Why does being “Christian” in America make
so little difference in so many people’s lives, when the kingdom movement
revealed in the New Testament revolutionized people’s lives? This drastic
difference is hardly surprising when you consider that the gospel that people
are often given today is little more than a contract of acquittal that is signed
by praying the sinner’s prayer or some such thing. Nor is it surprising that
this powerless version of the gospel absorbs rather than
confronts the culture of the people who sign this contract. Within this
gospel, people give their mental assent to certain beliefs and are thereby
ushered into a “kingdom” that looks almost identical to the earthly kingdom they
were supposed to be called out of. They can keep all their cultural
assumptions, and, apart from avoiding certain behaviors that are singled out as
the deal-breaker sins, their lives can continue on just as before.
All who are invested in the kingdom Jesus inaugurated in this world must find
all of this deeply disturbing. What is even more disturbing, however, is that
this contract Christianity seems to function for many like an immunization shot.
When a person is immunized against the flu, they receive just enough of the flu
virus to trick their body into acting as if they had the real thing so that they
build up a resistance to the real thing. So too, there is just enough truth in
this certainty-seeking, contractual, belief-oriented, individualistic version of
Christianity to trick people into thinking they have the real thing. They thus
aren't open to, or hungry for, true faith because they assume they
already have it when they believe.
It’s as if they are a husband or wife who has security in their marital
pledge rather than in the quality of the relationship he or she pledged to have.
Many people today resist the need to cultivate an actual marriage-like
relationship with Christ because they find their security in their past
pledge. They prayed “the sinners prayer,” got baptized, affirmed the
“doctrines essential to salvation,” or did whatever their church requires. So
long as they retain a sufficiently strong faith—that is, a faith that is
sufficiently free of doubt—they believe these things permanently guarantee
they’re okay with God. When they did these things, they were told, the Judge
accepted the sacrifice of his Son as the payment for their crimes, they were
acquitted, and that is the end of the matter.
This perspective of the gospel preserves just enough of the kingdom exterior
to pass for the real thing. But what is easily missed when matters are construed
this way is that the kingdom is all about cultivating an actual
life-giving relationship with God, and this can only be done moment by
moment, for life can only be lived, and relationships can only be cultivated, in
the present. Surface resemblances notwithstanding, the legal paradigm easily
misses the life flowing out of the relationship with the King that defines the
kingdom of God.
—Adapted from Benefit of the Doubt, pages 141-142.
Tuesday, December 30, 2014
Monday, December 29, 2014
9 Reasons of Faith and Certainty
One of the
things that Christians typically believe in and that I've struggled with a great
deal is the concept of faith. Like most Christians, I once assumed a person’s
faith is as strong as that person is certain. And, accordingly, I assumed that
doubt is the enemy of faith. That is, after all, how Christians generally talk.
This conception of faith raises a number of perfectly legitimate questions—the
kind that we are often told not to ask, but I ask them nonetheless. For
example, Scripture teaches us that we are saved by faith and that the power of
prayer, whether for healing or for some other blessing, is directly connected to
a person’s faith. But I've always wondered, why would God place a premium on
one’s ability to convince oneself that something is true? What is particularly
virtuous about one’s ability to push doubt aside and make oneself feel certain?
Through the years, I've found 9 reasons why faith is not the same thing as certainty.
—Adapted from Benefit of the Doubt, pages 75-77
Through the years, I've found 9 reasons why faith is not the same thing as certainty.
- There is nothing virtuous about the ability to make yourself feel certain about things. The more rational a person is, the less they have this ability. The more simple or gullible they are, the better they’ll be. God loves simple and gullible people, but there’s no reason to think that they’re saints! Trying to feel certain your beliefs are right and trying to avoid doubt is irrational and reduces faith to a form of mental gimmickry.
- Having people believe that their salvation and other things—like whether your friend lives or dies—hang upon how certain you feel about things is psychologically torturous and presupposes an ugly, domineering/controlling mental picture of God.
- Certainty-seeking faith looks more like magic than biblical, covenantal faith in that it depends upon doing and believing certain things in order to gain God’s favor and manipulate God to benefit ourselves and others.
- The certainty-seeking model of faith leaves us with an inflexible way of approaching our beliefs and makes us vulnerable to various challenges to our belief system. Since everything is a package deal that we must buy into in order to feel loved, worthwhile, and secure, we cannot afford to think flexibly and therefore are left with a faith that is brittle and easily broken.
- Believing that one’s salvation depends on remaining sufficiently certain about right beliefs can cause people to fear learning things that might make them doubt the rightness of their beliefs. It thus creates a learning phobia that in turn leads many to remain immature in their capacity to objectively, calmly, and lovingly reflect on and debate their beliefs.
- Doubt-shunning faith tends to be hypocritical in that Christians see it as sinful for them to doubt but virtuous for non-Christians to do so.
- Certainty-seeking faith can be dangerous, as it discourages us from seriously questioning our assumptions even when we are asked to engage in questionable behaviors, such as killing people, in the service of our beliefs.
- It’s self-serving and self-deceptive to strive to feel certain while also telling yourself you’re concerned with truth. A concern for believing the truth requires us to take seriously the possibility that our current beliefs are mistaken.
- Finally, and most seriously, trying to convince ourselves that we embrace true beliefs can be idolatrous. When people feel they are loved, have worth, and are secure before God (they are “saved”) because they embrace the right beliefs, they are getting their life from their confidence in their beliefs about God rather from a relationship with God.
—Adapted from Benefit of the Doubt, pages 75-77
Thursday, December 25, 2014
Moment by Moment Cross Pt 1
Michael begins this section by sharing his
indebtedness to Andrew Murray, Jessie Penn-Lewis, Watchman Nee, and F. J. Huegel
for their teachings which the Holy Spirit used to make real the teachings of
Romans 6 to Michael.
…Ask the Holy Spirit to open the eyes of your heart
that He would make the foolishness of the cross not understandable teaching, but
revelation, for with revelation comes faith and power to experience what is
taught.
…Watchman Nee uses an appropriate analogy when he
asks the question, “Am I a Nee because I was born a Nee, or am I a Nee because
of my behavior?”…Nee concludes, “I am a sinner because I am born in Adam. It is
a matter not of my behavior but of my heredity, my parentage.”
…There is no way out unless we can somehow change our
parentage or line of existence!
God’s solution to the person with faith is complete
removal of that life that was with Adam and is cut off from God, that life
controlled by sin. He replaces it with Christ’s life! As Jessie Penn-Lewis (a
great teacher of Cross truths) so often points out in her writings, there is
only one way out of Adam, and since we came in by birth, we must go out by
death. Bondage to sin came by birth; deliverance from sin comes by death. And
now just as in Adam we received everything that is true of him, in Christ we
receive everything that is true of Christ…
What glorious news that the “old me” I have worked so
hard to change was put to death on the cross with Christ…It happened the day I
came to Christ!
Those are great words, aren’t they: “not
understandable teaching, but revelation, for with revelation
comes faith and power to
experiencewhat is taught.” Wow!
It may be that in wanting to “abide” we have
neglected the power of the Cross to free us from sin that keeps us at least
thinking we are defeated instead of overcomers. And if we accept that, then how
are we going to “abide” in such a way as to experience Christ’s life? God has
told us that we are to take His word “precept upon precept, line upon line.”
Getting things out of order leads to trouble down the line.
What I hear Michael telling us is to:
Reckon ourselves “dead to
sin& possessing Christ’s
resurrectionlife.”
AppropriateChrist’s “death to sin &
resurrection life”
to THE sins in our life, and see
His power take them away.
Of course we have to know what “reckon” and
“appropriate” mean…
Well, amen.
Moment by Moment Cross Pt 2
…there is one thing that God will never bend on, and
that one thing is faith! He will become a man to get my attention, He will
overlook my sins, He will show me great compassion and mercy, but He will not do
away with His demand for faith. I didn’t realize it, but what I was saying to
God was, “If I experience Christ as my life, if I experience the crucifixion of
my old self, if all my feelings of inferiority go away, then I will believe what
you say.” I was an unbelieving believer. Finally I said, “Lord, if I live in
defeat all my life and never sense freedom from inferiority and failure, I will
still believe that my old self has been crucified. I have received Christ’s
life, and all that is true of Him is now true of me!” Not long after that,
experience followed faith.
It is amazing how specific Scripture is in telling
us what God thinks about faith, what faith is, and how we get more faith…and
yet, Christianity suffers from lives lived without faith. Unbelieving
Believer…what a testimony. What a hindrance to receiving what God has provided
for His kids.
Gripping truth #1 – “God will not do away with His
demand for faith.”
“The just shall live by faith” is not a
suggestion. “According to thy faith…” is not a “maybe.” Hebrews ch.11 is not a
testimony of some strange group of outsiders in Christianity. (Perhaps
“unusual,” but not an extra option.). “Without faith it is impossible to please
God” is a standard of life for a Christian that all of us must recognize and
desire to participate in.
Gripping truth #2 – “ ‘I will still believe that
my old self has been crucified. I have received Christ’s life, and all that is
true of Him is now true of me!’ Not long after that, experience followed
faith.”
It is a harbinger of life as a Christian to
know that “experience follows faith.” Oh that we could believe this, and know
our lack of experiencing is tied to our lack of faith.
But, thank the Lord, there is always HOPE, for the
One who lived His entire life BY FAITH now lives inside every Believer and IS
each Believer’s actual LIFE. May we learn to abandon SELF to HIM and see HIM
bring all that we have been looking for (and far too often trying to “work for”
when it has been impossible to attain by our efforts).
Moment by Moment Cross Pt 3
…Have you yet to come to your senses and seen that
because of co-crucifixion you are a child of God and can lay aside the struggle
that comes from trying to change? Is it any wonder that Satan wants to blind
you from this glorious truth and keep you in a state of looking to yourself to
plot some way to overcome the old self?
As a believer you are completely in Christ (Romans
6:6; Ephesians 2:5-6; Colossians 2:10). Again, the history of Christ becomes
our experience and our spiritual heritage. As Nee succinctly puts it, “God has
put me in Christ, and therefore all that is true of Him is true of me. I will
abide in Him.” Remember that Christian growth is merely accepting what you have
always had from the first day you gave your life to Christ. Your death in Him
has already taken place, so how long will you let this rotting old self remain
in our house? He is, you know, beginning to smell, and no matter how you dress
him up, you can no longer hide the obvious and fool your loved ones – he is
dead!
…We cannot say it enough: Before we can experience
the fullness of His life, we must participate in the fullness of His death…we
must be firmly rooted in the death of Christ before we will begin to experience
His life.
…If we are once again living in defeat, we may also
be tempted to think, The teaching doesn’t work!
But that is impossible, simply because it is not something that we
do, but rather something that God has done. It must work; it does work… “That
may be, but I still find myself once again living in defeat.” Again, it is
because you saw the cross as a one-time event, as a method, as a cure-all, and
not as the moment-by-moment participation that God intends it to be to keep us
near to Him.
I think of all the thoughts I was first introduced
to after becoming a Christian. Not by teachers or friends exhibiting
maliciousness, nor intentional, nor as one trying to mislead me…simply by their
misunderstanding or having been misled previously. But all of that caused me
for 15 years to read and hear many of the same truths Michael shares in his
teachings, getting a tinge in my spirit (God’s Spirit in me) to the truth that
was there, but never getting complete revelation of all that God had for me.
But thank God for the day that revelation started
to flow!!!
Check out in summary form some of the most
exciting news Michael shares in this portion of SIW that a Christian can have
revelation of:
Now…for each of us, we would do well to stop and
soak on EACH point until God has revealed the “much” of what He has for us.
Just seeing God in the first point is enough to think about starting 2015 out
with a completely different outlook for what each day will hold…for those seeing
Him for the first time in “laying aside the struggle that comes from trying to
change.”
And for all the rest of the points, as we say here
in East Texas…”Hooooooooo-boy!”
As we celebrate the birth of Christ today, I say
“Thank you, Lord, for ALL it means to me to be a ‘child of God.’” And, thank
you, Michael and Betty (and all that are a part of ALMI, in Colorado, and New
Jersey, and around the world), for getting the message out to a hungry bunch of
Christians around the world!
Joy to the world! The Lord is come!
Living Moment by Moment Pt 1
…the only thing that Satan must accomplish to defeat
us is to steal the moment, which he does by reminding us about the past or
nudging our fears about the future.
…Many Christians have allowed an incident in the past
to continue to steal abundant life from them in moments that stretch into days
and then years. One allows this to happen in dancing with the devil, whose plan
is to steal not just one moment, but the whole life!
…At any given moment one is either in the flesh or in
the Spirit, tapped into eternal defeat or eternal victory.
…What opens the door (to Christ’s
life) is humility, saying that one has nothing or, “I can’t!” What
closes the door is pride, which says, “I can.” God has so structured things
that victory will only be moment by moment as we abide in Him.
…Is the baggage and residue Satan’s stronghold to
destroy you or God’s stronghold to bless and give you abundant life? It is
God’s stronghold! The very thing that you have been begging God to take away,
which you believed would allow you full and unhindered service and fellowship
with the King, is the very assurance God has that you will continue to
fellowship with and serve Him. Praise God, His ways are not man’s
ways!
…For some reason that we need not know, the majority
of Christians are satisfied to walk away from the Lord; God allows it, but is
not content until He calls them back to Himself. Anyone who wants to go from
the room called “Carnal” to the suite named “Spiritual” must take the only
doorway, named “Trouble, Suffering, and Defeat.” And so it is with all who are
called to return to Him; they must pass through that doorway!
…The Lord spends considerable time teaching us to
recognize the baggage and residue when it surfaces. Those old things
(depression, unbelief, desire to do drugs) are flashing red lights informing us
that the door is closed. And here is a secret: the more baggage that one has,
the more flashing red lights he has, and the more he will be aware of his need
to abide.
…Paul was given a frailty that made him say, “I
can’t,” which opened the door to Christ’s life and caused His power to be
released. The more weakness, the more power released; therefore, he would be
proud of his limitations.
…God is never, I repeat, never outdone by Satan.
Don’t lament over your past failures, hurts, and identity; they have all been
crucified, and their remembrance is but God’s stronghold.
When Paul describes the fruit of the Spirit in
Galatians 5, he is not describing what he would have the Galatians imitate,
which would simply produce artificial fruit with no substance or value. Rather,
Paul is describing what a believer manifests when the door to Christ’s life is
open. If you are naturally manifesting love, joy, peace, patience, kindness,
and so on, you are enjoying life in the Spirit. However, if these are not
present, you can be sure that the door has been closed.
…If you would experience abundant life, it must be
embraced moment by moment!
“steal the moment”…that is Satan’s goal. Right
now…this moment…Christ’s life, or the door closed to Him.
I have had “garbage and baggage services” in
churches before…I have helped folks to “reclaim the ground” given to Satan… It
is amazing how many live exactly where Michael speaks of: reminded of the past,
or fearing the future. It is time for Christians to be taught and helped to
know, understand, reckon, and appropriate the Truth in their lives. Who Christ
is in us, and who we are in Christ. Get away from the defeated
foe!
It is a monumental moment for a Christian to
realize the difference between the garbage and residue from the past NOT being
Satan’s stronghold, but God’s stronghold! Is it because Christians seem to be
taught to focus on their sin and deficiencies and trying to get a victory over
those, instead of focusing on who they are in Christ…and who He is in them?
I watch sporting events all the time…I have NEVER
seen the winning team drop their heads, cover their heads with towels, droop
their shoulders, and head to the locker room with no shouting, no slapping of
hands, no bumping of chests…you know the picture. So how can we be “overcomers”
and “victors” IN CHRIST, and look & act like “losers”? Aaaah…the lack of
teaching of “the power of the Cross”!
Living Moment by Moment Pt 2
LIVING MOMENT BY MOMENT – Part
2
…the only thing that Satan must accomplish to defeat
us is to steal the moment, which he does by reminding us about the past or
nudging our fears about the future.
…Many Christians have allowed an incident in the past
to continue to steal abundant life from them in moments that stretch into days
and then years. One allows this to happen in dancing with the devil, whose plan
is to steal not just one moment, but the whole life!
…At any given moment one is either in the flesh or in
the Spirit, tapped into eternal defeat or eternal victory.
…What opens the door (to Christ’s
life) is humility, saying that one has nothing or, “I can’t!” What
closes the door is pride, which says, “I can.” God has so structured things
that victory will only be moment by moment as we abide in Him.
…Is the baggage and residue Satan’s stronghold to
destroy you or God’s stronghold to bless and give you abundant life? It is
God’s stronghold! The very thing that you have been begging God to take away,
which you believed would allow you full and unhindered service and fellowship
with the King, is the very assurance God has that you will continue to
fellowship with and serve Him. Praise God, His ways are not man’s
ways!
…For some reason that we need not know, the majority
of Christians are satisfied to walk away from the Lord; God allows it, but is
not content until He calls them back to Himself. Anyone who wants to go from
the room called “Carnal” to the suite named “Spiritual” must take the only
doorway, named “Trouble, Suffering, and Defeat.” And so it is with all who are
called to return to Him; they must pass through that doorway!
…The Lord spends considerable time teaching us to
recognize the baggage and residue when it surfaces. Those old things
(depression, unbelief, desire to do drugs) are flashing red lights informing us
that the door is closed. And here is a secret: the more baggage that one has,
the more flashing red lights he has, and the more he will be aware of his need
to abide.
…Paul was given a frailty that made him say, “I
can’t,” which opened the door to Christ’s life and caused His power to be
released. The more weakness, the more power released; therefore, he would be
proud of his limitations.
…God is never, I repeat, never outdone by Satan.
Don’t lament over your past failures, hurts, and identity; they have all been
crucified, and their remembrance is but God’s stronghold.
When Paul describes the fruit of the Spirit in
Galatians 5, he is not describing what he would have the Galatians imitate,
which would simply produce artificial fruit with no substance or value. Rather,
Paul is describing what a believer manifests when the door to Christ’s life is
open. If you are naturally manifesting love, joy, peace, patience, kindness,
and so on, you are enjoying life in the Spirit. However, if these are not
present, you can be sure that the door has been closed.
…If you would experience abundant life, it must be
embraced moment by moment!
“steal the moment”…that is Satan’s goal. Right
now…this moment…Christ’s life, or the door closed to Him.
I have had “garbage and baggage services” in
churches before…I have helped folks to “reclaim the ground” given to Satan… It
is amazing how many live exactly where Michael speaks of: reminded of the past,
or fearing the future. It is time for Christians to be taught and helped to
know, understand, reckon, and appropriate the Truth in their lives. Who Christ
is in us, and who we are in Christ. Get away from the defeated
foe!
It is a monumental moment for a Christian to
realize the difference between the garbage and residue from the past NOT being
Satan’s stronghold, but God’s stronghold! Is it because Christians seem to be
taught to focus on their sin and deficiencies and trying to get a victory over
those, instead of focusing on who they are in Christ…and who He is in them?
I watch sporting events all the time…I have NEVER
seen the winning team drop their heads, cover their heads with towels, droop
their shoulders, and head to the locker room with no shouting, no slapping of
hands, no bumping of chests…you know the picture. So how can we be “overcomers”
and “victors” IN CHRIST, and look & act like “losers”? Aaaah…the lack of
teaching of “the power of the Cross”!
Your True Nature
Until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and
of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the
stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. –Ephesians
4:13
In a village next to the Niger River I noticed a cage
holding one lone, odd-looking eagle. All of the basic features were there, and
it was white on the body, neck, and two-thirds of the wings, but the end of the
wings and the head were black. I was told, “That is a white eagle.” That
seemed confusing, with the black coloring on the wings and the whole head. Then
it was further explained, “It is a young white eagle; as the bird grows, the
white will push its way to the tip of the wings and beak. The mature bird will
be completely white in the end.” Again, all things created are preaching
Jesus. The DNA of the bird dictates that it will be a white bird. As
the bird grows, it expands into what it really is in fact: a white eagle. It
does not become a white eagle; it is a white eagle, even when the black is on
it. Growth and maturity will force out what does not belong to the very
nature of the bird.
The head is where thoughts of the flesh hide in hopes
of manifesting themselves. The black on the wings represent our
unbelief, the only thing associating us with earthly living. Would it in any
way be possible to stop the growth of this bird? No, but if it remains caged,
the expression and exercise of its growth and maturity would not be seen. This
white eagle gives me hope. First, it will grow, and what it is will be
revealed; it has no choice in the matter. Second, God will not
keep it captive. There will be a mounting up in the fullness of
time.
Imagine giving birth to a child if its actual growth
was in your hands and it was up to you to make it grow. Would you not be a
nervous wreck? You cannot make a child grow, for that is God’s work.
Likewise, you do not make yourself grow spiritually! That is God’s work, a work
that He has ordained by writing into your very DNA that you are a child of God;
Christ’s life is written into your very nature. In the end, you cannot
make one hair (one feather) black or white. Your “color” is the outgrowth
of the new nature that He has given you.
By the way, eagles devour the serpent and are feared
by all the other little creatures that sneak about.
How important is it to each one of us to KNOW that
“Christ’s life is written into our very nature”?!?
Wow! Every Christian’s “true nature” is God Himself.
So, check out the beauty of this in our everyday
lives:
1. We do not make ourselves grow spiritually…that is
God’s work.
2. Growth and maturity will force out what does not
belong in our life (to our “true
nature”).
3. The end result of God’s work in our life is the
outgrowth of the new nature that
He gave us at our New Birth (when we were Born
Again).
4. Our “true nature” is that of an Overcomer, and all
that is opposed to our “true
nature” is afraid of any encounter with
Him.
Tuesday, December 23, 2014
A Special Experience
And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and
we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace
and truth. --John 1:14
On a particular night a pastor gave me complete
freedom to speak, and I will always remember it. The topic I chose was an
attribute of God I appreciate so much: faithfulness. We have
failed, but He is faithful and does not keep lists of wrongs, is not provoked,
and is steadfast when we are faithless. The congregation was receptive,
and I believe that God revealed a new aspect of who He is to many. The pastor
took the stage and began to pray and weep. As one the group prayed for God to
reveal that He is a loving Father. All month I had been practicing
allowing my soul to feed on His wisdom,
His will, and His peace that are in me.
I must admit that my soul was very full.When we began to sing "Hold me
now and let your love surround me," I was expecting just that, but love did not
merely surround me! My soul was so full of His love that it began to flow out of
me to others. I wanted to run and hug everyone, to pray for the sick, and to
pray for those in distress, though not me, but Him in me. The overflow of
my soul was of Him, and I could see that His love in me wanted to take the form
of flesh and blood to minister in a concrete way. I was not just
preaching about love but demonstrating it! I could see how the Word became
flesh; the soul of Jesus was so completely full of God that a human body
could not hold it all, so it spilled out to others. "And the Word became
flesh and dwelt among us." Jesus can manifest Himself through us, and we
receive the awareness that there is nothing that faith in Him cannot do, nothing
that Jesus cannot do. I see that I cannot schedule God, but as my soul is
fed, I also see how I could pray for healing and another would receive it, for
the Spirit is scheduling me. Christ is in us! Christ knows who needs what,
and He can move through us to heal or help. On this day I watched God
move from head to heart. We are vehicles for the living Word to take
form. We are not Jesus, or God, or special, but we have been
crucified with Christ, and it is no longer we who live but Christ that lives in
us (as in Galatians 2:20).
He is faithful! Amen. Michael takes us to a realm
of glory…God’s glory…that comes when we “work” at allowing our soul to feed on
His wisdom, His will, His peace, that is in us. Then Michael shares how his
soul became so full that it overflowed…and THAT overflowing WAS Christ. And at
that moment, CHRIST became flesh to minister through Michael.
I wonder how many Christians have celebrated for
years the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ in the sense of thinking about His
being born as a baby in the manger in Bethlehem, and have experienced the birth
of the Lord Jesus Christ in the sense of thinking about His being born as a
Spirit in their very being…BUT, have not experienced or celebrated His “coming
in the flesh” in the sense of overflowing one’s soul and seeing Christ’s love
“take the form of flesh and blood to minister in a concrete way”?
I wonder if there would be any shouting, “Glory!
Glory! Glory to God in the highest…”?
Why do People Limit God's Love and Grace
When the understanding of Grace becomes a reality in your living, you will
be splattered with religious rules and regulations of religious people, or has
Paul puts it, "fallen from grace" people.
If there is one thing that riles the wrath of religion, it is the completeness of God's amazing grace and love. This wrath stirred in them may be due to their own lack of it in their lives, and in their preaching of their perverted gospel of mixing the law with grace.
From one side of their mouth they will tell you that God is a God of love and grace...while from the other side of the same mouth they say, BUT...both these statements come from the same heart. A divided heart that speaks both good and evil, that if the Spirit of Christ is in that heart, it should not happen. The divided heart of the religionists will weep and pray for the sinner for them to come to the alter for salvation and in the same breath consign them to hell fire at a future time if they don't.
If you are a grace living believer, never lose sight of the fact that the religious spirit of the religionists. Always remember that the religious spirit of the religionists ever seeks to bring you into bondage of religious ideologies, notions, rules and traditions that would regulate, control, and dispense God's love and grace only to those they deem worthy...the sinner that they can move to accept salvation as they, from their divided heart, heap the wrath of God on the ones who don't. You live in a religious world that equates God's "grace and love" with with an act of obedience to the keeping of religious rules...conditional love...while God's love is unconditional. You will always be the target of graceless people who, enraged by your acceptance and understanding of God's amazing grace in you, will condemn and accuse you.
But don't fret...Jesus was hated and ultimately crucified by religious endearing people for being graceful, loving and being a friend of sinners. If the world heard Him, they will hear you. If they hated Him without a cause, they will hate you also. Rejoice! For the fellowship of His sufferings only assures you of the reality of His life within you.
If there is one thing that riles the wrath of religion, it is the completeness of God's amazing grace and love. This wrath stirred in them may be due to their own lack of it in their lives, and in their preaching of their perverted gospel of mixing the law with grace.
From one side of their mouth they will tell you that God is a God of love and grace...while from the other side of the same mouth they say, BUT...both these statements come from the same heart. A divided heart that speaks both good and evil, that if the Spirit of Christ is in that heart, it should not happen. The divided heart of the religionists will weep and pray for the sinner for them to come to the alter for salvation and in the same breath consign them to hell fire at a future time if they don't.
If you are a grace living believer, never lose sight of the fact that the religious spirit of the religionists. Always remember that the religious spirit of the religionists ever seeks to bring you into bondage of religious ideologies, notions, rules and traditions that would regulate, control, and dispense God's love and grace only to those they deem worthy...the sinner that they can move to accept salvation as they, from their divided heart, heap the wrath of God on the ones who don't. You live in a religious world that equates God's "grace and love" with with an act of obedience to the keeping of religious rules...conditional love...while God's love is unconditional. You will always be the target of graceless people who, enraged by your acceptance and understanding of God's amazing grace in you, will condemn and accuse you.
But don't fret...Jesus was hated and ultimately crucified by religious endearing people for being graceful, loving and being a friend of sinners. If the world heard Him, they will hear you. If they hated Him without a cause, they will hate you also. Rejoice! For the fellowship of His sufferings only assures you of the reality of His life within you.
Don't be a Functional Atheist at Christmas
All of us raised in Western culture have been strongly conditioned by what is
called a secular worldview. The word secular comes from the Latin
saeculum, meaning “the present world.” A secular worldview, therefore,
is one that focuses on the present physical world and ignores or rejects the
spiritual realm. To the extent that one is secularized, spiritual realities like
God, angels, demons, and heaven don’t have a significant role in one’s thought
or life.
Of course many of us continue to believe in things like God, Jesus, angels, demons, heaven, and hell. But as every study on the topic has shown, our beliefs tend to have little impact on our lives. The majority of Western people hold some sort of spiritual beliefs, but nonetheless continue to live much of their lives as functional atheists.
Let’s be honest. Most of us don’t think about God in most of our waking moments. Still fewer consciously surrender to God in most of our waking moments. Even fewer experience God’s presence in most of our waking moments. Our day-to-day lives are, for all intents and purposes, God-less.
This is the tragic affliction of secularism.
The Gospels tell us that the birth of Jesus is all about the presence of God. His name is “Immanuel” which means God with us. The Incarnation of God introduced the Kingdom of God as Jesus perfectly manifested the reign of God. Jesus did this through unbroken communion with the Father. He never did or said anything except what he saw and heard the Father do. His life was an unbroken act of obedient surrender to the Father’s will. In other words, he lived out the absolute antithesis of a life lived according to the secular worldview. Instead of thinking, living, and experiencing reality on a moment-by-moment basis as though God does not exist, Jesus thought, lived, and experienced the world as though it is continually permeated with God’s presence—because, as a matter of fact, it is.
You are, right now, enveloped by God’s loving presence like a molecule of water in the middle of an infinite ocean. His loving presence presses in on you like the water pressure on a submarine three miles beneath the ocean. Right now, simply become aware of this truth. Let the reality of God’s loving presence be a canvas against which you experience and interpret the world around you.
The most insignificant details of our life take on eternal significance when they are integrated with an awareness of God’s continual presence. In God’s presence, the “secular” world disappears as it is enveloped by, and permeated with, the “holy.”
As I’ve practiced the presence of God, (I write about this in my book Present Perfect) there have been moments when I’ve suddenly become aware of the beautiful mystery of every detail of my surroundings. It’s like the Kingdom breaks through my habitual, false, “secular” view of the world and explodes it from the inside out. In these moments I sense the mind-boggling miracle of existence in everything around me. A leaf twitching in the wind; a bird flying overhead; a ladybug on a blade of grass—it’s all unfathomable miracle. In these moments I am tangibly aware that all things are at every moment held in existence by “[God’s] powerful word” (Heb 1:3). I am struck with childlike wonder. I feel like I’m looking at the world for the first time.
Don’t let the secularized worldview of functional atheism dull your senses. Surrender to his love. Acknowledge his presence around you. Pay attention to the nudges in your heart. God is present.
Of course many of us continue to believe in things like God, Jesus, angels, demons, heaven, and hell. But as every study on the topic has shown, our beliefs tend to have little impact on our lives. The majority of Western people hold some sort of spiritual beliefs, but nonetheless continue to live much of their lives as functional atheists.
Let’s be honest. Most of us don’t think about God in most of our waking moments. Still fewer consciously surrender to God in most of our waking moments. Even fewer experience God’s presence in most of our waking moments. Our day-to-day lives are, for all intents and purposes, God-less.
This is the tragic affliction of secularism.
The Gospels tell us that the birth of Jesus is all about the presence of God. His name is “Immanuel” which means God with us. The Incarnation of God introduced the Kingdom of God as Jesus perfectly manifested the reign of God. Jesus did this through unbroken communion with the Father. He never did or said anything except what he saw and heard the Father do. His life was an unbroken act of obedient surrender to the Father’s will. In other words, he lived out the absolute antithesis of a life lived according to the secular worldview. Instead of thinking, living, and experiencing reality on a moment-by-moment basis as though God does not exist, Jesus thought, lived, and experienced the world as though it is continually permeated with God’s presence—because, as a matter of fact, it is.
You are, right now, enveloped by God’s loving presence like a molecule of water in the middle of an infinite ocean. His loving presence presses in on you like the water pressure on a submarine three miles beneath the ocean. Right now, simply become aware of this truth. Let the reality of God’s loving presence be a canvas against which you experience and interpret the world around you.
The most insignificant details of our life take on eternal significance when they are integrated with an awareness of God’s continual presence. In God’s presence, the “secular” world disappears as it is enveloped by, and permeated with, the “holy.”
As I’ve practiced the presence of God, (I write about this in my book Present Perfect) there have been moments when I’ve suddenly become aware of the beautiful mystery of every detail of my surroundings. It’s like the Kingdom breaks through my habitual, false, “secular” view of the world and explodes it from the inside out. In these moments I sense the mind-boggling miracle of existence in everything around me. A leaf twitching in the wind; a bird flying overhead; a ladybug on a blade of grass—it’s all unfathomable miracle. In these moments I am tangibly aware that all things are at every moment held in existence by “[God’s] powerful word” (Heb 1:3). I am struck with childlike wonder. I feel like I’m looking at the world for the first time.
Don’t let the secularized worldview of functional atheism dull your senses. Surrender to his love. Acknowledge his presence around you. Pay attention to the nudges in your heart. God is present.
Friday, December 19, 2014
Amazing Grace
Grace
is;
Amazing
Divine.
The fruit of the Spirit wrapped up in one package.
Holy Spirit revealed.
The finished work of Christ on the cross.
Free.
Satisfying.
Restful.
Christ in you;
You in Christ'
Christ working His works through you.
Forgiving.
Compassionate.
Loving.
Understanding.
Confident that you are the dwelling place for Christ.
Power to live the believer's life.
Strength for today and hope for tomorrow.
Freedom from the Law.
Freedom from religion.
Rest from self-righteous works.
Religionless.
Denomination-less.
Divine enablemeant to be who God made you to be.
Limitless.
Hell-less.
Without boundaries.
Sin destroying.
Hate destroying.
The GOOD NEWS GOSPEL.
THE GOSPEL.
JESUS CHRIST.
Somebody please, please tell me...why does the religionist reject God's Amazing GRACE?
Amazing
Divine.
The fruit of the Spirit wrapped up in one package.
Holy Spirit revealed.
The finished work of Christ on the cross.
Free.
Satisfying.
Restful.
Christ in you;
You in Christ'
Christ working His works through you.
Forgiving.
Compassionate.
Loving.
Understanding.
Confident that you are the dwelling place for Christ.
Power to live the believer's life.
Strength for today and hope for tomorrow.
Freedom from the Law.
Freedom from religion.
Rest from self-righteous works.
Religionless.
Denomination-less.
Divine enablemeant to be who God made you to be.
Limitless.
Hell-less.
Without boundaries.
Sin destroying.
Hate destroying.
The GOOD NEWS GOSPEL.
THE GOSPEL.
JESUS CHRIST.
Somebody please, please tell me...why does the religionist reject God's Amazing GRACE?
Judgement and Idolatry
Why was the forbidden tree in the center of the garden called The Tree of
the Knowledge of Good and Evil? Since the Bible depicts eating from this
tree as the reason humans are estranged from God and the cause of all that’s
wrong with humanity, eating from this tree is obviously a terrible thing. But
what’s so terrible about acquiring “knowledge of good and evil?” Why wouldn’t
God want Adam and Eve to possess this knowledge?
The Hebrew concept of “knowledge” used here goes much deeper than mere intellectual knowledge. Rather, the concept of “the knowledge of good and evil” connotes an attempt by humans to define and experience good and evil on their own—apart from God. Eating from this tree represents a rebellion against God, for we are aspiring to be “wise like God” in the sense of grasping for moral autonomy—an exercise of sovereignty that is appropriate to God alone.
This is exactly what the serpent tempted Eve with. “[W]hen you eat of it,” he said, “your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil” (Gen 3:5). Eating from the forbidden tree represents our rebellious attempts to position ourselves as judges rather than leaving all judgment to God, as the bible consistently commands (e.g. Rom 14:10; James 4:11-12).
By eating from the forbidden tree, Eve was guilty of idolatry. Accepting the serpent’s false and untrustworthy depiction of God, Eve stopped trusting God to be her source of life and instead turned to the forbidden tree as a new source of life. This is idolatry.
Such idolatry causes us to define and experience as “good” all that gives us a sense of life. Conversely, everything that threatens our idolatrous sources of life is instinctively defined and experienced as “evil.” In other words, our idolatrous hunger unconsciously creates its own version of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. We habitually see and experience the entire world through a filter of our self-serving judgments of good and evil.
The love that reflects the reign of God ascribes worth to others, at cost to oneself. In direct opposition to this, the judgment that reflects rebellion against God ascribes worth to oneself, at cost to others, and in rebellion against God’s own determination. Judgment, in other words, is the direct antithesis of agape love.
Put simply: We can’t possibly ascribe unsurpassable worth to others at cost to ourselves, while at the same time detracting worth from others to ascribe worth to ourselves.
Judgment is the antithesis of the kind of love that God always intended humans to receive and express to one another. It’s the antithesis of the kind of love that expresses God’s life and therefore the life of the kingdom.
I’m convinced this is why the Bible teaches that the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil was placed in the center of the garden with the Tree of Life. Life as God intends it revolves around trusting God for his provision while obediently honoring God’s prohibition. This means we are to trust God’s provision of life while honoring God’s prohibition against judgment. And we cannot trust God’s provision of life while we participate in judgment.
The forbidden tree wasn’t some arbitrary test God put in the garden to tempt Adam and Eve. We should rather think of it as a sort of “No Trespassing” sign God lovingly gave to his first children. God was, in effect, teaching them—and us as well—that for life to be lived the way he intended it, for our life to manifest the beautiful kingdom of God, we must never think we can define and experience good and evil apart from him. When we try to do this, we are no longer trusting him for life and we immediately lose our capacity to receive his life and thus love like he loves.
The moment we become judgers, we stop being lovers. The moment we eat from the forbidden tree, we’re blocked from access to the Tree of Life (Gen 3:22-24).
The Hebrew concept of “knowledge” used here goes much deeper than mere intellectual knowledge. Rather, the concept of “the knowledge of good and evil” connotes an attempt by humans to define and experience good and evil on their own—apart from God. Eating from this tree represents a rebellion against God, for we are aspiring to be “wise like God” in the sense of grasping for moral autonomy—an exercise of sovereignty that is appropriate to God alone.
This is exactly what the serpent tempted Eve with. “[W]hen you eat of it,” he said, “your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil” (Gen 3:5). Eating from the forbidden tree represents our rebellious attempts to position ourselves as judges rather than leaving all judgment to God, as the bible consistently commands (e.g. Rom 14:10; James 4:11-12).
By eating from the forbidden tree, Eve was guilty of idolatry. Accepting the serpent’s false and untrustworthy depiction of God, Eve stopped trusting God to be her source of life and instead turned to the forbidden tree as a new source of life. This is idolatry.
Such idolatry causes us to define and experience as “good” all that gives us a sense of life. Conversely, everything that threatens our idolatrous sources of life is instinctively defined and experienced as “evil.” In other words, our idolatrous hunger unconsciously creates its own version of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. We habitually see and experience the entire world through a filter of our self-serving judgments of good and evil.
The love that reflects the reign of God ascribes worth to others, at cost to oneself. In direct opposition to this, the judgment that reflects rebellion against God ascribes worth to oneself, at cost to others, and in rebellion against God’s own determination. Judgment, in other words, is the direct antithesis of agape love.
Put simply: We can’t possibly ascribe unsurpassable worth to others at cost to ourselves, while at the same time detracting worth from others to ascribe worth to ourselves.
Judgment is the antithesis of the kind of love that God always intended humans to receive and express to one another. It’s the antithesis of the kind of love that expresses God’s life and therefore the life of the kingdom.
I’m convinced this is why the Bible teaches that the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil was placed in the center of the garden with the Tree of Life. Life as God intends it revolves around trusting God for his provision while obediently honoring God’s prohibition. This means we are to trust God’s provision of life while honoring God’s prohibition against judgment. And we cannot trust God’s provision of life while we participate in judgment.
The forbidden tree wasn’t some arbitrary test God put in the garden to tempt Adam and Eve. We should rather think of it as a sort of “No Trespassing” sign God lovingly gave to his first children. God was, in effect, teaching them—and us as well—that for life to be lived the way he intended it, for our life to manifest the beautiful kingdom of God, we must never think we can define and experience good and evil apart from him. When we try to do this, we are no longer trusting him for life and we immediately lose our capacity to receive his life and thus love like he loves.
The moment we become judgers, we stop being lovers. The moment we eat from the forbidden tree, we’re blocked from access to the Tree of Life (Gen 3:22-24).
Wednesday, December 17, 2014
What Motivates Torture "In Jesus Name"?
Why has the church, at times, tortured and murdered people? What motivates
killing and persecution “in the name of Jesus” or “for the glory of God”? (See
the post
from yesterday about how the church has tortured people.) A variety of
political, social, and theological explanations could be offered, and they might
all be valid. But the core motivation for this barbarism is the same as it is
for all other forms of barbarism: idolatry.
This idolatry surfaced when Christian leaders derived some element of their core worth from the rightness of their beliefs—along with, no doubt, the value of their nationalism, the prestige of their positions, the luxury of their wealth and the power of their offices. Whatever affirmed, protected and advanced these idols was judged “good,” while whatever negated, threatened, or hindered these idols was judged “evil.” And since the stakes are often eternally high in religious idolatry, it seemed obvious to these leaders that they needed to glorify God by exterminating their enemies—Christ’s teachings about blessings and doing good to them notwithstanding.
As church history clearly demonstrates, unless self-sacrificial love is made the all-important doctrine that teaches us how to hold all of the rest of our orthodox beliefs, being orthodox provides no more protection against idolatry, judgment, and violence than does being unorthodox. This, again, simply illustrates the point that the Kingdom cannot be identified merely with orthodox religion, or any religion.
Jesus exposed this idolatry in a parable about a Pharisee and a tax collector at the temple (Lk 18:10-14). A Pharisee was inside the temple praying. He thanked God that he was “not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers”—or like a certain tax collector standing outside the temple. In contrast to these sinners, the Pharisee reminded God that he fasted “twice a week” and gave “a tenth” of his income to the temple.
On the other hand, a tax collector stood outside the temple. He didn’t think himself worthy enough to even go inside. In fact, he didn’t even dare lift his face toward heaven when he prayed. He merely “beat his breast” and muttered, “God, have mercy on me, a sinner.”
Jesus said that the tax collector rather than the Pharisee “went home justified before God.” And so it will be, Jesus concludes, that “all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”
The “holiness” of the Pharisee was a religious “holiness” that exalted itself by contrasting itself with others. The Pharisee—and this epitomizes all idolatrous religion—tried to ascribe worth to himself by detracting worth from others and by feeling special before God on this basis.
Religious idolaters have a pharisaical “holiness” that’s rooted in how they contrast with others. Jesus, on the other hand, manifested a holiness that was compatible with his deep identification with “sinners,” a holiness that was rooted in the life of God that embraces all others. It’s little wonder, therefore, that prostitutes, tax collectors, and other sinners steered clear of Pharisees and other religious leaders, but gravitated to Jesus.
Far from feeling like they received worth from religious leaders, tax collectors and prostitutes rightly sensed that they lost worth around them. Far form being fed life, these sorts of sinners felt they were used as a source of life for these people. In other words, these sinners felt judged.
How different things were around Jesus. Clearly, prostitutes and tax collectors knew this holy rabbi didn’t condone their sinful behavior, any more than he condoned the behavior of robbers, evildoers, and adulterers. Yet, Jesus didn’t get life from the fact that he wasn’t like them. This wasn’t his “holiness.” He didn’t need to get life by contrasting himself with others. He didn’t need the cheap, parasitic “holiness” of religion.
This is also why Jesus was free to love and serve people as they were. Because he didn’t need to derive worth from others, Jesus was free to ascribe unsurpassable worth to others. Again, this begins to explain why prostitutes and tax collectors wanted to hang out with him.
This is the unique and beautiful holiness of the Kingdom, and it contrasts with the ugly “holiness” of religion in the strongest possible way.
This idolatry surfaced when Christian leaders derived some element of their core worth from the rightness of their beliefs—along with, no doubt, the value of their nationalism, the prestige of their positions, the luxury of their wealth and the power of their offices. Whatever affirmed, protected and advanced these idols was judged “good,” while whatever negated, threatened, or hindered these idols was judged “evil.” And since the stakes are often eternally high in religious idolatry, it seemed obvious to these leaders that they needed to glorify God by exterminating their enemies—Christ’s teachings about blessings and doing good to them notwithstanding.
As church history clearly demonstrates, unless self-sacrificial love is made the all-important doctrine that teaches us how to hold all of the rest of our orthodox beliefs, being orthodox provides no more protection against idolatry, judgment, and violence than does being unorthodox. This, again, simply illustrates the point that the Kingdom cannot be identified merely with orthodox religion, or any religion.
Jesus exposed this idolatry in a parable about a Pharisee and a tax collector at the temple (Lk 18:10-14). A Pharisee was inside the temple praying. He thanked God that he was “not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers”—or like a certain tax collector standing outside the temple. In contrast to these sinners, the Pharisee reminded God that he fasted “twice a week” and gave “a tenth” of his income to the temple.
On the other hand, a tax collector stood outside the temple. He didn’t think himself worthy enough to even go inside. In fact, he didn’t even dare lift his face toward heaven when he prayed. He merely “beat his breast” and muttered, “God, have mercy on me, a sinner.”
Jesus said that the tax collector rather than the Pharisee “went home justified before God.” And so it will be, Jesus concludes, that “all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”
The “holiness” of the Pharisee was a religious “holiness” that exalted itself by contrasting itself with others. The Pharisee—and this epitomizes all idolatrous religion—tried to ascribe worth to himself by detracting worth from others and by feeling special before God on this basis.
Religious idolaters have a pharisaical “holiness” that’s rooted in how they contrast with others. Jesus, on the other hand, manifested a holiness that was compatible with his deep identification with “sinners,” a holiness that was rooted in the life of God that embraces all others. It’s little wonder, therefore, that prostitutes, tax collectors, and other sinners steered clear of Pharisees and other religious leaders, but gravitated to Jesus.
Far from feeling like they received worth from religious leaders, tax collectors and prostitutes rightly sensed that they lost worth around them. Far form being fed life, these sorts of sinners felt they were used as a source of life for these people. In other words, these sinners felt judged.
How different things were around Jesus. Clearly, prostitutes and tax collectors knew this holy rabbi didn’t condone their sinful behavior, any more than he condoned the behavior of robbers, evildoers, and adulterers. Yet, Jesus didn’t get life from the fact that he wasn’t like them. This wasn’t his “holiness.” He didn’t need to get life by contrasting himself with others. He didn’t need the cheap, parasitic “holiness” of religion.
This is also why Jesus was free to love and serve people as they were. Because he didn’t need to derive worth from others, Jesus was free to ascribe unsurpassable worth to others. Again, this begins to explain why prostitutes and tax collectors wanted to hang out with him.
This is the unique and beautiful holiness of the Kingdom, and it contrasts with the ugly “holiness” of religion in the strongest possible way.
Labour to Enter His Rest
|
Labour to Enter His Rest (Hebrews 4:11)by Paul Ellis |
The
other day a strange man approached a young girl and offered her candy
if she would get in his car. Thankfully, the girl knew all about
stranger danger and quickly walked to a shop where she was safe.
I
know you’ve heard this sort of story before but this was different for
us because it happened on the street where we live and the girl was a
classmate of one of my daughters. She was walking home when it happened
so you can guess what every parent in our school is now thinking. That could’ve been my little girl!
I
mention this story because a few years ago this incident would’ve sent
me into a fearful tizz. I was a bit like Job who worried much about his
kids. Like many parents, I would lose sleep thinking about the bad
things that could happen to my children. The world is big and our kids
are small. Dangers await them on every side!
But
by the grace of God I came to a place of rest some years ago. After I
heard about this latest incident, I slept as peacefully as ever. And
this brings me to the following scripture:
There
remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who
enters God’s rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from
his. Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no
one will fall by following their example of disobedience. (Heb 4:9-11)
Striving to rest
Grace and works don’t mix, so how do we explain the bit about “making every effort to rest”? It seems contradictory.
“No it isn’t,” says the preacher of works. “It’s about serving the Lord. While on earth we work, and when we get to heaven we rest.”
To
the natural mind this makes perfect sense. It’s how the world works.
During the week you work and on the weekend you rest. But if you buy
into this work now-rest later message you will surely fall from grace. You’ll stop trusting in Christ’s finished work and start banking on your own.
“But I must work. The Bible clearly says so.”
Does
it? Look at the preceding verse: “Anyone who enters God’s rest also
rests from his own work.” You cannot preach verse 11 without verse 10.
This may come as a shock, but resting means resting. It’s not
complicated. And this isn’t referring to your future retirement in
heaven for resting literally means resting “from your own work.”
How do we labor to enter his rest?
The
work we rest from is the dead work of trying to earn God’s favor. Read
the passage in context and you will see that it is referring to the
unbelieving children of Israel. They tried to earn what God wanted to
give them and consequently they never entered the Lord’s rest.
If
you don’t believe that God wants to bless you and, indeed, that he
already has blessed you with every blessing in Christ Jesus, then you
will work and never rest. You will exhaust yourself trying to get what
he has already given. You may work for salvation, sanctification, or
rewards, but if you are trying instead of trusting you will be anxious and insecure. You will always wonder, have I done enough? As Watchman Nee said, you can trust or you can try and the difference is heaven and hell.
“The children of Israel never entered in because they were disobedient,”
says the preacher of works. “They didn’t keep God’s law. You’ve got to
strive and work to keep the commands.” Under the law-keeping covenant
this was true, but in the new covenant the only real work is that which
flows out of faith in Jesus Christ (see John 6:29).
The issue is not what you do but what you believe, because what you do follows what you believe. Disobedience is a fruit not a root. The Israelites’ problem was not that they broke the rules but that they distrusted God:
For
we also have had the gospel preached to us, just as they did; but the
message they heard was of no value to them, because those who heard did
not combine it with faith. (Heb 4:2)
If
you do not trust God to take care of you and provide for your needs,
you will work. Far better to labor towards a place of trust where you
cease from your dead works and allow your heart to be established in
true righteousness. Do you see? You don’t work to earn rest but to enter
his rest. Big difference.
An illustration may help.
When
troubles come near my children the temptation is to become anxious and
agitated. My natural response is to take matters into my own hands and
work to fix the problem. This is what Job did. He worked to bring
sacrifices that no one had asked for thinking they would provide
insurance against his children’s sins (see Job 1:5). But this was a dead
work. He was operating out of fear rather than faith. We know this
because Job later said, “That which I feared has come upon me” (Job
3:25). To all outward appearances Job was a good man and a good father,
but his fear made him superstitious and religious.
I
used to be a Job-like father, full of worry and care. I thought that by
praying long prayers for my kids I was being a good dad and protecting
them, but all I was doing was giving voice to my fears. Then one
sleepless night God spoke to me and reminded me of the promises in his
word. He’s watching over my kids. He’s got this. My choice is to stress
out or trust him. At first it wasn’t easy. It took real effort to cast
my cares upon him and actually let them go. It was hard work to come to
that place of rest. But it is so worth it!
Job vs Jesus
Job worried about everything, but Jesus slept through storms. Who would you rather follow?
I
have learned to make every effort to enter the Lord’s rest. Now when
troubles come, my default reaction isn’t “what can I do to fix this?”
but “what does the Holy Spirit say?” I am learning to sit before I stand
and when I do my heart is at rest. You can be at rest too.
When
life hits you hard ask yourself this question: “Do I want to be a
restless wreck like Job or would I rather sleep in peace like Jesus?”
Sometimes it’s not easy. You might get a bad report and find nothing in
your natural circumstances that brings you comfort and hope. Walk by
faith and not by sight. Look above your circumstances and see your
Father who cares for you and numbers the hairs on your head. Ground
yourself on his word – choose to believe the good things he says about
you – and you will be the house that cannot be shaken.
The world is a big place and you are small, but greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world!
Tuesday, December 16, 2014
The Worst Heresy That Never God Anyone Burn't at the Stake
According to John’s Gospel, on the evening of his crucifixion Jesus clearly
articulated the single-most important quality by which his followers would be
recognized: “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love
(agape) one another” (John 13:35). Or again: “But I tell you, love your enemies
and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in
heaven” (Matt 5:44). As the apostle Paul reminds us, even the best deeds and
most impressive religious phenomenon and achievements are simply worthless
religious noise (“clanging cymbals”) unless they are motivated by and express
Jesus-looking love (1 Cor 13).
In this light, what are we to think of Christians when, in “the name of Christ” and for “the glory of God,” they engage in any type of violence? In days past, the Church that tortured and murdered its enemies was certainly “orthodox” in its core beliefs. It believed in the Trinity, the Incarnation, the atonement, the need for grace, the inspiration of the Bible and many other true things.
Yet—call me crazy if you will—it seems to me that the barbaric activity that the Church endorsed and practiced “in the name of Jesus” wasn’t expressing Christ-like agape love. And since the NT teaches that anything that doesn’t express Christ-like love is devoid of Kingdom value, however true and impressive it might otherwise be, we can only conclude that the Church that engaged in this anti-Christ activity was not the Kingdom. Without love, believing all the true beliefs in the world is worthless. James makes this very point by reminding us: “You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder” (Jas 2:19).
The Kingdom always reflects the character of the one who incarnated it and first established it. Jesus never tortured or murdered his enemies. He gave his life for them. So any religion that advocates torturing or killing enemies rather than sacrificing your life for them is not the Kingdom, regardless of how many true beliefs it contains. When it comes to the centrality of agape-love it really is just that simple—as the NT consistently teaches us.
I know that in arguing this way I’m coming up against a long and cherished tradition that has identified the Kingdom of God with doctrinal orthodoxy. So let me come at this from another angle.
It seems we should regard the command to love as the ultimate test of orthodoxy. “Orthoprayxy” (correct practice/lifestyle) is the necessary condition for an “orthodoxy” (correct belief) that is glorifying God. In this light, I don’t see how we can avoid concluding that those who burned heretics alive for the glory of God were far worse heretics than those they set on fire.
For example, in the 16th century John Calvin had the heretic Michael Servetus burned at the stake for denying that Jesus was the eternal Son of God and for rejecting infant baptism. Servetus’ denial of Jesus’ deity was unorthodox, for sure. But in the light of the all-or-nothing emphasis of the NT on manifesting Christ-like love, how can we avoid concluding that Calvin was a far worse heretic for having him burned alive? He certainly was not self-sacrificially loving, doing good to, and blessing his enemy as Jesus commanded.
In fact, while Church history is full of people being tortured or put to death for heresies such as not acknowledging the authority of the Church, baptizing wrongly, and denying the Trinity, how is it that there’s no record of anyone so much as having their hand slapped for not loving enough (let alone for torturing and killing people)? And how is it that neither God’s love nor the command to live in love is so much as mentioned in any of the major ecumenical creeds of the Church?
Now, I’m not suggesting that we are in a position to pass individual judgment on Calvin or anyone else. Each of us must consider ourselves the worst of sinners. Each of us has a log in our own eye, as Jesus said. Were we in Calvin’s shoes, we might very well have done the exact same thing. As mere humans who know very little, and as sinners who have planks sticking out of our eyes, we must leave all judgment up to the One who alone knows the innermost hearts of people.
But this doesn’t mean we can’t discern what is and is not of the Kingdom. We can’t ever separate ourselves form others and place ourselves above others. But we can and must separate things. And so we must clearly and emphatically separate torturing and killing people in Jesus name (or for any other reason) from the beautiful, Jesus-looking Kingdom.
In this light, what are we to think of Christians when, in “the name of Christ” and for “the glory of God,” they engage in any type of violence? In days past, the Church that tortured and murdered its enemies was certainly “orthodox” in its core beliefs. It believed in the Trinity, the Incarnation, the atonement, the need for grace, the inspiration of the Bible and many other true things.
Yet—call me crazy if you will—it seems to me that the barbaric activity that the Church endorsed and practiced “in the name of Jesus” wasn’t expressing Christ-like agape love. And since the NT teaches that anything that doesn’t express Christ-like love is devoid of Kingdom value, however true and impressive it might otherwise be, we can only conclude that the Church that engaged in this anti-Christ activity was not the Kingdom. Without love, believing all the true beliefs in the world is worthless. James makes this very point by reminding us: “You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder” (Jas 2:19).
The Kingdom always reflects the character of the one who incarnated it and first established it. Jesus never tortured or murdered his enemies. He gave his life for them. So any religion that advocates torturing or killing enemies rather than sacrificing your life for them is not the Kingdom, regardless of how many true beliefs it contains. When it comes to the centrality of agape-love it really is just that simple—as the NT consistently teaches us.
I know that in arguing this way I’m coming up against a long and cherished tradition that has identified the Kingdom of God with doctrinal orthodoxy. So let me come at this from another angle.
It seems we should regard the command to love as the ultimate test of orthodoxy. “Orthoprayxy” (correct practice/lifestyle) is the necessary condition for an “orthodoxy” (correct belief) that is glorifying God. In this light, I don’t see how we can avoid concluding that those who burned heretics alive for the glory of God were far worse heretics than those they set on fire.
For example, in the 16th century John Calvin had the heretic Michael Servetus burned at the stake for denying that Jesus was the eternal Son of God and for rejecting infant baptism. Servetus’ denial of Jesus’ deity was unorthodox, for sure. But in the light of the all-or-nothing emphasis of the NT on manifesting Christ-like love, how can we avoid concluding that Calvin was a far worse heretic for having him burned alive? He certainly was not self-sacrificially loving, doing good to, and blessing his enemy as Jesus commanded.
In fact, while Church history is full of people being tortured or put to death for heresies such as not acknowledging the authority of the Church, baptizing wrongly, and denying the Trinity, how is it that there’s no record of anyone so much as having their hand slapped for not loving enough (let alone for torturing and killing people)? And how is it that neither God’s love nor the command to live in love is so much as mentioned in any of the major ecumenical creeds of the Church?
Now, I’m not suggesting that we are in a position to pass individual judgment on Calvin or anyone else. Each of us must consider ourselves the worst of sinners. Each of us has a log in our own eye, as Jesus said. Were we in Calvin’s shoes, we might very well have done the exact same thing. As mere humans who know very little, and as sinners who have planks sticking out of our eyes, we must leave all judgment up to the One who alone knows the innermost hearts of people.
But this doesn’t mean we can’t discern what is and is not of the Kingdom. We can’t ever separate ourselves form others and place ourselves above others. But we can and must separate things. And so we must clearly and emphatically separate torturing and killing people in Jesus name (or for any other reason) from the beautiful, Jesus-looking Kingdom.
Thursday, December 11, 2014
God Doesn't Zap Away Our Sin
God promises grace to battle sin and to overcome sin. We believe that God
gives that kind of grace to his people. This is not something we deserve; it is
not something he owes us, but he gives it anyway. It is undeserved, the overflow
of his love for us.
And we long for that grace—the grace to put sin to death, the grace to bring righteousness to life, the grace to be who and what God calls us to be.
God gives that grace, but for some reason—his good reasons—it rarely comes in the form we would prefer. God gives it not in the form we want but in the form we need. We want God to zap away our sin, to instantly and permanently remove it. Those desires, those addictions, those idolatries—we want them to be lifted and to be gone that very moment.
God could do this. He has the strength and the power. And occasionally he does do this, he removes the sin and the temptation to sin in an instant, and it never comes back with the same strength and the same force.
But more commonly God’s grace is not manifested in the instant obliteration of a sin. Instead, his grace is manifested in a newfound desire to destroy that sin. God does not zap away our sin, but gives us a new hatred for it and a new desire to do the hard work of battling it. He does not sovereignly remove it in a moment, but extends grace so we can battle it for a lifetime. He extends grace so we can see continuous, incremental success, knowing our weakness and crying out for his strength. He gives what we need, even if it isn’t quite what we want.
And this, too, is grace. This, too, is undeserved favour from a loving God. This, somehow, must be far better for us than the alternative. “But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”
And we long for that grace—the grace to put sin to death, the grace to bring righteousness to life, the grace to be who and what God calls us to be.
God gives that grace, but for some reason—his good reasons—it rarely comes in the form we would prefer. God gives it not in the form we want but in the form we need. We want God to zap away our sin, to instantly and permanently remove it. Those desires, those addictions, those idolatries—we want them to be lifted and to be gone that very moment.
God could do this. He has the strength and the power. And occasionally he does do this, he removes the sin and the temptation to sin in an instant, and it never comes back with the same strength and the same force.
But more commonly God’s grace is not manifested in the instant obliteration of a sin. Instead, his grace is manifested in a newfound desire to destroy that sin. God does not zap away our sin, but gives us a new hatred for it and a new desire to do the hard work of battling it. He does not sovereignly remove it in a moment, but extends grace so we can battle it for a lifetime. He extends grace so we can see continuous, incremental success, knowing our weakness and crying out for his strength. He gives what we need, even if it isn’t quite what we want.
And this, too, is grace. This, too, is undeserved favour from a loving God. This, somehow, must be far better for us than the alternative. “But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”
Why are We So Mired in Violence
In his marvelous little book entitled The Great Divorce, C. S. Lewis envisioned hell as a
realm in which people are forever moving farther away from one another. Hell is
the ultimate, cosmic, suburban sprawl! It seems to me that Western civilization
is diving headlong into Lewis’ hell, and we’re being pulled there by the powers
of darkness.
When you combine our relationship-eroding consumerism with our stress on individual freedoms and rights, you can understand why most Westerners have many acquaintances but few (if any) deeply committed relationships that echo the love of the triune God, which I highlighted in the previous two posts here and here.
So why doesn’t the human community mirror the love of the triune God? Why are we so prone to violence, judgment, and division? It’s really not that complicated. It’s because we have individually and as a race severed our life-giving relationship with our Creator. It’s impossible for us to be rightly-related to one another on a consistent basis if we’re wrongly-related to our Creator (1 John 4:20).
This is evident in the biblical account of how the rebellion against God began. The moment Adam and Eve rebelled, they concealed themselves from each other and hid from God (Gen 3:7-10). When confronted by God about his sin, Adam first accused Eve and then God for giving Eve to him (Gen 3:12). God then woefully proclaimed that because of their rebellion, the beautiful “one flesh” relationship he wanted couples to enjoy would be reduced to a manipulative power struggle. The wife would seek to manipulate and dominate her husband, and the man would end up lording over the woman, presumably because he tends to be physically stronger (vs. 16).
The story goes downhill from there. Adam and Eve’s first child, Cain, murdered their second child, Abel, out of jealousy (4:8). As violence always does, this set in motion other violent impulses, to the point that God had to threaten vengeance upon anyone who killed Cain just to keep others from murdering him (vs. 14-15). Fast forward eight verses and you find Lamech, a descendent of Cain, boasting that his thirst for vengeance is ten times greater than Cain’s.
Within a few millennia (so far as we can guess) the world became so “full of violence” the Lord had to destroy humankind and start over with Noah’s family (Gen. 6:11). Yet, this drastic step fell short of putting an end to violence. Indeed, the rest of the biblical narrative and the whole of human history is a prolonged testimony to how our broken relationship with God invariably results in broken, violent-tending relationships with others.
All of this testifies to the truth that we can’t relate to each other the way God intends unless we’re in relationship with God himself the way he intends. We can only replicate the love of the Trinity in our relationships with one another when we are participating in the love of the Trinity. It also testifies to the truth that since the rebellion, we have been living under the relationships-fracturing tyranny of the powers of darkness, who first seduced us to join in their rebellion.
When you combine our relationship-eroding consumerism with our stress on individual freedoms and rights, you can understand why most Westerners have many acquaintances but few (if any) deeply committed relationships that echo the love of the triune God, which I highlighted in the previous two posts here and here.
So why doesn’t the human community mirror the love of the triune God? Why are we so prone to violence, judgment, and division? It’s really not that complicated. It’s because we have individually and as a race severed our life-giving relationship with our Creator. It’s impossible for us to be rightly-related to one another on a consistent basis if we’re wrongly-related to our Creator (1 John 4:20).
This is evident in the biblical account of how the rebellion against God began. The moment Adam and Eve rebelled, they concealed themselves from each other and hid from God (Gen 3:7-10). When confronted by God about his sin, Adam first accused Eve and then God for giving Eve to him (Gen 3:12). God then woefully proclaimed that because of their rebellion, the beautiful “one flesh” relationship he wanted couples to enjoy would be reduced to a manipulative power struggle. The wife would seek to manipulate and dominate her husband, and the man would end up lording over the woman, presumably because he tends to be physically stronger (vs. 16).
The story goes downhill from there. Adam and Eve’s first child, Cain, murdered their second child, Abel, out of jealousy (4:8). As violence always does, this set in motion other violent impulses, to the point that God had to threaten vengeance upon anyone who killed Cain just to keep others from murdering him (vs. 14-15). Fast forward eight verses and you find Lamech, a descendent of Cain, boasting that his thirst for vengeance is ten times greater than Cain’s.
Within a few millennia (so far as we can guess) the world became so “full of violence” the Lord had to destroy humankind and start over with Noah’s family (Gen. 6:11). Yet, this drastic step fell short of putting an end to violence. Indeed, the rest of the biblical narrative and the whole of human history is a prolonged testimony to how our broken relationship with God invariably results in broken, violent-tending relationships with others.
All of this testifies to the truth that we can’t relate to each other the way God intends unless we’re in relationship with God himself the way he intends. We can only replicate the love of the Trinity in our relationships with one another when we are participating in the love of the Trinity. It also testifies to the truth that since the rebellion, we have been living under the relationships-fracturing tyranny of the powers of darkness, who first seduced us to join in their rebellion.
What You Should Know About Sin
One of the most astounding things about the Gospel is it’s power to
transform. Salvation isn’t about saying a prayer to get your sins
forgiven so you can get into Heaven. The Gospel packs incredible
transformational power.
Most of the Body of Christ isn’t even aware of this, but they’re waking up to it.
Here’s why the Gospel is unlike any religion.
The Gospel leaves a person without any consciousness of sin. Which means zero shame, guilt or condemnation. Zero! (Hebrew 10:2,4). And it means you aren’t always thinking about sin (biting your lip and trying hard not to sin.)
Guilt says: “I’m not forgiven”
Condemnation says, “my life is worthy of judgement”
Shame says, “it’s still who I am”
Having
no consciousness of sin is so powerful that the enemy has been twisting
and manipulating this truth in order to hide it, for a very long time.
A
born again Believer with no consciousness of sin means they aren’t
caught in a cycle of sin, repent, repeat. They are truly free!
Wait! But don’t we all sin? Don’t we all come short of the glory of God?
See? That’s what I mean. We have been conditioned to always think about sin. Not about righteousness. Why?
Because
thinking about sin keeps us in a condemned state thinking “I am a
sinner saved by grace.” What’s wrong with this? Scripture says you’re no
longer a sinner. You are the righteousness of God in Christ (2 Cor
5:21). You’re no longer a sinner because your nature has changed. A
sinner sins. That’s what they do. It’s in their nature. But a righteous
man no longer thinks of sin. He is a slave to it no longer. It no longer
can master him. He is a slave to righteousness. His old nature has been
crucified with Christ and he is dead to sin. This means it’s impossible to have a ‘dual nature’ like much of the Church believes. (Romans 6:11) (Romans 6:6)
But doesn’t even the righteous man sin?
There we go again. Thinking about sin.
The
scripture says IF we sin we have an advocate, Jesus the Righteous. If…
not WHEN. That’s where we get tripped up. (1 John 2:1)
Focus
today on Hebrews. Read the entire book. Watch the way it’s worded.
Watch how it talks about how the blood of bulls and goats can’t cleanse a
person’s conscience of sin. And how every year the priest has to go in
and offer a blood sacrifice because of it. If the blood of bulls and
goats could’ve cleansed the conscience of sin then there would be no
need to offer it year after year. But Jesus did it. Once. For all. And
He sat down, because IT IS FINISHED.
Now,
THAT’S the Gospel (good news). If what you’re hearing isn’t good news
then it isn’t the Gospel. (like a doctrine that says you’re always
trapped in sin because you have a sin nature).
Fear not: For behold, I bring to you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. (Luke 2 :10)
The Gospel is good news that brings great joy!
Tuesday, December 9, 2014
Participating in the Divne Nature (Love)
When God created the world, it obviously wasn’t to finally have someone to
love, for God already had this, within himself. Rather God created the world to
express the love he is and invite others in on this love.
This purpose is most beautifully expressed in Jesus’ prayer in John 17. Jesus prays to his Father that all of his disciples would “be one … just as you are in me and I am in you” (vs 21). Jesus wants his followers to live in some sense inside one another—just as he and the Father live inside each other.
He then says that he’s given his disciples the same “glory” the Father gave him. He did this “so that they may be one as we are one” (vs 22). What God is aiming at, clearly, is a community of people who reflect and participate in his “glory,” which is nothing other than the radiance of his own perfect, eternal, loving, communal, oneness.
As if this wasn’t beautiful enough, Jesus continues by saying that just as the Father is in him, so he prays he’ll be in his disciples “so that they may be brought to complete unity.” This is how “the world” is to become convinced that Jesus was sent by the Father (vs. 21-23). Then Jesus ends his magnificent prayer by proclaiming that he will continue to make the Father’s name (or character) known “in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them” (vs 26).
Stop and read that last sentence again.
The very same love the Father has for the Son—a love, Jesus says, that goes back before creation (vs 24)—is to dwell in Jesus’ disciples, for Jesus himself dwells in his disciples! This blows me away! God’s love for us isn’t a secondary, derivative, watered down kind of love. It’s the very same eternal love the Father has for the Son. It’s the very same love that God’s eternally is.
What I wrote in the post yesterday about God now applies to us. God’s love for us isn’t merely a verb God does: It’s the noun he is. When God loves us, he’s simply being himself toward us. With God there’s no distinction between the love he gives and the love he is.
If we catch even the slightest glimmer of this magnificent truth, we can’t help but be overwhelmed by its beauty.
So, humans were created out of God’s perfect love—in his “image” and “likeness”—for the purpose of participating in and expressing God’s perfect love (Gen 1:26-27). We were created to dance with and in the triune God. We were created for a relationship with God and each other that is nothing less than a participation in, and reflection of, the triune relationship that God eternally is. This is how we “participate in the divine nature” (2 Peter 1:4).
This purpose is most beautifully expressed in Jesus’ prayer in John 17. Jesus prays to his Father that all of his disciples would “be one … just as you are in me and I am in you” (vs 21). Jesus wants his followers to live in some sense inside one another—just as he and the Father live inside each other.
He then says that he’s given his disciples the same “glory” the Father gave him. He did this “so that they may be one as we are one” (vs 22). What God is aiming at, clearly, is a community of people who reflect and participate in his “glory,” which is nothing other than the radiance of his own perfect, eternal, loving, communal, oneness.
As if this wasn’t beautiful enough, Jesus continues by saying that just as the Father is in him, so he prays he’ll be in his disciples “so that they may be brought to complete unity.” This is how “the world” is to become convinced that Jesus was sent by the Father (vs. 21-23). Then Jesus ends his magnificent prayer by proclaiming that he will continue to make the Father’s name (or character) known “in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them” (vs 26).
Stop and read that last sentence again.
The very same love the Father has for the Son—a love, Jesus says, that goes back before creation (vs 24)—is to dwell in Jesus’ disciples, for Jesus himself dwells in his disciples! This blows me away! God’s love for us isn’t a secondary, derivative, watered down kind of love. It’s the very same eternal love the Father has for the Son. It’s the very same love that God’s eternally is.
What I wrote in the post yesterday about God now applies to us. God’s love for us isn’t merely a verb God does: It’s the noun he is. When God loves us, he’s simply being himself toward us. With God there’s no distinction between the love he gives and the love he is.
If we catch even the slightest glimmer of this magnificent truth, we can’t help but be overwhelmed by its beauty.
So, humans were created out of God’s perfect love—in his “image” and “likeness”—for the purpose of participating in and expressing God’s perfect love (Gen 1:26-27). We were created to dance with and in the triune God. We were created for a relationship with God and each other that is nothing less than a participation in, and reflection of, the triune relationship that God eternally is. This is how we “participate in the divine nature” (2 Peter 1:4).
Thursday, December 4, 2014
When God is Revealed
Whether we’re talking about our relationship with God or with other people,
the quality of our relationships can never go beyond the level of trust the
relating parties have in each other’s character. We cannot be rightly related to
God, therefore, except insofar as we embrace a trustworthy picture of him. To
the extent that our mental picture of God is untrustworthy, we will not rely on
him as our sole source of life. This is why the first thing that Satan went
after was Eve’s conception of God. The story reflects the truth that the root of
our alienation from God and our bondage to fallen powers is our own
untrustworthy and unloving mental pictures of him.
This is as true today as it was in the garden. Paul tells us that the gospel continues to be “veiled … to those who are perishing” because the “god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” And notice, the seeing Paul is talking about is a seeing in our mind (2 Cor. 3:14-15). Nor can those who are yet under Satan’s blinding oppression receive the “light” that God wants to “shine in [their] hearts to give [them] the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ (2 Cor 4:3-4, 6).
Only when the Spirit lifts the veil from our minds and hearts can we form and embrace a truly accurate picture of God. Only when the Spirit frees us from the blinding oppression of the “god of this age” can our hearts and minds see the glorious beauty of the God revealed in Christ. And only as we “with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory” can we be “transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory” (2 Cor 3:17-18).
What this shows is that the revelation of God in Jesus, most clearly reflected on the cross, is the foundation of the new covenant because it is God’s definitive refutation of all false images of him. Jesus described himself as “the way and the truth and the life” (Jn 14:6). The Greek word for “truth” (aletheia) has the connotation of something “uncovered” or “not concealed.” While we’ve been, to one degree or another, blinded by our sin and the “god of this age” from seeing the true, glorious character of God, he is finally fully unveiled in Christ.
This is why Jesus is also the “way” to the Father as well as the “life” of the Father. We can only experience the life that God wants for us when we know and trust his true character as it’s unveiled in Christ.
And we are making the same point from the opposite direction when we point out that, when Jesus fully unveiled the true character of the one true God on the cross, he “disarmed the powers and the authorities,” vanquished Satan and his minions (Col 2:14-15), and thereby set free all who would accept this truth. On the cross, the light expelled the darkness, the truth vanquished all deception, and the beauty of the true image of God destroyed the ugliness of all false images. And so now, for all who will yield to the Spirit, as the veil over our minds is removed, we can see “God’s glory displayed in the face of Jesus” (2 Cor 4:6) and be set free to enter into the loving, trusting, and transforming relationship God has always wanted to have with his people
- Greg Boyd
This is as true today as it was in the garden. Paul tells us that the gospel continues to be “veiled … to those who are perishing” because the “god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” And notice, the seeing Paul is talking about is a seeing in our mind (2 Cor. 3:14-15). Nor can those who are yet under Satan’s blinding oppression receive the “light” that God wants to “shine in [their] hearts to give [them] the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ (2 Cor 4:3-4, 6).
Only when the Spirit lifts the veil from our minds and hearts can we form and embrace a truly accurate picture of God. Only when the Spirit frees us from the blinding oppression of the “god of this age” can our hearts and minds see the glorious beauty of the God revealed in Christ. And only as we “with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory” can we be “transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory” (2 Cor 3:17-18).
What this shows is that the revelation of God in Jesus, most clearly reflected on the cross, is the foundation of the new covenant because it is God’s definitive refutation of all false images of him. Jesus described himself as “the way and the truth and the life” (Jn 14:6). The Greek word for “truth” (aletheia) has the connotation of something “uncovered” or “not concealed.” While we’ve been, to one degree or another, blinded by our sin and the “god of this age” from seeing the true, glorious character of God, he is finally fully unveiled in Christ.
This is why Jesus is also the “way” to the Father as well as the “life” of the Father. We can only experience the life that God wants for us when we know and trust his true character as it’s unveiled in Christ.
And we are making the same point from the opposite direction when we point out that, when Jesus fully unveiled the true character of the one true God on the cross, he “disarmed the powers and the authorities,” vanquished Satan and his minions (Col 2:14-15), and thereby set free all who would accept this truth. On the cross, the light expelled the darkness, the truth vanquished all deception, and the beauty of the true image of God destroyed the ugliness of all false images. And so now, for all who will yield to the Spirit, as the veil over our minds is removed, we can see “God’s glory displayed in the face of Jesus” (2 Cor 4:6) and be set free to enter into the loving, trusting, and transforming relationship God has always wanted to have with his people
- Greg Boyd
Monday, December 1, 2014
Scottish Theologian Hugh Binning (1627-1653) writes
He writes of the Triune reality, and God as love and Savior in this way:
. . . our salvation is not the business of Christ alone but the whole Godhead is interested in it deeply, so deeply, that you cannot say, who loves it most, or likes it most. The Father is the very fountain of it, his love is the spring of all — “God so loved the world that he hath sent his Son”. Christ hath not purchased that eternal love to us, but it is rather the gift of eternal love . . . Whoever thou be that wouldst flee to God for mercy, do it in confidence. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, are ready to welcome thee, all of one mind to shut out none, to cast out none. But to speak properly, it is but one love, one will, one council, and purpose in the Father, the Son, and the Spirit, for these Three are One, and not only agree in One, they are One, and what one loves and purposes, all love and purpose. [Hugh Binning cited by Thomas F. Torrance, Scottish Theology, 79.]
Saturday, November 29, 2014
You Shall Not ......
The old covenant
law contained many "shall nots" which had a purpose that is now fulfilled. We
are not under that old legislation anymore. Now we are under the new covenant
where God provides all for us as a gift and we are free in Him. This covenant
also contains some "shall nots" - yet they are so different from the old "shall
nots" - rather than making me feel depressed and guilty, they make me feel safe and warm and joyful in Him! They are
focused on our secure relationship with God rather than our erratic behavior,
for the New Covenant has a relationship focus and not a works focus. These are
the "shall nots" I have found in the new covenant. I only used Jesus' words in
John. I'm sure if I looked through the rest of the New Testament, I could find
many more! Anyway, here are those "shall nots" that I found:
His promises to us in the New Covenant of grace:
1 - You SHALL NOT hunger, but shall be fully satisfied with Him (John 6:35).
2 - You SHALL NOT thirst, but shall have within His very Spirit as an ever-flowing fountain of eternal life (John 4:14).
3 - You SHALL NOT walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life (John 8:12).
4 - You SHALL NOT be a slave to sin or the devil's lies, but shall be free indeed (John 8:32-36).
5 - You SHALL NOT perish, but shall have everlasting life (John 3:16).
6 - You SHALL NOT be snatched from His hand, but shall be safe (John 10:27-8).
7 - You SHALL NOT come into judgment, but have already passed from death to life (John 5:24).
8 - You SHALL NOT follow a stranger, but shall know and follow your Shepherd (John 10:4-5).
9 - You SHALL NOT have your joy stolen, but shall rejoice with great joy (John 16:22).
10 - SHALL NOT be left desolate, but shall have the His Spirit with you always to comfort you (John 14:16-18)!
With His very Spirit inside us as our best friend and LIFE, holding us, loving us, keeping us, living through us AS us, how can we go wrong? If God is for us, who can be against us? We shall not be put to shame but will always be led in triumph, love and grace! All as a gift through Jesus' work for us and His wonderful grace, not ever through our efforts! What a wonderful covenant the New Covenant is!
- Under the Waterfall
His promises to us in the New Covenant of grace:
1 - You SHALL NOT hunger, but shall be fully satisfied with Him (John 6:35).
2 - You SHALL NOT thirst, but shall have within His very Spirit as an ever-flowing fountain of eternal life (John 4:14).
3 - You SHALL NOT walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life (John 8:12).
4 - You SHALL NOT be a slave to sin or the devil's lies, but shall be free indeed (John 8:32-36).
5 - You SHALL NOT perish, but shall have everlasting life (John 3:16).
6 - You SHALL NOT be snatched from His hand, but shall be safe (John 10:27-8).
7 - You SHALL NOT come into judgment, but have already passed from death to life (John 5:24).
8 - You SHALL NOT follow a stranger, but shall know and follow your Shepherd (John 10:4-5).
9 - You SHALL NOT have your joy stolen, but shall rejoice with great joy (John 16:22).
10 - SHALL NOT be left desolate, but shall have the His Spirit with you always to comfort you (John 14:16-18)!
With His very Spirit inside us as our best friend and LIFE, holding us, loving us, keeping us, living through us AS us, how can we go wrong? If God is for us, who can be against us? We shall not be put to shame but will always be led in triumph, love and grace! All as a gift through Jesus' work for us and His wonderful grace, not ever through our efforts! What a wonderful covenant the New Covenant is!
- Under the Waterfall
Thursday, November 27, 2014
He Offers His Gifts Free of Charge, Why Not Take Them
“The heart of man finds it difficult to believe that so great a treasure as
the Holy Spirit is gotten by the mere hearing of faith. The hearer likes to
reason like this: Forgiveness of sins, deliverance from death, the gift of
the Holy Spirit, everlasting life are grand things. If you want to obtain these
priceless benefits, you must engage in correspondingly great efforts. And
the devil says, ‘Amen.’
We must learn that forgiveness of sins, Christ, and the Holy Spirit, are freely granted to us at the preaching of faith, in spite of our sinfulness. We are not to waste time thinking how unworthy we are of the blessings of God. We are to know that it pleased God to freely give us His unspeakable gifts. If He offers His gifts free of charge, why not take them? Why worry about our lack of worthiness? Why not accept gifts with joy and thanksgiving?
”
— Martin Luther
We must learn that forgiveness of sins, Christ, and the Holy Spirit, are freely granted to us at the preaching of faith, in spite of our sinfulness. We are not to waste time thinking how unworthy we are of the blessings of God. We are to know that it pleased God to freely give us His unspeakable gifts. If He offers His gifts free of charge, why not take them? Why worry about our lack of worthiness? Why not accept gifts with joy and thanksgiving?
”— Martin Luther
Living Moment by Moment - Part One
LIVING MOMENT BY MOMENT – Part
1
This is the beginning of ch. 8
In the previous chapter we learned that even though
your old self was crucified with Christ and is dead and buried, you still have a
mind cluttered with his baggage; and whenever the door just above your heart is
closed to Christ’s life, the enemy tempts you to dabble again in the garbage
resident in your mind, causing you to live a replica of the life you did before
becoming a Christian. We thought, does this sound like abundant life? What
could be God’s purpose in all of this be? His purpose is actually quite
ingenious. It is to make your life moment by moment full of joy, excitement,
and authenticity! How?
…Relationships ever flow; what makes them wonderful
is not so much what happened in the past, but what is happening in the present
moment…
…God has the aspiration to be in fellowship with us
moment by moment; He has a plan to bring about His wishes. First of all, He
must destroy the old self that dwells within and replace it with the life of His
Son. If this is not done, then no fellowship with Him is even possible. The
next thing that He does is to leave all the baggage and residue from the old man
in the mind. When through unbelief a person closes the door to His life within
and consequently cuts off fellowship, of necessity all the baggage, garbage,
residue, lying emotions, false feeling, old idols, inaccurate identity, and
every manifestation of the flesh arise. In fact, this one is now more miserable
than dwelling in the world. God will strive to build the believer’s awareness
of a desire to be free from those miseries 365 days a year, 24 hours a day, 60
minutes an hour, 60 seconds a minute, yes, moment by moment. It is then that
God can do business! You see, God structures our lives in such a way as to keep
us ever near His side.
…It must be firmly planted in our minds that victory
is for one moment at a time, and that in any given moment we are participating
in eternal victory or eternal defeat.
We need to keep in mind that one of the biggest
problems in helping Christians “get out of the wilderness” is far too many
preachers, teachers, writers, professors, etc. IGNORE the biblical truth that
the “old, Adam life” has been crucified and is dead & buried. Gone. No
more. To keep that “Adam life” around is to excuse behaviors in Christians that
Jesus has given us His Life to overcome. So, it is exciting to enjoy Michael
addressing life as a Christian from this important biblical truth.
Now that we can focus on the “old mind” (and will
& emotions…the rest of the soul we were born with) that is cluttered with
the baggage of the “old self,” we can begin to move toward victory! It is
disheartening to hear Christians say, “the devil made me do it,” “the devil has
been working me over today,” etc. That’s not truth!
Michael gives us a step-by-step picture of God’s
“ingenious” plan of the life Jesus spoke of in John 10:10…”life (His Life) more
abundantly.”
1. God destroys the old self that dwells within an
unbeliever and replaces it with the life of His Son when one becomes a
Believer.
2. God leaves all the baggage and residue of the
old man in the old mind.
3. God now works in the Believer to build an
awareness of a desire to be free from the miseries that arise when the “old
baggage” of the flesh arise.
4. It is then God can bring us to the realization
that victory is for one moment at a time.
(the rest of the book moves us forward into that
victory…)
Now, how much easier for a Christian can it be?
God is in charge. God is orchestrating all to “keep us ever near His side.”
Trust, rest, release control. We just need to trust Him to give us truth that
will set us free completely. He has. We need the revelation.
- Mike Wells
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