There are many reasons why people preach and teach the gospel of God's grace and peace, and why people want to evangelize the church with the message of God's grace and peace. One of the big reasons is this: It makes people free. It is for freedom that Christ has set us free, and yet many believers are bound up and are far from free in Christ.
Next month marks the 10th anniversary of the weekly Growing in Grace podcast that I do with Mike Kapler. The reason we've continued to do it each week is because it continues to help people find and stay in the freedom of Christ. Over the years we've received many emails and comments from people, sometimes simply asking questions about grace and other times pouring out their hearts and souls to us. In this video I share a couple of these emails, as they go to show the bondage that people have found themselves trapped in through what they've been taught in the church, and then the freedom that they've found through hearing the good news of God's grace and peace!
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Showing posts with label bondage. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bondage. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 07, 2015
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Roots go deep
This past Thursday, January 7, marked 18 years that I've been consciously engaged in a walk with the Lord. I say "consciously engaged," meaning that prior to that, I believe I was saved (I've been a believer as far back as I can remember in life), but it wasn't until that day that a very noticeable, undeniable change took place in my life that forever redirected my path in life. I've already told the story on this blog, and perhaps I made it a bit long, but you can check it out here if you want. Suffice it to say that I believe the Lord has always been 'at work' in my life, even when I had no clue and when I was not giving Him the time of day, so to speak. And it's always been His doing, not mine. I didn't consciously go chasing after Him that day. Even though I told my friend on that strange and wonderful day that perhaps I was looking for Jesus, it was more that He was coming after me!
In fact, a passage that I clung to in those early days, back in 1992, was Philippians 1:6 - "He who has begun a good work in you will carry it onto completion until the day of Christ Jesus." With all that had suddenly changed in my life, I knew that it wasn't "me" who was making it happen. I knew it was the Lord's work.
And yet --- I spent the first three years essentially making it about my work for Him. And I've spent the past fifteen years overcoming the mess that was made during those three years!! You see, as I said, I had the underlying confidence that all that was happening in my life was the Lord's faithful work in me, but even so, my understanding was "leavened" with a faulty view that it was up to me to "do my best" to keep myself in line. I not only had to try to keep myself from sinning, but I had a laundry list of activities that I was to keep up - Bible reading, praying (for long periods of time), listening to teachers on the radio, going to church, being involved in various ministry activities, "witnessing," getting people to come to church, etc, etc, the list goes on and on. All of that stuff was preached to me and taught to me, and I taught the same stuff to others.
Grace, to me, was not really much more than having a feeling that God would forgive me if I sinned. I did also have a general feeling that God's grace would enable me to do all those things that (I thought) He wanted me to do. However, no matter how much I did, and how much I "asked God for forgiveness," I always felt my sin was too great and I never felt I was doing enough. Of course there were many "convicting" sermons that got me all pumped up, making me feel as if I was finally going to leave church on Sunday morning and go out into the world and live the "Christian life" in victory! That is, doing all the stuff I was "supposed" to be doing, and refraining from all the stuff I wasn't supposed to be doing. But by the time Monday morning came around, I felt like a complete failure.
Well, I got rooted in that mindset, and those roots go deep. It was only three years, but it has taken A LOT of unlearning during the past fifteen years to overcome all of that stuff, and I still feel sometimes as if that old mindset keeps me down in various ways. Don't get me wrong - I've learned a lot and I've been freed up in so many ways. I live with an internal joy and peace and sense of freedom that I really can't even comprehend or fully express. And I'll never, ever, go back to that legalistic lifestyle. But yet even after fifteen years I can tell you that some of those roots are very stubbornly and deeply rooted, and hard to dig out!
I say all of this not to promote a "victim mentality," but rather to promote the importance of being rooted and established in God's unconditional love and grace! Each of us has had varying levels of legalism in our lives. For whatever reasons, God has allowed us to go through it. And now that our blinders have come off and we've seen the true freedom and grace and unconditional love of our Lord, we "strive" (hehehe) to remain free! We've entered the land of rest and freedom and we never want to go back to the land of religious legalism and burdens. It is good that the heart be established in grace.
So let's encourage one another often. Let's help one another to be rooted, grounded and established in God's unconditional love and grace. Let's help one another to be free. It is for freedom that Christ has set us free!
In fact, a passage that I clung to in those early days, back in 1992, was Philippians 1:6 - "He who has begun a good work in you will carry it onto completion until the day of Christ Jesus." With all that had suddenly changed in my life, I knew that it wasn't "me" who was making it happen. I knew it was the Lord's work.
And yet --- I spent the first three years essentially making it about my work for Him. And I've spent the past fifteen years overcoming the mess that was made during those three years!! You see, as I said, I had the underlying confidence that all that was happening in my life was the Lord's faithful work in me, but even so, my understanding was "leavened" with a faulty view that it was up to me to "do my best" to keep myself in line. I not only had to try to keep myself from sinning, but I had a laundry list of activities that I was to keep up - Bible reading, praying (for long periods of time), listening to teachers on the radio, going to church, being involved in various ministry activities, "witnessing," getting people to come to church, etc, etc, the list goes on and on. All of that stuff was preached to me and taught to me, and I taught the same stuff to others.
Grace, to me, was not really much more than having a feeling that God would forgive me if I sinned. I did also have a general feeling that God's grace would enable me to do all those things that (I thought) He wanted me to do. However, no matter how much I did, and how much I "asked God for forgiveness," I always felt my sin was too great and I never felt I was doing enough. Of course there were many "convicting" sermons that got me all pumped up, making me feel as if I was finally going to leave church on Sunday morning and go out into the world and live the "Christian life" in victory! That is, doing all the stuff I was "supposed" to be doing, and refraining from all the stuff I wasn't supposed to be doing. But by the time Monday morning came around, I felt like a complete failure.
Well, I got rooted in that mindset, and those roots go deep. It was only three years, but it has taken A LOT of unlearning during the past fifteen years to overcome all of that stuff, and I still feel sometimes as if that old mindset keeps me down in various ways. Don't get me wrong - I've learned a lot and I've been freed up in so many ways. I live with an internal joy and peace and sense of freedom that I really can't even comprehend or fully express. And I'll never, ever, go back to that legalistic lifestyle. But yet even after fifteen years I can tell you that some of those roots are very stubbornly and deeply rooted, and hard to dig out!
I say all of this not to promote a "victim mentality," but rather to promote the importance of being rooted and established in God's unconditional love and grace! Each of us has had varying levels of legalism in our lives. For whatever reasons, God has allowed us to go through it. And now that our blinders have come off and we've seen the true freedom and grace and unconditional love of our Lord, we "strive" (hehehe) to remain free! We've entered the land of rest and freedom and we never want to go back to the land of religious legalism and burdens. It is good that the heart be established in grace.
So let's encourage one another often. Let's help one another to be rooted, grounded and established in God's unconditional love and grace. Let's help one another to be free. It is for freedom that Christ has set us free!
Friday, July 17, 2009
"Believing all the lies to keep the dream alive"
I spend so much timeThose are lyrics from a song from the 80's by Billy Idol, Eyes Without A Face. I'm intentionally ripping those lyrics out of the context of the song because they speak to me in another context that others will probably relate to in one way or another.
Believing all the lies
To keep the dream alive
In this case the lies I'm thinking about are those of legalism and religion and the 'dream' I'm referring to, whether consciously realized or not, is the delusional and fruitless fantasy of self-preservation. I'm thinking of the lies that are preached and taught - and believed - to keep the dream alive of having people remain allegiant to any given church or ministry. Those who preach these lies end up believing them themselves, and it's all rooted in the protection and preservation of "their" ministry, "their" church, "their" institution, "their" cause. Manipulative lies are taught about "tithing, "hierarchy," "covering," "church membership," "behavior modification" (performance-based acceptance), etc, in order to keep the masses loyal to a certain leader or ministry.
Two thousand years ago, the Pharisees were a prime example of this, being hard nosed about keeping people strictly under God's law, and even adding myriads of additional rules, laws, interpretations and traditions on top of it all. And of course during the past 20 centuries, this has moved into the church setting. I fully understand that sometimes these legalistic lies are taught because the teachers and preachers honestly don't know any better, and are simply teaching what they themselves have been taught. But I'm talking about those who are caught in the very tangled web of self-interest and self-preservation, who purposely teach manipulative lies in order to "keep the dream alive," with the dream being the success and growth of whatever system or institution they've created and built.
This is also true in many other areas of life, such as in household situations and other family matters and relationships, finances, jobs and vocations, social activities and so on. Whatever the case, the pursuit of self-preservation is very often the root of the legalistic and religious lies that keep people in bondage and keep them from experiencing the freedom for which Christ has set them free.
Not one to remain stuck only on criticism of the system, I offer up a solution or two to all of this, and I look for input from others as well! My main focus would be to keep on remembering that we were bought with a price, and that we are not "our own." Our "ministries" are not our ministries. They are the work that God Himself is doing in and through us for the good of everyone, not for our own individual self-preservation and self-centered success and prosperity. God didn't "purchase" us so that He could keep us in chains but so that we'd be free! This is also our "ministry" to one another. It's not about building "a ministry." It's not about coming up with ways (lies and manipulation) to keep people faithful to US so that OUR dreams stay alive. It's about building one another up (edifying) and ministering to (serving) one another!
Any thoughts? (including additional criticisms, solutions)?
:)
Sunday, July 05, 2009
GIG 198 - Freedom Comes Not Through Law But Through Faith
Christians, declare your independence from the Law! Many Christians, it seems, have not realized that Christ set them free from God's Law. But since it's the truth, we might as well know and understand it so we can live a life of independence from the Law and of true freedom in Christ!
There are over 600 Laws in the Bible. So which Laws are we talking about here? As everyone knows, there are two covenants - the Old and the New. In the Old, we see that there are laws that are broken into three categories: sacrificial laws, dietary laws... AND what is known as "moral laws," or The Ten Commandments. Most Christians have no problem with the understanding that we don't live by the old sacrificial and dietary laws. But as we check out Paul's words in Galatians this week, we find out what he has to say about the latter set of laws, which many Christian seem to think are there for us to live by. If you see things that way, you may be surprised at what the Bible actually says about that!
In short, let's just say that walking by Law means that we are in bondage! To walk according to God's promise - to walk according to freedom - means to walk by faith, not law. We are children of faith and of the promise, not children of the flesh and bondage!
Next week: If our lives in Christ are not to be by Law, then what is the motivation and source of good works and righteous living?
gigcast.graceroots.org
Sunday, June 28, 2009
GIG 197 - Law: Bondage, Jesus: Freedom
Continuing on from last week's program in which we talked about being delivered from the Law, this week we talk a little bit more about the ministry of the Law, which is bondage, and the "better hope" that we have in Jesus, which is freedom!
The Apostle Paul uses very strong language when talking about the Law. Sometimes we glance over these things, but we've got to look at the reality of the Law's purpose and ministry so we can have a clearer understanding of the ministry of Jesus! Did you know that Paul refers to the Law as "the law of sin and death," "the ministry of death" and "the ministry of condemnation?" He brings up the Old Testament characters of Hagar and Sarah, saying they are symbols of the two covenants - one that gives birth to bondage and the other that brings freedom. Are we of the child that was born according to the flesh, or of the child that was born according to the promise!
gigcast.graceroots.org
Sunday, June 07, 2009
GIG 194 - What Place Does the Law Have in the Life of the Christian?
So what place does God's Law have in the life of the Christian? Listen in as Kap and the Breezeman begin a series of podcasts on the true purposes of the Law and of the true source and motivation of the living out of the Christian life. We hope you'll be greatly encouraged and freed from the chains of legalism!
gigcast.graceroots.org
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Ten specific examples of what was against us and contrary to us...
If the last post didn't step on any toes, I'm sure this one will. But let's at least look at what the Scriptures say. "Let us reason together." :)
First, a summary:
Scripture tells us that something was against us and contrary to us. It tells us that we were in bondage to something. It tells us that in Christ, this has now been taken out of the way, nailed to the cross and made obsolete. Isn't it quite astounding for God to go to such great lengths to take something out of the way, nail it to the cross and make it obsolete! So what is it that was against us, and contrary to us, and put us into bondage... and God then took out of the way, nailed to the cross and made obsolete?
Brace yourself, I'm here to lay it down.
----------------------------------------
The following was against us, contrary to us, a source of bondage to us, and is now taken out of our way, nailed to the cross and made obsolete:
We now have something so much better than all of this! All of the above is good and holy, but it was weak in that it could never do a thing to make us good and holy. All it did was to make us guilty before God. It was against us, contrary to us, and put us into nothing but bondage. But what the Law could not do, God did by sending His Son. We have now died to the above so that we could be joined with Christ, whose life in us will always lead us into what is good, holy and righteous. We are now free to serve righteousness, which is something we could never, ever find in the Law!
First, a summary:
Scripture tells us that something was against us and contrary to us. It tells us that we were in bondage to something. It tells us that in Christ, this has now been taken out of the way, nailed to the cross and made obsolete. Isn't it quite astounding for God to go to such great lengths to take something out of the way, nail it to the cross and make it obsolete! So what is it that was against us, and contrary to us, and put us into bondage... and God then took out of the way, nailed to the cross and made obsolete?
Gal 4:24 "For these are the two covenants: the one from Mount Sinai which gives birth to bondage..."What came from Mount Sinai? God's LAW. What is the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us? God's LAW. What has been taken out of the way, nailed to the cross? God's LAW. What has been made obsolete? The Old Covenant, which was based upon man keeping God's LAW.
Col 2:13-14 "And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross."
Heb 8:13 In that He says, 'A new covenant,' He has made the first obsolete. Now what is obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away."
Brace yourself, I'm here to lay it down.
----------------------------------------
The following was against us, contrary to us, a source of bondage to us, and is now taken out of our way, nailed to the cross and made obsolete:
"You shall have no other gods before Me."The following was against us, contrary to us, a source of bondage to us, and is now taken out of our way, nailed to the cross and made obsolete:
"You shall not make for yourself a carved image — any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments."The following was against us, contrary to us, a source of bondage to us, and is now taken out of our way, nailed to the cross and made obsolete:
"You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain."The following was against us, contrary to us, a source of bondage to us, and is now taken out of our way, nailed to the cross and made obsolete:
"Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it."The following was against us, contrary to us, a source of bondage to us, and is now taken out of our way, nailed to the cross and made obsolete:
"Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you."The following was against us, contrary to us, a source of bondage to us, and is now taken out of our way, nailed to the cross and made obsolete:
"You shall not murder."The following was against us, contrary to us, a source of bondage to us, and is now taken out of our way, nailed to the cross and made obsolete:
"You shall not commit adultery."The following was against us, contrary to us, a source of bondage to us, and is now taken out of our way, nailed to the cross and made obsolete:
"You shall not steal."The following was against us, contrary to us, a source of bondage to us, and is now taken out of our way, nailed to the cross and made obsolete:
"You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor."The following was against us, contrary to us, a source of bondage to us, and is now taken out of our way, nailed to the cross and made obsolete:
"You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor's."(All of the above: "The Ten Commandments," taken from Exodus 20:3-17)
We now have something so much better than all of this! All of the above is good and holy, but it was weak in that it could never do a thing to make us good and holy. All it did was to make us guilty before God. It was against us, contrary to us, and put us into nothing but bondage. But what the Law could not do, God did by sending His Son. We have now died to the above so that we could be joined with Christ, whose life in us will always lead us into what is good, holy and righteous. We are now free to serve righteousness, which is something we could never, ever find in the Law!
What was against us and contrary to us has been wiped out and made obsolete!
This post, and the post to follow, are not posts that are meant to turn your head a little. They're not simply "double-take" posts. These are absolute all-out in-your-face posts! I might even make some enemies with these posts, and I'm willing to take that risk. But my ultimate hope is that the words in these posts will be used to set people free.
For too long the Church of Jesus Christ has been involved in an atrocious, yet all too widely accepted, form of Christianity that continues to include within it various forms of the very thing that Christ came to set us free from! Actually, this has been going on for 2,000 years. Certain early Christians, such as the people in the churches of Galatia, were so involved in this atrocity that the Apostle Paul, in a strong rebuke, called them foolish and he asked them who had bewitched them that they would turn back to such things!
"It is for freedom that Christ has set us free," Paul said (Galatians 5:1), but yet there are still many Christians living today who are in bondage to the very thing that Christ set us free from! It should not be this way! So what is this terrible, heinous form of slavery that Christians are involved in, through the preaching and teaching of it, and through the daily yoking of themselves together with it?
The LAW. God's Law. God's holy Law. I'll be specific: The Ten Commandments (and any and all other of God's 600+ laws and ordinances in the Bible). This is what Christians, to their detriment, are misguidedly teaching and preaching as the way of the Christian life. The paradox here is that God's good, holy law... is not good for us! It was against us and contrary to us (Colossians 2:14). It was bondage to us (Galatians 4:24). See, God's good and holy Law has this itsy bitsy little shortcoming when it comes to sinful man: It can make no one perfect or holy or good! (See Hebrews 7:18-19 and Romans 8:3). So what God did through Christ was not to enable us to live according to the standards of His Law, but rather He took the Law out of the way by nailing it to the cross with Christ! (See again Colossians 2:14). And so with the Law nailed to the cross and our sin taken away, we were freed from our bondage and made close to God by His grace. We now live, not by God's Law, but by the Life of Christ that has come to indwell us.
So why the obsession with the Law in Christianity??? Do we not get that it was against us and that we had to die to it in order to belong to Christ? (Galatians 2:19-20, Romans 7:4). Jesus
said He didn't come to destroy the Law. He came to fullfil it. And guess what? At the cross, all was fulfilled!!! When Jesus died, God's Last Will and Testament (the New Covenant) was executed. When all was fullfilled, and the New Covenant came to be, God made the first covenant "obsolete" (Hebrews 8:13)! We can't miss the fact that Jesus, "after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God" (Hebrews 10:12). Jesus sat down, signifying that the work was complete and sufficient and finished forever!!! What the Law could never have done, Christ did once and for all.
Thank GOD that what was against us and contrary to us (God's Law) has been wiped out and nailed to the cross and made obsolete! Because of this, we are truly FREE!
For too long the Church of Jesus Christ has been involved in an atrocious, yet all too widely accepted, form of Christianity that continues to include within it various forms of the very thing that Christ came to set us free from! Actually, this has been going on for 2,000 years. Certain early Christians, such as the people in the churches of Galatia, were so involved in this atrocity that the Apostle Paul, in a strong rebuke, called them foolish and he asked them who had bewitched them that they would turn back to such things!
"It is for freedom that Christ has set us free," Paul said (Galatians 5:1), but yet there are still many Christians living today who are in bondage to the very thing that Christ set us free from! It should not be this way! So what is this terrible, heinous form of slavery that Christians are involved in, through the preaching and teaching of it, and through the daily yoking of themselves together with it?
The LAW. God's Law. God's holy Law. I'll be specific: The Ten Commandments (and any and all other of God's 600+ laws and ordinances in the Bible). This is what Christians, to their detriment, are misguidedly teaching and preaching as the way of the Christian life. The paradox here is that God's good, holy law... is not good for us! It was against us and contrary to us (Colossians 2:14). It was bondage to us (Galatians 4:24). See, God's good and holy Law has this itsy bitsy little shortcoming when it comes to sinful man: It can make no one perfect or holy or good! (See Hebrews 7:18-19 and Romans 8:3). So what God did through Christ was not to enable us to live according to the standards of His Law, but rather He took the Law out of the way by nailing it to the cross with Christ! (See again Colossians 2:14). And so with the Law nailed to the cross and our sin taken away, we were freed from our bondage and made close to God by His grace. We now live, not by God's Law, but by the Life of Christ that has come to indwell us.
So why the obsession with the Law in Christianity??? Do we not get that it was against us and that we had to die to it in order to belong to Christ? (Galatians 2:19-20, Romans 7:4). Jesus
said He didn't come to destroy the Law. He came to fullfil it. And guess what? At the cross, all was fulfilled!!! When Jesus died, God's Last Will and Testament (the New Covenant) was executed. When all was fullfilled, and the New Covenant came to be, God made the first covenant "obsolete" (Hebrews 8:13)! We can't miss the fact that Jesus, "after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God" (Hebrews 10:12). Jesus sat down, signifying that the work was complete and sufficient and finished forever!!! What the Law could never have done, Christ did once and for all.
Thank GOD that what was against us and contrary to us (God's Law) has been wiped out and nailed to the cross and made obsolete! Because of this, we are truly FREE!
Thursday, November 06, 2008
"The Unforgiven" (repost)
I first posted this about a year and a half ago, which is before I got to know a lot of you. Some comments about freedom and prison walls on another post from today reminded me of this song, so I just thought I'd repost a shorted version of this post.
____________________
About 3 or 4 years ago, I was listening to "The Black Album" (by Metallica). I was brought to tears, not only by the music, but by the lyrics of one particular song. I had never really paid much attention to what the lyrics of any of their songs actually meant, but this one really captured me on this day. I cried for what my life might have been, if not for people having told me about God's grace, and helping me out of the bondage of religion and its many effects. I cried for people who are still trapped in deadly religion.
I understand if you don't care for the music, so perhaps the lyrics will get the point across. But there is something about the "mood" of the music that adds to the emotion and the intensity of the subject matter, so I invite you to watch it if you want to. Don't worry, you won't have to brace yourself too much. It's one of Metallica's "slower" songs. :)
Metallica - The Unforgiven
New blood joins this earth
And quickly he's subdued
Through constant pained disgrace
The young boy learns their rules
With time the child draws in
This whipping boy done wrong
Deprived of all his thoughts
The young man struggles on and on he's known
A vow unto his own
That never from this day
His will they'll take away
What I've felt
What I've known
Never shined through in what I've shown
Never be
Never see
Won't see what might have been
What I've felt
What I've known
Never shined through in what I've shown
Never free
Never me
So I dub thee unforgiven
They dedicate their lives
To running all of his
He tries to please them all
This bitter man he is
Throughout his life the same
He's battled constantly
This fight he cannot win
A tired man they see no longer cares
The old man then prepares
To die regretfully
That old man here is me...
What I've felt
What I've known
Never shined through in what I've shown
Never be
Never see
Wont see what might have been
What I've felt
What I've known
Never shined through in what I've shown
Never free
Never me
So I dub thee unforgiven
You labeled me
I'll label you
So I dub thee unforgiven
____________________
About 3 or 4 years ago, I was listening to "The Black Album" (by Metallica). I was brought to tears, not only by the music, but by the lyrics of one particular song. I had never really paid much attention to what the lyrics of any of their songs actually meant, but this one really captured me on this day. I cried for what my life might have been, if not for people having told me about God's grace, and helping me out of the bondage of religion and its many effects. I cried for people who are still trapped in deadly religion.
I understand if you don't care for the music, so perhaps the lyrics will get the point across. But there is something about the "mood" of the music that adds to the emotion and the intensity of the subject matter, so I invite you to watch it if you want to. Don't worry, you won't have to brace yourself too much. It's one of Metallica's "slower" songs. :)
Metallica - The Unforgiven
New blood joins this earth
And quickly he's subdued
Through constant pained disgrace
The young boy learns their rules
With time the child draws in
This whipping boy done wrong
Deprived of all his thoughts
The young man struggles on and on he's known
A vow unto his own
That never from this day
His will they'll take away
What I've felt
What I've known
Never shined through in what I've shown
Never be
Never see
Won't see what might have been
What I've felt
What I've known
Never shined through in what I've shown
Never free
Never me
So I dub thee unforgiven
They dedicate their lives
To running all of his
He tries to please them all
This bitter man he is
Throughout his life the same
He's battled constantly
This fight he cannot win
A tired man they see no longer cares
The old man then prepares
To die regretfully
That old man here is me...
What I've felt
What I've known
Never shined through in what I've shown
Never be
Never see
Wont see what might have been
What I've felt
What I've known
Never shined through in what I've shown
Never free
Never me
So I dub thee unforgiven
You labeled me
I'll label you
So I dub thee unforgiven
Friday, August 08, 2008
Spiritual Bondage
What do you think of when you think of "spiritual bondage?" At one time in my life, I thought of spiritual bondage as all the sins that I was in "bondage" to. I thought of spiritual bondage as all the bad things I needed to overcome in order to maintain my right standing with God.
But if we look at what the Bible says about spiritual bondage, we get a completely different picture! While I was at work today, I randomly selected another message from my old pastor to listen to on my mp3 player, and again it was from 1995. I was amazed at how well this message really goes along perfectly with my post from the other day, "In order to be free, there's a certain thing you need to get out of your life...", along with the comments on that post.
This message gets into what bondage really is, as compared to true freedom in Christ. Again, we tend to think of bondage as "sin" and freedom as "living right." Of course, there are a lot of sinful things that we can be in bondage to. And it certainly wouldn't hurt if everybody would "live right." But again that's not what the Bible is talking about when it talks about bondage and freedom!
In Galatians 4, Paul says, "For these are the two covenants: the one from Mount Sinai which gives birth to bondage, which is Hagar — for this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia, and corresponds to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children — but the Jerusalem above is free, which is the mother of us all."
What exactly came from Mount Sinai and gave birth to bondage? The Ten Commandments - that's what came from Mount Sinai and gave birth to bondage! The same Ten Commandments that Christians today think means freedom for them! But in fact, Paul not only called them bondage, but he also called them the ministry of death ("written and engraved on stones") and the ministry of condemnation (see 2 Cor 3:7-11).
True freedom comes when we STOP judging ourselves and condemning ourselves based upon rules and laws and how well we're performing in our Christian lives, and begin simply trusting in the truth that we are accepted in the Beloved by God's grace and nothing else!
Again I invite you to download and listen to this encouraging message. If you've got an sort of a religious mindset - I mean, even the tiniest inkling you may have that leans towards trying to live by law or judging yourself or others according to performance - then hold on tight and get ready for your foundation to be completely shaken and upheaved! And if you're searching for true freedom in Christ - really wanting to get out of religious bondage and have a wonderful, free relationship with Christ, based upon God's grace and upon His favor that is upon you due to nothing other than the finished work of Christ - then get ready to have your foundation in Christ strengthened and secured.
But if we look at what the Bible says about spiritual bondage, we get a completely different picture! While I was at work today, I randomly selected another message from my old pastor to listen to on my mp3 player, and again it was from 1995. I was amazed at how well this message really goes along perfectly with my post from the other day, "In order to be free, there's a certain thing you need to get out of your life...", along with the comments on that post.
This message gets into what bondage really is, as compared to true freedom in Christ. Again, we tend to think of bondage as "sin" and freedom as "living right." Of course, there are a lot of sinful things that we can be in bondage to. And it certainly wouldn't hurt if everybody would "live right." But again that's not what the Bible is talking about when it talks about bondage and freedom!
In Galatians 4, Paul says, "For these are the two covenants: the one from Mount Sinai which gives birth to bondage, which is Hagar — for this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia, and corresponds to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children — but the Jerusalem above is free, which is the mother of us all."
What exactly came from Mount Sinai and gave birth to bondage? The Ten Commandments - that's what came from Mount Sinai and gave birth to bondage! The same Ten Commandments that Christians today think means freedom for them! But in fact, Paul not only called them bondage, but he also called them the ministry of death ("written and engraved on stones") and the ministry of condemnation (see 2 Cor 3:7-11).
True freedom comes when we STOP judging ourselves and condemning ourselves based upon rules and laws and how well we're performing in our Christian lives, and begin simply trusting in the truth that we are accepted in the Beloved by God's grace and nothing else!
Again I invite you to download and listen to this encouraging message. If you've got an sort of a religious mindset - I mean, even the tiniest inkling you may have that leans towards trying to live by law or judging yourself or others according to performance - then hold on tight and get ready for your foundation to be completely shaken and upheaved! And if you're searching for true freedom in Christ - really wanting to get out of religious bondage and have a wonderful, free relationship with Christ, based upon God's grace and upon His favor that is upon you due to nothing other than the finished work of Christ - then get ready to have your foundation in Christ strengthened and secured.
Saturday, August 02, 2008
In order to be free, there's a certain thing you need to get out of your life...
Gal 4:21-5:1
Tell me, you who desire to be under the law, do you not hear the law? For it is written that Abraham had two sons: the one by a bondwoman, the other by a freewoman. But he who was of the bondwoman was born according to the flesh, and he of the freewoman through promise, which things are symbolic. For these are the two covenants: the one from Mount Sinai which gives birth to bondage, which is Hagar — for this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia, and corresponds to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children — but the Jerusalem above is free, which is the mother of us all. For it is written:
"Rejoice, O barren,
You who do not bear!
Break forth and shout,
You who are not in labor!
For the desolate has many more children
Than she who has a husband."
Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are children of promise. But, as he who was born according to the flesh then persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, even so it is now. Nevertheless what does the Scripture say? "Cast out the bondwoman and her son, for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman." So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman but of the free.
Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage!
Tell me, you who desire to be under the law, do you not hear the law? For it is written that Abraham had two sons: the one by a bondwoman, the other by a freewoman. But he who was of the bondwoman was born according to the flesh, and he of the freewoman through promise, which things are symbolic. For these are the two covenants: the one from Mount Sinai which gives birth to bondage, which is Hagar — for this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia, and corresponds to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children — but the Jerusalem above is free, which is the mother of us all. For it is written:
"Rejoice, O barren,
You who do not bear!
Break forth and shout,
You who are not in labor!
For the desolate has many more children
Than she who has a husband."
Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are children of promise. But, as he who was born according to the flesh then persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, even so it is now. Nevertheless what does the Scripture say? "Cast out the bondwoman and her son, for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman." So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman but of the free.
Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage!
Monday, June 02, 2008
Butterfly Church
Wow... I came across three great blog posts yesterday that really resonated with my heart. I'll post them individually.
The first one, over at With Unveiled Face, is called "The Butterfly Church." In it, 'Free Spirit' writes about how she has recently discovered "an entire subculture I knew nothing of" in which people are breaking out of the bondage of religion and finding the freedom for which they were created.
She writes:
And she continues with a profound statement that knocked me off of my feet:
Oh my! How true. Check out the entire post (link above).
The first one, over at With Unveiled Face, is called "The Butterfly Church." In it, 'Free Spirit' writes about how she has recently discovered "an entire subculture I knew nothing of" in which people are breaking out of the bondage of religion and finding the freedom for which they were created.
She writes:
This new culture I've found, seems to reveal a groaning of sorts. Yeah, like a groaning of the soul, too deep for words. It's both birthed in, and driven by, this groaning. Like baby chicks needing freedom from the encasement of their shells... pecking, pecking, pecking, and then pecking some more. Compelled to discover what's on the other side of their confinement. It's the caterpillar, turned butterfly, breaking out of its chrysalis and making its way to freedom. It's stunningly beautiful! They, too, have an inward knowing in their knower that there's more for them than what they previously knew. It's as natural as a bird flying.
And she continues with a profound statement that knocked me off of my feet:
The main difference between their species and ours is that they don't have their own to contend with.
Oh my! How true. Check out the entire post (link above).
Friday, April 11, 2008
"Happy is he who does not condemn himself..."
"...in what he approves."
My friend Mike and I talked a little bit about Romans 14 on our latest Growing in Grace program (April 6) as we discussed the subject of what it means to be weak in faith, and we'll be discussing it a little more on our next program too.
To briefly sum up our thoughts from Romans 14, we pretty much both agree that those who are weak in the faith are those who are relying on external works to maintain their salvation, or who at least carry some sort of belief that in their life with God they are still subject to certain religious standards or observances. Paul's examples in Romans 14 include those who believed they can eat all things vs. those who were weak and believed they could only eat vegetables (for religious reasons). Another example is those who consider a certain day as more sacred than others vs. those who consider every day alike. These days we may or may not deal with some of the specific examples that Paul gave, but yet I think his overall point stands... which is: "Accept him whose faith is weak" (v.1). Also, "The man who eats everything must not look down on him who does not, and the man who does not eat everything must not condemn the man who does, for God has accepted him" (v.3).
Those who are strong in faith, and who know they are not restricted to religious regulations should not judge those who are weak, and vice versa. "Who are you to judge someone else's servant? To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand" (v.4). Paul talks a great deal about this, and then in the end he says, "Happy is he who does not condemn himself in what he approves" (v. 22).
(Side note: I used to think that those who were "weak in the faith" were those who drank, smoked, chewed, went to the bars, fornicated, etc. But it's clear that that's not what Paul is talking about here! Those who are weak in the faith are those who are stuck on religion and fleshly works).
The reason I bring all this up is because the sentence in bold above has been on my mind a lot lately. The main reason is because I personally have learned a lot of things in the past dozen or so years that have really freed me up in regards to the grace of God, and I've also been learning a lot of things in the past few years that have really been freeing me up in regards to what "church" is and what "the body of Christ" is. I've shared a lot of this stuff on my blog and I've discussed it with many of you on other blogs and forums.
As I learn and as I grow in freedom, I need to constantly remember that those who aren't on the same page as me are still standing before the very same Lord, and He has accepted them just as He has accepted me. Man, oh man, I will still come against the spirit of legalism in a very strong manner! I will stand up for the truth of grace and will proclaim it boldly! But I must be careful to not judge the people who God has accepted. If someone, just as an example, is fully convinced that they must "go to church" on Sunday, or even that there's really such a thing called "going to" church, which to me is not how I look at it any longer, because I see that "the church" is people, not a place, and I want to meet together "with" the church (the people) whether or not it's at a "church building"... then I must understand that the Lord still accepts those who I see as "weak" in that regard, and even much more than that, I am not their judge. If I go about acting as if everything that people do is worthy of MY approval or disapproval, then all I am really doing is heaping condemnation on myself, because I'm standing before the same Lord.
I don't want to confuse this "condemnation" with the condemnation or punishment of God, which no Christian is any longer subject to. Using this term in this way simply means that if I am distinguishing myself as "better" than anyone else because of what I do or don't do, or because of what I approve of or don't approve of, I'm really distinguishing myself as a hypocritical judge.
In re-reading what I've just written, I see that it might appear as if I'm coming across as a little "heavy" here. :) I seriously do not have that type of disposition as I write tonight! I just mean to say that I want to be serious about not judging anyone who I might see as weak in the faith simply because they don't have the same freedom I have. As I stand up for freedom and grace and as I stand against legalism and bondage, the temptation can be to look down on others, and I simply don't want to be that way!
My friend Mike and I talked a little bit about Romans 14 on our latest Growing in Grace program (April 6) as we discussed the subject of what it means to be weak in faith, and we'll be discussing it a little more on our next program too.
To briefly sum up our thoughts from Romans 14, we pretty much both agree that those who are weak in the faith are those who are relying on external works to maintain their salvation, or who at least carry some sort of belief that in their life with God they are still subject to certain religious standards or observances. Paul's examples in Romans 14 include those who believed they can eat all things vs. those who were weak and believed they could only eat vegetables (for religious reasons). Another example is those who consider a certain day as more sacred than others vs. those who consider every day alike. These days we may or may not deal with some of the specific examples that Paul gave, but yet I think his overall point stands... which is: "Accept him whose faith is weak" (v.1). Also, "The man who eats everything must not look down on him who does not, and the man who does not eat everything must not condemn the man who does, for God has accepted him" (v.3).
Those who are strong in faith, and who know they are not restricted to religious regulations should not judge those who are weak, and vice versa. "Who are you to judge someone else's servant? To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand" (v.4). Paul talks a great deal about this, and then in the end he says, "Happy is he who does not condemn himself in what he approves" (v. 22).
(Side note: I used to think that those who were "weak in the faith" were those who drank, smoked, chewed, went to the bars, fornicated, etc. But it's clear that that's not what Paul is talking about here! Those who are weak in the faith are those who are stuck on religion and fleshly works).
The reason I bring all this up is because the sentence in bold above has been on my mind a lot lately. The main reason is because I personally have learned a lot of things in the past dozen or so years that have really freed me up in regards to the grace of God, and I've also been learning a lot of things in the past few years that have really been freeing me up in regards to what "church" is and what "the body of Christ" is. I've shared a lot of this stuff on my blog and I've discussed it with many of you on other blogs and forums.
As I learn and as I grow in freedom, I need to constantly remember that those who aren't on the same page as me are still standing before the very same Lord, and He has accepted them just as He has accepted me. Man, oh man, I will still come against the spirit of legalism in a very strong manner! I will stand up for the truth of grace and will proclaim it boldly! But I must be careful to not judge the people who God has accepted. If someone, just as an example, is fully convinced that they must "go to church" on Sunday, or even that there's really such a thing called "going to" church, which to me is not how I look at it any longer, because I see that "the church" is people, not a place, and I want to meet together "with" the church (the people) whether or not it's at a "church building"... then I must understand that the Lord still accepts those who I see as "weak" in that regard, and even much more than that, I am not their judge. If I go about acting as if everything that people do is worthy of MY approval or disapproval, then all I am really doing is heaping condemnation on myself, because I'm standing before the same Lord.
I don't want to confuse this "condemnation" with the condemnation or punishment of God, which no Christian is any longer subject to. Using this term in this way simply means that if I am distinguishing myself as "better" than anyone else because of what I do or don't do, or because of what I approve of or don't approve of, I'm really distinguishing myself as a hypocritical judge.
In re-reading what I've just written, I see that it might appear as if I'm coming across as a little "heavy" here. :) I seriously do not have that type of disposition as I write tonight! I just mean to say that I want to be serious about not judging anyone who I might see as weak in the faith simply because they don't have the same freedom I have. As I stand up for freedom and grace and as I stand against legalism and bondage, the temptation can be to look down on others, and I simply don't want to be that way!
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, January 07, 2008
Lies, Lies, Lies!!!
Ha ha! I figured that title would be an attention grabber. :)
Most, or at least many of you who read this blog are familiar with Steve McVey and Grace Walk Ministries. I thought I'd share something interesting and enlightening that Steve is doing. In the past couple of days Steve has begun a new thing on his blog in which he is planning on uploading short videos in which he talks about lies that are taught in church every week. This isn't meant to be a negative thing, ripping pastors apart for the legalistic things they preach. Rather, as Steve says in this video (in which he explains all of this), "Jesus said, 'You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free.' If knowing the truth sets you free, then what would lies do? Lies would put you into bondage."
In other words, this is more of a "shake 'em to wake 'em" type of thing in which lies are exposed for the purpose of bringing the truth to light, thereby setting people free!
As of the time of this post, Steve has posted the first video, Lie #1 - Salvation Is You Giving Your Life To Christ. If you have a problem with calling that statement a lie, I think Steve's explanation will help turn your thinking around. :) Keep your eye out for upcoming videos, and also keep in mind that Steve is offering you the opportunity to email him the religious lies you've heard during your life.
Most, or at least many of you who read this blog are familiar with Steve McVey and Grace Walk Ministries. I thought I'd share something interesting and enlightening that Steve is doing. In the past couple of days Steve has begun a new thing on his blog in which he is planning on uploading short videos in which he talks about lies that are taught in church every week. This isn't meant to be a negative thing, ripping pastors apart for the legalistic things they preach. Rather, as Steve says in this video (in which he explains all of this), "Jesus said, 'You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free.' If knowing the truth sets you free, then what would lies do? Lies would put you into bondage."
In other words, this is more of a "shake 'em to wake 'em" type of thing in which lies are exposed for the purpose of bringing the truth to light, thereby setting people free!
As of the time of this post, Steve has posted the first video, Lie #1 - Salvation Is You Giving Your Life To Christ. If you have a problem with calling that statement a lie, I think Steve's explanation will help turn your thinking around. :) Keep your eye out for upcoming videos, and also keep in mind that Steve is offering you the opportunity to email him the religious lies you've heard during your life.
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