize this great experience. Truth is, those having this advantage should count it a blessing. In Timothy’s case Paul is viewing this to be of great advantage to him and a reason to expect that Timothy should conduct himself in a responsible and discerning manner. It is not a negative thing to be acquainted with the Scriptures from childhood. This to me this is a good basis for promoting the idea of children being taught to memorize the Scriptures. Familiarity with the Word of God is a good thing. On the flip side, if you did not have this privilege it is never too late to familiarize yourself with the Word of God. Begin to study it consistently and look for Christ being revealed in the pages of it. It will be a blessing to you in more ways than you can even imagine.)

3) We are to know that the Scriptures are able to make us wise regarding salvation through faith in Christ (Notice how the Holy Spirit stays consistent with the full purpose of Scripture. He makes sure Timothy sees the importance of being wise about salvation through faith in Christ. Any salvation that goes beyond being through faith in Christ alone is no real salvation for it is limited in both its scope and it’s power. The idea of promoting the understanding and study of Scripture is not so we can simply be smarted or possess a little more Bible knowledge. The end is meant to be that we become wise with regard to salvation and that we understand that it is through faith in Christ that we are saved. This text is not outside the gospel of grace but is rather rich with it.)

An Exhortation to Disciples Part Four

2010-07-16T07:00:00.001-04:00

An Exhortation to Disciples Part Three

2010-07-15T08:15:00.001-04:00

2Timothy 3:12 Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, 13 while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.
There are Four important things to note at the start of these two verses we just read, we've already covered the first three so now we will cover the fourth.

4) The places where this persecution is likely to occur: Vs 13

a. In the world (Since evil people aren’t likely to be found in churches it stands to reason that they would be encountered in our day to day affairs in this world. The work place, schools, the market place, our communities where we interact with people outside our church community.)

b. In the church (Imposters are pretenders and to be such they must be found in an environment where they can pretend to be what they are not. This means we should expect to sometimes encounter persecution even within the church when it involves an encounter with an imposter.)

Because of the growing threat regarding the ones desiring to live godly lives in Christ Jesus, a threat which is directly tied to the eminent worsening condition of the opposition that will be surrounding them, advice is given here that should be heeded by anyone who is serious about following Christ in these last days.
Consider the nature of corruption and decay if you will.

Ever noticed something that has been weakened by decay?

Would you be willing to cross a deep gorge on a dry rotted and frayed suspended rope bridge?

The ever worsening condition of evil men and imposters will be such that they will be like a dry rotted and frayed suspended rope bridge to all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus. They will seek to deceive those of us committed to Christ in an attempt to validate themselves, and the way they live. They will be very convincing since they will be deceived themselves already and therefore deeply believe what they practice to be true. They actually believe the lies they have embraced and can be passionate and sincere about them. It would be foolish for us to refuse to heed the counsel of Scripture regarding this.

2Timothy 4:1¶ I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: 2 preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. 3 For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, 4 and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. 5 As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.

An Exhortation for Disciples Part Two

2010-07-14T12:18:00.001-04:00

An Exhortation for Disciples

2010-07-13T00:36:00.000-04:00

2Timothy 3:12 Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, 13 while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.

There are FOUR important things to note at the start of these two verses we just read. I will seek to cover just the first two in this post. The first two are as follows:

1) Those who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. Vs12

     a. This is given as a guarantee, a promise if you will we know this based on the use of the word, indeed.
     b. The reason for the persecution is based on having the desire to live a godly life in Christ.

     c. This persecution is not random in its selection. It clearly says who and how many of them will experience this and it is “all who desire to live godly lives "In Christ."

2) The issue presented has to do with desiring to live a godly life “in Christ.” (We should not read this as saying those who wish to be godly now that they have received Christ. That is not what is conveyed here. To miss the point of it being about being “In Christ” would be a great mistake to make. We are already made godly by being “In Christ” and our goal is to better understand what that means to us as we seek to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Christ Jesus. The attempts to move us away from this rock of truth that anchors the soul will be many and of great influence. Therefore it is of great importance that we understand just what is being instructed here. Great deception is predicted in the last days so we will do well to equip ourselves in the sound truth of Salvation by grace through faith in Christ alone. But make no mistake here, the idea conveyed is about a desire to live a godly life. Understanding it correctly enables us to realize that we are to do so not with despair when we miss the mark, but with joy knowing we are “in Christ” and therefore we do not become discouraged and give up as those without hope. We get back up and brush the dirt off our clothes and start walking again. We desire to live godly lives but we are “IN Christ.”)

Just A Thought

2010-07-12T09:40:00.002-04:00

2Timothy 3:12 Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.

It seems to me of late that the amount of publications and comments on persecution appear to be more geared towards sympathy for the ungodly as though they are the ones persecuted somehow.

Those seeking to live godly lives in Christ become accused of being critics even if they live their lives quietly because a life lived for Jesus Christ declares righteousness even when the mouth is silent. I will agree that those who make it a practice of being obnoxious or hateful should not claim they are persecuted for this reason stated. No one likes arrogant, conceited and hateful people who speak down to others. But can we honestly say that the arrogant superior minded believer is in the majority? It hasn't been my experience.

Meanwhile, it would appear that the ungodly falsely accuse and criticise the godly and find sympathizers within the church to support their claims. Some seem to wish to define love as never saying anything to another person regarding the danger of sin. It is becoming more and more acceptable to think that living as the world does in order that they will not think Christians are mean or out of touch is the way to be relevant. So those who think differently and actually seek to live differently in devotion to Christ are persecuted for it.

I have never known anyone to seek out a homeless man for advice on new home purchases or becoming rich, or an addict on how to kick a habit. People who know they are in bondage, or who wish to succeed, generally seek out those who have proven themselves. They look for the ones who appear to have an answer.

If sinners are to find the grace available to them through Jesus Christ they must observe it at work in the lives of His followers. Should this not lead them to expect that believers in Jesus would be different in some way and speak the truth in love to them? The Law will have to be used lawfully in proving that sin is exceedingly sinful and destructive before the grace offered through faith in Jesus Christ will be amazingly glorious and wonderful. This means, like it or not, morality will have to be discussed on some level with those who live ungodly lives.

To speak with any authority on the subject of morality grace should be effectively producing the fruit of righteous behavior in us. We do not do good to earn anything from God, but we do obey the Spirit and cooperate with His work of sanctification in our lives. He leads us out of our old ways of living independent of Christ and doing our own things, into a life surrendered in obedience to Christ. Living "In Christ" means we will be a reflection of His character and attitude in life. Like Jesus we will live to bring honor to the Father.

This is why we must be reconciled to realizing that, "those who live godly "in Christ" will suffer persecution.

I seem to recall that most of the multitudes who at one time followed Jesus for the fishes, loaves and miracles deserted Him when the going got tough and may have been part of the crowd shouting crucify Him before Pilot. To argue that only the religious leaders persecuted Jesus would be a complete denial of the facts represented in Scripture regarding the crowds at the trial of Christ. Society turned out to turn against the Savior on that day.

If they persecuted Jesus, why not those of us who follow Him?

Have you experienced the fulfilment of that prophecy and promise of persecution yet?

Loved Before the World Began Part One

2010-06-07T08:05:00.000-04:00

Ephesians 1:3 ¶ All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ.
In this verse it is quite clear we are to praise God. But why?
Because God has done something specific He has blessed us!
With what has He blessed us? Every spiritual blessing! What is a spiritual blessing?
Here the word blessing in the Greek is the word eulogia, it is where we get our modern English word Eulogy from.

When we come to Christ we die to our old lives and we are made new. God eulogizes us with good things when we come into Christ! God has good things to say concerning us not because of things we have done but because of the things Christ has done.
Spiritual here is the word pneumatikos it is where we get our English word pneumatics which pertains to the use of air or in this case breath which would apply to our spirits or our relational souls.
What this means is that God is speaking promise and good over us intended to enrich our souls and ours spirits with His goodness made available to us through Christ.
Depending on how you look at this it can change your perspective greatly. Some see the term in heavenly places and think that it pertains only to when we arrive home after this life.
But to me the proper way to look at this is that the spiritual blessings we get to enjoy are blessings that originate in and are common to heaven. This to me is referring to kingdom reality living.
God wants to invade our lives here and now with His kingdom breaking through into our realm granting us a taste of things to come as well as demonstrate to others the reality of His power at work in us because of Jesus.
We get to experience the joy of heaven breaking in on us despite our circumstances and we get to praise God because we know He is not bent on evil in our lives, He has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms.

Stimulation or Transformation Part Four

2010-04-22T07:00:00.001-04:00

Law based, performance living is appealing because it provides us with a list that is clearly defined. Step one, step two, step three, step four, step five

In life in the Spirit we receive the Holy Spirit and experience His work by faith, we walk in His counsel by faith, we experience His power at work in us by faith. It is all according to faith. It is a journey.

Hindrances to life in the Spirit are not behavior related, they are faith related. Just ask the Galatians and they’ll tell you.

Insistence on Law based works interferes with our ability to recognize the ongoing work and leading of the Spirit. We become too sophisticated and complicated. It never produces greater anointing. In Christ we are already anointed we just refuse to believe it.

The truth is you and I have the power of the Holy Spirit working in and through us as we stand in faith on the promises. He is at work bringing us into our inheritance in Christ. We just need to believe it.

Are you by faith embracing the Holy Spirit guiding your life?

Are you seeking stimulation for validation, or transformation?

The blessing of the promised Spirit is realized only as we believe the report of the Lord. He desires to transform our lives so that they demonstrate Christ! Our quest to be more like Jesus is realized when we walk in the Spirit by faith.

If you are lacking this work in your life it isn’t difficult to realize it for yourself. You just need to believe the report of the Lord!

The Father desires to give to His children good things so how much more will He give the Holy Spirit to those who ask?

So receive it by faith.

Stimulation or Transformation Part Three

2010-04-21T07:00:00.001-04:00

If righteousness is your goal you will never attain it any other way but by faith. Galatians 3:11 says plainly that, “the righteous shall live by faith.”

It also states, “no one is justified before God by the law.” VS 12 reveals that, “the law is not of faith.”

Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

Faith pleases God but those trying to live by the law are under a curse and cannot please God no matter how hard they try because the Law is not of faith.

Think about that. the Scripture plainly states that the law is not of faith and that it is only by faith that we please God. This is all the proof we need to know we will never please Him with the Law.

But the New Covenant Gospel declares:

Galatians 3:13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”—14 so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith.

It is faith in this truth that releases to us the blessing of the promised Spirit.

People struggle when it comes to the Holy Spirit. Understanding this New Covenant Gospel and believing it in simple faith is all that is needed in matters of the Spirit.

The issue is not what I have done to deserve or not deserve the power of the Spirit. It is what Christ did to make it possible.

Stimulation or Transformation Part Two

2010-04-20T07:00:00.001-04:00

Performance based thinking applied to the work of the Spirit is debilitating, limiting, and draining. It relies on Old Covenant methods for power and life.

In the New Testament there was a group of believers who discovered this. They were beginning to think the wrong way about the ministry of the Spirit. They were being taught that if they behaved a certain way and observed the Law that they would experience an increase in the Spirit.
This ideology was labeled as witchcraft by Paul the Apostle.

Galatians 3:5 Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith—6 ¶ just as Abraham “believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”? 7 Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham. 8 And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you shall all the nations be blessed.” 9 So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith. 10 For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.” 11 Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for “The righteous shall live by faith.” 12 But the law is not of faith, rather “The one who does them shall live by them.” 13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”—14 so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith.

In getting the gospel right we must approach it in the context it is given and that is one of a New Covenant. The greatest hindrance to the church today is not laziness or the need to do more. It is the decline of faith in the simple truth of the gospel.

The New Covenant gospel declares that through Christ we have been made the righteousness of God and are now able to receive the Spirit of Promise through faith.

We can actually live by the Spirit because of what Christ has done. This is accomplished not by our good intentions or efforts, but by faith. I find it interesting how quickly Paul moves from talking of miracles to the righteousness of Abraham.

The gospel of the New Covenant removes us from the position of being under the curse of the Law to being those who are standing in the blessing of Abraham. Abraham took God at His word and God took Abraham places and unfolded events in his life that were birthed by the Holy Spirit and were legacy promises and blessings. More importantly God counted Abraham righteous on the basis of faith alone.

Being under the Law brings you under a curse. It is impossible to embrace the Law and be mindful of the Spirit at the same time. The Law brings our attention to ourselves. The Spirit brings our attention to Christ.

Stimulation or Transformation Part One

2010-04-19T22:22:00.000-04:00

For too long the body of Christ has been held back from walking in what is theirs due to performance based thinking with regard to the work of the Spirit. There has been a spirit of limitation on Christians due to a lack of New Covenant Gospel.
There is a mentality that you must be prayed up as though prayer is how His influence is released. It is like the Holy Ghost is caged up until we pick the lock and release Him through prayer.
This is a man centered approach to understanding the ministry of the Spirit in the life of the believer. It puts us in control of what the Holy Ghost does, when He does it, and how much He can do.
It breeds the idea that His hands are tied unless we empower Him with our prayers and good behavior. It is an Old Covenant understanding and approach., but we need a New Covenant understanding.
The Biblical teaching on the work of the Spirit understood from a New Covenant perspective empowers believers. It reinforces our dependence on the Holy Ghost. He is not dependent on us, the Holy Spirit is in charge as opposed to the idea that we through behavior or prayer can manipulate the Holy Ghost to do whatever we tell Him to.
Ideas do not originate with us, they originate with Him and He leads us into opportunities for ministry and impact that we might never imagine to be possible on our own. Too often Spirit filled believers think too short term and neglect considering that the Holy Spirit wishes to do things of a lasting nature with us, in us and through us.
Under Old Covenant glasses we tend to put more emphasis on stimulation rather than transformation.

We are living in a stimulation culture. There is a market for things that cater to the need of the moment. It is not foreign to the body of Christ either. Christians will demand in the moment fixes, they want in the moment proofs, and they expect to be stimulated whenever they come together. A stimulation mindset wanting immediate things cannot look beyond right now. All you need to do is look at what our government has done with the stimulus package to know short term fixes are not long term solutions.
The Law was a stimulus package. It was never meant to be a long term solution because it could not produce transformation.
Transformation transcends stimulation. It is a work in which a person is being changed from the inside out. Make no mistake the work of transformation requires true Holy Ghost power at work in us. A work not possible on the inside of us until Christ opened the way for it. Transformation is the real work of the Spirit. His goal involves conforming us to the image of Christ.

We can be so eager for being validated in the moment that we find ourselves doing whatever we think will work if it will produce a quick result. We want to feel that we’ve done something or proven we are authentic. This thinking produces jump starts but cannot finish.

This is usually a byproduct of performance based thinking.

The Significance of the Gospel Part Four

2010-04-16T07:55:00.001-04:00

Gospel centered preaching, believing and living has as it’s central theme Jesus Christ. His obedience to the Father, His validity as Messiah to pay for sin, His death on the cross taking on Himself the wrath of God so it might be justly satisfied, His rising from the dead victorious over death, hell and the grave so He might rule and reign forever as King, His ascension to the throne and His releasing the Holy Spirit to fill those who believe and His soon return to claim His bride.

The true gospel concludes all mankind guilty before God unless they have come to Christ through the work of the Holy Spirit and have been born again, cleansed from sin having God’s righteousness imputed to them through Christ. It removes any hope that the Old Covenant can do anything to help us and puts us in a place of realizing the wonder of the New Covenant made possible through the shedding of Hos own blood.

The true gospel declares man is unable to save himself in any way and not only that but he is also unable to keep himself after having started his race. The true gospel declares all is the work of Christ securing for us that which is required for salvation and security, sanctification, justification, and eventually glorification.

The true gospel declares it is to God’s glory to save those He chooses and guarantee their salvation through the work of Christ alone. Nothing can be added to it but through the transformation of new life obedience becomes our hearts desire even though our flesh is weak. For this reason we reckon the flesh dead and we enter into certain spiritual disciplines as we follow Jesus and learn His ways, but we do not embrace a performance based Christianity that says unless we do this or that we cannot be blessed. The true gospel makes anointing and blessing a matter of sonship not performance.

The true gospel declares us to be the children of God only after we have come to know Jesus Christ by grace through faith a gift we were given by God in His mercy. Therefore the true gospel rids us of any claim regarding what we did to get saved and causes us to realize that it was fully the mercy of God and the work of Christ that we were able to enter into eternal life.

The true gospel is powerful enough and rich enough to sustain us on our journey with Christ, it is what instructs us and points us to Him continually.

The true gospel is the power of God unto salvation and it is to be defended throughout all ages.

The true gospel strips men of all their boasting and all their attempts at earning things from God through their behavior and it magnifies the work of Christ in pleasing God fully through His obedience on our behalf.

The true gospel produces grateful men and women full of grace and truth who love their Savior and desire to live for Him learning to become like Him in every way.

The true gospel produces Holy Spirit dependent people who delight in the will of God and devote their lives to the growth of His kingdom in the earth wherever they live.
The true gospel produces true disciples who have been taught to obey all Christ commanded and His commands are not grievous to true disciples.

The true gospel produces true fruit that is God honoring, Christ centered, kingdom minded, Holy Spirit empowered, and culture changing.

Those who have truly come to believe the gospel and have reaped the benefits of it are not ashamed of it for they have tasted it’s power to change, renew, resurrect, heal, deliver, and establish.

The gospel is the truth that we all need to be established in, desiring, defending and delivering to others.

It is time to return to the gospel of Jesus Christ, to the truth of His Covenant, to the power of His kingdom and to the praise of His glorious grace!

Do you really know the gospel and do you truly believe it?

The Significance of the Gospel Part Three

2010-04-14T08:51:00.001-04:00

Paul had a burden for the church. His burden involved sound instruction in the gospel and it should be the focus of leaders today for the church.

Why do I say Paul’s burden involved the gospel for the churches?
Because not only did Romans say Paul was a bondservant, it said he was called to be an apostle and separated unto the gospel!

In another place Paul said woe is unto me if I preach not the gospel.

If you are Bible student at all and understand the New Testament then you have come to discover that Paul in his letters is constantly calling the churches back to the gospel!

I am convinced that the greatest hindrance to the church making disciples and fulfilling the great commission today is not laziness in the saints, but rather it is ignorance of the gospel.

Today if we were to ask the average person to tell us what the gospel is they would give the most obvious common answer, “believe on Jesus Christ and you shall be saved.” Some might go a step further and add, “repent and believe.”

There is so much more to what the gospel is and where it points.

For instance there are gospels that seem to place all the focus on man. Christ is largely ignored except for what He can do for me personally. The story of God’s glory being realized through His Son’s obedience is largely lost in all the information about me.

The idea that salvation would be about God and His satisfaction is largely foreign to many but in reality the work of salvation is really about God’s desires being fulfilled by His Sons obedience and we get to be included in that process.

A gospel that fails to place Christ as the center piece and focal point not just to get started but to continue on is not the gospel of the New Covenant and it is not what the Apostles preached.

Gospel centered preaching, believing and living has as it’s central theme Jesus Christ. His obedience to the Father, His validity as Messiah to pay for sin, His death on the cross taking on Himself the wrath of God so it might be justly satisfied, His rising from the dead victorious over death, hell and the grave so He might rule and reign forever as King, His ascension to the throne and His releasing the Holy Spirit to fill those who believe and His soon return to claim His bride.

A New Covenant gospel not laced with Old Covenant ideas as though all Christ could do is add what was missing. We need the gospel that preaches the better things, better atonement, better priest, better blood, better way, and better promises.

Paul was an establishing apostle after this manner.

The Significance of the Gospel Part Two

2010-04-13T08:34:00.001-04:00

In part one we noticed how Paul’s identity is that he is a bondservant, but his calling is to be an apostle.
But just what is an apostle? There were twelve apostles of the Lamb whom Jesus chose and these men had the responsibility to set the foundation of the gospel for the church for all ages.
Judas was not meant to do this as he was chosen for the purpose of betraying Christ and God knew a replacement would be made to fill his spot. Understanding this ties into understanding what Paul speaks in Romans 9 when says Pharoah's purpose was to be a vessel of destruction so that God might demonstrate His power and glory. Judas was not a mistake Christ made, Jesus said it himself when addressing the twelve, "have I not chosen you and yet one of you has a devil?" Judas was part of the plan and it was meant that his replacement would come at a later time.

In the upper room before Pentecost the other apostles cast lots to choose Matthias as the one to fill the vacant spot created by Judas but that was man’s answer. That method fell under Old Covenant solutions and it was all they knew at the time, the Holy Spirit had not yet come to them. Mathias served but there is no further mention of him.

We later discover that a man named Saul a pharisee determined to destroy the church is knocked of his horse by Jesus and without being asked his permission Jesus makes him a bondservant and an apostle. Jesus renamed Saul as Paul and Paul received the same kind of apostolic call as did the other eleven and so I conclude that Paul filled the vacant spot left by Judas. Only Jesus can choose an apostle of the Lamb in such a manner. He’s the one who calls men into these ministries to the church. A man cannot appoint himself or be appointed by other men. Christ calls a man and he is then recognized by other men as his calling becomes evident to all. There will always only be twelve apostles of the Lamb but even in the New Testament we discover many other apostles working and serving the church.

By the way not all the churches recognized Paul as an apostle. The various churches related to apostles for various reasons primarily on the basis of relationship. If the relationship was in error it was usually based on emotion or pragmatic notions such as the amount of power a man seemed to demonstrate. If he had power they didn't care much about his doctrine. Paul called these men in a duragatory sense "super apostles."

But to those in Rome Paul has no quibble with stating his apostleship. I firmly believe Paul is an apostle of the Lamb responsible for establishing the foundational doctrines of the church for all ages. Personally I believe any and all apostles should have a fathers heart towards the church and care about doctrine seeing they are menat to raise leaders in the church who care about doctrine.

I say all that to point out something I think is of great importance here. Imagine having the burden of establishing the churches on you. Imagine that you are responsible for establishing them in the truth that they need to embrace for all time. I believe this was Paul's burden.

2Corinthians 11:28 besides the other things, what comes upon me daily: my deep concern for all the churches.

Churches didn't exist to serve Paul, Paul existed to serve the churches. He genuinely cared for the churches. His devotion and attention were not based on offerings or appreciation. It was based in the same love that motivated Christ. This was a love rooted in being a bondservant, being called to be an apostle and being seperated unto the gospel.

The Significance of the Gospel Part One

2010-04-12T07:55:00.000-04:00

Romans 1:1 ¶ Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God 2 which He promised before through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures, 3 concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh, 4 and declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead. 5 Through Him we have received grace and apostleship for obedience to the faith among all nations for His name, 6 among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ; 7 To all who are in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

I love Paul’s understanding of his identity, calling, and purpose.

Paul acknowledges here that his identity is that of a bondservant to Christ and that he was called to be an apostle. Paul did not decide he was going to become one. Jesus called him to be one. Paul didn't put in a request to be saved or to be an apostle or to be seperated. All of these began with God and were in accordance with the will of God. Paul was merely a recipient of the working of God in his life through Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit.

Paul received grace when Jesus knocked him off his horse and revealed Himself to Paul. Paul had no intentions of serving Jesus he was out to kill those who did. But Jesus had other plans. He planned to make an enemy a bondservant.

The working of grace in a persons heart unites them to Christ, and it is always at work drawing them to Him, it never pushes them away. If someone were to say to me they have received Christ and are walking in the fulness of His grace while they are moving further and further from intimacy with Jesus then they are obviously deceived. The work of grace produces fire and longing for Christ and a yearning for His purposes to be fulfilled in us, if this is missing then grace is not effectually working in them. Grace turned Paul into a love slave to Christ. An identity that someone who truly comes to know Jesus properly should experience.

Anyone who claims to have been born again should experience the strong urge to please the Lord out of love for Him. When faith enters our hearts and grace goes to work in us raising us from the dead spiritually and making us alive in Christ we should desire to be like Him, to want to learn of Him more and more. This is always first and foremost because when we come to Jesus we are children of God before we are anything else. I do not think it an accident that this identity gets first mention in Paul’s statement.

The Blood of the New Covenant Part Five

2010-03-11T22:00:00.001-05:00

Anyone who refuses to accept the sacrifice made on the cross continues to stand under the very wrath of God because they are rejecting the available remission of sin made possible through Jesus Christ!

John 3:34 "For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God does not give the Spirit by measure. 35 "The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into His hand. 36 "He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him."

This is also what the Holy Spirit refers to when He offers a very sober warning to those Jewish believers tempted to turn back in the letter to the Hebrews:

Hebrews 10:28 Anyone who has rejected Moses’ law dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. 29 Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace? 30 For we know Him who said, "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay," says the Lord. And again, "The LORD will judge His people." 31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

Notice the crime is trampling under foot the blood of the New Covenant and insulting the Spirit of grace.

The disciples were all he time asking Jesus what sin someone committed to be sick or diseased or blind. The idea was that they were being made to pay for someone’s sin. But Jesus refused to accept that line of reasoning.

But, when we come to the Corinthians we see a situation where many are sick and dying. Why? They treated the communion observance with contempt. They came with a selfish attitude to the table and acted like it was no big deal. Without regard for others they engorged themselves eating up the food and in so doing were treating the moment with contempt.

Understanding and appreciating this New Covenant, standing firmly upon the payment made once and for all for our sin is not negotiable!

Only the blood of Jesus Christ can pay for sin once and for all! That is why His New Covenant completely replaces the Old one, with better promises and New commands!

What are you putting your confidence in when faced with the most important questions in life?

How will you escape the judgment of God who is absolutely Holy?

How will that escape be maintained throughout this life?

The Blood of the New Covenant Part Four

2010-03-10T22:00:00.000-05:00

The problem the Old Covenant had was that it was weak due to it’s dependence upon the flesh. It had no power outside the cooperation of men to remit sin and therefore continual sacrifice had to be made because of the corruption of man from the fall. The priest was kept busy.

Everything under the Old Covenant had a temporal affect about it. There was nothing permanent, there was no hope of a final solution.

Under the New Covenant we have this reality to rejoice about.

Romans 8:3 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.

Here it is most clear that the concept of a walk in the flesh is a walk of attempting to keep the law. A walk in the Spirit is a walk that puts trust in Christ and therefore enjoys an imputed righteousness that satisfies the demands of the law on the basis of Christ becoming our substitution on the cross. He paid the price with His own blood!

This blood initiated a New Covenant that completely replaces the Old one. It does not renew as some might think. It completely replaces it. Which is why new commands have been given by the One who initiated this New Covenant.

1John 3:23 ¶ And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as He gave us commandment. 24 Now he who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. And by this we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us.

What are his commandments? Believe on Jesus Christ and love one another!

Why? Because there is no other means for remission! There is no other way to deal with the problem of sin inherit in man. Christ alone is the answer and His covenant is better than that of the Old!

Jesus said himself,

John 6:39 "This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day. 40 "And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day." 41 The Jews then complained about Him, because He said, "I am the bread which came down from heaven."

See why the Jews complained about him? Jesus was declaring Himself to be the final solution to just penalty of sin and He would make eternal life possible for all who believe in Him.

Jesus is the bread of life! That symbolic bread in the meal is intended to remind us of Him and the fact that He bore our punishment on the cross!

The only way the wrath of God is satisfied is through the cross of Christ!

The Blood of the New Covenant Part Three

2010-03-09T22:00:00.000-05:00

“This is my blood shed for many for the remission of sin.”

What on earth does remission even mean?

859 afesiv aphesis af'-es-is AV-remission 9, forgiveness 6, deliverance 1, liberty 1; 17
1) release from bondage or imprisonment
2) forgiveness or pardon, of sins (letting them go as if they had never been committed), remission of the penalty

This word is a legal word. It addresses ownership, guilt and just penalty.

It addresses ownership in that the Scripture clearly teaches us:

Romans 6:16 Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness? 17 But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. 18 And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.

It addresses guilt in that the Scriptures teach us:

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.

And it addresses penalty in that the Scriptures teach us:

John 5:24 "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.

This is what it means to receive the remission of sins through the shedding of Jesus blood.

The Blood of the New Covenant Part Two

2010-03-08T22:00:00.000-05:00

The matter of how sin is dealt with and the longevity of it’s solution is where a definite difference is made between an Old Covenant and a New Covenant.

Hebrews 9:19 For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and goats, with water, scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people, 20 saying, "This is the blood of the covenant which God has commanded you." 21 Then likewise he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle and all the vessels of the ministry. 22 And according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission. 23 ¶ Therefore it was necessary that the copies of the things in the heavens should be purified with these, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. 24 For Christ has not entered the holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us; 25 not that He should offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood of another––26 He then would have had to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now, once at the end of the ages, He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. 27 And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, 28 so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many.

Here is a doctrinal truth that cannot be altered or tampered with. Without the shedding of blood there is no remission. Sin cannot be dealt with apart from the shedding of blood.

This was true under the Law and it is true under the New Covenant as well.

No matter how good a person may appear, no matter how generous or nice they may be, they may live very moral disciplined lives, but without the application of the blood of Christ to their lives they are still very much in sin and therefore will be judged by God justly and punished accordingly.

The Blood of the New Covenant Part One

2010-03-07T22:00:00.000-05:00

As Easter approaches many churches choose to hold Seders in order to look into the Jewish Passover meal and examine all the types and shadows of the Messiah to come that are hidden within the meal itself.

The Passover meal was instituted to remind the Jews of how God spared them from death on the night He set the stage for their deliverance from Egypt. The meal is full of prophetic implications regarding the Messiah to come. But if it is observed in the mode of remembering the Exodus the prophetic implications are wasted. Jesus the Messiah observed this meal with His disciples just prior to being betrayed and going to the cross. There was however a transition in this meal that took place. It was time to address what the bread and the wine were truly intended to represent.

Matthew 26:26 And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, "Take, eat; this is My body." 27 Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you. 28 "For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.

VS26 gives us the emphasis now of partaking of Christ himself!

VS27 & 28 gives us the emphasis of a blood bought covenant that is new. A blood that is shed for many for the remission of sins.

It does not say a blood that was shed for every person that ever lived or will live. It says many. It does not use the term all. It says many. I find that interesting.

There will be some who will not see the benefit of this blood that was shed. They will not enter into this New Covenant made by Christ. They will not receive the remission of their sins.

If a persons sins are not remitted what does that mean?

It means that apart from Christ sin is still counted against a person no matter how well they live their lives.

Teaching That Establishes Part Five

2010-03-05T08:00:00.001-05:00

Hebrews 8:6 ¶ But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is also Mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises. 7 For if that first covenant had been faultless, then no place would have been sought for a second. 8 Because finding fault with them, He says: "Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah–– 9 "not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they did not continue in My covenant, and I disregarded them, says the LORD. 10 "For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. 11 "None of them shall teach his neighbor, and none his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them. 12 "For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more." 13 In that He says, "A new covenant," He has made the first obsolete. Now what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.

Teaching that establishes disciples for Christ is teaching the Commands of Christ under the New Covenant. After all we now have received better things!

Kingdom thinking is that which takes into account what Christ has done and what He has said.

The Old Covenant could not contain the New Wine so a New Covenant was made to establish believers in the Spirit. The Kingdom of God has come to us through Christ!

When making a disciple for Christ we must labor to help them understand what Christ has done for them. We should always point them to Christ and what He, as the establisher of the New Covenant, has commanded.

It is still Christ who alone has the words of eternal life.

Teaching That Establishes Part Four

2010-03-04T08:00:00.001-05:00

Christ’ New Covenant is built on better promises established with better blood and better things on every level. It is the ministry of this New Covenant that Paul was called to participate in teaching.

2 Corinthians 3:5 Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God, 6 ¶ who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. 7 But if the ministry of death, written and engraved on stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of the glory of his countenance, which glory was passing away, 8 how will the ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious? 9 For if the ministry of condemnation had glory, the ministry of righteousness exceeds much more in glory.

Paul’s understanding of being a minister was not one of being a minister of something Old and faded but rather something New and authoritative. God made the apostles ministers of a New Covenant not the Old one.

Notice how the Holy Spirit speaking through Paul very descriptively uses the term, “the ministry of death written and engraved on stones.” This makes it abundantly clear what Law is referred to here in reference to the ministry of death. The only law written and engraved on stones was the Ten Commandments. That ministry while it was in force was glorious! The quest to adhere to it was noble at best but impossible. But it says clearly that if that Old ministry of death had glory the ministry of righteousness exceeds much more in glory. Righteousness is the issue in both Covenants but only one has the ability to truly do something about the real problem.

To dwell on the Old Covenant is not only offensive to Christ who shed His own blood to establish this New Covenant, it is also offensive to the Holy Spirit because the agent for enforcing this New Covenant of Christ is the Spirit Himself, not tablets!

That is what is meant when it says I will write my laws upon their hearts in Jeremiah! This ministry on the heart is a direct reference to the ministry of the Spirit in the life of a true believer.

Before the New Covenant men would experience the Holy Spirit coming upon them and they would do great exploits. But now that this New Covenant has come men expereince the Holy Spirit within them and should that not be enough to lead us into great things for God's glory?

Under the Old Covenant men would experience the departure of the Holy Spirit on their lives, under the New Covenant we can grieve Him but He doesn't run away from us. We are Christ' eternal inheritance brought into an eternal covenant, established by His blood!

Teaching That Establishes Part Three

2010-03-03T07:52:00.000-05:00

Question: If Jesus did not fulfill the Law, did His mission fail?

If He said He came to fulfill it but somehow we are still under it then Jesus did not do all that was needed to fulfill it as He stated.

If you believe Jesus got this wrong, what else will you be willing to believe He got wrong? In John 6 many turned away from Jesus so He asked the twelve if they too would leave. Peter’s statement is very revealing. He said, “where would we go you alone have the words of eternal life.”

Some people get stuck on the statement, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled, and think Jesus is giving a literal timeline for the Law to be in force. It is language meant to make a point more than establish the length of time for the Law to be in force.

Jesus is making it clear He must fulfill the Law, or else. The law still stands as a witness against all who have not received Christ because it reveals their deeds are sinful. It proves mankind is not righteous. Using it for this purpose would be using it lawfully. But as children of God through Christ we are not under the law.

All of the types and shadows under Moses point to Christ, the Prophets who spoke were declaring things regarding Christ, Abraham, Noah, and David all looked with faith for the day of Christ!

If Jesus was so zealous about preserving the Old Covenant prior to the cross, do you think He would be any less diligent to defend the New Covenant He established with His own blood?

This is what the letter to the Hebrews is speaking of when it speaks of trampling under foot the blood of Jesus.

The writer is speaking to Jewish believers who are tempted to return to the old ways due to the persecution they are receiving from the Judaisers.

They are being told by the Holy Spirit there is nothing in the Old Covenant that can save them. They are being warned that if they disbelieve that Christ sacrifice was sufficient and thus return to the old methods for security they will be trampling under foot the blood of Christ. The sin of disbelief that questions whether or not Christ did all that was required to fulfill the righteous demands of the Law is a sin that destroys those who embrace it.

Some of the Israelites who were brought up out of Egypt didn’t like what was happening under Moses and they declared they wished to go back to Egypt instead of staying the course with Moses and inheriting the promised land. It was unbelief in the promise that caused so much death and ruin in that generation. The same thing plagues professing “Christians” today. Many would rather run back to something that is antiquated and useless for righteousness. They would rather put their faith in the Old Covenant given by Moses rather than live in the exceeding glory of the New Covenant that came through Jesus Christ.

Teaching That Establishes Part Two

2010-03-02T07:53:00.001-05:00

Often I encounter situations where someone gets confused regarding statements Jesus made such as:

Matthew 5:17 "Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. 18 "For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. 19 "Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 "For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.

When Jesus says this he is a man under the Law. He is speaking prior to the cross, he has not yet ascended to the real holy of holies to sprinkle His blood on all the articles and offer a final atonement that is good for all eternity.

He reinforces the Law to those under it so that they clearly realize they cannot be made righteous by it. It is intended to drive them to a better solution which will be given to them under a New Covenant soon to be established by Jesus himself. Just as Moses ascended up the mountain to bring back a covenant Jesus ascended Golgotha to a cross, then to a borrowed grave, and from there into heaven itself to establish His Covenant.

Until the New Covenant was in place the Old one remained in force and to teach men to break it would have been horrible because one would be teaching men to stumble. Not that we now teach men to be law breakers but we do not use the law as a means to establish righteousness, now that a new way has been made.

In other words whatever covenant is in force those who adhere to it and teach others to do so are the greatest and those who esteem it lightly and teach others to do the same are the least. This was true of the Old Covenant while it was in force and is now true of the New Covenant that is everlasting and in force.

Teaching that Establishes

2010-02-28T21:55:00.000-05:00

Matthew 28:20 "teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen.

Up until this time the disciples of Jesus had been doing all the things that Moses had commanded them. They had been under the Old Covenant. Jesus had even at one time instructed His disciples to do everything that the Pharisees and Scribes told them to do because they sat in Moses seat. While under the Covenant given through Moses they were subject to all that it demanded.

When Moses came down from the mountain he brought with him tablets that represented Israel’s part of the covenant. When Jesus came He brought grace. This is why it is written in John’s gospel as John bears witness to the Messiah Jesus Christ.

John 1:14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. 15 ¶ John bore witness of Him and cried out, saying, "This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me is preferred before me, for He was before me.’" 16 And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace. 17 For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

The text reveals a contrast between Moses and Jesus. Both offer something in the way of a covenant, in the case of Moses it is the covenant of law which brings death. Jesus through His death and resurrection established a New Covenant to replace the Old one, a covenant of grace and truth.

The covenant under Moses was put in force by the shedding of blood, likewise the covenant Jesus made was put into force by the shedding of blood.

When Jesus says, “teach them all I have commanded you,” He is not referring to the Old Covenant given to Israel by Moses. He is referring to the things He himself as Son of Man has commanded in view of this New Covenant He is establishing. He is speaking in terms of the Kingdom of God having come through Him.

Bible History in Public Schools?

2010-02-18T23:24:00.000-05:00

http://www.volunteertv.com/video/?autoStart=true&topVideoCatNo=default&clipId=4549150&flvUri=&partnerclipid=

This is a link to a very important video clip regarding a Bible History class in a Knoxville Tn public School. The teacher is a dear friend and member of the church I pastor. We are proud of his commitment to teach and do what God has gifted him to do. Steve Prince has been working to get this curriculum into schools for a long time. He is a devoted father, teacher and friend. It is refreshing to see this is actually happening in apositive manner and that the Bible is actually being given a place. Hope you enjoy!

Better Things!

2010-02-10T11:58:00.000-05:00

Hebrews 8:1 ¶ Here is the main point: We have a High Priest who sat down in the place of honor beside the throne of the majestic God in heaven. 2 There Jesus ministers in the heavenly Tabernacle, the true place of worship that was built by the Lord and not by human hands. 3 And since every high priest is required to offer gifts and sacrifices, our High Priest must make an offering, too. 4 If Jesus were here on earth, he would not even be a priest, since there already are priests who offer the gifts required by the law. 5 They serve in a system of worship that is only a copy, a shadow of the real one in heaven. For when Moses was getting ready to build the Tabernacle, God gave him this warning: “Be sure that you make everything according to the pattern I have shown you here on the mountain.” 6 ¶ But now Jesus, our High Priest, has been given a ministry that is far superior to the old priesthood, for he is the one who mediates for us a far better covenant with God, based on better promises. 7 If the first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no need for a second covenant to replace it. 8 But when God found fault with the people, he said: “The day is coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and Judah. 9 This covenant will not be like the one I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand and led them out of the land of Egypt. They did not remain faithful to my covenant, so I turned my back on them, says the LORD. 10 But this is the new covenant I will make with the people of Israel on that day, says the LORD: I will put my laws in their minds, and I will write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. 11 And they will not need to teach their neighbors, nor will they need to teach their relatives, saying, ‘You should know the LORD.’ For everyone, from the least to the greatest, will know me already. 12 And I will forgive their wickedness, and I will never again remember their sins.” 13 When God speaks of a “new” covenant, it means he has made the first one obsolete. It is now out of date and will soon disappear.

I marvel at the godness of God revealed in Jesus Christ and the New Covenant He has made possible throught the laying down of His own life.

This New Covenant we have been made partakers of in Christ is an everlasting Covenant that God has made with Himself through His Son. This makes it sure, steadfast and immovable. In this rejoice and do not think you need the Old things in order to go forward or to know God. For the Old is obsolete and has faded into the night, but the New has come and it is in it's light we see things clearly.

Knowing God Part Five

2010-02-05T07:00:00.001-05:00

If you and I wish to grow we must do so based on faith in Christ. We must embrace Jesus and take Him at His word to us allowing it to become action in us so that when the Holy Spirit has manifested the work of God as a result of our faith we see nothing but ourselves needy and Christ glorified before us.

Other methods may appear to have an appeal but only the appeal made through Christ is valid.

2Corinthians 3:15 But even to this day, when Moses is read, a veil lies on their heart. 16 Nevertheless when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. 18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.

When is the veil taken away? When is our obscured vision opened to see clearly? When we turn to the Lord as Peter did! When we look to Jesus the Author and the Finisher of our faith.

2 Corinthians 4:5 For we do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your bondservants for Jesus’ sake. 6 For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. 7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.

Knowing God begins at the point of faith in which we not only say we believe Jesus, but we act on what we say we believe about Him. As we do we discover the manifestation of God in it and Jesus stands before us glorified in our revelation of Him.

It is then that we see ourselves in truth and we find ourselves able to let go of the things we were trusting in and become able to follow Him into the unknown.

Are you truly following Jesus?

We should not be trying to introduce people to an academic increase of knowledge today thinking that it will produce a greater knowledge of God. We should be introducing them to a person, Christ Jesus.

Christ alone can introduce you to the Father and He alone can save you. Have you been doing what Jesus told you to even if it was a small thing?

Faith is the key that opens the door of revelation. I encourage you to put faith into practice today and do what the Lord said to do.

Do not fear seeing yourself as undone before Him and seeing Him as Lord. He has and will continue to love you and you will find that despite your knowledge of your sinfulness there is One who stands before you as Lord willing to accept you based on His own work done for you.

It is He who enables you to come follow Him!

Knowing God Part Four

2010-02-04T07:00:00.006-05:00

If a person can at least extend the respect of doing Christ' bidding on the basis of knowing Him as a trustworthy teacher they could experience the activity of faith enough to see the manifestation of God in the matter and thus reach the point of realizing the truth concerning Christ.

You can possess a lot of knowledge about God and yet not know Him if you are constantly trying to avoid the matter of having Jesus be more than just a teacher to you. When a man is truly born of God Jesus is Lord! No man can truly know God as he ought without knowing Jesus as Lord.

John 5:36 "But I have a greater witness than John’s; for the works which the Father has given Me to finish––the very works that I do––bear witness of Me, that the Father has sent Me. 37 "And the Father Himself, who sent Me, has testified of Me. You have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His form. 38 "But you do not have His word abiding in you, because whom He sent, Him you do not believe. 39 "You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. 40 "But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life. 41 "I do not receive honor from men. 42 "But I know you, that you do not have the love of God in you. 43 "I have come in My Father’s name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, him you will receive.

In this situation Jesus was speaking to religious leaders in Israel. These were men entrusted to lead the people in the truth. Yet Jesus is speaking in this manner to them because these men for all they know of the Scriptures do not really know God as they claim. It is all about knowing Jesus and anything that takes away from that or tries to distract from that is an antichrist even if it is pointing to the Scriptures.

In other places of Scripture Jesus said these guys He was speaking to were of the devil and yet they were the religious leaders claiming to promote God to the people.

Only faith can lead us into action which reveals to us the true nature of ourselves and the truth concerning who Jesus is and why He is worthy of being followed as Lord. People declare they want to grow in their relationship to God and then set out to do so without Jesus leading their way. They wish to do it without Jesus! Huge mistake my friend, it cannot be done. You can read the Bible end to end and still be just as ignorant of God as you were before you started.

Now the Holy Ghost can take what you’ve read and shine light upon it to reveal Christ to your heart and lead you into faith in Him. But the ministry of the Holy Ghost is to show us all things pertaining to Christ. In fact the Scripture clearly teaches that the Holy Spirit will take what belongs to Christ and show it to us.

Do not make the mistake of thinking that just because you read you know. Revelation comes through faith in Christ as a person and the words He spoke. Should we read? Absolutely, all the time as much as possible!

But knowing God is only made possible through knowing Jesus Christ! Jesus said to one His disciples named Phillip. "If you have seen me you have seen the Father."

I would suggest that anyone wishing to know God more should start with the gospels where eye witness accounts of the life and ministry of Jesus are recorded. Become familiar with His words and His explanations of Old Testament prophecies. Learn what His testimony about God was because no matter what anyone else says if it doesn't match what Jesus said it is wrong already because Jesus was God walking among men.

A Lesson From Church History

2010-02-03T12:46:00.002-05:00

In his work on Christian History Bruce Shelley makes the following comment with regard to the differences between Christians and pagans in ancient Roman society.

    (The main cause of the hatred of early Christians in Roman society lies in their distinctive life style. "We have the reputation," said Tertullian in his Apology, "of living aloof from crowds." The word used to describe the Christian in the New Testament is highly significant. It is the term hagios, often translated saints. It means holy ones but its roots suggests different. So a holy thing is different from other things. The temple is holy because it is different from other buildings; the Sabbath day is holy because it is different from other days. The Christian, therefore, is a person who is fundamentally different.

    Men always view with suspicion people who are different. Conformity, not distinctiveness, is the way to a trouble-free life. So the more early Christians took their faith seriously the more they were in danger of crowd reaction. Thus simply by living according to the teachings of Jesus, the Christian was a constant unspoken condemnation of the pagan way of life. It was not that the Christian went about criticizing and condemning and disapproving, nor was he consciously self-righteous and superior. It was simply that the Christian ethic in itself was a criticism of pagan life.

    Fundamental to the Christian life-style and the cause of endless hostility was the Christian's rejection of the pagan gods. The Greeks and Romans had deities for every aspect of living--- for sowing and reaping, for rain and wind, for volcanoes and rivers, for birth and death. But to the Christians these gods were nothing, and their denial of them marked the followers of Jesus as "enemies of the human race." Bruce L. Shelley Church History in Plain Language)

Romans 12:1-3 reads this way in the Message
1 So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life-your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life-and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. 2 Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you. 3 I'm speaking to you out of deep gratitude for all that God has given me, and especially as I have responsibilities in relation to you. Living then, as every one of you does, in pure grace, it's important that you not misinterpret yourselves as people who are bringing this goodness to God. No, God brings it all to you. The only accurate way to understand ourselves is by what God is and by what he does for us, not by what we are and what we do for him.

It reads as follows in the JB Phillips
1 WITH eyes wide open to the mercies of God, I beg you, my brothers, as an act of intelligent worship, to give him your bodies, as a living sacrifice, consecrated to him and acceptable by him. 2 Don't let the world around you squeeze you into its own mould, but let God re-make you so that your whole attitude of mind is changed. Thus you will prove in practice that the will of God is good, acceptable to him and perfect. 3 As your spiritual teacher I, by the grace God gave me, give this advice to each one of you. Don't cherish exaggerated ideas of yourself or your importance, but try to have a sane estimate of your capabilities by the light of the faith that God has given to you all.

In essence grace is not the freedom to fit into the worlds mold so we can avoid the inconvenience of being misunderstood or persecuted for being different. It is the power of God at work in us enabling us to embrace the difference that Christ brings into our lives and which sets us apart from the world and its values. It is this very life of Christ at work in us through grace which makes us stand out in the crowd. While others run to
excess and rioting and drunkenness and reveling we are inclined to avoid such practices not because we are holier than thou people who think we are better, but because eternal life through Jesus Christ has invaded our very souls and is washing us and renewing us day by day as we follow after Him.

If being around those who have decided to follow Christ seriously with their lives causes you to feel uncomfortable, the problem does not lie with the devoted followers of Jesus. It is likely that you are resisting the conviction of the Holy Spirit and your attempt is leading you to accuse the saints of attitudes and actions they do not own. Is it possible that your interpretation is being formed by the war that is waging within your own soul?

The Chameleon Syndrome

2010-02-03T12:37:00.000-05:00

Paul said he became all things to all men that he might win some.

Making friends is one of the easiest things to do in life. In fact it is so easy most people find they can make friends pretty simply. But at what cost and what caliber of friend is being made? I can walk out my door and make a new friend today just by liking what another person likes. I can go to a political rally and as long as I agree with the values stated I can be friends with everyone there. But at what cost is this friendship coming?

I have always been amused at how quickly Christians want to quote Paul when he said, “I become all things to all men that I might win some.” It is a wonderful quote and a great declaration for someone to make. But if you are not actively trying to win through the influence of the gospel then you are lying when you quote that passage.

A Chameleon is a little animal that clings to trees and can change color according to whatever he is near. I am seeing this at work in many Christians today. They are hardly identifiable in a crowd, not that being able to mix with sinners effectively would be bad, it is what evangelism needs. But this blending in I am talking about has nothing to do with winning others to Christ, it has everything to do with simply wanting to fit in.

The Bible encourages us not to allow ourselves to be pressed into being like the world. The truth is if we dress, talk and act certain ways so that a group or person will accept us but we are not taking any stand for truth and not proclaiming gospel reality then the only alternative is being pressed into the world’s image as opposed to Christ. God’s glory needs to matter to believers. His glory is conveyed when the gospel is lived out and shared freely with others.

Looking cool, acting cool, talking cool, without sharing the love of Christ through making the gospel known and having the ability to know when it’s time to say no because the others are going too far is nothing short of being conformed to the world. It is easy out of insecurity and a strong desire to do things and say things to fit in but if you have to sell out all that Christ is in order to have the friends you now have are they true friends anyway?

If you are running with bad companions without the motive and practice of trying to win them over with the gospel then get honest and call it what it is. You are being bad to fit in with the bad, and you are being good when around the good to fit in with the good. You do not know who you are and you are uncomfortable with your surroundings.

The reason a Chameleon changes color to suit his background is it is the only way he can feel safe. If he stands out he can be attacked. Too many Christians are too afraid of what others may think if they speak up or actually say no. It is time to love Christ and the Gospel so effectively that we cannot help but say along with Paul the same one who said he becomes all things to all men, “I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and again, Woe is unto me if I preach not the gospel.”

In your efforts to fit in, are you selling out?

Knowing God Part Three

2010-02-03T09:05:00.001-05:00

When men had toiled all night nothing came of it, but when men at the direction of God simply let down their nets grace was in such abundance it was nearly sinking the boats with the fruit of faith and grace! But that’s not all! See most are happy to stop at full boats.

The really significant thing is still yet to happen. Look at verse 8 When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!"

Two things are revealed here for us. Only after faith produced action and action produced fruit did it even begin to dawn on Peter just who Jesus was and what kind of man Peter himself was.

We think we know ourselves. We think we know the Lord. But the knowledge someone possesses may be purely academic at best unless they have gained it as a result of walking in faith and therefore it has become personal.

Peter spoke two profound things in this moment. He spoke of his sudden knowledge of his own sinfulness and he spoke of his sudden revelation that Jesus was more than a master teacher, He is Lord! There is a definite increase in acknowledgement on Peter’s part as to who Jesus is to him.

For Peter at the first to call Jesus Master was to see him as a superintendent or overseer. That is what the word actually means.

But the word interpreted as Lord here is seeing Jesus as owner and possessor! How do we know this is an accurate understanding of the revelation Peter received?

VS11 So when they had brought their boats to land, they forsook all and followed Him.

The situation has moved from an inconvenient act of faith based on respecting a teacher who would in that culture have a right to ask this of them and expect to receive it. Thus being thought of as an overseer or superintendent would be appropriate. But it changed on that boat after they obeyed in faith. Jesus was revealed to Peter as much more than He had been at the start.

The result of this revelation led to them following the, "Lord," Jesus, revealed by their willingness to leave their livelihood to follow Him and be His disciples.

They left those anointed nets and those anointed boats that were full of fish. The thing they had toiled all night for because ti was their livelihood they had received by obedienced to Jesus. But when they reached shore the object of their toiling meant nothing compared to the Lord Jesus Christ. They forsook all to follow Him!

The reason people struggle with forsaking all is that they have not received the revelation that comes only through faith. They are still struggling with getting who Jesus is and what importance He should have in their lives be settled by faith.

Faith will always be more than just a statement we make. It is an action we take because of something we believe. When we act on faith Jesus is revealed to us and we are made able to see the truth about ourselves. It is in these types of encounters with Christ that we are changed from glory to glory.

Knowing God Part Two

2010-02-02T07:33:00.000-05:00

What are you doing in faith just because Jesus said do it?

Not because the next great Christian author suggested it to you in his book of how to. But because out your relationship with Jesus you heard Him speak and now you are on the adventure of doing what He showed you.

It is an adventure no matter how big or small the step He told you to take because it is about to bring forth fruit and revelation in your life.

This is why it is just as important to walk by faith in the little seemingly insignificant things as it is the grand things.

What happened when obedience to let down the nets took place? They caught a great number of fish and their net was breaking!

By the way these men did not go through a course on how to strengthen their nets before this catch. They were surprised by the outcome and it was a new thing to have to handle. They had to think on their feet so to speak. No time to get over analytical about how to handle it. They just handled it by sharing it.

What happened when the blessing of God came upon them so greatly that it threatened to break their nets?

They automatically involved others! They passed it on to others.

What did Peter do here? He signaled to the others to come and help!

Jesus knows the when, the where, the how, and the what to do. He just needs men, women and children who will simply do what He tells them to. Men and women grounded in the call of His gospel.

Because Peter overcame the urge of his flesh to take rest as an entitlement and he followed the Lord’s will in the situation boats that once were empty are now about to sink and the only explanation is that it is the work of God and not man.
When men had toiled all night nothing came of it, but when men at the direction of God simply let down their nets grace was in such abundance it was nearly sinking the boats with the fruit of faith and grace!

Sometimes we fall into the trap of doing our own thing but still wanting God to give us quality abundant fruit. We want the quality fruit grace fueled obedience to His will produces without doing His will.

We see what He says simply enough in His word but we find ways to avoid acting on it in faith. We sometimes even say that is meant for others but it does not apply to me.

The manifestation that is taking place in these fishermen's lives is not because they came up with idea to go back out into the deep and let down their nets. It came because despite all logic in the moment, despite the fact that what Jesus said to do runs against what they are feeling in their flesh, they did it!

What are you doing in faith because of the word of Christ?

Knowing God Part One

2010-02-01T11:11:00.000-05:00

Recently my Father in Law Harry spoke to us at Harvest about faith. He demonstrated from Scripture how there are five steps a person takes towards realizing faith and walking in it. It was a fantastic, challenging, yet encouraging message. Audio of it is available on our website.

Harry used Luke 5 as his text in that message and he spoke with regard to Peter launching out to the deep to let down his nets for a catch. Peter did so on faith based on the word of Jesus. I want to pick up on the conclusion of that story and apply to our lives in the area of Knowing God.

Luke 5:6 And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking. 7 So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. 8 When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!" 9 For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish which they had taken; 10 and so also were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, "Do not be afraid. From now on you will catch men." 11 So when they had brought their boats to land, they forsook all and followed Him.
Harry spoke of how there will always be evident those five steps taken towards and in faith and he described how that played out for Peter here. I want you to see how faith produced activity and activity procused a result that led to a greater revelation of two very important things.

But, first let’s see the outcome of Peter’s obedience and it’s effect on others.

You cannot gloss over the statement in the text we read that said, “and when they had done this.” If they had not acted nothing would have happened. The set up was not that fish would jump into the boat while they sat lifeless and bored in the safety of the ship. They needed to act ont he word they received.

Faith is not abstract. Logic said they had already tried this with no result, ("Lord, we toiled all night, but nevertheless at Your word"). Faith said the Master knows what he is talking about so lets do what he says.

It was when they did something!

What are you doing in faith just because Jesus said do it?

Stay tuned into this blog for more on this topic of Knowing God. The adventure is just beginning!

Chameleon Syndrome

2010-01-31T09:12:00.000-05:00

Making friends is one of the easiest things to do in life. In fact it is so easy most people find they can make friends pretty simply. But at what cost and what caliber of friend is being made? I can walk out my door and make a new friend today just by liking what another person likes. I can go to a political rally and as long as I agree with the values stated I can be friends with everyone there. But at what cost is this friendship coming?

I have always been amused at how quickly Christians want to quote Paul when he said, “I become all things to all men that I might win some.” It is a wonderful quote and a great declaration for someone to make. But if you are not actively trying to win through the influence of the gospel then you are lying when you quote that passage.

A Chameleon is a little animal that clings to trees and can change color according to whatever he is near. I am seeing this at work in many Christians today. They are hardly identifiable in a crowd, not that being able to mix with sinners effectively would be bad, it is what evangelism needs. But this blending in I am talking about has nothing to do with winning others to Christ, it has everything to do with simply wanting to fit in.

The Bible encourages us not to allow ourselves to be pressed into being like the world. The truth is if we dress, talk and act certain ways so that a group or person will accept us but we are not taking any stand for truth and not proclaiming gospel reality then the only alternative is being pressed into the world’s image as opposed to Christ. God’s glory needs to matter to believers. His glory is conveyed when the gospel is lived out and shared freely with others.

Looking cool, acting cool, talking cool, without sharing the love of Christ through making the gospel known and having the ability to know when it’s time to say no because the others are going too far is nothing short of being conformed to the world. It is easy out of insecurity and a strong desire to do things and say things to fit in but if you have to sell out all that Christ is in order to have the friends you now have are they true friends anyway?

If you are running with bad companions without the motive and practice of trying to win them over with the gospel then get honest and call it what it is. You are being bad to fit in with the bad, and you are being good when around the good to fit in with the good. You do not know who you are and you are uncomfortable with your surroundings.

The reason a Chameleon changes color to suit his background is it is the only way he can feel safe. If he stands out he can be attacked. Too many Christians are too afraid of what others may think if they speak up or actually say no. It is time to love Christ and the Gospel so effectively that we cannot help but say along with Paul the same one who said he becomes all things to all men, “I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and again, Woe is unto me if I preach not the gospel.”

In your efforts to fit in, are you selling out?

Addicted to Accusation

2010-01-25T23:45:00.000-05:00

John 5:37 The Father who sent me, confirmed me. And you missed it. You never heard his voice, you never saw his appearance. 38 There is nothing left in your memory of his Message because you do not take his Messenger seriously. 39 "You have your heads in your Bibles constantly because you think you’ll find eternal life there. But you miss the forest for the trees. These Scriptures are all about me! 40 And here I am, standing right before you, and you aren’t willing to receive from me the life you say you want. 41 "I’m not interested in crowd approval. 42 And do you know why? Because I know you and your crowds. I know that love, especially God’s love, is not on your working agenda. 43 I came with the authority of my Father, and you either dismiss me or avoid me. If another came, acting self-important, you would welcome him with open arms. 44 How do you expect to get anywhere with God when you spend all your time jockeying for position with each other, ranking your rivals and ignoring God? 45 "But don’t think I’m going to accuse you before my Father. Moses, in whom you put so much stock, is your accuser. 46 If you believed, really believed, what Moses said, you would believe me. He wrote of me. 47 If you won’t take seriously what he wrote, how can I expect you to take seriously what I speak?"

There are some who so want to think they have it togeher based on their presumed ability to keep the Law. They actually think there is something to be gained by being in love with the written ordinances. They develop a nervous twitch whenever grace is mentioned because they equate grace lovers with Law breakers.

But isn't it most interesting here that Jesus is not referring to Satan as being the accuser in this passage but rather Moses?

Jesus will never accuse the one who believes in Him, but those who claim to trust in what they received through Moses will be accused by Moses.

Romans 3:19 ¶ Obviously, the law applies to those to whom it was given, for its purpose is to keep people from having excuses, and to show that the entire world is guilty before God. 20 For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are. 21 But now God has shown us a way to be made right with him without keeping the requirements of the law, as was promised in the writings of Moses and the prophets long ago. 22 We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are. 23 For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. 24 Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. 25 For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past, 26 for he was looking ahead and including them in what he would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate his righteousness, for he himself is fair and just, and he declares sinners to be right in his sight when they believe in Jesus. 27 Can we boast, then, that we have done anything to be accepted by God? No, because our acquittal is not based on obeying the law. It is based on faith. 28 So we are made right with God through faith and not by obeying the law.

Those who wish to continue to argue for the Law among Christians are simply in love with accusation. In short, the only way to be free from accusation and condemnation is through faith in Jesus Christ. This is why there is no other way and there is no other name given under heaven whereby a man might be saved.

Helping Haiti

2010-01-15T12:29:00.000-05:00

Greetings,

During tragedies such as what we are witnessing in Haiti at the moment many feel overwhelmed and at a loss as to what to do to help. The need is so great and we are sometimes at a place of feeling so small and limited that we think that what little we could offer would not make much of a difference. But I say we can make a difference. This is where our involvement in our community through school, work, neighbors etc can really make a big impact. I am forwarding you an e-mail from a good friend of mine Buddy Walker and I have included a communication from Ted Lyke who is also a close friend of mine as well. I want you to read them carefully. I want you to see how effectively and quickly non publicized help can get to Haiti. We’ve done this before during the hurricane of 2008. I then want to ask you to make your work places, your school, your neighbors aware and post it on your Facebook, and your blog if you have one. There are plenty of folks out there who would like to help but do not know where to give or what impact their giving could even have the situation. We can make a difference and we will. Thank you for your prayers and assistance in helping Haiti.

Sincerely Your Servant in Christ,

Pastor Tim Atchley

Dear Friends:

As many of you are aware, my Father and Mother began working in Haiti almost 30 years ago. Many of your have heard the stories of how Dad would give everything he had, even the shoes on his feet to help the poor in Haiti. When he went home to be with the Lord, I felt a burden to continue the work he had begun with the Haitian leaders. During the last 5 years we have formed partnerships with diverse organizations for the purpose of training leaders, ministering to the poor and building momentum for evangelism and church planting.

As you listen to the news reports, you will realize how much confusion, disorder and chaos hinders international relief efforts. The best intentions to help the people can create a public riot resulting in even more injury and death.

Together we did a major food relief initiative after the hurricanes of 2008 and all of the distribution was done through local churches. There was no media coverage and no community publicity, just local ministries being provided resources to minister to their communities. This approach provides a double blessing by meeting the physical needs of the people in an orderly way and empowering the church to share The Good News within their communities.

We have begun to make contact with the Haitian pastors and are getting information concerning their families, homes, congregations and buildings. We are coordinating a trip for a small advance team to organize our relief and team efforts.

Please read the attached letter for the specific details from Ted Lyke who serves as VP of Missions Without Borders, Missions Pastor of CLF and also as Project Coordinator for our outreach in Haiti.

Missions Without Borders is a 501C-3 not for profit organization. 100% of designated funds are used for the purpose for which they are given and donors receive a tax deductible receipt.

We will keep you informed of opportunities to participate with team relief efforts. I want to thank you with all my heart for your compassion, giving and willingness to serve,

Buddy Walker

International Director Missions Without Borders

16411 Whistling Pines Rd. Umatilla, Fl 32784 Tel 352-978-0509

http://www.mwob.info/

Dear Friends,

This is Ted Lyke, writing to you as Vice President of Missions Without Borders.

By now you know about the devastating earthquake that hit Haiti on Tues. Jan 12th. The center of the quake hit very close to Peition-ville, a sub city in Port au Prince, the capital.

We have done much work in that area. We have trained more than 100 leaders through Dynamic Church Planting Int. and last year we did a large Crusade Festival with On the Go Ministries and the Luis Palau Association in Peition-ville. Leaders from Master Builders have done numerous leadership training conferences over the years and Christian Life Fellowship in Cape Coral, FL has organized major food relief and other team efforts. We are connected with a couple of networks of over 100 pastors with churches in Port Au Prince that are in crisis and can use our help.

In the next 1-10 weeks, the most urgent need will be for clean drinking water, food, medical supplies and temporary shelter. This may be our best response. In Nov of 2008, with the help of several other churches and ministries, we were able to pack a 40' shipping container with 285,000 meals and then shipped it to Haiti to distribute to those who were devastated by 4 hurricanes. We would like to ask for your help to do the same thing right now ASAP. The container will weigh 40,000 lbs and it will cost about $1.00 per pound to buy the food, pack it and ship it. When cooked each pound of food will become 3 pounds. A gift of $10-100.00 will really help here.

We also have a resource for water purifiers that can be used to produce several gallons of clean drinking water per day for up to 2 years. The cost for each unit is about $65.00 plus shipping or delivery, so net about $80.00 each. This will keep 100 people alive with water for 1 year.

We have a resource for medical supplies, a gift of $300.00 will buy $10,000.00 of key emergency medical supplies pre packaged and ready to take as a checked bag on a plane.

So here is the request. If your heart is moved and you would like to help, the first and fastest way is to donate money. If you would like to do this, you can send it to:

Missions Without Borders

16411 Whistling Pines Rd.

Umatilla, FL 32784

Write "Haiti Relief" in the memo field to dedicate the funds to this specific need. Please pray about what you can give and then respond. The gift will be tax deductible.

Thank you in advance for anything you can do and please keep praying for the people of Haiti.

Ted Lyke, VP Missions Without Borders

Wk 239-278-4997

Cell 239-822-3663

tedlyke@clflife.com

The God Who is Rich in Mercy

2009-11-02T07:46:00.001-05:00

Ephesians 2:1 And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, 2 in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, 3 among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.

What an awesome communication this is to us. These few verses are absolutely loaded with revelation!

The thought is one that flows straight from chapter 1 which magnifies the work of Christ and the greatness of His work in us and then goes into chapter 2. But for times sake I am picking it up in chapter 2.

There is a phrase I want us to focus on in this communication of Scripture. It is the phrase “and were by nature,” in verse 3.

We once were something different than we are now. We once were dead.

I love how the Holy Spirit moves Paul to say, “and you He made alive.”

Dead people do not up and decide one day they are going to live.

In every example of someone being raised from the dead I find no evidence of a single one of them crying out for someone to come and lay hands on them. The very thought of that is absurd. No one even considers such a thing.

The picture of being dead is one of utter helplessness. So here we were in a state of utter helplessness.

In that state of helplesness God made us alive! There is no denying that we were once dead, but now, we are alive. We could do nothing about it, so God did something. He made us alive!

Grace Really Matters Cont'd

2009-10-29T11:20:00.002-04:00

Acts 20:32 So now, brothers, I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified.

Interestingly, this passage appears in the context of when Paul was warning the Ephesian elders about the men among them who would arise, and like ravenous wolves would not spare the flock, but would selfishly seek to gain followers after themselves.

It would stand to reason that after hearing a word so sobering as to being actually warned of this soon to come event that a further word of encouragement might be needed to offset the apprehension created by the warning.

That word of encouragement is what we have here.

Paul by the Spirit commends these brothers to what? To God, for certain that must be, but he goes on to add something else to this exhortation. He says, and to His word of grace!

Whatever it is that is motivating these ravenous wolves, these fleecers of the sheep, these men who want followers of themselves and their own opinions, it will not be combated without being commended to God, and to the word of His grace.

The Holy Spirit could have chosen to say any number of things in an effort to prepare these leaders for the coming onslaught of opposition but He chose this specific exhortation.

We know what it means to be commended to God, but what does it mean to be commended to His word of grace?

I think it merits more consideration, how about you? Especially if the promise attached to it is that it will build us up and give us an inheritance among the sanctified.

Grace Really Matters Cont'd

2009-10-28T07:54:00.003-04:00

I am enjoying my examination of all the many affects of grace in the believers life. If the apostles were still alive today I would imagine they would admonish us just as they admonish the believers in their day, to continue in the grace of God.

Acts 13:43 Now when the congregation had broken up, many of the Jews and devout proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas, who, speaking to them, persuaded them to continue in the grace of God.

To encourage one to continue in grace is to imply that a person can live their lives according to something other than grace. You've heard the old saying, "it is a woman's prerogative to change her mind." It would appear there are believers who wish to apply this principle with regard to grace regardless of gender. It is as if they wish to apply this prerogative to themselves and think it will do them no harm in doing so. They do err with regard to the importance of grace by adopting such an attitude toward it.

Were you aware that it was grace that played a major role in the apostles discernment of whether or not the New Testament churches were in Christ and healthy spiritually?

Acts 11:23 When he came and had seen the grace of God, he was glad, and encouraged them all that with purpose of heart they should continue with the Lord.

The manifestation of grace in a gathering of believers is a tool for discerning the authentication of Christ's work in their midst. Not numbers, not professional worship, not even gifted preaching. They were looking for the culture of grace.

Were you aware that signs and wonders bear witness to the word of His grace?

Acts 14:3 Therefore they stayed there a long time, speaking boldly in the Lord, who was bearing witness to the word of His grace, granting signs and wonders to be done by their hands.

Those desiring signs and wonders to work should be preaching a gospel of grace through faith in Jesus Christ! Those claiming to carry that gospel should be believing for signs and wonders.

Do you know what gospel Paul preached? Were you aware that Jesus specifically gave him the ministry of testifying of the gospel of the grace of God?

Acts 20:24 "But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.

If anyone ever tries to tell you there is no need to teach about grace, that there is no need for people to understand grace other than becoming saved, then you should be aware that you are dealing with a person who is blinded by their own conceit and ignorant of the Scriptures.

Paul's ministry was not just to testify of Jesus however he wished, but rather to testify to the gospel of the grace of God. Paul took the matter of the working of God's grace seriously.

I wonder how we arrived at so many being able to take it or leave it?

2009-10-27T07:21:00.003-04:00

I have heard it said that grace is a given and not so important in the continuing walk of the believer so as to merit ongoing discussion and understanding. I think someone forgot to mention this to the Holy Spirit so He would know to tell the writers of the New Testament not to mention grace quite so much and apply it to so many things in the believers life.

For instance: Did you know that it takes an abundance of grace for us as believers to even reign in this life the way we are told we can through Jesus Christ?

Romans 5:17 For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.)

Did you know there is no record of the Apostles giving thanks to God for the work of the Law in their lives, but the Scriptures are full of them giving thanks for the work of God’s grace? One example of many is found in:

1Corinthians 1:4 I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given to you by Christ Jesus,

Were you aware that our generosity can be limited or released through our understanding and reception of grace? The Corinthians gave help to those in Jerusalem and the credit for their generosity is attributed to God’s exceeding grace at work in them.

2Corinthians 9:14 and by their prayer for you, who long for you because of the exceeding grace of God in you.

Were you aware that whenever the Holy Spirit is establishing a believers heart in faith towards the truth He does so with regard to grace?

Hebrews 13:9 Do not be carried about with various and strange doctrines. For it is good that the heart be established by grace, not with foods which have not profited those who have been occupied with them.

We are instructed and admonished not to pursue various and strange doctrines that lead us down rabbit trails which applaud our efforts. We are instructed and encouraged to have our hearts established by grace. By grace will naturally give all the glory to Jesus as opposed to ourselves, just as it should be. Restrictive seemingly pious other things do not profit, and they point to our goodness and great discipline of life to impress God and others!

In this post we have covered just a few things that grace is directly tied to in a believers life, there are more. The grace of God revealed to us through Christ is of far greater importance than some may give to it.

If grace is being regarded with little significance and given little to no attention, what is the likelihood that the heart that is doing so will be established with grace?

Is it possible to have the gospel without grace? We will visit that question in my next post.

Why Grace Really Matters

2009-10-26T10:41:00.003-04:00

In response to an age in which grace has been reduced to a word as opposed to powerful force at work in the lives of believers because Christ incarnate has come and brought with Him this marvelous nature to be expressed in new creatures.

I hope to topically shed some light on this.

2Corinthians 1:12 For our boasting is this: the testimony of our conscience that we conducted ourselves in the world in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom but by the grace of God, and more abundantly toward you.

Paul says in the authority of the Holy Spirit that it is by grace that they conduct themselves in this world, and grace enabled them to conduct themselves this way more abundantly toward the Corinthians. So in this case grace is something more than just an entry point into relationship with God it is also a maintaining force that enables the followers of Jesus to live their lives in fruitful ways. Living sacrificially is not a manifestation of my greatness towards God but rather the greatness of His grace at work in me. Grace is the means of God for bringing forth His nature within me to an outward expression.

Dying to ourselves and becoming living sacrifices unto God requires that we walk in His grace. If Jesus could not embrace death without grace how shall we?

Hebrews 2:9 But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone.

Jesus tasted death for everyone by the grace of God! This makes the cross a manifestation of the work and nature of grace. Remove grace and the cross is likely to become missing from history. Those who brag about the sacrifices they make in life for God are putting the emphasis in the wrong place. It places the emphasis on them as opposed to the nature of Christ they received through faith as a result of the work of grace.

It is still the work and the nature of grace that enables us to lay down our lives in worship to God as living sacrifices.

Grace really matters!

Well Meaning But Wrong!

2009-10-09T14:54:00.003-04:00

James 1:22 (JB Phillips) Don’t only hear the message, but put it into practice; otherwise you are merely deluding yourselves. 23 The man who simply hears and does nothing about it is like a man catching the reflection of his natural face in a mirror. 24 He sees himself, it is true, but he goes off without the slightest recollection of what sort of person he saw in the mirror. 25 But the man who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and makes a habit of so doing, is not the man who hears and forgets. He puts that law into practice and he wins true happiness.

There is a message indicated here that many often misinterpret what the message should be. They see the word law and then it clouds their ability to see anything else. They emphasize that this is saying we should keep the commandments. They are well meaning but they are wrong.

The message referred to here has to do with a different law. The law of liberty.

What is the law of liberty? Well, in another place in Scripture we read that there is a law of liberty of life in Christ Jesus.

So what is it I am being encouraged to look into? It is the good news! it is the gospel I am being encouraged to look into! I can look into the law and see myself as undone in the mirror. I go away and forget what manner of man I was made in Christ. I no longer identify with the new creature He supernaturally designed me to be in Himself. So I go out and begin to live as the man in the mirror. I will live as a man undone, a failure.

But when I look into the perfect law of liberty I am released to identify with something far greater than an image marred by the standard of the law. I get to see Christ!

I do not know what you might prefer, but I personally would much rather see Him than see sin all the time. His law of liberty has set me free from condemnation and identification with a past so regrettable and miserable it could never produce anything good.

I get to stand in thanksgiving and praise before Him with open arms boldly approaching His throne of grace because of what He has done!

Grace, not License

2009-10-05T09:21:00.002-04:00

It can be troubling to see how some when they hear about the grace of God have a tendency to think that now they can do whatever they wish because all consequences have been removed.

Nothing could be further from the truth and this line of thinking reveals deception at a great depth in ones life. Grace never rids us of the responsibility, or the consequences of choice.

My teenage son had to receive instruction and correction this morning for not acting responsibly. I asked him if he enjoyed being told what to do all the time. I assume his answer would be the answer of every teen around the world, he responded by saying, "of course not." I responded by calmly telling him that his mother and I do not enjoy having to bring these things to his attention any more than he enjoys hearing it, but it is a consequence of his not acting responsibly. If he would weigh his decisions before acting and choose the proper thing in the moment we would not be forced to bring to his attention how much he is squandering his time and rushing towards consequences he will not find pleasurable. This momentary conflict that arises out of disobedience did not take away his right of being my son nor did it remove from him my love for him. Thus my desire to bring to him correction and instruction. If I did not care it would not matter and I would allow him to pass on and be punished in life by someone without mercy.

Likewise God the Father chastises those who are His children. He loves us so He instructs us a disciplines us in this life for our good. He adjusts and corrects us and often He does so through the process of consequences. Grace does not come to us to enable us to sin or misbehave and never suffer consequences. It will enable us to choose right and avoid the consequences of disobedience and irresponsibility.

It will always be there to enable us to maintain right relationship with God and have open access to the throne of grace in our time of need. We all will need this access in life. None of us do perfectly. But perhaps if we were to allow the work of grace to instruct us towards the consequences of our choices and thus lead us towards greater responsibility we might find ourselves chastised less by the Father in our walk with Him.

God's grace in our lives is so rich that it even seeks to encourage us in our chastisement. The Scripture says that the Father chastises those whom He loves! So, I encourage you today to realize that if you are currently under His chastisement know that you are loved by your Father in heaven and learn from your mistake. His allowing difficulty to arise in your life from poor choices you may have made is His love being shown to you. He will not leave you undone. But, next time, simply choose differently, I think it might make the process much more pleasant.

It Is Finished

2009-10-01T10:57:00.004-04:00

Romans 4:1 ¶ Abraham was, humanly speaking, the founder of our Jewish nation. What did he discover about being made right with God? 2 If his good deeds had made him acceptable to God, he would have had something to boast about. But that was not God’s way. 3 For the Scriptures tell us, “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.” 4 When people work, their wages are not a gift, but something they have earned. 5 But people are counted as righteous, not because of their work, but because of their faith in God who forgives sinners. 6 David also spoke of this when he described the happiness of those who are declared righteous without working for it: 7 “Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sins are put out of sight. 8 Yes, what joy for those whose record the LORD has cleared of sin.”

Isn't it amazing that Abraham could be made righteous by faith 430 years before there was ever a law from God?

The pattern of faith revealed in Abraham's life is the same pattern of faith that is to be followed now that Christ has come. To try to mix two covenants is to destroy the work of faith and lean to one's own understanding.

The lasting covenant was not the covenant of the law given by Moses to the children of Israel. The everlasting covenant is the one God made with Himself at the cross when Jesus hung between heaven and earth as the final sacrifice for sin.

Hebrews 9:12 Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.

Hebrews 10:8 First, Christ said, “You did not want animal sacrifices or sin offerings or burnt offerings or other offerings for sin, nor were you pleased with them” (though they are required by the law of Moses). 9 Then he said, “Look, I have come to do your will.” He cancels the first covenant in order to put the second into effect. 10 For God’s will was for us to be made holy by the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ, once for all time.

Jesus spoke the truth for all time when He said from the cross, "It is finished!"

Are you living in the faith that recognizes the finished work of Christ on your behalf?

Dwell on this!

2009-09-30T12:36:00.002-04:00

Romans 4:22 And because of Abraham’s faith, God counted him as righteous. 23 ¶ And when God counted him as righteous, it wasn’t just for Abraham’s benefit. 24 It was recorded for our benefit, too, assuring us that God will also count us as righteous if we believe in him, the one who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. 25 He was handed over to die because of our sins, and he was raised to life to make us right with God.
Romans 5:1 ¶ Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. 2 Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory.

Based on this amazing revelation of Scripture given to us,

Why did God count Abraham as righteous?

When God did this was it only for Abraham’s sake?

Who else is it meant to benefit?

Why?

Why did Christ die?

What did His resurrection do for us?

How are we made right in God’s sight?

Why can we enjoy peace with God?

What is it that makes us privileged in God’s sight?

How do we stand in this privilege?

What enables us to joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory?

Wineskins

2009-09-28T08:29:00.004-04:00

Luke 5:36 Then He spoke a parable to them: "No one puts a piece from a new garment on an old one; otherwise the new makes a tear, and also the piece that was taken out of the new does not match the old.37 "And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine will burst the wineskins and be spilled, and the wineskins will be ruined.38 "But new wine must be put into new wineskins, and both are preserved.39 "And no one, having drunk old wine, immediately desires new; for he says, ‘The old is better.’"

I have heard so many messages on this subject of wineskins and each one has always stressed the importance of doing things differently.

I have heard it used to validate the idea of having church anywhere but a corporate setting with the argument that this statement deals with the end of the synagogue gathering styles.

Actually this has been one of the most popular uses for it I have run into. I have also heard it used anytime someone wishes to make a "paradigm shift," in the way we view the church.

How about we allow it to speak to what it was intended to speak to. Jesus is addressing the religious leaders who have questioned him regarding his disciples and their lack of observance of certain Jewish customs, such as fasting and sabbath related matters.

The old wine refers to the administration of the Spirit under the old covenant and the new wine refers to the administration of the Spirit that will come through Christ in the new covenant. The Spirit came in the new covenant and dwells in us and on us. We become the temple! The old wine skin tore when Jesus died on the cross, this is represented in the tearing of the veil in the temple.

Being born again by the work of Christ that is ours by grace through faith is given the emphasis with regard to this new covenant. Salvation is the work of the Savior who brings it, not the man who receives it. Thus the verse that speaks of how the ones who have had the old wine do not immediately want the new for they think the old is better! Still yet today there are people who want the old ways of the old covenant thinking that the law and the writings of Moses will bring us closer to God by leading us into proper behavior. Like the religious leaders they want to draw us back into antiquated powerless ceremonies as opposed to living in the faith that is ours in Christ.

To make this parable about anything else other than the new life and new covenant that is to come through Christ is an attack on the glory it gives to Christ for the work He performs on the cross for redemption.

Let's not make wine skins about structures or meeting venues. Let's allow it to remain to be about the release of the Holy Spirit into man through a better covenant in Christ, a covenant that is only realized by new creatures in Christ.

I Wonder

2009-09-25T12:25:00.003-04:00

I can only imagine the grief Jesus would have been given in this modern age had He come in our generation.

I would guess he would be challenged with regard to his people skills and ability to relate to others. After all many were offended at Him.

Think for just a moment, He is in a boat with the guys who have left everything to follow Him and a storm comes up that is violent and threatens to sink the boat with the prospect that everyone in it will perish. They are far from shore!

The Disciples are frantically doing everything they know to do as fisherman to weather the storm and as expected they are panicking. After all they are human right?

In their panick they awaken Jesus who is asleep during all this, and what is His response? "Oh ye of little faith." You can look it up for yourself in Matthew 8

If a minister stands and challenges someone with regard to their faith he is accused of being heartless and lacking compassion. Insensitive they say.

But the truth is most of what ails us in this life is directly tied to faith in some aspect. If it is by faith that we please Him, and all our life is meant to be lived for His glory and is our most real act of worship, then would it not also stand to reason that faith would play a major role in everything that we do?

How good are we at allowing the Holy Spirit to cut to the chase with regard to where our faith is and what our motives are? Is He able to speak honestly without crushing us?

Only real faith in the finished work of Christ enables us to bear up under the truth and light He brings. He will show us the ugly things about us that He desires to consume with His fire and replace with the character and nature of Christ himself at work in us.

Shaky faith will resist this process and run away when the fire turns up. When light begins to shine on motives and the hidden things begin to get revealed if we are not established in grace through faith we will be unable to stand the heat.

Redeeming the time

2009-09-21T12:18:00.002-04:00

WORD MINISTRY INPUT
Statistics show that a good churchgoer averages anywhere between 36 to 44 weeks of attendance at church. Very few if any are 100%. The amount is affected by vacations, sickness, work situations, or circumstances that might interfere with a Sunday here or there.

If the Word ministry at church each week takes up 45 minutes and there is a 100% attendance record it would amount to 2340 minutes, or 39 hours, or 1.65 days which is 0.44% of one’s available time each year.

Remember that would require that a person make it to church 52 weeks out of the year in order to achieve less than half a percent of their overall available time each year.

If we allot for two weeks of vacation taking away two Sunday’s, 3 Sundays missed due to illness, perhaps one Sunday due to a family get together over a holiday, and for good measure we add one more in for circumstances beyond our control. That allots for a total of 7 Sunday’s missed in a year, which would leave us with a total of 45 Sunday’s attended.

That would account for 2025 minutes, or 33.75 hours, or 1.406 days which amounts to 0.38% of one’s available time each year.

If we assumed a 45 week involvement, accompanied by 30 minutes of word discussion in a small group situation each week it would increase to 57 hours, or 2.375 days which is 0.65%

If we are to see an increase of Christian influence in our nation for the gospel I believe we will need to take greater advantage of fellowship and word input opportunities in the Christian community. It is more likely that a professing Christian will know more about current events in Hollywood or politics than they will know the true gospel. It might be accurate to say that distractions are effectively hindering the advancement of the gospel due to ill equipped saints who are anemic in word. Meanwhile it is by the word of God that faith is grown in our hearts. If that word is reduced in amount would it not stand to reason that there will be a famine of faith?

Compare the time figure for word input with something such as the amount of time spent for:

NOURISHMENT
Everyone must eat. This is an area that can serve us in many ways. By eating with others we can turn nutrition into social interaction. Everyone misses a meal every now and again. But we also spend more time on one meal than we would another and it varies from one occasion to the next.

On average we take 30 minutes for breakfast 30 minutes for lunch and 60 minutes for dinner which amounts to 120 minutes each day devoted to meals which amounts to 43800 minutes, or 730 hours, or 30.41 days a year which is 8.33% of one’s available time each year.

If a person watches just one hour of television a day it amounts to 365 hours a year which is 15.2 days each year which is 4.16% of one’s time spent. This is 9.45 times greater than the amount of Word ministry input one might receive in one year’s time.

How should this knowledge affect our ministry in the word if we are a mouthpiece for God?

How should this knowledge affect the time we give to being under the word ministry in the church?

It really is something to think about, wouldn’t you agree?

Traits of Legalism by Sheila Atchley

2009-09-11T08:30:00.003-04:00

Legalism masquerades as zeal for God. It substitutes the application of Biblical principle, as being righteousness itself. Every Christian is susceptible to the seductive sickness of self righteousness - since I have battled this sickness in my own life, and encountered it in the lives of others, I've learned to discern a few of its symptoms:

Clever: a legalist is often quite bright. And she always, always sounds right, but there is always, always something wrong with her arguments - they lack depth and they lack a genuine care and concern for people as they are. A legalist loves people insofar as she thinks they "should be". She loves her idea of Christian maturity, without loving her flawed brother, sister, friend, mother, or husband.

Comparison: a legalist will compare herself to others, and compare people with people. She is habitually measuring herself and her spouse, and everyone else.Coldness - a legalist is incapable of sustained personal warmth in relationships. To be warm is to be pliable. To be cold is to be rigid. A legalist is rigid, and therefore ultimately an emotionally cold person. It may take six months, or it may take years and years, but if you "cross" a legalist in any significant way, you'll discover that her warmth quickly fades, and a cool demeanor replaces it.

Conversation: a legalist's primary topic of conversation is herself (or himself...but since I myself was once a legalist, and still struggle with the tendency, I use the female pronoun). So long as you remain in her fan club, and make it "all about her", you will have her as your friend. A legalist's second favorite topic of conversation is "this person or that person"(see the first symptom of legalism: comparison). Remember - great minds discuss ideas, average minds discuss events, small minds discuss people. Since the legalist is ego-centric, her world is a small one. She will primarily discuss herself, her problems, her life, her job or her children....and she will then discuss certain people. If you attempt to steer the relationship to a broader horizon, and engage her in an honest discussion of great ideas, she will withdraw (see the second symptom of legalism: coldness).

Cutting Ties: a legalist will cut ties with you, eventually. Wherever legalism exists, you will find a string of broken relationships. You will encounter the slow, progressive separation from even a significant relationship, if she perceives that the relationship is not in her control....which brings me to the next symptom:Control: A legalist cannot help but manipulate. She doesn't mean to, and may not even consciously try to. But she does it. She will attempt to control you by giving or withholding her approval. Giving or withholding her attention or affection. Giving or withholding gifts - because if you cut the "string attached" to the gift, the giving will cease. Giving or withholding love itself. A legalist will begin to act irrationally whenever someone close to her actually lives in a revelation of their gift of righteousness. Why? Because when you begin to believe the gospel, a legalist loses her leverage in the relationship.

Cloying: a legalist is a cloying person. She's happy only when she feels you are admiring her, or her possessions, her ability, or her status. She will assist you time and time again, she will help you more than you need to be helped, so long as you admire her for it. She will take what otherwise would be healthy and pleasant, and she will cling and cloy the joy right out of the experience or the relationship. Every relationship starts well, but almost none stay well. Since most legalists are insecure, they end up maxing everyone else out - no one can prop up their damaged ego consistently enough.

Conditional Contentment: most legalists are ever-so-slightly depressed people. (Ask me how I know!) Their contentment depends on being better than most everyone else ("I thank thee Oh Lord, that I am not like this tax collector..."), and since there is always someone who has a better home life, or house, a better marriage, car, or has more talent than they do, a legalist consequently suffers from constant, low-level unhappiness. Her contentment is conditional, and relative to her ability to control circumstances, or to feel superior. Thus, you don't find a legalistic woman laughing freely and often.

Christian: most legalists are Christians. The very recipients of such amazing grace, often do not know just how amazing it really is. You have to know that you need grace, to understand grace. You run to a throne of grace in time of need. Most Christians are chronically un-needy. These un-needy believers are also unaware that they are miserable, poor, blind and naked, and ever in great need of great grace. Subconsciously, a legalist relegates grace to be the solution for non-Christians, the unfortunate, uneducated or immoral. Meanwhile, the proud need grace the most, and yet perceive their need the least.

How Paul Worked to Overcome Slavery

2009-09-03T11:14:00.001-04:00

By John Piper September 3, 2009

The historic and contemporary reality of slavery is never far away from how we think about the Bible. Instead of a frontal attack on the culturally pervasive institution of slavery in his day, Paul took another approach, for example, in his letter to Philemon.

Onesimus was a slave. His master Philemon was a Christian. Onesimus had evidently run away from Colossae (Colossians 4:9) to Rome where Paul, in prison, had led him to faith in Jesus. Now he was sending Onesimus back to Philemon. This letter tells Philemon how to receive Onesimus.
In the process, Paul does at least 11 things that work together to undermine slavery.

1. Paul draws attention to Philemon’s love for all the saints. “I hear of your love and of the faith that you have toward the Lord Jesus and for all the saints” (1:5). This puts Philemon’s relation with Onesimus (now one of the saints) under the banner of love, not just commerce.

2. Paul models for Philemon the superiority of appeals over commands when it comes to relationships governed by love. “Accordingly, though I am bold enough in Christ to command you to do what is required, yet for love’s sake I prefer to appeal to you” (1:8-9). This points Philemon to the new dynamics that will hold sway between him and Onesimus. Acting out of freedom from a heart of love is the goal in the relationship.

3. Paul heightens the sense of Onesimus being in the family of God by calling him his child. “I appeal to you for my child, Onesimus, whose father I became in my imprisonment” (1:10). Remember, Philemon, however you deal with him, you are dealing with my child.

4. Paul raises the stakes again by saying that Onesimus has become entwined around his own deep affections. “I am sending him back to you, sending my very heart” (1:12). The word for “heart” is “bowels.” This means, “I am deeply bound emotionally to this man.” Treat him that way.

5. Paul again emphasizes that he wants to avoid force or coercion in his relationship with Philemon. “I would have been glad to keep him with me...but I preferred to do nothing without your consent in order that your goodness might not be by compulsion but of your own accord” (1:13-14). This is pointing Philemon how to deal with Onesimus so that he too will act “of his own accord.”

6. Paul raises the intensity of the relationship again with the word forever. “For this perhaps is why he was parted from you for a while, that you might have him back forever” (1:15). In other words, Onesimus is not coming back into any ordinary, secular relationship. It is forever.

7. Paul says that Philemon’s relationship can no longer be the usual master-slave relationship. “[You have him back] no longer as a slave but more than a slave, as a beloved brother” (1:16). Whether he lets Onesimus go back free to serve Paul, or keeps him in his service, things cannot remain as they were. “No longer as a slave” does not lose its force when Paul adds, “more than a slave.”

8. In that same verse (1:16), Paul refers to Onesimus as Philemon’s beloved brother.This is the relationship that takes the place of slave. “No longer as a slave...but as a beloved brother.” Onesimus now gets the “holy kiss” (1 Thessalonians 5:26) from Philemon and eats at his side at the Lord’s Table.

9. Paul makes clear that Onesimus is with Philemon in the Lord. “[He is] a beloved brother...in the Lord” (1:16). Onesimus’s identity is now the same as Philemon’s. He is “in the Lord.”

10. Paul tells Philemon to receive Onesimus the way he would receive Paul. “So if you consider me your partner, receive him as you would receive me” (1:17). This is perhaps as strong as anything he has said: Philemon, how would you see me, treat me, relate to me, receive me? Treat your former slave and new brother that way.

11. Paul says to Philemon that he will cover all Onesimus’s debts. “If he has wronged you at all, or owes you anything, charge that to my account” (1:18). Philemon would no doubt be shamed by this, if he had any thoughts of demanding repayment from his new brother, because Paul is in prison! He lives off the gifts of others. Philemon is the one who is to prepare a guest room for Paul! (1:22).

The upshot of all this is that, without explicitly prohibiting slavery, Paul has pointed the church away from slavery because it is an institution which is incompatible with the way the gospel works in people’s lives. Whether the slavery is economic, racial, sexual, mild, or brutal, Paul’s way of dealing with Philemon works to undermine the institution across its various manifestations. To walk “in step with the truth of the gospel” (Galatians 2:14) is to walk away from slavery.

Walking with you toward Jesus,
Pastor John Piper

© Desiring God
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2009-08-31T09:01:00.002-04:00

Colossians 2:6 As you have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, 7 rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving. 8 Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ. 9 For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; 10 and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.

“Abounding in it with thanksgiving” When we receive something of great importance and value to us we cannot help but be appreciative. Appreciation is vocalized so that the one who has benefitted us knows their efforts were not in vain. This means that thanksgiving flows from faith. What we believe should be so real to us that we act in faith and give thanks.

Jesus modeled this activity for us.

Luke 10:21 At that same time Jesus was filled with the joy of the Holy Spirit, and he said, “O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, thank you for hiding these things from those who think themselves wise and clever, and for revealing them to the childlike. Yes, Father, it pleased you to do it this way.

Have you been shown and believed His goodness and His grace? Then what should prevent you from giving Him thanks today?

Through Christ Alone

2009-08-30T08:15:00.001-04:00

Blind to my sin I wandered through life, stumbling in darkness and filled with strife
Surrounded by conflict within and without, overwhelmed by my fears full of worry and doubt
Then His Spirit came and confronted my sin and I felt so unclean without and within
A heart full of evil is all I had known, not even the good I had done was worthy to own
Guilty and unworthy I was brought to the cross, and witnessed God’s justice for all who are lost
God’s wrath pouring out on His beloved only Son, the sin of the world the reason He was undone
All I could do was to kneel and confess, it was my sin bearing down on His chest
Helpless to help and humbled so completely, I surrendered my life and His grace entered sweetly
Cleansing my heart and opening my eyes, His Spirit entered me and I came alive
Now, as a new man no longer bound by the past, no longer dead and cold
I hear His voice so clear, “it is finished” He said, all things are new away with the old
He who knew no sin became sin on that day, not just for me but the whole human race
As many as believe can be made sons of God, brought into glory through faith now isn’t that odd
In the natural a mystery but by the Spirit so wise, that we could be righteous and holy in His eyes
Only through Christ can this be mine, no righteousness of my own at any time
But in Christ I’ve been the very righteousness of God, I know to the natural mind that all seems so odd
But it is true and it is sure and by it I will stand, having favor with God I am held in His hand
It is the work of the cross and the merit of Christ that has offered me freely this eternal life
I did nothing to earn it, so it wasn’t my works, it was by grace through faith despite all my quirks
Remembering His cross reminds of this, it is through Christ alone that I can be His.

By Tim Atchley

Just a Thought

2009-08-23T22:10:00.003-04:00

I run into folks from time to time who would really enjoy sticking a label on my forehead as though I were a book in a library. That way someone can come around and, based on my label, know whether or not they want to check me out.

I have them say, you are Reformed, you are Charismatic, you are Armenian, you are Calvinist and on and on it goes.

Someone might say how can a man be confused as both a Calvinist and an Armenian?

Easy I am neither. I am a man who loves the New Covenant. I am a man who loves the Gospel as it is revealed in Scripture. I am a man who believes that Christ centered preaching is more than just merely throwing His name into a sermon much like putting sprinkles on an ice cream cone.

I believe in His finished work on the cross and all the glory that was released into the church once and for all when He ascended and sent forth the Holy Spirit in power to inhabit believers. I believe in an open heaven because His work is finished. there is nothing to add.

I believe faith is far more important than the attention it receives on any given Sunday. I believe that the glory of the New Covenant is not a fading glory like that of Moses, but that the word of God spoke the truth when it declared it to be an ever increasing glory in Christ.

I believe that all camps of thought have been guilty of constructing a belief based mainly on their experiences, or the lack thereof.

May the Holy Spirit breath fresh revelation and reform the modern church to walk in all that God has provided her through Jesus Christ.

Seek First

2009-08-21T08:03:00.002-04:00

Titus 3:4 But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared,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,6 whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior,7 that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

Matthew 6:33 "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

Hebrews 11:7 By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.

There is a righteousness of God that is only available to us through faith. It is only that righteousness that will please Him. There is none good but God. So believe, and receive His goodness on your behalf. Then change will come.

2009-08-20T08:33:00.002-04:00

Romans 10:1 ¶ Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved.2 For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge.3 For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God.4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.5 For Moses writes about the righteousness which is of the law, "The man who does those things shall live by them."6 But the righteousness of faith speaks in this way, "Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’" (that is, to bring Christ down from above)7 or, "‘Who will descend into the abyss?’" (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead).8 But what does it say? "The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart" (that is, the word of faith which we preach):9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.11 For the Scripture says, "Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame."

The way of salvation has been set and made clear through the gospel. Only through faith in Christ can a person be saved. The gift of eternal life becomes ours when we put our faith in the finished work of Christ.

The three most powerful words evr spoken came from the cross when Jesus said, "it is finished."

HYPOCRISY

2009-08-16T07:15:00.003-04:00

Hypocrisy - is expecting from others what I am unwilling, or unable to do, or to give, myself.

To expect sinless perfection expressed outwardly in the flesh from others when I myself fail to meet it is hypocrisy. The Pharisees were called hypocrites by Jesus because they bound burdens to hard to bear on the backs of the people and were unwilling to remove them or help with them. They boldly declared the law to others while failing to keep it themselves and refused to acknowledge such.

If I offend in even the smallest part of the law I am guilty of breaking the whole of it. One lie can constitute the equivelent of being a murderer, and a God hater under the law. No one keeps the Law perfectly. It does wonderfully at convicting men as sinners because we have never kept it.

This is what makes justification through faith and grace through Jesus Christ of absolute importance. Without them we have no hope!

Having a standard that one can't even keep 100% themselves and then treating others badly for not keeping it is not so strange to the church. Performance Christianity is hypocrisy at work and even the world turns it's nose up at it.

Acts 15:9 He made no distinction between us and them, for he cleansed their hearts through faith. 10 So why are you now challenging God by burdening the Gentile believers with a yoke that neither we nor our ancestors were able to bear? 11 We believe that we are all saved the same way, by the undeserved grace of the Lord Jesus.” (NLT)

The Gospel is Important and Needed

2009-08-12T10:20:00.003-04:00

A good friend (Mark Freer) posted this recently on his blog (Bluesman) and I found it too good to pass up. His blog link is on my page.

To a group of pastors in London, Tim Keller explained the inner workings of an old Coke machine in his Manhattan apartment building. After inserting the proper coinage, Keller explained, you must pound the side of the machine with your fist. After a couple of smacks the coins can be heard trickling down into the heart of the machine. A Coke falls into the bottom tray. Without beating the side of the machine, the coins don’t settle and the Coke will not fall.
Keller takes this metaphor into the pulpit. While preaching, he thinks of his audience as an assembly of Coke machines. His audience needs a little pound on the side of the head to get the truth of the gospel to sink into the heart and to produce spiritual fruit. He laughs when he says this, but the point is true.

Luther knew this centuries ago. He wrote,
“Here I must take counsel of the gospel. I must hearken to the gospel, which teacheth me, not what I ought to do, (for that is the proper office of the law), but what Jesus Christ the Son of God hath done for me: to wit, that He suffered and died to deliver me from sin and death. The gospel willeth me to receive this, and to believe it. And this is the truth of the gospel. It is also the principal article of all Christian doctrine, wherein the knowledge of all godliness consisteth. Most necessary it is, therefore, that we should know this article well, teach it unto others, and beat it into their heads continually.” *

I am thankful to God that I am surrounded by pastors, friends, and a wife who are skilled at swinging the gospel hammer. I’m always in need of it.

So who swings the gospel hammer in your life?

Getting to the Root Issue

2009-08-10T07:31:00.002-04:00

It would appear abundantly evident from Scripture that the way the Father works in His children is from the heart out.

When I came to Christ I had a very supernatural one on one encoutner in which I debated with the Lord on the basis of what I thought I could never live.

I told Him that I could never live like the Christians I had encountered seeing I was confident that most if not all were nothing more than hypocrites based on their outward imperfections. Even though I myself was a vile sinner, I still had the notion that I was in some condition to critique and criticize those who had receieved Christ.

From that basis I formed my argument against God's call to me to be saved thinking it was solid and could more than end His call to me that day. I argued with Him that whatever I did, I did all out. I sinned all out, all my vices were engaged with abandonement. I then gave Him the line of reasoning that I thought would forever quiet His voice.

I said to Him, "I could never see myself living the Christian life all out, I could never see myself being like the Christians I have encountered who say they believe in You but live what I think are messed up lives."

His answer to a chief of sinners such as myself was more powerful than I could resist. He said to me simply, "Tim, I have to change you, you cannot give me 50% at your best effort I must change you on the inside."

Well that ended my crafty argument and here I stand today in Christ held secure by His grace and love. I am so thankful God chose to bring me into His kingdom through the work of Christ and establish me as a son to Him on the merits of Christ' obedience.

That day, when I surrendered to His call to become His, my life forever changed. Mind you, I did not become outwardly perfect and am still not outwardly perfect. In my flesh dwells no good thing. But I am no longer characterized by the sin that once dominated me. I have the life of Christ and I am His because He has made it to be so.

Through the work of His Spirit in my heart I am ever growing and changing as He reveals Christ, to me, and in me, in order to bring me into conformity to His image. I can run the race He has given me in the confidence that He will see me through based on the promises He has made to Jesus who lives in me.

Though my outward man perishes, my inward man is being renewed day by day as I enjoy the sweet fellowship of God because of the grace that is mine through Christ!

Stand Fast Part One

2009-05-26T13:18:00.001-04:00

Galatians 5:1 ¶ Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.

Last week we completed chapter 4 of Galatians and it ended with,

Galatians 4:30 Nevertheless what does the Scripture say? "Cast out the bondwoman and her son, for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman." 31 So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman but of the free.

It is with all that in mind that the Holy Spirit declares stand fast in vs1 of chapter 5. It has the same tone as Hebrews 4 which says strive to enter into His rest!

It advises us to not be entangled again! The use of the word again implies that freedom was their experience at the beginning but now they are yielding to a yoke different than the yoke of Christ.

Matthew 11:29 "Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

The law never brought rest and never will. It cannot set free because it cannot save, and it cannot save because it cannot make alive.

We were dead in our trespasses and sins. Those who have not received Christ are still in that condition and although the law can convince them of their sin, it can never deliver them from their death and sin. Why would I want to go back under something that had no power to deliver me when I have the promise now?

Listen to how verse 1 reads in the NLT Galatians 5:1 ¶ So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don’t get tied up again in slavery to the law.

This is powerful and very important because it involves that which threatens to replace Christ after He had been received by faith at the beginning.

Galatians 5:2 Indeed I, Paul, say to you that if you become circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing. 3 And I testify again to every man who becomes circumcised that he is a debtor to keep the whole law.

Some would like to say that Galatians is only dealing with the act of circumcision. It is true that the false teachers desired these Galatians to be circumcised, but the issue at hand is much broader than that, as is clearly made evident here. The whole law comes into play.

Every man who becomes circumcised is a debtor to keep the whole law!

The True Gospel Part Two

2009-04-21T07:49:00.001-04:00

Only the humble can recognize their need for it and realize the need is so great there is only One who can meet it, and thus God gives grace to the humble, but He resist the proud.

Harry Gilreath said it best when he stated, “grace is God’s ability made available to us through the pipeline of faith.”

Insisting on the pacemaker of the law to complete what Christ has already done for us will disrupt our heartbeat for God. This is why the Scripture calls it falling from grace.

Galatians 5:4 For if you are trying to make yourselves right with God by keeping the law, you have been cut off from Christ! You have fallen away from God’s grace.

James says this about the Law. James 2:10 For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all.

Have you ever heard of the rule of non-contradiction. It is the rule that something cannot be both true and not true at the same time when dealing with the same context. For example, this table in front of me, cannot be made of wood, and not made of wood at the same time. For example, in the gospels we have two statements about Judas’ death. (1) Judas hung himself. (2) Judas fell down and his bowels spilled out. Neither statement about Judas contradicts the other. That is, neither statement makes the other impossible because neither excludes the possibility of the other. The statements can be harmonized by stating: Judas hung himself and then his body fell down and his bowels spilled out. In order to make the set of statements contradictory, we would have something like: (1) Judas hung himself. (2) Judas did not hang himself. Since either statement excludes the possibility of the other, we would then have a contradiction.

If you believe the Scriptures are inspired by the Holy Spirit, and you should. Do you think He would contradict Himself concerning law and grace, or would He make the gospel clear?

The True Gospel

2009-04-20T08:07:00.000-04:00

Why should the Gospel of grace be important to us?

Let’s imagine we know someone with a diseased heart and the only thing keeping them alive is the pace maker they’ve been given to buy them time until a suitable donor can be found. Now let’s pretend that you are the only suitable donor in all the world. Let’s pretend you agreed to give them your heart as an even trade, your good heart for their bad one, on one condition. They must simply receive it as a gift from you and enjoy the new life it gives them.

What would you think if after receiving it they offered you a price as if it could measured in value and questioned whether or not this new heart was not enough for them to fully live? How would it make you feel if they insisted on keeping their old pace maker in place and active just to be sure?

God went to the greatest lengths imaginable to remove the barrier between us and Himself through the work of the cross on which Jesus died. To give us a heart of flesh for a heart of stone. To usher out the Old Covenant that had served it’s purpose but was no longer needed and to usher in a New Covenant of grace through faith in Jesus Christ.

But still today there are those who want the pace maker of the Old Covenant whose power is based in the law, and they want it to dwell along side the New Covenant heart of grace they have been given in Christ.

They fail to understand how dangerous it is to put a pace maker with a good heart. It will upset the rhythm of the good heart to do so. We do not need a new heart to accent the pacemaker. We need it to replace the pacemaker altogether!

Like the diseased person in the story we come to God with our need for grace, and I have good news! God’s grace is attracted to our need. God has chosen to bring Himself glory by giving us the amazing gift of grace through Jesus Christ!

This should be pondered again and again!

2009-04-08T07:03:00.003-04:00

Galatians 2:11 ¶ But when Peter came to Antioch, I had to oppose him to his face, for what he did was very wrong.
12 When he first arrived, he ate with the Gentile Christians, who were not circumcised. But afterward, when some friends of James came, Peter wouldn’t eat with the Gentiles anymore. He was afraid of criticism from these people who insisted on the necessity of circumcision.
13 As a result, other Jewish Christians followed Peter’s hypocrisy, and even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy.
14 When I saw that they were not following the truth of the gospel message, I said to Peter in front of all the others, “Since you, a Jew by birth, have discarded the Jewish laws and are living like a Gentile, why are you now trying to make these Gentiles follow the Jewish traditions?
15 “You and I are Jews by birth, not ‘sinners’ like the Gentiles.
16 Yet we know that a person is made right with God by faith in Jesus Christ, not by obeying the law. And we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we might be made right with God because of our faith in Christ, not because we have obeyed the law. For no one will ever be made right with God by obeying the law.”
17 But suppose we seek to be made right with God through faith in Christ and then we are found guilty because we have abandoned the law. Would that mean Christ has led us into sin? Absolutely not!
18 Rather, I am a sinner if I rebuild the old system of law I already tore down.
19 For when I tried to keep the law, it condemned me. So I died to the law––I stopped trying to meet all its requirements––so that I might live for God.
20 My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
21 I do not treat the grace of God as meaningless. For if keeping the law could make us right with God, then there was no need for Christ to die.

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.
8 What’s more, the Scriptures looked forward to this time when God would declare the Gentiles to be righteous because of their faith. God proclaimed this good news to Abraham long ago when he said, “All nations will be blessed through you.”
9 So all who put their faith in Christ share the same blessing Abraham received because of his faith.
10 But those who depend on the law to make them right with God are under his curse, for the Scriptures say, “Cursed is everyone who does not observe and obey all the commands that are written in God’s Book of the Law.”
11 So it is clear that no one can be made right with God by trying to keep the law. For the Scriptures say, “It is through faith that a righteous person has life.”
12 This way of faith is very different from the way of law, which says, “It is through obeying the law that a person has life.”
13 But Christ has rescued us from the curse pronounced by the law. When he was hung on the cross, he took upon himself the curse for our wrongdoing. For it is written in the Scriptures, “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.”

The Galatians were already believers in Christ that much is clear so the argument is not that they were trying to be saved by the law. The argument is that after having received Christ by faith they were trying to add to their standing before God by keeping the law. Jewish teachers had come to them teaching something else is needed and they bit the hook. Beware teachings that try to add to what Christ has already completed in Himself.

Released From the Snare Part Three

2009-03-27T09:57:00.001-04:00

Romans 14:1 ¶ Accept other believers who are weak in faith, and don’t argue with them about what they think is right or wrong. 2 For instance, one person believes it’s all right to eat anything. But another believer with a sensitive conscience will eat only vegetables. 3 Those who feel free to eat anything must not look down on those who don’t. And those who don’t eat certain foods must not condemn those who do, for God has accepted them. 4 Who are you to condemn someone else’s servants? They are responsible to the Lord, so let him judge whether they are right or wrong. And with the Lord’s help, they will do what is right and will receive his approval. 5 In the same way, some think one day is more holy than another day, while others think every day is alike. You should each be fully convinced that whichever day you choose is acceptable. 6 Those who worship the Lord on a special day do it to honor him. Those who eat any kind of food do so to honor the Lord, since they give thanks to God before eating. And those who refuse to eat certain foods also want to please the Lord and give thanks to God. 7 For we don’t live for ourselves or die for ourselves. 8 If we live, it’s to honor the Lord. And if we die, it’s to honor the Lord. So whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. 9 Christ died and rose again for this very purpose––to be Lord both of the living and of the dead. 10 So why do you condemn another believer? Why do you look down on another believer? Remember, we will all stand before the judgment seat of God. 11 For the Scriptures say, “‘As surely as I live,’ says the LORD, ‘every knee will bend to me, and every tongue will confess and give praise to God.’” 12 Yes, each of us will give a personal account to God. 13 So let’s stop condemning each other. Decide instead to live in such a way that you will not cause another believer to stumble and fall. 14 I know and am convinced on the authority of the Lord Jesus that no food, in and of itself, is wrong to eat. But if someone believes it is wrong, then for that person it is wrong. 15 And if another believer is distressed by what you eat, you are not acting in love if you eat it. Don’t let your eating ruin someone for whom Christ died. 16 Then you will not be criticized for doing something you believe is good. 17 For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of what we eat or drink, but of living a life of goodness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. 18 If you serve Christ with this attitude, you will please God, and others will approve of you, too. 19 So then, let us aim for harmony in the church and try to build each other up. 20 Don’t tear apart the work of God over what you eat. Remember, all foods are acceptable, but it is wrong to eat something if it makes another person stumble. 21 It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything else if it might cause another believer to stumble. 22 You may believe there’s nothing wrong with what you are doing, but keep it between yourself and God. Blessed are those who don’t feel guilty for doing something they have decided is right. 23 But if you have doubts about whether or not you should eat something, you are sinning if you go ahead and do it. For you are not following your convictions. If you do anything you believe is not right, you are sinning.

The opinions I am set free from are those that oppose the work of Christ and His will. Those that would oppose even the very work of salvation in my life, or the message I now carry because of my new life in Christ. But I am not set free to make others stumble in their faith.

Released From the Snare Part Two

2009-03-26T07:14:00.001-04:00

Now, here’s what happens sometimes if this snare is not broken through grace.

When I became a teenager and began coming into my own, I had become frustrated and felt used by others. Now I had set this up by my own doing mind you. But something in me snapped in reaction to the bondage I had been in so long and I decided I didn’t care what anyone thought I was my own man and going to whatever I wanted regardless of how it effected others.

To deal with this snare in the flesh one must surrender to rebellion. That is what I did. I began to hold authority in contempt saying all they were trying to do was hold me down and keep me from all that I was entitled to.

See we must never forget that the root of rebellion is pride. See I wanted free from the snare because of selfish reasons. I wanted free so I could serve myself, not God.

Many people make the mistake of thinking that by being a rebel they are doing it for the right reasons when if they allowed the Holy Spirit to probe their hearts on the matter they might discover they are acting selfishly.

To break free from the snare just for my self is not a good premise. But to break free because I have come to realize that the only opinion in all the universe that truly matters when it comes to who I am and what I am doing is God’s, then that puts me in a position of trusting God for how that reality will be mine.

To be free to act in obedience to Christ without worry over what someone else may think about it is liberating. To be free to live by faith in Christ and to walk according to what the Holy Spirit has revealed to me about His purpose is true freedom. Not free to disregard accountability in the body but free to enjoy it. When I walk in faith with Christ I am properly connected with His body.

But notice this is not a rebellious attitude of release from opinions, it is a surrendered heart to Christ. A surrendered heart is submitted to the one to whom it is surrendered and we can be assured that it will act in accordance with His will as opposed to feeling free to act according to it’s own will.

So rather than going around fearful of what others think it is set free to by faith walk in an obedience. Instead of doing things out of fear of others opinions and wanting to be liked and approved it, through love, considers others and is set free to serve.