We know that apart from Christ we were nothing. Unfortunately it seems to me as if sometimes we Christians stay stuck right there. "We are nothing."
But ohhhhhhhh, my friends, in Christ we are a lot of wonderful things! Who God has made us to be is far more amazing than what we give Him credit for. God doesn't just mercifully "see" us a certain way just because we believe in Christ, but He has in reality made us to be a brand new creation, ALIVE with Him, joined to Him, complete in Him, fully accepted in Christ!
And just to get this straight, I'm not talking about that person sitting down there in the front row with his five-inch-thick King James Bible, who doesn't watch TV or go to movies and doesn't curse or smoke or drink or have an evil thought pop into his mind. I'm not talking about the person who is in church every Sunday morning, Sunday evening, Wednesday evening, and whenever else the doors are open. I'm not talking about the person who never messes up and who never hurts anyone and who never says the wrong things. I'm not talking about the person who is completely consistent in everything he says and does. I'm not talking about the person who is happy all the time and never gets sad or depressed or irritated. I'm not talking about that Christian couple who say they never argue or fight. I'm not talking about the person whose "well worn Bible is a sign that they are not." I'm not talking about the person who takes part in all the activities at church. I'm not talking about the person who wears the Jesus pin and who has 3 Christian bumper stickers on his vehicle and listens only to Christian music. I'm not talking about the person who is able to connect with people easily and who knows all their neighbors. I'm not talking about the "10% who are doing 90% of the work." I'm not talking about the person who has no addictions or complexions or personality issues.
I think this might start to give a picture of who I'm not talking about!
Who I'm talking about is... YOU!
Who are you? I gleaned all of the following truths about you directly from Bible passages.
You are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, God's own special people. You once were not a people but are now the people of God. Jesus has made you kings and priests to His God and Father. You are loved by the Father. The love of God has been poured out in your heart by the Holy Spirit who was given to you. You belong to God and He belongs to you. You are the beloved of God. You are your Beloved's and He is yours, and His desire is toward you. You are a saint.
You have been saved by Christ's life. You have been made alive together with Him. Christ is your life. You reign in life through Him. You have been sanctified in Him. You are the temple of God in which the Spirit of God indwells. Christ is in you. You are a holy temple of God. You are Christ's house. Inwardly, you are being renewed day by day.
Your sins have not only been forgiven; they have been taken away. You are blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. You are holy and blameless before Him. You have been perfected forever. You have been brought near to God by the blood of Christ. In Christ you approach God with freedom, boldness and confidence. You were bought with a price. You are a citizen of heaven, and you are seated with Christ in the heavenly realm.
You are a new creation. He has given you a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. You have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the word of God which lives and abides forever. You are shielded by God's power.
You are a child of God... an actual child of God... through faith in Christ Jesus. As a legitimate child, you are qualified to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. You have been delivered from the domain of darkness and transferred into the kingdom of God's beloved Son.
The Holy Spirit has been poured out abundantly on you through Jesus Christ. Having been justified by God's grace, you have become an heir according to the hope of eternal life. You have become an heir of God and a co-heir with Christ. You have become a partaker of Christ. You have become a partaker of the divine nature. You have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ. You have been united with God, joined to Him in an inseparable union.
Having been justified by faith, you have peace with God. You are accepted in the Beloved. You are complete in Him. You are no longer condemned and nothing can separate you from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus. You are a branch of the living Vine, and His life flows through you. God rejoices over you with gladness. He quiets you with His love. He rejoices over you with singing.
All of these things are true of YOU because God says they are true of you! You may "feel" that it's true or you may not feel that it's true. You may understand all of it or some of it or very little of it, but it's still all true.
The point here is that you are not low. You are not a worm. You are not "nothing." You are all the things that are mentioned in the previous paragraphs, and you are much more that I haven't mentioned. I'm only skimming the surface!
Again, we know we were nothing apart from Christ. But now we are in Him and He is in us and we are His! We belong to Him. We're no longer nothing. Our lives in Him are not a matter of us trying to become something! We are complete in Him. We don't come groveling towards Him. We come boldly and confidently to Him, not afraid but with great awe and reverence. We don't sit around as a bunch of mere sinners, hoping He'll grant us favor with Him. We roll around and jump up and down in His favor and grace that has been lavishly poured out on us and given to us in abundance. We celebrate who we are in Him. We can fully enjoy the true identity that is truly who we are. WE DON'T DOWNPLAY IT!!!
I'm excited, I know! For a few years now I've been working my way of the box that I had previously been locked up in, in which the church had tried to tame me and to make me into someone who strives to be a "good Christian boy." :) I don't believe that that's what God had in mind for me when He saved me. He made me to be so much more than that! He has made me whole, and I want to live in that wholeness. He is a God who is "wild, dangerous, unfettered and free" (Walter Brueggeman) and I want to enjoy Him as He is and I want to live as who I am in Him!
Grace Roots Blog
Monday, March 31, 2008
Humbly think highly of yourself
The title of this post may seem oxymoronic, but I think you'll see what I'm getting at. In speaking of the individual functions we all have within the body of Christ, Paul gives us a great reminder in Romans 12, saying that each of us should not to think of ourselves more highly than we ought to think, but to think soberly. After all, we are who we are solely through the grace given to us, not because we're anything great in and of ourselves. I like the phrase, "more highly than we ought to think," because it's not as if we're not to think highly of ourselves. Just not more highly than we ought to. There's no reason for us to mope around and think that we're pond scum and that God is simply having pity on us and using us so we feel a little better about ourselves. It is indeed all of grace - that we couldn't possibly have earned (otherwise it wouldn't be "grace") - but it's grace that He lavishes on us because He loves and adores us individually and He loves and adores the entire body of Christ!
In that sense, we are to think highly of ourselves because God thinks highly of us! We humbly think highly of ourselves because God has lavished His love and grace upon us and He has made us to be something that is VERY valuable and precious. In fact, before Christ ever came to live in us, God thought of us as valuable and precious. That's why He sent Christ! He so loved the world.
The reason I bring this up is because I know it's hard for us to see ourselves as we truly are - loved and accepted fully by God - and because of that it's hard for us to "be" who we truly are. While our perception is not always truly reality, our perception of ourselves becomes what we think is reality. If our particular part in the body of Christ doesn't stand out as much as some other part of the body, we may think lowly of ourselves, and inferior to others. Or if our focus is on the bad things we do, we may see ourselves as nothing more than "sinners saved by grace." We wrongfully identify ourselves as sinners. We wrongfully identify ourselves by what we sometimes DO. But our identity is not what we do. Our identity - who we are - is a matter of who God has now made us to be by His grace.
In truth we're saints with a brand new identity! We've been made into new creations.
We are royalty! We are a royal family. We are literally God's family. We have taken on the actual identity as children of God! We're children of the Most High God. We are special. We are peculiar. We are chosen. We are His children. We can think highly of ourselves in that way, because it's the truth about us! I say "highly," not "haughtily." There's no ego involved in thinking of ourselves as we truthfully are!
I had originally planned on simply writing about our status as royalty, but my thoughts have quickly broadened into thinking about our overall identity in Christ. I'm in the process of preparing another post that talks about the truth of who we are in Christ, but I don't want it to only be a matter of simply making a list of who we are in Christ. I will indeed list several things that are true about our identity in Christ, but my hope in listing them out will be to help us understand that we're not "low" creatures, but that God thinks highly of us and He values us and has assigned much worth to us and He accepts us fully and has made us into something "big." We have become a part of His eternal kingdom, and that is nothing to sneeze at or think lowly about!
In that sense, we are to think highly of ourselves because God thinks highly of us! We humbly think highly of ourselves because God has lavished His love and grace upon us and He has made us to be something that is VERY valuable and precious. In fact, before Christ ever came to live in us, God thought of us as valuable and precious. That's why He sent Christ! He so loved the world.
The reason I bring this up is because I know it's hard for us to see ourselves as we truly are - loved and accepted fully by God - and because of that it's hard for us to "be" who we truly are. While our perception is not always truly reality, our perception of ourselves becomes what we think is reality. If our particular part in the body of Christ doesn't stand out as much as some other part of the body, we may think lowly of ourselves, and inferior to others. Or if our focus is on the bad things we do, we may see ourselves as nothing more than "sinners saved by grace." We wrongfully identify ourselves as sinners. We wrongfully identify ourselves by what we sometimes DO. But our identity is not what we do. Our identity - who we are - is a matter of who God has now made us to be by His grace.
In truth we're saints with a brand new identity! We've been made into new creations.
We are royalty! We are a royal family. We are literally God's family. We have taken on the actual identity as children of God! We're children of the Most High God. We are special. We are peculiar. We are chosen. We are His children. We can think highly of ourselves in that way, because it's the truth about us! I say "highly," not "haughtily." There's no ego involved in thinking of ourselves as we truthfully are!
I had originally planned on simply writing about our status as royalty, but my thoughts have quickly broadened into thinking about our overall identity in Christ. I'm in the process of preparing another post that talks about the truth of who we are in Christ, but I don't want it to only be a matter of simply making a list of who we are in Christ. I will indeed list several things that are true about our identity in Christ, but my hope in listing them out will be to help us understand that we're not "low" creatures, but that God thinks highly of us and He values us and has assigned much worth to us and He accepts us fully and has made us into something "big." We have become a part of His eternal kingdom, and that is nothing to sneeze at or think lowly about!
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Tony Vincent - Out of My Hands
There are many reasons why the self-titled CD from Tony Vincent (1995) is my favorite album of all time. The following song is one of the reasons. The other nine songs on the album are the other reasons. :) Over the next few days I'll be posting some other things from T.V. I've followed his career from his days as a CCM artist up to the present.
Out of My Hands Video (embedding disabled)
Lyrics - check it out!
Out of My Hands Video (embedding disabled)
Lyrics - check it out!
Yep, be who you are
I'm amazed at the things God does in our lives to confirm His word to us, and to encourage us in it. My last post, "Be yourself - You can't be what you're not," was essentially a matter of me preaching to myself. I needed to be encouraged to be who I am. It's easy for me, as I know it is for others, to slip off into that people-pleasing mode and into the lifeless mode of faking a religious life rather than living by the fullness of the life of the indwelling Christ.
I was browsing through my past personal notes a few minutes ago and I sat there with my eyes wide open and my jaw almost to the floor as I read something I had written over a year ago that soooo relates to all this! I have not read this since that time, as far as I remember. What caught my attention in re-reading this was the very last sentence (see the end of the quoted section below). It's a phrase that's been woven into my life and it has served for many years to keep me focused on who I am and not on who I'm not!
Back to the present. I was watching Joseph Prince on TV last night. He is a great encourager in our identity in Christ and in God's love for us. Watching him, I was tempted to think such thoughts as, "Man, I'd love to get out there and preach like him. He says all the stuff I'd love to say to people and he has such a friendly and outgoing personality that easily draws people in to listen to what he has to say."
But I quickly shook off those thoughts because I am not Joseph Prince. I am not Billy Graham. I am not (fill in the blank). I can't be what I'm not and I don't want to be what I'm not! If I live my life focused on wanting to be like anyone else - which really is nothing less than envy - then I miss out on being who I am. Can I let someone else's personality rub off on me? Sure! Can I learn about myself by watching the "ways" of other people? Definitely! When I was new in radio (14 years ago), I listened to a lot of other DJ's on the radio and in a sense I tried to copy a lot of their styles. But eventually I found out what was "me" and what was not "me" and I developed my own way of communicating with others over the airwaves.
Today I watch other dads interacting with their kids. I watch my coworkers doing their work. I pay attention to the styles of other writers. Many times I glean great things from others by watching them. But in the end... I am what I am and that's all that I am, and you are who you are! And that's good!
I was browsing through my past personal notes a few minutes ago and I sat there with my eyes wide open and my jaw almost to the floor as I read something I had written over a year ago that soooo relates to all this! I have not read this since that time, as far as I remember. What caught my attention in re-reading this was the very last sentence (see the end of the quoted section below). It's a phrase that's been woven into my life and it has served for many years to keep me focused on who I am and not on who I'm not!
12/30/06
"God doesn’t ask me to be “on fire” for Him. God doesn’t ask me to be “radical” for Him. Rather, before I was born again He told me I must die, and then He could come and raise me up to a brand new life and join His life with mine. So the life I now live is not a matter of me being radical or on fire for Him, but rather His radical life expressing itself through me – in whichever way He wills. The life I live in this earthsuit I live by faith. I most certainly don’t live by my own might or power or by my own attempts to live a powerful or radical life, or even a sincere, dedicated life. That sounds “unChristian” to many people, I know! But as I let go of my own attempts at living any part of the Christian life, another Life takes over, with more power and dedication than I could ever come up with.
The gift of God that is in us, which Paul reminds Timothy to “fan into flame” (2 Tim 1:6), isn’t necessarily going to have an outward appearance that’s radical or sensational or impressive to other people, even to other Christians. Understand, I’m writing from the perspective of an introverted person who has tried in the past to live the extroverted, radical, effervescent Christian life, trying to prove to others that I’m “on fire” for God. I had faith – deep faith – and looking back, I can now see that my true faith was expressed in ways that weren’t always noticeable by others.
But since I had come into a church culture that seemed to take greater notice of those with more visible and expressive demonstrations of faith, I prayed and tried very hard to have the same passion as others and for the Spirit to manifest Himself in me with the same sort of outward demonstration. Again, I now see that I really did have a deep faith, but at the time I didn’t think that was true. I wondered when the time would ever come that my faith would grow and I could truly be more expressive with my faith. When would I ever truly be “on fire” for God?
Thank God that I finally came to an understanding of who I really was. Or better said, I came to a better understanding of who Christ is in me.
The way that the life of God will be expressed in each of us individually will be different.
You can’t be what you’re not."
Back to the present. I was watching Joseph Prince on TV last night. He is a great encourager in our identity in Christ and in God's love for us. Watching him, I was tempted to think such thoughts as, "Man, I'd love to get out there and preach like him. He says all the stuff I'd love to say to people and he has such a friendly and outgoing personality that easily draws people in to listen to what he has to say."
But I quickly shook off those thoughts because I am not Joseph Prince. I am not Billy Graham. I am not (fill in the blank). I can't be what I'm not and I don't want to be what I'm not! If I live my life focused on wanting to be like anyone else - which really is nothing less than envy - then I miss out on being who I am. Can I let someone else's personality rub off on me? Sure! Can I learn about myself by watching the "ways" of other people? Definitely! When I was new in radio (14 years ago), I listened to a lot of other DJ's on the radio and in a sense I tried to copy a lot of their styles. But eventually I found out what was "me" and what was not "me" and I developed my own way of communicating with others over the airwaves.
Today I watch other dads interacting with their kids. I watch my coworkers doing their work. I pay attention to the styles of other writers. Many times I glean great things from others by watching them. But in the end... I am what I am and that's all that I am, and you are who you are! And that's good!
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Be yourself - You can't be what you're not
Last night we had student-led Parent-Teacher conferences with both our kids. The teachers helped the students prepare the materials, and each student then sat down with their teacher and parents and led the individual conferences. During our conference with our 4th grade son, Jared, he read a story to us that he'd written during class. His teacher pointed out to us how the entire story developed from Jared's own personality and imagination. He told us that he encourages Jared to write about:
1) What he cares about
2) What he knows about
3) What he understands.
He motioned towards all the books in the room and he said that each author doesn't sit down and decide to write just for the purpose of making money, but they write because it is stuff that they care about, know about and understand.
If I were to condense this concept into a simple phrase, it would be "be yourself." Write about what you are passionate about and don't force yourself to write about things that don't interest you. Other interests and passions may develop as you write about what is naturally on your heart and mind, but don't try to be what you're not.
All of this applies to much more than writing, obviously! Whoever you are, whatever you do... be who you are. In Christ, you have become a new person. You are free to be who that person is! I'm reminded of a line from a song that hugely impacted me back in my early Christian life when I was very confused about who I was and what I was to do with my life. The band's name was Fighter* and they had a song called Your Hand. The chorus went like this:
Your hand is on me
Wherever I go I just look around and know
Your hand is on me
Through the rich times
And through uncertainty...
And the line from the song that absolutely melted my heart one day and began the process of clearing up a lot of my confusion went like this:
You use the things God gave you
You can't be what you're not.
I remember crying unrestrained tears of release and a sense of overflowing joy on the day when those words came alive to me. I had been confused by a lot of preaching (as well-intentioned as the preachers may have been) that told me I was supposed to do this and I was supposed to do that, and that a good Christian should do this act of service and should do that act of worship. My own mind was consumed with pondering all the things I should be doing as a Christian, and I was simply overwhelmed.
But I can't be what I'm not! However, I can be what I am! Put another way, I can do nothing apart from Christ, and I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. That doesn't mean I can do "everything." It just means that I can be and do, through Christ, whatever it is that God has made for me to be and to do. He has placed all of this inside me in the form of desires and passions, gifts and abilities, and ultimately His very life in me. It's not up to me to force myself to have certain spiritual desires and passions, nor to do every spiritual-looking work that I can think of.
Here's a tiny example of what I mean, from my own life. During the more intense time in my life in which I was "discovering" who I was in Christ, I had a sincere desire to help people. I thought perhaps if I became a nurse, I would really have an opportunity to help lots of people. In order to "test the waters" of the nursing field I took a month-long nursing assistant course and I went to work in a nursing home (for only a week). I then worked with a quadriplegic man in his home for a couple of months and then I finally ended up working as a nursing assistant at a hospital. It didn't take long for me to discover that I hated this type of work! I had lots of compassion for the patients, but yet I did not like that type of hands-on work and there's no way I could do that type of work for the rest of my life! I can't be what I'm not.
Since that time, I've had plenty of other experiences in which I've dabbled in "good" things that aren't "me," and over a period of time I've discovered who I really am in Christ, and I continue to learn who I am, and to live it out. I'm not talking about living a purpose driven life. I'm talking about an intimate Spirit-led life. I'm talking about not going with the "flow" of the rest of the church if who you are isn't what they think you are or want you to be. I've "done my time" in various church settings in which I've served in capacities that simply are not "me." That is, Christ-in-me. They've certainly been things that have looked good to man, and have even been beneficial to others at times, but in reality are not the works that God created for me to walk in. They are works that man has created for me to walk in. In the church today, there are plenty of these man-made works!
I'm sure you've heard the old church saying that goes something like, "10% of the people in the church are doing 90% of the work." Could the reason perhaps be because so much of the work that is created by the church is man-made work and not Spirit-led work? What if the church would stop... and simply trust that Jesus is building His Church (not a church or churches), and would stop coming up with programs and activities that, while having a nice spiritual appearance, are really keeping people from walking in the works that God has prepared beforehand for them to walk in (Eph 2:10).
And so my continuous encouragement to myself (and to others) is, "be yourself." I'll be completely honest with you. I'm one of the 90% who is not going along with all of the busy work that others in the church are complaining about having to do alone! And no, I'm not a rebel! I mean, my reason for not going along with them is not because I have a rebellious attitude against the spiritual-looking work they would have me do. My reason is simply because those things are not ME!
I am "being" who I am, not what others think I should be. Sometimes people look down on me because "myself" is not what they want out of me. Other times, people look up to me because "myself" looks very good to them. But either way, I don't care what others think of me! I'm not out to please them, nor to fulfill their agendas. I'm not even out to fulfill my own agenda. I'm simply out for a long walk with my Father!
"I am what I am and that's all that I am."
- Popeye
----------
*Fighter was a local Christian band that influenced me in my young 20's. They no longer exist as a band, and the members have each gone on to other things. Amy Wolter, one of the lead singers, is one of my myspace friends. Anyway, the band had an excellent album called Bang the Drum, and last July 4th I posted the lyrics to the title song in a post called Bang the Drum - Let your freedom ring! The previous July, I had also written an article about the song. This is a knock-out song that pulls no punches against legalism and legalists!
1) What he cares about
2) What he knows about
3) What he understands.
He motioned towards all the books in the room and he said that each author doesn't sit down and decide to write just for the purpose of making money, but they write because it is stuff that they care about, know about and understand.
If I were to condense this concept into a simple phrase, it would be "be yourself." Write about what you are passionate about and don't force yourself to write about things that don't interest you. Other interests and passions may develop as you write about what is naturally on your heart and mind, but don't try to be what you're not.
All of this applies to much more than writing, obviously! Whoever you are, whatever you do... be who you are. In Christ, you have become a new person. You are free to be who that person is! I'm reminded of a line from a song that hugely impacted me back in my early Christian life when I was very confused about who I was and what I was to do with my life. The band's name was Fighter* and they had a song called Your Hand. The chorus went like this:
Your hand is on me
Wherever I go I just look around and know
Your hand is on me
Through the rich times
And through uncertainty...
And the line from the song that absolutely melted my heart one day and began the process of clearing up a lot of my confusion went like this:
You use the things God gave you
You can't be what you're not.
I remember crying unrestrained tears of release and a sense of overflowing joy on the day when those words came alive to me. I had been confused by a lot of preaching (as well-intentioned as the preachers may have been) that told me I was supposed to do this and I was supposed to do that, and that a good Christian should do this act of service and should do that act of worship. My own mind was consumed with pondering all the things I should be doing as a Christian, and I was simply overwhelmed.
But I can't be what I'm not! However, I can be what I am! Put another way, I can do nothing apart from Christ, and I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. That doesn't mean I can do "everything." It just means that I can be and do, through Christ, whatever it is that God has made for me to be and to do. He has placed all of this inside me in the form of desires and passions, gifts and abilities, and ultimately His very life in me. It's not up to me to force myself to have certain spiritual desires and passions, nor to do every spiritual-looking work that I can think of.
Here's a tiny example of what I mean, from my own life. During the more intense time in my life in which I was "discovering" who I was in Christ, I had a sincere desire to help people. I thought perhaps if I became a nurse, I would really have an opportunity to help lots of people. In order to "test the waters" of the nursing field I took a month-long nursing assistant course and I went to work in a nursing home (for only a week). I then worked with a quadriplegic man in his home for a couple of months and then I finally ended up working as a nursing assistant at a hospital. It didn't take long for me to discover that I hated this type of work! I had lots of compassion for the patients, but yet I did not like that type of hands-on work and there's no way I could do that type of work for the rest of my life! I can't be what I'm not.
Since that time, I've had plenty of other experiences in which I've dabbled in "good" things that aren't "me," and over a period of time I've discovered who I really am in Christ, and I continue to learn who I am, and to live it out. I'm not talking about living a purpose driven life. I'm talking about an intimate Spirit-led life. I'm talking about not going with the "flow" of the rest of the church if who you are isn't what they think you are or want you to be. I've "done my time" in various church settings in which I've served in capacities that simply are not "me." That is, Christ-in-me. They've certainly been things that have looked good to man, and have even been beneficial to others at times, but in reality are not the works that God created for me to walk in. They are works that man has created for me to walk in. In the church today, there are plenty of these man-made works!
I'm sure you've heard the old church saying that goes something like, "10% of the people in the church are doing 90% of the work." Could the reason perhaps be because so much of the work that is created by the church is man-made work and not Spirit-led work? What if the church would stop... and simply trust that Jesus is building His Church (not a church or churches), and would stop coming up with programs and activities that, while having a nice spiritual appearance, are really keeping people from walking in the works that God has prepared beforehand for them to walk in (Eph 2:10).
And so my continuous encouragement to myself (and to others) is, "be yourself." I'll be completely honest with you. I'm one of the 90% who is not going along with all of the busy work that others in the church are complaining about having to do alone! And no, I'm not a rebel! I mean, my reason for not going along with them is not because I have a rebellious attitude against the spiritual-looking work they would have me do. My reason is simply because those things are not ME!
I am "being" who I am, not what others think I should be. Sometimes people look down on me because "myself" is not what they want out of me. Other times, people look up to me because "myself" looks very good to them. But either way, I don't care what others think of me! I'm not out to please them, nor to fulfill their agendas. I'm not even out to fulfill my own agenda. I'm simply out for a long walk with my Father!
"I am what I am and that's all that I am."
- Popeye
----------
*Fighter was a local Christian band that influenced me in my young 20's. They no longer exist as a band, and the members have each gone on to other things. Amy Wolter, one of the lead singers, is one of my myspace friends. Anyway, the band had an excellent album called Bang the Drum, and last July 4th I posted the lyrics to the title song in a post called Bang the Drum - Let your freedom ring! The previous July, I had also written an article about the song. This is a knock-out song that pulls no punches against legalism and legalists!
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
The Exchanged Life
This is a video that I produced last summer for Movement of Grace New Covenant Web TV. Since I mentioned the term "Exchanged Life" several times in my "Why I Blog" posts, I thought I'd go ahead and post this video here.
Why I blog - Part 2
Since many of us don't actually know each other (in the sense of being physically located near one another), and since many of us have 'met' each other only in recent months or years, I thought I'd give a little bit of background about myself in Part 1, and continuing into Part 2. None of this is necessary, and I don't mean to focus on myself just for the sake of focusing on myself, but I thought it would be neat to share some of my life with my friends here since we don't have the benefit of daily face-to-face, in-person interaction with each other. This is essentially a 'testimony' of what God has done in my life over the years. And all of this does eventually lead to the title of the post!
Built up through engagement with others
I've already shared how I used to spend a great deal of time in Christian forums and chat rooms on the internet. Part of this was addiction, I admit. Sometimes, especially during those early days, I would be online till 2 or 3 am, talking about God's love and grace with anybody who would carry on a conversation with me! It was very rare if I didn't quickly find people with opposing views who I could hash things out with! I'm exaggerating a bit by using the phrase "hash things out." :) I really simply sought to talk about God's grace and I would share lots of scripture, and after I had eventually gotten over my Grace Pharisee stage, I was able to simply leave people to decide for themselves.
Much larger than the addiction aspect of this, however, is that this was also a truly beneficial and formative time for me as I grew in the grace message myself and as I learned more about where other people are coming from in their religious backgrounds. Due to the anonymity of the internet, people are often not so shy to say what they really think! And as I said, some people can be vicious in their interactions with others. Also, some people are good at building straw arguments that leave you either questioning what you've firmly believed, or at least that make it harder to make your own case for what you believe. Many times over the years, I've been cut to the heart. Not so much due to my 'pride' being hurt, but much more often because of my deeply held beliefs being challenged by others, at times in very convincing ways, which would leave me confused about the truth. But through all this, and because of all this, I was sharpened and I was built up in my own understanding of grace and how to share the pure gospel message.
I also found out that to be strong in my beliefs about who I am in Christ I don't need thick skin. Rather, I need a heart of compassion, surrender and humility. When faced with opposition, the temptation is to build walls and to defend your beliefs to the core. But walls keep people out, when really your whole purpose in engaging with others is because you're wanting to invite them in.
My desires have evolved
I can't say that I don't still enjoy having deep, ongoing discussions with people of opposing views from time to time, but something has truly changed in me over the years. Although I still find those types of conversations to be very stimulating, I no longer have a deep desire to "hash things out" over extended periods of time, like I used to.
I'm in more of a place, at this time in life, in which I'm looking more for mutual encouragement in the grace of God with like-minded believers, and I have more of a heart to share the message of the exchanged life* with people who are actually seeking to learn more, rather than with those who are seeking to oppose it. Some might say this is a matter of me having matured, but I'd say it's more of a matter of me having been involved in each of these various activities and stages during the normal course of life. Yes, there's been a maturation process, but who's to say that each stage wasn't exactly where God purposely had me? Just think, in ten years, when we're able to appear to each other in hologram form via our robots (like in Star Wars!), will we look back on our blogging days and say we were simply immature because we weren't interacting with each other in the way we will then? ;)
Anyway, all of this leads to:
How I started blogging
Up until three years ago, I'd had plenty of interaction with people who disagreed with me about what the Christian life is all about. I'm now looking to engage with like-minded believers. I had been praying about this for a long time, and then in early 2005 I came across the Grace Walk Forum. I had known about Grace Walk Ministries since the mid to late 90's, and had visited the website from time to time, but the forum hadn't come into existence until December 2004. Discussing the grace walk openly with like-minded people was like a breath of fresh air for me! Instead of steadfast opposition, I found mutual encouragement and freedom. I met some of you through the forum, and I imagine it's been a great source of encouragement and edification for you too.
It was also through the forum that I met Dave Lesniak, who is the station manager for Grace Walk Internet Radio and who is also the administrator of the forum. It would take a whole 'nother blog post to list all the other things Dave does in regards to networking people within the grace community! In June 2006, Dave posted a question on the forum, asking if anyone had a blog. At the time, I had been prepared to start blogging at myccm.org, but they hadn't launched their site yet. So... with Dave's inspiration I went on over to blogger.com and began blogging!
During the previous year I had been writing formal articles for a church publication, but yet in those articles I was kind of being politically correct. Not that I had gone against what I believed, but I was holding back a lot of what was truly in my heart. But when I began blogging... it was my blog, and for the first time I was free to write about anything I wanted, whether any pastor or church member or anybody agreed with me or not! And I wasn't limited in length. I could write as much or as little as I wanted. I had also previously created the website graceroots.org, and in my mind I was going to use that site for the purpose of writing about grace. However, it wasn't until I came across Blogger, a site created specifically for people to "journal," so to speak, that I was truly inspired to update my writings regularly.
My purpose for blogging
Now that I've been blogging for almost two years, I can see how all that I've shared in this post and in Part 1 have worked together to form my purpose for ongoing blogging. I'm not here to "debate" the message of grace, and I'm not here with any real agenda except to find mutual encouragement in the message of God's grace and unconditional love. I'm here to stand up against legalism, and my hope and prayer (really, it's been my prayer) is to be able to connect like-minded people with each other and to provide a way for those previously caught up in legalism to find some freedom and rest!
I'm also here to learn. Over the years I've become established in the "big picture" of grace and in some of the finer elements too. But I realize I have a lot more learning to do, and one benefit of blogging is that it provides a way for interaction to take place. I'm looking for encouragement, and I also welcome correction and clarification from others within the context of the exchanged life.* That is, if and when you think I'm "off" in some of the finer (or larger) details of what the exchange life* means, I'd love to hear from you because iron sharpens iron.
Not exactly a nutshell here... but this at least explains in general why I blog and why I love reading other "grace" blogs!
----------
*In case you're not familiar with the term "exchanged life," to me it is simply a term that describes the reality and the fullness of the life in Christ that all Christians partake in, whether they fully realize it or not. See this link from the Association of Exchanged Life Ministries (AELM) for an explanation of the origin of the term and the meaning of the term. See also my post from last summer, "10 Exchanged Life truths that will change your life." (I realize that the title of the post is a contradiction of terms!). ;)
A short explanation could be summed up in two things that have been exchanged:
1) I have died, and my life has been exchanged for the very life of Christ.
Gal 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.
Col 3:4 When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.
2) My sin has been taken away and has been exchanged for the very righteousness of God.
John 1:29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!
2 Cor 5:21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us , that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
Built up through engagement with others
I've already shared how I used to spend a great deal of time in Christian forums and chat rooms on the internet. Part of this was addiction, I admit. Sometimes, especially during those early days, I would be online till 2 or 3 am, talking about God's love and grace with anybody who would carry on a conversation with me! It was very rare if I didn't quickly find people with opposing views who I could hash things out with! I'm exaggerating a bit by using the phrase "hash things out." :) I really simply sought to talk about God's grace and I would share lots of scripture, and after I had eventually gotten over my Grace Pharisee stage, I was able to simply leave people to decide for themselves.
Much larger than the addiction aspect of this, however, is that this was also a truly beneficial and formative time for me as I grew in the grace message myself and as I learned more about where other people are coming from in their religious backgrounds. Due to the anonymity of the internet, people are often not so shy to say what they really think! And as I said, some people can be vicious in their interactions with others. Also, some people are good at building straw arguments that leave you either questioning what you've firmly believed, or at least that make it harder to make your own case for what you believe. Many times over the years, I've been cut to the heart. Not so much due to my 'pride' being hurt, but much more often because of my deeply held beliefs being challenged by others, at times in very convincing ways, which would leave me confused about the truth. But through all this, and because of all this, I was sharpened and I was built up in my own understanding of grace and how to share the pure gospel message.
I also found out that to be strong in my beliefs about who I am in Christ I don't need thick skin. Rather, I need a heart of compassion, surrender and humility. When faced with opposition, the temptation is to build walls and to defend your beliefs to the core. But walls keep people out, when really your whole purpose in engaging with others is because you're wanting to invite them in.
My desires have evolved
I can't say that I don't still enjoy having deep, ongoing discussions with people of opposing views from time to time, but something has truly changed in me over the years. Although I still find those types of conversations to be very stimulating, I no longer have a deep desire to "hash things out" over extended periods of time, like I used to.
I'm in more of a place, at this time in life, in which I'm looking more for mutual encouragement in the grace of God with like-minded believers, and I have more of a heart to share the message of the exchanged life* with people who are actually seeking to learn more, rather than with those who are seeking to oppose it. Some might say this is a matter of me having matured, but I'd say it's more of a matter of me having been involved in each of these various activities and stages during the normal course of life. Yes, there's been a maturation process, but who's to say that each stage wasn't exactly where God purposely had me? Just think, in ten years, when we're able to appear to each other in hologram form via our robots (like in Star Wars!), will we look back on our blogging days and say we were simply immature because we weren't interacting with each other in the way we will then? ;)
Anyway, all of this leads to:
How I started blogging
Up until three years ago, I'd had plenty of interaction with people who disagreed with me about what the Christian life is all about. I'm now looking to engage with like-minded believers. I had been praying about this for a long time, and then in early 2005 I came across the Grace Walk Forum. I had known about Grace Walk Ministries since the mid to late 90's, and had visited the website from time to time, but the forum hadn't come into existence until December 2004. Discussing the grace walk openly with like-minded people was like a breath of fresh air for me! Instead of steadfast opposition, I found mutual encouragement and freedom. I met some of you through the forum, and I imagine it's been a great source of encouragement and edification for you too.
It was also through the forum that I met Dave Lesniak, who is the station manager for Grace Walk Internet Radio and who is also the administrator of the forum. It would take a whole 'nother blog post to list all the other things Dave does in regards to networking people within the grace community! In June 2006, Dave posted a question on the forum, asking if anyone had a blog. At the time, I had been prepared to start blogging at myccm.org, but they hadn't launched their site yet. So... with Dave's inspiration I went on over to blogger.com and began blogging!
During the previous year I had been writing formal articles for a church publication, but yet in those articles I was kind of being politically correct. Not that I had gone against what I believed, but I was holding back a lot of what was truly in my heart. But when I began blogging... it was my blog, and for the first time I was free to write about anything I wanted, whether any pastor or church member or anybody agreed with me or not! And I wasn't limited in length. I could write as much or as little as I wanted. I had also previously created the website graceroots.org, and in my mind I was going to use that site for the purpose of writing about grace. However, it wasn't until I came across Blogger, a site created specifically for people to "journal," so to speak, that I was truly inspired to update my writings regularly.
My purpose for blogging
Now that I've been blogging for almost two years, I can see how all that I've shared in this post and in Part 1 have worked together to form my purpose for ongoing blogging. I'm not here to "debate" the message of grace, and I'm not here with any real agenda except to find mutual encouragement in the message of God's grace and unconditional love. I'm here to stand up against legalism, and my hope and prayer (really, it's been my prayer) is to be able to connect like-minded people with each other and to provide a way for those previously caught up in legalism to find some freedom and rest!
I'm also here to learn. Over the years I've become established in the "big picture" of grace and in some of the finer elements too. But I realize I have a lot more learning to do, and one benefit of blogging is that it provides a way for interaction to take place. I'm looking for encouragement, and I also welcome correction and clarification from others within the context of the exchanged life.* That is, if and when you think I'm "off" in some of the finer (or larger) details of what the exchange life* means, I'd love to hear from you because iron sharpens iron.
Not exactly a nutshell here... but this at least explains in general why I blog and why I love reading other "grace" blogs!
----------
*In case you're not familiar with the term "exchanged life," to me it is simply a term that describes the reality and the fullness of the life in Christ that all Christians partake in, whether they fully realize it or not. See this link from the Association of Exchanged Life Ministries (AELM) for an explanation of the origin of the term and the meaning of the term. See also my post from last summer, "10 Exchanged Life truths that will change your life." (I realize that the title of the post is a contradiction of terms!). ;)
A short explanation could be summed up in two things that have been exchanged:
1) I have died, and my life has been exchanged for the very life of Christ.
Gal 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.
Col 3:4 When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.
2) My sin has been taken away and has been exchanged for the very righteousness of God.
John 1:29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!
2 Cor 5:21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us , that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
Monday, March 24, 2008
Why I blog - Part 1
A while back in a conversation with Aida (I think via our blogs and via email), I mentioned to her that perhaps I'd post a blog about why I blog, or my purposes for blogging. Weblogs (the actual word for which the abbreviated word "blogs" has become far more common) have been around for quite a while but have gained popularity only within the past few years. I've enjoyed sharing the message of God's grace for several years now in various formats including web forums and chat rooms, radio, church settings, etc, but during the almost two years that I've been blogging, I've found this to be what I've enjoyed the most.
What I love discussing with others
I love discussing all kinds of things in life with others, although there are two things in particular that I absolutely love discussing. I think I've put it this way before: If life were college, I'd have a major and a minor. My major would be Grace/Exchanged Life and my minor would be The body of Christ.
I slowly discovered my 'minor' about two or three years ago when I was writing articles for a church publication. My main purpose was to write about grace, and in doing so I found myself being naturally drawn to thinking and writing about how we are all individual and unique members of the body of Christ, and how the body is a unit that is fit together by God's grace to form One body.
I've been discussing my 'major' with others since somewhere around 1995. Through my friend Mike, with whom I co-host Growing in Grace, and through the church he was attending (which my wife and I eventually began attending near the end of 1996), I began to be set free in my relationship with God, through His grace. Being free, I naturally wanted to share this with others! I took every opportunity to talk about this with others. Sometimes this was for the good, and sometimes, looking back, I can see that I've been quite a "Grace Pharisee" at times! (Religiously trying to shove grace down people's throats).
How I began discussing grace with others
My wife and I were first hooked up to the internet (well our computer was, anyway) somewhere around the beginning of 1997. AOL was our internet provider, and with the AOL platform came many chat rooms, including various Christian chat rooms. Before long I found myself addicted to those chat rooms, because I found them to be a wonderful outlet for me to share the message of grace. We were soon able to ditch AOL for a broadband connection (back when broadband was still new), and I was saddened to lose the AOL chat rooms but I quickly discovered Yahoo! Chat. I also found various Christian Usenet forums. While not the same as instant chat, I very much enjoyed having ongoing conversations with others in these forums.
In these chat rooms and forums, I debated, discussed, had fun, made friends... and even made "enemies." I did not debate just for the sake of debate. Like most people, I'm not a huge fan of tension - especially for the sake of tension. But I would debate and discuss, and get myself involved in deep and complex conversations, for the purpose of sharing what I believed to be truth - and for the purpose of learning from others. I considered myself to be quite the diplomat, and other people - even those who disagreed with me - would tell me the same thing. When I say "diplomat," I don't mean it in the sense that I would work to find common ground or "balance" between legalism and grace (because there is none!), but rather in the sense that I would work to build dialog between disagreeing parties rather than simply shutting out people who didn't agree with me. I made friends with homosexuals, atheists, legalists, you name it, and I had many great conversations with them.
No, it wasn't always a peachy bed of roses! Some people can be very vicious in their interactions with others, especially online! But all in all I enjoyed my decade or so of forum and chat room discussions. I still pop in to some of them from time to time to 'promote' the message of God's grace and unconditional love, but it's rare.
As I said, I've also been involved in various face to face discussions in church and small group settings over the years. Most of these discussions have been pleasant, but there have been a few times when it's gotten a little hairy.
I don't know how many millions of words I've exchanged with others over the years in discussions about grace and the exchanged life, but I do know that I've been edified and built up in the Lord through them. Opposition has caused me to dig deep into what I believe and why I believe it, and to seek God for answers, and truth. I've learned a great deal from others and I've learned a great deal through my own research that has resulted from my interactions with others.
I knew that this would be long, and I'm ultimately leading up to my own personal purposes for blogging, so I guess I'll make this into a two part post!
What I love discussing with others
I love discussing all kinds of things in life with others, although there are two things in particular that I absolutely love discussing. I think I've put it this way before: If life were college, I'd have a major and a minor. My major would be Grace/Exchanged Life and my minor would be The body of Christ.
I slowly discovered my 'minor' about two or three years ago when I was writing articles for a church publication. My main purpose was to write about grace, and in doing so I found myself being naturally drawn to thinking and writing about how we are all individual and unique members of the body of Christ, and how the body is a unit that is fit together by God's grace to form One body.
I've been discussing my 'major' with others since somewhere around 1995. Through my friend Mike, with whom I co-host Growing in Grace, and through the church he was attending (which my wife and I eventually began attending near the end of 1996), I began to be set free in my relationship with God, through His grace. Being free, I naturally wanted to share this with others! I took every opportunity to talk about this with others. Sometimes this was for the good, and sometimes, looking back, I can see that I've been quite a "Grace Pharisee" at times! (Religiously trying to shove grace down people's throats).
How I began discussing grace with others
My wife and I were first hooked up to the internet (well our computer was, anyway) somewhere around the beginning of 1997. AOL was our internet provider, and with the AOL platform came many chat rooms, including various Christian chat rooms. Before long I found myself addicted to those chat rooms, because I found them to be a wonderful outlet for me to share the message of grace. We were soon able to ditch AOL for a broadband connection (back when broadband was still new), and I was saddened to lose the AOL chat rooms but I quickly discovered Yahoo! Chat. I also found various Christian Usenet forums. While not the same as instant chat, I very much enjoyed having ongoing conversations with others in these forums.
In these chat rooms and forums, I debated, discussed, had fun, made friends... and even made "enemies." I did not debate just for the sake of debate. Like most people, I'm not a huge fan of tension - especially for the sake of tension. But I would debate and discuss, and get myself involved in deep and complex conversations, for the purpose of sharing what I believed to be truth - and for the purpose of learning from others. I considered myself to be quite the diplomat, and other people - even those who disagreed with me - would tell me the same thing. When I say "diplomat," I don't mean it in the sense that I would work to find common ground or "balance" between legalism and grace (because there is none!), but rather in the sense that I would work to build dialog between disagreeing parties rather than simply shutting out people who didn't agree with me. I made friends with homosexuals, atheists, legalists, you name it, and I had many great conversations with them.
No, it wasn't always a peachy bed of roses! Some people can be very vicious in their interactions with others, especially online! But all in all I enjoyed my decade or so of forum and chat room discussions. I still pop in to some of them from time to time to 'promote' the message of God's grace and unconditional love, but it's rare.
As I said, I've also been involved in various face to face discussions in church and small group settings over the years. Most of these discussions have been pleasant, but there have been a few times when it's gotten a little hairy.
I don't know how many millions of words I've exchanged with others over the years in discussions about grace and the exchanged life, but I do know that I've been edified and built up in the Lord through them. Opposition has caused me to dig deep into what I believe and why I believe it, and to seek God for answers, and truth. I've learned a great deal from others and I've learned a great deal through my own research that has resulted from my interactions with others.
I knew that this would be long, and I'm ultimately leading up to my own personal purposes for blogging, so I guess I'll make this into a two part post!
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Saved by His life
This morning I've been traveling around the blogosphere and I've been reading some very wonderful posts from various people all about Easter and the resurrection of Christ. The birth of Jesus as a human being and His death on the cross are very important parts of God's plan so I'm thankful for the entire ordeal of Christ becoming a man.
But if not for the resurrection, there would be no life for us! There would be no eternal life. We would not have been able to die with Him and to also be raised again with Him, as so many of you have pointed out. We were reconciled by His death, but we were saved by His life.
Rom 5:10 For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.
The cross is wonderful and it a vital part of the entire plan, but Christ's death was not enough. His resurrection made it possible for anyone who believes to be made alive with Him! We can sit around all day, knowing that we're forgiven, but unless we have LIFE, so what if we've been forgiven!
I thank God today, not only for the coming of Jesus as a man, and for His death on the cross, but for His life with which I've been made alive together with Him!
But if not for the resurrection, there would be no life for us! There would be no eternal life. We would not have been able to die with Him and to also be raised again with Him, as so many of you have pointed out. We were reconciled by His death, but we were saved by His life.
Rom 5:10 For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.
The cross is wonderful and it a vital part of the entire plan, but Christ's death was not enough. His resurrection made it possible for anyone who believes to be made alive with Him! We can sit around all day, knowing that we're forgiven, but unless we have LIFE, so what if we've been forgiven!
I thank God today, not only for the coming of Jesus as a man, and for His death on the cross, but for His life with which I've been made alive together with Him!
Saturday, March 22, 2008
As if He needed anything...
Below is the content of a blog post I've had in draft mode for almost four months (since November 30). I had completely forgotten about it. I vaguely remember writing this, and I assume I was going to go on and write more at the end, but I guess I'll just leave it as it is! Maybe you have some thoughts on this?
-----
Can you tell me anything that God needs? Really, can you tell me one need of God? One at all?
Does He need you?
Does He need you to spread the gospel?
Does He need you to do His work?
Does He need you, so that He can love others through you?
Does He need your money?
Does He need you to give to the poor?
Does He need others to give to you, if you are poor?
Does He need you to witness to others about Him?
Does He need you to fulfill your part in the body of Christ?
Does He need you to serve Him?
Does He need you to worship Him?
Here's part of what Paul proclaimed to the people of Athens when he found an altar with the inscription, "To the unknown god."
-----
Can you tell me anything that God needs? Really, can you tell me one need of God? One at all?
Does He need you?
Does He need you to spread the gospel?
Does He need you to do His work?
Does He need you, so that He can love others through you?
Does He need your money?
Does He need you to give to the poor?
Does He need others to give to you, if you are poor?
Does He need you to witness to others about Him?
Does He need you to fulfill your part in the body of Christ?
Does He need you to serve Him?
Does He need you to worship Him?
Here's part of what Paul proclaimed to the people of Athens when he found an altar with the inscription, "To the unknown god."
24 "The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands. 25 And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else. 26 From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. 27 God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. 28 'For in him we live and move and have our being.' As some of your own poets have said, 'We are his offspring.' 29 "Therefore since we are God's offspring, we should not think that the divine nature is like gold or silver or stone-an image made by man's design and skill. (Acts 17:24-29)
Friday, March 21, 2008
Behold the Lamb of God - Scott Springer
Here's an "oldie but a goody." :)
Scott Springer - Behold the Lamb
Scott Springer - Behold the Lamb
This is the day the Lord has made
Ps 118:22-24
22 The stone which the builders rejected
Has become the chief cornerstone.
23 This was the LORD's doing;
It is marvelous in our eyes.
24 This is the day the LORD has made;
We will rejoice and be glad in it.
John 19:10-11
10 Then Pilate said to Him, "Are You not speaking to me? Do You not know that I have power to crucify You, and power to release You?"
11 Jesus answered, "You could have no power at all against Me unless it had been given you from above."
Isa 53:4-6
4 Surely our griefs He Himself bore,
And our sorrows He carried;
Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken,
Smitten of God, and afflicted.
5 But He was pierced through for our transgressions,
He was crushed for our iniquities;
The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him,
And by His scourging we are healed.
6 All of us like sheep have gone astray,
Each of us has turned to his own way;
And the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.
2 Cor 5:21
God made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.
Isa 53:10-12
10 Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise Him;
He has put Him to grief.
When You make His soul an offering for sin,
He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days,
And the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in His hand.
11 He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied.
By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many,
For He shall bear their iniquities.
12 Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great,
And He shall divide the spoil with the strong,
Because He poured out His soul unto death,
And He was numbered with the transgressors,
And He bore the sin of many,
And made intercession for the transgressors.
Heb 12:2
Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
(All emphasis mine)
22 The stone which the builders rejected
Has become the chief cornerstone.
23 This was the LORD's doing;
It is marvelous in our eyes.
24 This is the day the LORD has made;
We will rejoice and be glad in it.
John 19:10-11
10 Then Pilate said to Him, "Are You not speaking to me? Do You not know that I have power to crucify You, and power to release You?"
11 Jesus answered, "You could have no power at all against Me unless it had been given you from above."
Isa 53:4-6
4 Surely our griefs He Himself bore,
And our sorrows He carried;
Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken,
Smitten of God, and afflicted.
5 But He was pierced through for our transgressions,
He was crushed for our iniquities;
The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him,
And by His scourging we are healed.
6 All of us like sheep have gone astray,
Each of us has turned to his own way;
And the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.
2 Cor 5:21
God made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.
Isa 53:10-12
10 Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise Him;
He has put Him to grief.
When You make His soul an offering for sin,
He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days,
And the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in His hand.
11 He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied.
By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many,
For He shall bear their iniquities.
12 Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great,
And He shall divide the spoil with the strong,
Because He poured out His soul unto death,
And He was numbered with the transgressors,
And He bore the sin of many,
And made intercession for the transgressors.
Heb 12:2
Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
(All emphasis mine)
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Persecution
After a recent post of mine, and some comments that followed by Matthew, many thoughts came to mind. I remembered that in the past I had written about what I was thinking about, so below is a repost of my "Persecution" post from January 9, 2007. This was written before I had come to know many of you!
I should note that I do realize that Christians have been and still are persecuted for many different reasons around the world, and persecution is by no means limited to what I'm focusing on here. My focus here is on persecution from legalistic, religious people towards grace people. It's been going on a long, long time, going back even as far as Cain and Abel, although I don't go back quite that far here. :)
-----
Why were Jesus and the disciples persecuted? Why were the people of the early church persecuted? And another important question - who persecuted them?
In Western Christian culture, we tend to think of persecution as "good Christians" being put down or made fun of by "sinners." But I guess I just don't see that happening to Jesus or to the early church. The persecution that Jesus, the disciples and the early church received was from the religious people! Jesus was not put down and mocked - and ultimately killed - because He went around telling "bad" people to start being "good." He was hated by the religious people because He put His arms around sinners. He supped with them. He loved them.
Jesus told His disciples, "If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you" (John 15:18). It's true that many people today hate Christians. We've done a good job of making sure that's the case! But... I think we've gotten them to hate us for the wrong reasons! In fact, I think we've gotten the wrong people to hate us!
Jesus told His disciples, "They will put you out of the synagogues; yes, the time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers God service" (John 16:2). The people who hated Jesus and the disciples believed in God and wanted others to walk in His ways. But there was something "unsynagoguish" about Jesus and His disciples. I often think they would be kicked out of many of today's churches, too.
Again, who is it that did the persecuting, and why? Why was Saul standing there holding the coats of those who stoned Stephen? Then later, after Saul became a Christian (now known as Paul), why was he so heavily persecuted? Why was the early church so persecuted? Was it because they were "standing up for what is right!" (?) Was it because they were living such good, clean lives, that sinners all around began mocking them and calling them "goody two shoes?" Was it because they were protesting all the anti-Christian behavior that was going on around them, attending rallies and carrying signs and trying to get "moral" laws passed?
I realize that the point I'm making flies in the face of the modern church... :) But the people doing the persecuting were often the goody-two shoes, the religious, the law-abiding legalists! The ones being persecuted were persecuted for rejecting Moses and embracing Jesus. "For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ" (John 1:17).
Saul had been a man who had great confidence in his flesh. Later, when he became known as Paul, he would testify about his past life, before coming to know Jesus: "If anyone else thinks he may have confidence in the flesh, I more so: circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee; concerning zeal, persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless" (Phil 3:4-6).
Saul had gone around persecuting these new Christians who had rejected that way of life and instead embraced Christ. But then Jesus came to him. "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?" (Acts 9:4). After his conversion he realized how he had been so far from the truth. Saul's former "testimony" was cleaner than that of the squeakiest clean of today's squeaky clean Christians! But he turned away from that testimony to that he could have Christ instead.
He went on to share about his turning away from that law-abiding way of life: "But what things were gain to me (the things listed in Phil 3:4-6), these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as dung, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith..." (Phil 3:7-9).
Paul turned from his law-abiding life (he counted it as "dung") to a Christ-abiding life. There is a huge difference. The first way seemed like it should bear good fruit, but it only bore fruit unto death. "For when we were in the flesh, the sinful passions which were aroused by the law were at work in our members to bear fruit unto death" (Rom 7:5).
Paul may have spent the latter part of his life in the chains of men, being persecuted by his own people for rejecting their ways, but he lived in perfect freedom, the freedom for which Christ had set him free!
I should note that I do realize that Christians have been and still are persecuted for many different reasons around the world, and persecution is by no means limited to what I'm focusing on here. My focus here is on persecution from legalistic, religious people towards grace people. It's been going on a long, long time, going back even as far as Cain and Abel, although I don't go back quite that far here. :)
-----
Why were Jesus and the disciples persecuted? Why were the people of the early church persecuted? And another important question - who persecuted them?
In Western Christian culture, we tend to think of persecution as "good Christians" being put down or made fun of by "sinners." But I guess I just don't see that happening to Jesus or to the early church. The persecution that Jesus, the disciples and the early church received was from the religious people! Jesus was not put down and mocked - and ultimately killed - because He went around telling "bad" people to start being "good." He was hated by the religious people because He put His arms around sinners. He supped with them. He loved them.
Jesus told His disciples, "If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you" (John 15:18). It's true that many people today hate Christians. We've done a good job of making sure that's the case! But... I think we've gotten them to hate us for the wrong reasons! In fact, I think we've gotten the wrong people to hate us!
Jesus told His disciples, "They will put you out of the synagogues; yes, the time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers God service" (John 16:2). The people who hated Jesus and the disciples believed in God and wanted others to walk in His ways. But there was something "unsynagoguish" about Jesus and His disciples. I often think they would be kicked out of many of today's churches, too.
Again, who is it that did the persecuting, and why? Why was Saul standing there holding the coats of those who stoned Stephen? Then later, after Saul became a Christian (now known as Paul), why was he so heavily persecuted? Why was the early church so persecuted? Was it because they were "standing up for what is right!" (?) Was it because they were living such good, clean lives, that sinners all around began mocking them and calling them "goody two shoes?" Was it because they were protesting all the anti-Christian behavior that was going on around them, attending rallies and carrying signs and trying to get "moral" laws passed?
I realize that the point I'm making flies in the face of the modern church... :) But the people doing the persecuting were often the goody-two shoes, the religious, the law-abiding legalists! The ones being persecuted were persecuted for rejecting Moses and embracing Jesus. "For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ" (John 1:17).
Saul had been a man who had great confidence in his flesh. Later, when he became known as Paul, he would testify about his past life, before coming to know Jesus: "If anyone else thinks he may have confidence in the flesh, I more so: circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee; concerning zeal, persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless" (Phil 3:4-6).
Saul had gone around persecuting these new Christians who had rejected that way of life and instead embraced Christ. But then Jesus came to him. "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?" (Acts 9:4). After his conversion he realized how he had been so far from the truth. Saul's former "testimony" was cleaner than that of the squeakiest clean of today's squeaky clean Christians! But he turned away from that testimony to that he could have Christ instead.
He went on to share about his turning away from that law-abiding way of life: "But what things were gain to me (the things listed in Phil 3:4-6), these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as dung, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith..." (Phil 3:7-9).
Paul turned from his law-abiding life (he counted it as "dung") to a Christ-abiding life. There is a huge difference. The first way seemed like it should bear good fruit, but it only bore fruit unto death. "For when we were in the flesh, the sinful passions which were aroused by the law were at work in our members to bear fruit unto death" (Rom 7:5).
Paul may have spent the latter part of his life in the chains of men, being persecuted by his own people for rejecting their ways, but he lived in perfect freedom, the freedom for which Christ had set him free!
Life (more from The Legalist)
More from The Legalist
(All emphasis is that of the author)
The roots of legalism are buried deep in the soil of man's sinfulness. He imagines that he can do "the will of the Father" through fleshly determination and self-effort, not realizing that the only one who did the will of the Father perfectly was the Son of His love, and it is only as we are surrendered to Him to live His life in us that we can do it!
True righteousness and holiness are manifestations of a life, and that life is Christ - in Him was life, and the life was the light of men; When Christ, who is our life shall appear, then shall ye also appear with Him in glory. (Col. 3:4)
Legalism, then, is a crude disregard of this fact: the law of sin can only be overcome by the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus!
If there had been a law given which could have given life, the apostle wrote, verily righteousness should have been by the law. (Gal. 3:21) And since righteousness is the remedy for sin and cannot be gotten by law: Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in His sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin. (Rom. 3:20) The law is not the answer to the sin problem!
(All emphasis is that of the author)
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
The Legalist
Mmm mmmmm! I've had this little book for about ten years now, and I pick it up from time to time to read bits and pieces from it, but it's been a while. So when I picked it up this morning and started from the beginning, it was quite the tasty snack!The author's name is Jack Stewart, and I don't know anything about him except this book. The book, published in 1989, is called The Legalist - Righteous Before Others But Not Before God. It's an easy read, divided into 26 short chapters.
Some excerpts:
From Chapter 1 - "A Day in the Life of a Legalist"
A day in the life of a legalist is filled with trying to become and never arriving! He seems not to know that Christ means the end of the struggle for righteousness-by-the-law for everyone who believes in Him so he fights bravely and hopelessly on!
Dwelling in a perpetual winterland of barrenness, where the cold blasts of condemnation and despair chill his soul, he rarely sees the sunlight of God's love and acceptance! Clouds of doubts and fear overcast the Father's face, Whom he imagines to be more critical than compassionate, frowning than forgiving.
A legalist's day is usually joyless, lifeless, drab, and bound. He is slave to rules: what to eat,drink, wear, and where or where not to go...
Bible reading, praying, giving, and witnessing are usually looked upon as obligations rather than joyous opportunities for the building and exercising of his faith. The pharisaical strait jacket he wears fails to make him holy, makes him look like he is, and deprives him of the joy of true holiness!
Doing is the fruit of a right relationship with God; it is not the root! And the source of all right doing, is right being. In Psalm 1:3, the words He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water precedes and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.
From Chapter 2 - "The Roots of Legalism"
Of one thing we can be sure: if our righteousness is the fruit of our struggle, it is not the righteousness of God for His righteousness is a gift. Self-justification is not holiness even if it looks like it!
If I understand correctly, the book is out of print but I see there are a few copies on Amazon and you could probably find it on Ebay too.
Michael Card - Why
I think I've posted this in the past, but it's a wonderful song. I've sung this a few times in a couple of different churches.
Michael Card and Friends - Why
Michael Card and Friends - Why
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Big Difference 4 - Under the Law vs. Freed from the Law
Or do you not know, brethren (for I speak to those who know the law), that the law has dominion over a man as long as he lives? 2 For the woman who has a husband is bound by the law to her husband as long as he lives. But if the husband dies, she is released from the law of her husband. 3 So then if, while her husband lives, she marries another man, she will be called an adulteress; but if her husband dies, she is free from that law , so that she is no adulteress, though she has married another man. 4 Therefore, my brethren, you also have become dead to the law through the body of Christ, that you may be married to another — to Him who was raised from the dead, that we should bear fruit to God. 5 For when we were in the flesh, the sinful passions which were aroused by the law were at work in our members to bear fruit to death. 6 But now we have been delivered from the law, having died to what we were held by, so that we should serve in the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter. (Rom 7:1-6 NKJV)
The first thing I want to point out here is that I've heard this passage used time and time again in the context of rules for Christian marriage, but yet it has nothing to do with that! Paul was using an example from Jewish Law to make a point about our need to be freed from the Law in order to be "married" to Christ.
The Law was given to charge the world with the guilt of sin. Rom 5:13 says that sin was in the world before the Law, but without Law sin could not be imputed (charged) to man. That was the purpose of the Law, to charge sin to man's account. The Law was never given as a way that man could get right or stay right with God, and it wasn't given as a "moral compass." If it was meant to be a moral compass... it didn't work!
Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded , grace abounded much more, so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Rom 5:20-21 NKJV)Through the Law, sin abounded. The Law never has and never will curb sin. It produces exactly the opposite of what the carnal mind logically thinks it should.
And so the problem, as presented in the first passage above from Romans 7, is that if we are under the Law, we cannot be joined to Christ. The Law only leaves us guilty, and through it sin abounds. Even a little Law will do this. Speaking in the context of the Law, Paul warned the Galatians that "a little leaven leavens the whole lump" (Gal 5:9). Paul had just finished speaking about the bondage of the Old Covenant (Gal 4). The Law can never and will never set us free. It only keeps us in bondage. That's it's "job," so to speak. That's it's purpose.
So... how do people who are "married" to the Law gain freedom from the Law? According to the example in Romans 7, one of two who are bound in marriage has to die in order to legally be unbound (freed) from the other. Well, the Law wasn't going to die. The Law is holy and perfect and has no obligation or need to die! So... the only solution left is that we had to die! Only when we died to the Law, were we able to be raised again with Christ. We are now dead to the Law. Having been freed from the Law through our very own death, we have been made alive together, once and for always, with Christ.
Paul exhorts the Galatians, "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery" (Gal 5:1). He is speaking to believers who have been set free from the Law and have been made alive together with Christ. I'll paraphrase what he goes on to tell them. "If you think the Christian life has anything to do with keeping the Law, then you are obligated to keep the whole Law. If this is really what you think it's about, then Christ is of no benefit to you!" (see Gal 5:2-4)
In this life in Christ, we must stand firm in our freedom! We don't keep going back to the Law (that we died to!) in order to improve our performance in our Christian life. That's bondage! A little leaven means bondage for the whole lump of dough.
Our guide, our "moral compass," our way of living is no longer found in Laws but is found in a Person with whom we've been made alive together! This Person resides in us. He is not a set of external rules, principles or laws. He is freedom personified! We have been made alive together with Him. He (Jesus, the person who dwells in us) is the way, the truth and the life!
*For an explanation of this Big Difference series, see the original post.*
Monday, March 17, 2008
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Mike and Joel - Growing in Grace program
I've updated our Growing in Grace podcast page with a couple of new pics. In case any of you are not aware, my friend Mike and I record a weekly 14 minute program for Grace Walk Internet Radio called "Growing in Grace." (All our past programs are archived as a podcast and are freely available to be downloaded). Our program began in February 2005, and since then we've aired 133 programs.I met Mike in 1994 when I went to work at a local Christian radio station. He was the Program Director. During the next year or so, Mike began understanding and appropriating the biblical message that we would eventually come to know as the grace walk or the exchanged life. He became part of a church that itself had recently begun to preach a solid grace message. The pastor had formerly been a very legalistic Word of Faith preacher, but had "caught" the message of God's grace and had transitioned his preaching to the pure gospel message. Because of this huge change, many people left the church.
I was a wet-behind-the-ears volunteer DJ with absolutely NO experience in radio when I started working at the radio station and Mike trained me in everything I did. Over the months and years, we had lots of neat little conversations about God's grace. Through these conversations, and through Mike's sharing of the sermon tapes from his church with me, I eventually began understanding my identity in Christ better, and I became passionate about teaching the message of God's grace and our identity in Christ. Also, after a few months of nagging my wife - um, I mean gently speaking to my wife about what I was learning - we decided together to leave the church we attended and we began to attend Mike's church in 1996.
This church was a great source of life and encouragement for me for three solid years. However, our pastor was moved to go on to some other things in life, and at the end of 1999 the church decided to stop meeting together. (If I had known then what I know now, I probably would have strongly urged us to remain together, even without the benefit of this great source of preaching).
Fast forward to 2005. I had been earnestly praying for like-minded fellowship ever since those days. We did begin to attend a different church in early 2000, but I really lost the intimate grace-fellowship that I had been thriving upon. The Lord brought me to the Grace Walk Forum in early 2005, and I met some wonderful people and have had some great conversations there! One of the people I met was Dave Lesniak, who, among the 6,000 hats that he wears is the station manager for Grace Walk Radio. Having seen that I was in radio (I was still in radio at the time, but left two years ago), and knowing my passion for the grace message, Dave invited me to have a program on the online station. I talked to Mike about hopping on board with me and the rest is history.
I thoroughly enjoy recording these programs with Mike. I think it helps both of us to be encouraged in God's grace as we simply sit and chat about it informally. Through the podcast site, we've heard from people from all over the world and we're encouraged that the grace walk message is reaching so many people!
Pagan Christianity
Pagan Christianity: Exploring the Roots of Our Church Practices (Revised and Expanded) is a book co-authored by Frank Viola and George Barna that has recently been released. This book looks interesting. I'm thinking of ordering it. Has anyone read it? Any thoughts on it if you have read it?
There is a very interesting interview with the authors here. There are a lot of great quotes in the interview, and this is one reason I think the book ought to be a good read. I have heard of both authors, but I don't know much about either one of them. Barna is perhaps the most well-known of the two, due to all the church stats he collects via The Barna Group.
Some quotes from the interview:
Bill (the interviewer): In the chapter on church buildings, Martin Luther is cited as an example of a Reformer who taught "that the church was not a building or an institution. Yet it would have been impossible for him to overturn more than a millennium of confusion on the subject." What makes you think we're in a better position today, five hundred years later, to take on such an institutional mindset?
George: The fundamental question is not whether we’re in a “better position today” to address this matter, but whether it is still a matter that needs to be addressed. Obviously, it is!
---
Frank: Our book doesn't offer solutions nor does it give any specific prescriptions. Other upcoming books will do that. We want people to first absorb the startling message of Pagan Christianity, which is quite simple: That which we've believed to be Biblical for so long is in fact unbiblical.
---
George: There are many house church or simple church groups that are very much spirit-led, loving communities of faith – and which will always remain below the radar of the media because they are not institutional or market-driven.
---
George: I am also impressed by some of the intentional communities I have encountered in recent years, in which people have abandoned their comfortable suburban lifestyle to move to areas, in the company of other like-minded believers, to be the Church in a location lacking the physical presence of Christ. The biggest challenge, of course, is to resist the temptation to become a new institution, but rather to remain structurally simple and sensitive to the leadership of the Holy Spirit.
There is a very interesting interview with the authors here. There are a lot of great quotes in the interview, and this is one reason I think the book ought to be a good read. I have heard of both authors, but I don't know much about either one of them. Barna is perhaps the most well-known of the two, due to all the church stats he collects via The Barna Group.
Some quotes from the interview:
Bill (the interviewer): In the chapter on church buildings, Martin Luther is cited as an example of a Reformer who taught "that the church was not a building or an institution. Yet it would have been impossible for him to overturn more than a millennium of confusion on the subject." What makes you think we're in a better position today, five hundred years later, to take on such an institutional mindset?
George: The fundamental question is not whether we’re in a “better position today” to address this matter, but whether it is still a matter that needs to be addressed. Obviously, it is!
---
Frank: Our book doesn't offer solutions nor does it give any specific prescriptions. Other upcoming books will do that. We want people to first absorb the startling message of Pagan Christianity, which is quite simple: That which we've believed to be Biblical for so long is in fact unbiblical.
---
George: There are many house church or simple church groups that are very much spirit-led, loving communities of faith – and which will always remain below the radar of the media because they are not institutional or market-driven.
---
George: I am also impressed by some of the intentional communities I have encountered in recent years, in which people have abandoned their comfortable suburban lifestyle to move to areas, in the company of other like-minded believers, to be the Church in a location lacking the physical presence of Christ. The biggest challenge, of course, is to resist the temptation to become a new institution, but rather to remain structurally simple and sensitive to the leadership of the Holy Spirit.
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Fake it till you make it?
Have you ever heard (or used) the phrase, "fake it till you make it," in regards to the living out of the Christian life? Although I've heard the actual phrase used only a handful of times, I've seen the Christian lifestyle that's represented by the phrase in action all throughout my Christian life. And it's sad, because it's nothing less than a fleshly attempt at living the Christian life.
One of the times I heard the phrase used in a sermon, the pastor was talking about the various family qualities and values that we are to live out as Christians. Loving our spouses, loving our kids, "one anothering" each another, and so on. When we find ourselves falling short in our love relationships with each other, what should we do? According to this pastor, we just "fake it till we make it." :( I was very disheartened to hear that. If we're having a hard time loving and showing appreciation to our spouse, for example, we just fake it till we make it. We go through the motions until we find ourselves genuinely loving our spouse.
I'm sorry, but this totally misses the point of Christianity! It sure may appear right to some, since it's an appeal to us to do good things. But all it really is is a fleshly attempt to do these things. The flesh, no matter how good and wonderful it appears, will never, ever, EVER produce what the Spirit can and does produce in us!
Another time I heard the phrase was in a small group setting. We were talking about the gifts of the Spirit, and "how" to walk in them. (shudder) One man suggested the "fake it till you make it" method. ((double-shudder)) For example, if it's the gift of tongues that's in question, just start muttering some words and eventually it will come. Or whatever the gift, just go through the motions enough, and eventually it will become real.
I'm all for "growing" in our gifts, and in the living out of the Christian life. But not through FAKING it! See, there is absolutely nothing fake about love. If we feel we have to fake love in order to grow in love, then we'll never come to a true living out of a love-life.
I can see why the "fake it till you make it" mentality is so prevalent in the church today (even if the phrase itself isn't used a whole lot). The focus in the church today is behavior modification. Sermons, seminars, meetings, exhortations, articles, radio and TV programs, and so on and so on... all focus on getting us to change our behavior from one way ("bad") to another way ("good"). Do I want to stop doing bad and start doing good? Of course! But you can teach me all you want about what is bad behavior and what is good behavior (what I should stop doing and what I should start doing), and yet you will give me no power whatsoever to change my behavior!
Christ in us - and His grace - is the power to live a godly life. There is nothing fake about Christ in us! But when the constant focus is behavior modification, people will take their eyes off of the One who IS the way, the truth and the life and will always be attempting to change themselves. This constant focus on behavior modification, leaves people with, well, a constant focus on behavior modification! They are deceived into thinking that by focusing on good behavior they're focusing on Christ. But since they're not really looking to Christ and His life that miraculously and abundantly indwells us, but rather are focusing on change, then all that's really left is a life of faking it till they make it.
Growing in true love and true godly behavior doesn't come from attempting or faking love or godly behavior. True love and true godly behavior comes over a period of time as we look to Christ, who is in us, to live His life in us, and it comes as we grow in God's unconditional love.
One of the times I heard the phrase used in a sermon, the pastor was talking about the various family qualities and values that we are to live out as Christians. Loving our spouses, loving our kids, "one anothering" each another, and so on. When we find ourselves falling short in our love relationships with each other, what should we do? According to this pastor, we just "fake it till we make it." :( I was very disheartened to hear that. If we're having a hard time loving and showing appreciation to our spouse, for example, we just fake it till we make it. We go through the motions until we find ourselves genuinely loving our spouse.
I'm sorry, but this totally misses the point of Christianity! It sure may appear right to some, since it's an appeal to us to do good things. But all it really is is a fleshly attempt to do these things. The flesh, no matter how good and wonderful it appears, will never, ever, EVER produce what the Spirit can and does produce in us!
Another time I heard the phrase was in a small group setting. We were talking about the gifts of the Spirit, and "how" to walk in them. (shudder) One man suggested the "fake it till you make it" method. ((double-shudder)) For example, if it's the gift of tongues that's in question, just start muttering some words and eventually it will come. Or whatever the gift, just go through the motions enough, and eventually it will become real.
I'm all for "growing" in our gifts, and in the living out of the Christian life. But not through FAKING it! See, there is absolutely nothing fake about love. If we feel we have to fake love in order to grow in love, then we'll never come to a true living out of a love-life.
I can see why the "fake it till you make it" mentality is so prevalent in the church today (even if the phrase itself isn't used a whole lot). The focus in the church today is behavior modification. Sermons, seminars, meetings, exhortations, articles, radio and TV programs, and so on and so on... all focus on getting us to change our behavior from one way ("bad") to another way ("good"). Do I want to stop doing bad and start doing good? Of course! But you can teach me all you want about what is bad behavior and what is good behavior (what I should stop doing and what I should start doing), and yet you will give me no power whatsoever to change my behavior!
Christ in us - and His grace - is the power to live a godly life. There is nothing fake about Christ in us! But when the constant focus is behavior modification, people will take their eyes off of the One who IS the way, the truth and the life and will always be attempting to change themselves. This constant focus on behavior modification, leaves people with, well, a constant focus on behavior modification! They are deceived into thinking that by focusing on good behavior they're focusing on Christ. But since they're not really looking to Christ and His life that miraculously and abundantly indwells us, but rather are focusing on change, then all that's really left is a life of faking it till they make it.
Growing in true love and true godly behavior doesn't come from attempting or faking love or godly behavior. True love and true godly behavior comes over a period of time as we look to Christ, who is in us, to live His life in us, and it comes as we grow in God's unconditional love.
Joy Williams - "Hide" and "We"
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Breathe Your Name - Sixpence None the Richer
One last Sixpence video. I'm just happy that the band (or at least Leigh Nash and Matt Slocum) will be recording again!
You are in my heart
I can feel your beat
And you move my mind
From behind the wheel
When I lose control
I can only breathe your name
I can only breathe your name
You are in my heart
I can feel your beat
And you move my mind
From behind the wheel
When I lose control
I can only breathe your name
I can only breathe your name
Kiss Me - Sixpence None the Richer
A beautiful love song from the band. This was very over-played on the radio, although truthfully if someone (including myself) ever tells you that a song is over-played on the radio that means they listen to too much radio!
I couldn't decide which version to post, so here are 3! (The third one does not include the band, but is very cute).
Kiss me out of the bearded barley
Nightly, beside the green, green grass
Swing, swing, swing the spinning step
You wear those shoes and I will wear that dress.
[Chorus:]
Oh, kiss me beneath the milky twilight
Lead me out on the moonlit floor
Lift your open hand
Strike up the band and make the fireflies dance
Silver moon's sparkling
So kiss me
Kiss me down by the broken tree house
Swing me upon its hanging tire
Bring, bring, bring your flowered hat
We'll take the trail marked on your father's map
I couldn't decide which version to post, so here are 3! (The third one does not include the band, but is very cute).
Kiss me out of the bearded barley
Nightly, beside the green, green grass
Swing, swing, swing the spinning step
You wear those shoes and I will wear that dress.
[Chorus:]
Oh, kiss me beneath the milky twilight
Lead me out on the moonlit floor
Lift your open hand
Strike up the band and make the fireflies dance
Silver moon's sparkling
So kiss me
Kiss me down by the broken tree house
Swing me upon its hanging tire
Bring, bring, bring your flowered hat
We'll take the trail marked on your father's map
Leigh Nash (Sixpence) on Letterman
I had never seen this footage, and now after having watched it I'd say the scene is not "quite" as portrayed in the description from Sixpence's website that I quoted in my last post. (The description, "Nash's blank silence stopped him cold, chastening him into an apology," seems a little off from what really happened). Anyway, here's Leigh Nash on Letterman from August 1999.
Sixpence None the Richer
Browsing through my next-to-last issue of CCM Magazine (the 'print' version is being discontinued after the April issue), I found out that recording artists Sixpence None the Richer will be coming back! They had disbanded a few years back. You may or may not be familiar with how the name of the band came about. Lead singer Leigh Nash shared the story when she appeared on the David Letterman show in August, 1999.
Although Nash has never completely overcome her youthful nervousness on stage, she bravely walked over to a chair on the "Late Show" stage following her band's performance.
After asking where the band's name comes from, Letterman teasingly interrupted Nash to ask if he could stop by her hotel room after the show. Nash's blank silence stopped him cold, chastening him into an apology. With that, she proceeded to finish her story.
"It comes from a book by C.S. Lewis... called Mere Christianity," she resumed. "A little boy asks his father if he can get a sixpence - a very small amount of English currency - to go and get a gift for his father. The father gladly accepts the gift and he's really happy with it, but he also realizes that he's not any richer for the transaction..."
"He bought his own gift," Letterman responded. "That's right," Nash continued. "C.S. Lewis was comparing that to his belief that God has given him, and us, the gifts that we possess, and to serve Him the way we should, we should do it humbly... realizing how we got the gifts in the first place."
(From the official Sixpence None the Richer website).
Convicted of Righteousness
I'm hoping that many of you are keeping up with Steve McVey's video blog series, "101 Lies Taught in Church Every Sunday." I'm always tempted to post the videos here, and maybe I should do more of that, but for now I'm just hoping you're keeping up with them on Steve's blog. In the case of "Lie #63 The Holy Spirit Convicts Us Of Our Sin," I just couldn't pass it up! This message has been on my heart for a long time, and I don't share it enough. A few years back I was reading from the passage from John that Steve brings up here, and it HIT me in a huge way that unbelievers are convicted of sin, and believers are convicted of righteousness! (See links below for a little more on this).
While I've shared some practical applications of this truth at times in the past, I've probably spent more time discussing it from a doctrinal standpoint. I think you will find some very practical advice and applications in this video. Since this subject may not necessarily sit well with some, I invite you to also see Steve's original post in which he briefly writes about this as well. He makes some very good points!
Some past posts of mine that I think go along with this include the two below.
What's right with you (12/28/07)
Convicted of Righteousness (1/16/07)
While I've shared some practical applications of this truth at times in the past, I've probably spent more time discussing it from a doctrinal standpoint. I think you will find some very practical advice and applications in this video. Since this subject may not necessarily sit well with some, I invite you to also see Steve's original post in which he briefly writes about this as well. He makes some very good points!
Some past posts of mine that I think go along with this include the two below.
What's right with you (12/28/07)
Convicted of Righteousness (1/16/07)
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
The Best Day Ever
This morning I woke up with a song in my head. I mean, I literally woke up with this song going through my mind. The Lord gave it to me to remind me that there is no time like now and there is no day like today.
The funny thing is... this is a song that has annoyed the daylights out of me! See, here in our computer room, I have two computers. One is used mainly by me (and my wife) and the other is used primarily by my kids. My kids have discovered youtube, and through it they found a song that they heard on a certain TV program - Spongebob Squarepants!
Having found several videos that people have created to go along with this song, my kids have listened to it over and over again, having fun and trying to memorize the words. This has been very annoying to me at times, especially when I'm sitting here trying to type meaningful blog posts. :-D
However... apparently my Father purposed for this to be His song over me as He woke me up this morning. As the chorus went through my head, I was very appreciative of my Father's love, and the blessing of LIFE that I have each and every day through Him.
I may (or may not) be the only one to ever get this message through a Spongebob Squarepants song, but just in case, here's the song that made my day today.
The funny thing is... this is a song that has annoyed the daylights out of me! See, here in our computer room, I have two computers. One is used mainly by me (and my wife) and the other is used primarily by my kids. My kids have discovered youtube, and through it they found a song that they heard on a certain TV program - Spongebob Squarepants!
Having found several videos that people have created to go along with this song, my kids have listened to it over and over again, having fun and trying to memorize the words. This has been very annoying to me at times, especially when I'm sitting here trying to type meaningful blog posts. :-D
However... apparently my Father purposed for this to be His song over me as He woke me up this morning. As the chorus went through my head, I was very appreciative of my Father's love, and the blessing of LIFE that I have each and every day through Him.
I may (or may not) be the only one to ever get this message through a Spongebob Squarepants song, but just in case, here's the song that made my day today.
What are the "principles of the world?"
What do you think of when you think of "the world?"
What sayest thou? :D
Gal 4:3-5I can't help but say that much of the preaching I hear these days is worldly preaching.
3 Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world. 4 But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.
Col 2:8-10, 20-23
8 Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ. 9 For in --> Him <-- dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; 10 and you are complete in --> Him <--, who is the head of all principality and power.
20 Therefore, if you died with Christ from the basic principles of the world, why, as though living in the world, do you subject yourselves to regulations — 21 "Do not touch , do not taste, do not handle," 22 which all concern things which perish with the using — according to the commandments and doctrines of men? 23 These things indeed have an appearance of wisdom in self-imposed religion, false humility, and neglect of the body, but are of no value against the indulgence of the flesh.
What sayest thou? :D
OT: Backup your Blogger blog
Another off topic post.
One of the tech blogs that I subscribe to is labnol.org. I found this free Blogger Backup Utility through this site. After installing the program, you simply give it your blogger information and it will download all your blogs and comments for safe keeping on your computer. If there happens to be a mishap with your Blogger account, this utility promises to restore your blog posts. Remember to back up regularly! Not that there's a HUGE chance of losing your blogs, but many people have been hacked and this is a great utility to keep your blogs safe.
The original article is here at www.labnol.org and the actual site to download the software is www.codeplex.com.
One of the tech blogs that I subscribe to is labnol.org. I found this free Blogger Backup Utility through this site. After installing the program, you simply give it your blogger information and it will download all your blogs and comments for safe keeping on your computer. If there happens to be a mishap with your Blogger account, this utility promises to restore your blog posts. Remember to back up regularly! Not that there's a HUGE chance of losing your blogs, but many people have been hacked and this is a great utility to keep your blogs safe.
The original article is here at www.labnol.org and the actual site to download the software is www.codeplex.com.
OT: Protect your computer with free software
Off topic: Make sure your computer is protected. There are several free programs that will help protect your computer.
If your computer is connected to the internet, you should be running at least these three things:
1. Firewall
To use the old King James phrase, you must needs have a firewall on your computer. ZoneAlarm has worked wonders for me for years. This program is better than the Windows Firewall. It protects both incoming and outgoing traffic. In other words, it protects your computer from the outside world, and it protects your computer from sending information that you don't want it to send. It's freely available at www.zonealarm.com. Click on "Home & Home Office" and then click on "ZoneAlarm" in the left column.
2. Anti-virus software
I use a free program called AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition. It runs in the background and can easily be set up to update itself automatically and scan your computer daily. Available at free.grisoft.com (click "Downloads").
3. Anti-spyware software
I use three programs on my computer. They are all installed and I have shortcuts for each of them on my desktop. I run each of them separately. You only "need" one anti-spyware program, but some anti-spyware programs catch stuff that other programs don't catch. Unlike anti-virus software, you can have multiple anti-spyware programs on your computer. Use at least one of these free programs:
a) I use another free program from AVG called AVG Anti-Spyware Free Edition. This is also available at free.grisoft.com (click "Downloads").
b) The second free anti-spyware program I use is called Ad-Aware 2007. Available at www.lavasoftusa.com
c) The third free anti-spyware program I use is called Spybot Search and Destroy. Available at www.safer-networking.org
All of these programs are excellent programs. With all three anti-spyware programs, make sure you manually update them regularly and manually scan your computer regularly. It's very easy to do. Any questions... feel free to ask me about any of them.
If your computer is connected to the internet, you should be running at least these three things:
1. Firewall
To use the old King James phrase, you must needs have a firewall on your computer. ZoneAlarm has worked wonders for me for years. This program is better than the Windows Firewall. It protects both incoming and outgoing traffic. In other words, it protects your computer from the outside world, and it protects your computer from sending information that you don't want it to send. It's freely available at www.zonealarm.com. Click on "Home & Home Office" and then click on "ZoneAlarm" in the left column.
2. Anti-virus software
I use a free program called AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition. It runs in the background and can easily be set up to update itself automatically and scan your computer daily. Available at free.grisoft.com (click "Downloads").
3. Anti-spyware software
I use three programs on my computer. They are all installed and I have shortcuts for each of them on my desktop. I run each of them separately. You only "need" one anti-spyware program, but some anti-spyware programs catch stuff that other programs don't catch. Unlike anti-virus software, you can have multiple anti-spyware programs on your computer. Use at least one of these free programs:
a) I use another free program from AVG called AVG Anti-Spyware Free Edition. This is also available at free.grisoft.com (click "Downloads").
b) The second free anti-spyware program I use is called Ad-Aware 2007. Available at www.lavasoftusa.com
c) The third free anti-spyware program I use is called Spybot Search and Destroy. Available at www.safer-networking.org
All of these programs are excellent programs. With all three anti-spyware programs, make sure you manually update them regularly and manually scan your computer regularly. It's very easy to do. Any questions... feel free to ask me about any of them.
Don't click on bad links
Hey all,
During the past few days I've had a couple of different comments on my blog from people with names I don't recognize, and these comments include links that say things like "see here" or something like that. Don't click on these links or on the person's profile!
I've also had comments in the past that say things like, "I love your blog, blah blah, come check this out."
These links will lead you to very bad sites, and you will very likely end up with spyware or trojans or viruses or other nasty things on your computer.
If you see these on my blog before I'm able to delete them, please don't click. And I've also seen them on other blogs lately, so be careful where you click!
During the past few days I've had a couple of different comments on my blog from people with names I don't recognize, and these comments include links that say things like "see here" or something like that. Don't click on these links or on the person's profile!
I've also had comments in the past that say things like, "I love your blog, blah blah, come check this out."
These links will lead you to very bad sites, and you will very likely end up with spyware or trojans or viruses or other nasty things on your computer.
If you see these on my blog before I'm able to delete them, please don't click. And I've also seen them on other blogs lately, so be careful where you click!
Monday, March 10, 2008
The New Covenant is New
The New Covenant is not "Old Covenant Part 2." The New Covenant is something new. It replaces, takes the place of, does away with the Old Covenant.
The Old Covenant was weak for one specific reason. Man. It was a covenant between God and man, and man did not keep his part. The New Covenant is better because man is not involved in making or keeping the covenant. Rather, man is the beneficiary of the covenant.
In the Old Covenant, God had no problem keeping His part. However, since man did not fulfill his part, the covenant was null and void.
The New Covenant is not a carry-over of the Old Covenant. No parts of the Old are mixed or brought in with the New. God has made it that way. (So why do we try to mix them???) But if any part of the Old were mixed in with the New, it would be null and void because just as always, man would end up not keeping his part and it would be a failed covenant.
The reason the New Covenant is better, and perfect, and stands for always and forever is because it's not dependent upon man keeping his part. God has initiated His covenant and keeps His covenant. The promises of God in Christ are not blessings and curses, as were the promises of the Old Covenant. The promises of God in Christ are blessings. Period. They are "Yes" and "Amen." The benefits of this New Covenant are bestowed "to all and on all who believe."
The finished work of Jesus - including nothing less than His blood - provided the fulfillment of this New Covenant. Do we really think there's something we can add to that?
The Old Covenant was weak for one specific reason. Man. It was a covenant between God and man, and man did not keep his part. The New Covenant is better because man is not involved in making or keeping the covenant. Rather, man is the beneficiary of the covenant.
In the Old Covenant, God had no problem keeping His part. However, since man did not fulfill his part, the covenant was null and void.
The New Covenant is not a carry-over of the Old Covenant. No parts of the Old are mixed or brought in with the New. God has made it that way. (So why do we try to mix them???) But if any part of the Old were mixed in with the New, it would be null and void because just as always, man would end up not keeping his part and it would be a failed covenant.
The reason the New Covenant is better, and perfect, and stands for always and forever is because it's not dependent upon man keeping his part. God has initiated His covenant and keeps His covenant. The promises of God in Christ are not blessings and curses, as were the promises of the Old Covenant. The promises of God in Christ are blessings. Period. They are "Yes" and "Amen." The benefits of this New Covenant are bestowed "to all and on all who believe."
The finished work of Jesus - including nothing less than His blood - provided the fulfillment of this New Covenant. Do we really think there's something we can add to that?
Heb 8:6-13
6 But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is also Mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises. 7 For if that first covenant had been faultless, then no place would have been sought for a second. 8 Because finding fault with them, He says: "Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah — 9 not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they did not continue in My covenant, and I disregarded them, says the LORD. 10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. 11 None of them shall teach his neighbor, and none his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,' for all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them. 12 For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more." 13 In that He says, "A new covenant," He has made the first obsolete. Now what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.
NKJV
2 Cor 1:17-22
17 Therefore, when I was planning this, did I do it lightly? Or the things I plan, do I plan according to the flesh, that with me there should be Yes, Yes, and No, No? 18 But as God is faithful, our word to you was not Yes and No. 19 For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us — by me, Silvanus, and Timothy — was not Yes and No, but in Him was Yes. 20 For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us. 21 Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us is God, 22 who also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.
NKJV
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