Posts Tagged ‘Christian life’

A life Liberated from Sin Rom 6-8 (Pt 2 Rom 6)

Posted: May 12, 2011 in disciples life, Kingdom Teaching, Prophetic, teaching, wilderness
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ROMANS CHAPTER SIX:

SERVANT OF RIGHTEOUSNESS
by George E. (Jed) Smock

A Pharisee, who was a lawyer, tempted Jesus by asking, Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets (Matthew 22:36-40).

The Pharisees were angry with Jesus because He taught the spirit (purpose) of God’s law, as well as the letter. Their anger turned to rage when Jesus made it clear that the spirit of the law is more important than the letter of the law.

The Pharisees had been very clever at appealing to the letter of the law as a means of evading the spiritual requirement of the law. They neither loved God nor their neighbor but used their knowledge of the law to exalt themselves and repress their neighbor. Jesus exposed their hypocrisy, but instead of repenting, they chose to murder the Truthbearer.

The Stupid Question

Paul anticipated that, even as men used the law to promote their selfish interests, sophists would abuse his teaching with the captious objection: “If our sin afforded God the opportunity to demonstrate His grace, why not sin even more so God may demonstrate even greater grace?”

History has certainly proven Paul to be correct in his concerns that men would pervert the doctrine of the grace of God and debase it into a license to sin. Therefore, Paul opens chapter 6 of his epistle by raising the question himself in order to put to silence their caviling:

1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?

It is disgraceful that anyone would even entertain such thoughts. But throughout church history men have, in the name of extolling grace, actually degenerated grace into an excuse to sin. The popular C. S. Lovett makes the appalling claim: “Sin plays an important role in the believer’s life. It is the battle AGAINST sin…and our failures…that builds spiritual muscle. When we’re shaken by failure to the point of saying, ‘I’m not going to let that happen again,’ we build determination. We may not reach the place where it doesn’t happen again, but in the process…WE CHANGE. We end up hating sin more than ever, something that could never happen without failure. For that reason, GOD’S PLAN GUARANTEES WE’LL FALL AT TIMES” (Maranatha Family Mini-Magazine, November, 1999).

This is a fatal concept of spiritual growth. The wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). There is nowhere that the Scriptures indicate that sin builds our character or brings spiritual maturity. Instead, the Bible commands us over and over to live godly lives and avoid sin at all cost. Whereas it is true that God is able to turn our failures into victories, how much more can He turn our victories into even greater conquests? Far be it from the God of Righteousness to guarantee that we fall into sin. On the contrary, He has promised that we can live without it: There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it (1 Corinthians 10:13).

Sin was not given that we might be overcomers, but the Scriptures were given to be profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

And what say the Scriptures? They teach that obedience was not even automatic for the Son of God, but He learned obedience by the things which He suffered (Hebrews 5:8). Jesus did not build strength against sin by sinning, but by suffering for righteousness. The Bible does guarantee that we will have to learn some hard lessons: All that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution (2 Timothy 3:12).

The Apostle Peter reminds us, Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin (1 Peter 4:1). In a state of suffering, the mind loses its relish for sin. However, the minds of most so-called Christians are so preoccupied with the world that they loathe persecution and delight in sin.

Paul tells us we are God’s children, If so be that we suffer with Him, that we may be also glorified together (Romans 8:17). What sort of suffering was he talking about? The suffering that was commonplace in the first century church at Rome: tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, peril and sword. Because of their testimony for Christ, the early Christians daily faced the possibility of martyrdom. But in all these things they were more than conquerors (Romans 8:35-37). These people were not suffering for sin’s sake, but for the sake of righteousness.

What damning evidence that the church is at ease in Zion, when a popular leader can teach that, “God has set things up so that it is guaranteed that you and I will sin.” Leaders need to be aware that their sin-excusing doctrines are turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness (Jude 4).

The Obvious Answer

Paul answers all defenders of sin with a resounding denial that sin is in any way part of God’s plan under grace.

2 God forbid! How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?

Paul appeals to simple logic. He expects his readers to answer the question like this: “Obviously not — never! ”

One does not need a Doctor of Theology degree to answer Paul’s question. It is inconceivable for those who are dead to sin to keep living in it. Yet, instead of accepting the obvious and sensible answer, sophisticated theologians and ministers spend a lifetime figuring a way that man can be dead to sin and continue in it. One is either dead in sin or dead to sin. These are voluntary states.

Death to sin involves the demise of selfishness and the rise of perfect love to both God and man in heart and life. The one who is dead to sin has no other will but God’s will as his chief pursuit in life. Death to sin results in a life of self-denial with eternal aims. In contrast, to be dead in sin implies a life committed to self-indulgence with temporal aims.

Death to sin means a life committed to giving to others at the expense of oneself. Death in sin represents a life of taking for oneself at the expense of others. Others is the first concern of those dead to sin; self is the primary consideration of those dead in sin.

Some apologists for sin have had the audacity to appeal to Paul’s testimony to the Corinthians, I die daily, to excuse continuing in sin. But Paul was not saying that he died to sin daily. The context makes clear that his life was constantly in danger, even to the point of having to fight with beasts at Ephesus. Then after warning the brethren to avoid bad company, he cries, Awake to righteousness, and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of God: I speak this to your shame (1 Corinthians 15:30 34).

What could be more simple? Stop sinning! What a reproach it is to Christianity that many who claim to be Christians do not even understand the basics of righteousness and abuse the doctrine of grace to excuse their lukewarmness and low living.

3 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into His death?

It is questionable whether Paul is referring to water baptism in these verses, or the spiritual baptism which occurs when one is born again. Few things in the Church have caused more controversy and division than the issue of water baptism. Should it be by immersion, or is sprinkling adequate? Must it be in Jesus’ name, or in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost? Or for that matter, is water baptism even necessary today? In all the debate, most miss the really important point: baptism is supposed to represent the fact that we have made a commitment to forsake all sin. Just as no spark of life remained in Jesus’ body after His death on the cross, no sin is to remain in our lives as a result of our faith in Christ. Sin is to have no more influence on us than a dead body has on its departed spirit. “Don’t you know this?” Paul is asking. “This is something you are supposed to know! These are the basics.”

Death and Resurrection

4 Therefore, we are buried with Him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

The evidence that our baptism is valid is not the formula, but that we are living a new life as a result of being dead to the old. Christianity is a new life. At conversion, we step out of Satan’s kingdom into God’s kingdom, out of darkness into light. Baptism is supposed to represent this great change; if we have not changed, then we are just wet sinners. If we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin (1 John 1:7).

5 For if we have been planted together in the likeness of His death, we shall be also in the likeness of His resurrection:

By faith we are united with Christ in His death, evidenced by His physical death and our death to sin. We have not yet obtained our resurrected bodies, so we are still subject to weaknesses and infirmities; and we have limited understanding and knowledge. However, we are not still prone to sin. Since we walk in the light that we understand, with a pure heart, we are disposed to obey God.

Paul prayed, That I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable unto His death; If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead. Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:10 12). The perfection Paul had not yet acquired was his glorified body which, if he endured unto the end, he would receive after his physical death. Just after claiming he has not yet reached perfection, Paul asserts, Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded (Philippians 3:15). In the latter verse, he is claiming a moral perfection which he and others had already received. The perfection he is pursuing in the former verse is physical. This kind of perfection he hoped to obtain in the next life, when, The Lord Jesus Christ shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto His glorious body (Philippians 3:21). Our present body is “vile,” not in the sense of being intrinsically evil, but it is the body of our humiliation which has been mentally and physically weakened and subject to death because of sin. After we have endured unto the end, we shall receive our glorified bodies and be like Jesus Christ physically.

6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with [Christ], that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.

If we are going to be free from sin, we need to have knowledge. Faith is based upon knowledge. Jesus said, “Know the truth and the truth shall make you free.” We need to know that they that ire Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. We are to consider the death of the flesh as an accomplished fact.

When we accept Christ as Savior, we immediately receive a new nature, the Divine nature. However, many teach that we still keep the old nature (the old man or Adamic nature) as long as we live on earth. C.S. Lovett is representative of this view: “The Christian has one nature which can ONLY SIN and another which CANNOT, he lives in the valley of decision between his two natures, he suffers those stresses which make for Christian growth. Without those two natures, there is no way for any believer to mature in the likeness of the Lord….To my mind this truth is second only to the truth of our salvation through faith in Christ” (Maranatha Family Mini Magazine, October, 1989).

Utter deception! The old man is not an actual entity lodged within the believer, struggling to take dominion once again, but merely the old way of life committed to self-indulgence. The old man refers to the body ruled by sin. We are the creators of the old man; he was conceived by our wills. We are responsible for him. The old man dies at conversion and should be buried and forgotten. Paul affirms this in 2 Corinthians 5:17: Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. The old man cannot be living and dead at the same time. The new man, the Christian committed to a life of self-denial, is alive. The new man is the body ruled by righteousness. The old man can only be resurrected should we choose selfishness; in which case the new man would be dead in sin and dead unto Christ. Sin can still slay the new man and bring the old to life again.

The phrase, body of sin, is used synonymously with the old man. The body of sin denotes the body, willfully enslaved to the power and dominion of sin; but, as a result of our faith in Jesus Christ, this body has been destroyed to be replaced by a body of righteousness, devoted to the service of God and man. This is figuratively speaking. The new birth does not produce any physical change, but a moral and spiritual change. Our bodies are now employed to love our neighbor (the moral obligation) and our Creator (the spiritual obligation), as He originally intended.

Paul makes clear in another epistle that he did not consider that the old man still lived as a warring sibling with the new: Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of Him that created him (Colossians 3:9 10).

Our nature is what we do naturally as a result of our choice to live either selfishly or lovingly. No one has two natures existing in him at the same time. For those living selfishly, it is natural to sin; for those living lovingly, it is natural to do what is right. They do not have to struggle to keep from sinning. Generally, it would take a great effort in order to get them to sin because they hate sin. God’s commandments are not difficult for those who love Him (I John 5:3). Christ’s yoke is easy and His burden is light.

7 For he that is dead is freed from sin.

Now this is not talking about physical death. Many believe that we will not be free from the power and dominion of sin as believers, until our spirits — our souls — leave this body, until we die physically and the old nature drops off. We learn from the context of verse 2 — How shall we that are dead to sin live any longer therein? — that the reference is about death to sin, not a physical death. If it is physical death that ultimately is going to bring us victory over sin, then that makes death our savior. What? Are we to believe the penalty of sin becomes the destroyer of sin? No! Physical death is not our savior; Jesus is our Savior. It is His death, His blood, that cleanses us from all sin.

It is ironic that fundamentalists who are so quick to condemn Roman Catholics for their unscriptural doctrine of Purgatory, must themselves believe in Death Purgatory, unless they believe that there will be sin in Heaven, or unless they conclude that the body itself is sinful, which is a pagan doctrine. One wonders what these people think happens to the Christian’s sin nature at death. Does it go to Hell? Rot in the grave? Or is it finally cleansed and taken to Heaven? Actually, all sin must be purged in this life by repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ or it will never be removed.

There is nothing in our physical bodies that has ever caused us to sin. The source of sin is in our wills. Sin is not objective but subjective. It has no existence independent of our wills. Lucifer brought sin into existence when he rebelled against God. Adam chose to follow Satan into sin. And men have all chosen to follow Adam into sin. The body is morally neutral. In the unbeliever the body is the instrument of sin. In the believer it becomes an instrument of righteousness — yes, even a weapon of warfare battling to destroy sin in the world. Physical death will change nothing in our spiritual nature. We will enter eternity with the same character and personality that we had at the moment of our departure from this world: He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still (Revelation 22:11).

8 Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him:

“If” is the biggest little word in the English language. If we be dead with Christ, — that is dead to sin, dead to the world, dead to the lusts of the flesh — then we shall live with Him. If we are still alive to sin, the world and the flesh, then we will not live with Christ, but will die in our trespasses and sins.

9 Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over Him.

Since Christ has been once raised from the dead, He will never die again. He conquered death.

10 For in that He died, He died unto sin once: but in that He liveth, He liveth unto God.

Paul’s epistle to the Hebrews clarifies his meaning: But this man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins, for ever, sat down on the right hand of God….For by one offering He hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified (Hebrews 10:12-14). Under the old covenant the priests daily offered sacrifices for sin. But Jesus once, for all and forever, made an atonement for sin. He is now living in unbroken fellowship with His Father.

I Reckon So

11 Likewise, reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

As Christ has dealt with sin once and for all, so through repentance and faith in the work of Christ: should we make sure that our sins are in the past. Forevermore, we need to consider ourselves dead, in practice, unto sin, not merely in theory. Anyone who is professing Christ, but is still sinning, is deceived and dead, indeed, to God.

I was preaching on campus, and a student who claimed to be a Christian asked me, “Well, aren’t you a sinner?”

I said, “No, I’m not a sinner. We Christians are saints.”

He said, “You mean to tell me that you don’t sin daily in thought, word, and deed?”

I replied, “No. Do you?”

He answered, “Yes, everybody sins daily in thought, word, and deed.”

“You mean to tell me that you can’t go a day without sinning?”

“No!”

I asked, “Well, could you go an hour without sinning.

“I don’t see how.”

I inquired, “Could you go five minutes without sinning?”

He reluctantly answered, “Oh, I suppose.”

“Well, friend, if you can go five minutes without sinning, you ought to be able to go an hour; if you can go an hour without sinning, you should be able to go a day; if a day–a week, if a week–a month, if a month–a year. And if you can go for a year without sinning, by the grace of God, you ought to be able to live above sin for the rest of your life!”

His answer was, “Well, if you don’t sin a little bit every day, I don’t see how you can call yourself a Christian!” And he stomped off.

He had a problem. He did not reckon himself to be dead indeed unto sin. First, you must believe it to be so, because we cannot rise above our faith. If we are going to think of ourselves as sinners, and think of ourselves as sinning daily in thought, word and deed, then we probably will. It is very important that we have our theology straight and our doctrine correct. We must reckon ourselves dead to sin. If we are not thinking correctly, then we will probably not be acting rightly.

12 Let not sin, therefore, reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.

Paul personifies sin as a tyrant, a dictator whom we should thrust from the throne of our lives so that righteousness might rule. Clearly, Paul teaches that sin is a choice, not a causation dwelling somewhere in the depths of our person. It is our responsibility to turn sin away, whenever it should try to regain the throne of our lives. Sin can be obeyed or disobeyed.

True Christians disobey sin and obey righteousness. If we allow any form of sin to live in us, it will take dominion over us. It must be totally cast out or it will be our king. This verse refutes the erroneous view that the body of the regenerate man is the source of sin, and that the spirit is holy and cannot sin. The truth is that the inner man decides what the body will do.

Yield to the Right

13 Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.

The word “yield” shows that sin is an act of the will, not a mysterious substance behind our will causing us to sin. The exhortation to “yield” our members as instruments of righteousness reveals that righteousness is also a choice, not something that God infuses into a believer at conversion.

Believing implies yielding our wills unto God, submitting completely unto Him. This is saving faith. Paul challenges, in Romans chapter 12, I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. Notice, Paul does not say, “God knows that you are only human and can’t help but sin.” Instead he makes it clear that it is but our reasonable service — after all that Christ has done for us — to present our bodies as a holy sacrifice. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is the good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. What is the will of God? It is the will of God for you to be holy. This is the will of God, Paul wrote to the Thessalonians, even your sanctification. He wills that we be separated from sin, the world and the lusts of the flesh, so that we may be vessels of honor fit for the Master’s use. People are seeking the will of God about going here or there, taking this job or that job, or marrying this one or that one, or even about what ministry to enter while they are continuing to live in sin. This is nothing but hypocrisy and gross deception. God wants obedience, not sacrifice. God desires people who delight in pleasing Him with a pure life, not with sacrifices that cover their selfishness. Anyone with sin in his life cannot possibly be in the will of God.

Law or Grace

14 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.

When Paul says that we are not under the law, in what sense are we not under the law? We are not under the curse of the law which is condemnation and death. But that doesn’t mean that we, as Christians, are free from the obligation to obey the moral law of God.

Not under the law also means that we are not under the law as our means to justification. We are justified by the grace of God, through faith in the atonement of Christ Jesus. Having transgressed the law, we cannot simply say, “Okay, God, I see that I have lived wrong. Please forgive me, from now on I’m going to obey you.” We cannot expect God to reply, “All right, I forgive you.” God must, in the interests of the common good, uphold the authority of His moral government. A just God has to condemn sinners eternally, unless an atonement be made that will as impressively uphold the authority of the law. The sufferings and death of the Son of God provided the condition, rendering it righteous for the Father to justify sinners upon the requirements of their repentance and faith in Jesus’ atonement.

We are not under the rites and rituals of the ceremonial law with all the embellishments of the rabbis. We do not have to offer animal sacrifices, nor are we obligated to keep kosher or be circumcised, etc.

Christians are not under law in the sense that they are not primarily motivated to obey out of fear of punishment for transgression, or hope of reward for obedience. Christians are under grace; that is, they are motivated to keep the law’s moral precepts by the love that extended grace to them in the first place. Those under grace are free to obey; those under the law are slaves to sin.

Usually, we hear grace defined as the undeserved, unmerited favor of God. Certainly, we have done nothing to merit salvation. All moral agents deserve Hell, since all have sinned. But the description of grace that we find in Titus chapter 2, in verses 11-14, implies much more: For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ; Who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto Himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. This is the grace of God that brings salvation. Salvation from what? Salvation from sin! Grace redeems us! Redeems us from what? From all iniquity, all sin!

The Angel said, And His name shall be called Jesus, for He shall save His people from their sins. Not in their sin, but He shall save His people from their sins. Grace changes and purifies men. Anyone who has not been delivered from all sin has not the grace of God. The same grace that forgives our sin, keeps us from sin. Grace is the favor of God. We cannot be under God’s favor if we are indulging in sin.

“But is there not a growth in grace?” Yes, but this does not mean that we are gradually to put off sin. Repentance and faith are conditions for being under grace. Repentance requires a complete break with all known sin. Justifying faith is a complete trust in the blood of Christ to cleanse us from all sin at the moment we acknowledge His death on our behalf.

But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:18). Growing in grace implies maturing in the Lord as we better understand His character and ways and expectations for us. Holiness is walking in the light we understand with a right intention of heart. As we gain more light, through our study of His Word and communion with Him, we gain a deeper walk in the Spirit. As our knowledge of God increases, we will always be growing in grace, even in eternity.

“What if I am a Christian, and I still sin every day?” Either you were never truly converted or else you have fallen from grace. This is the only reasonable conclusion in the light of Romans 6:14: For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.

Contrapositive logic would infer that if sin does have dominion, you are under law and not grace. Grace excludes sin. If sin still has control, then you are still under the curse and the penalty of the law. And, if you are sinning daily, then sin obviously has dominion. If you cannot get through a day without sinning then sin certainly has control over your life.

Preachers of holiness are often labeled legalists. The legalist label can do more harm to a minister’s acceptance by the church world than if he was exposed as an adulterer. For this reason pusillanimous preachers are afraid even to allude to God’s law for fear of being rejected or misunderstood.

15 What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law, but under grace? God forbid.

If the law forbids sin, how much more does grace? For if we sin wilfully [since all sin is wilful this would imply continuing in sin without repentance] after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries. He that despised Moses’ law died without mercy under two or three witnesses: Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of Grace? (Hebrews 10:26-29).

Many are under the impression that grace covers sin even though they continue to sin. They are insulting the Spirit of Grace. How much more does sin condemn the individual who knows that Christ died for the sins of mankind than the person who remains ignorant of this fact? Because guilt is always measured according to knowledge, the individual who has received the grace of God will be judged more severely, should he return to sin, than the person who has never come to a knowledge of Christ (Luke 12:47). There never was, nor will there ever be, a sacrifice that provides forgiveness for unrepentant sin, whether committed before or after the new birth, under either the old or new covenant.

Slaves to Habit

16 Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?

Jesus said, No man can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will hold to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. Now, either sin is your master, or righteousness is your master — one or the other. You cannot be serving two masters. Nevertheless, many teach that the Christian is serving two masters: sometimes he is serving righteousness, and sometimes he is serving sin. Some even declare that he is serving both at the same time. But all this is impossible. It defies simple logic. God demands entire obedience, and anything less than this is not service to Him. So you are either the servant of sin, or you are the servant of righteousness. Jesus made this clear: Every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them (Matthew 7:17-20).

James also illustrates this point: Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter? Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? either a vine, figs? so can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh (James 3:11 12).

17 But God be thanked, that ye were (past tense — you were!) the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you.

God expects obedience from the heart. We need, not only to live righteously, we need also to love righteousness. We need to obey from the heart, that is, with the right motive. Our motive for obedience to God is our love for God and our love for our fellows. The love of God enables us to perform all that He requires. This love empowered Jesus to become obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Christ’s path in the Garden was an almost overwhelming burden to His soul. But His delight in doing His Father’s will encouraged Him to say, Not My will, but Thine be done.

Fear is not our motive — or our primary motive — as Christians. We are motivated by benevolence. Our churches are filled with people who have made professions of faith, out of the primary incentive of escaping Hell and hoping for Heaven. If that is your main reason for obedience to God, or for making a profession of faith, you have not arrived at true Christianity. You are a mere legalist.

You are like the wife who marries a man for his money. The husband discovers this and he is struck with grief. She is still his wife, but the legal relationship brings no joy. Since God knows our heart, He refuses to enter into a covenant relationship based on mere law; it must be rooted and grounded in love from both parties. God did not simply give His Son so that we could eat of the loaves and fishes and be filled. Jesus died to restore man to a loving relationship with His Maker.

We must obey out of a right heart, a right intention. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. God is looking at our hearts for a pure motive. The eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew Himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward Him (2 Chronicles 16:9). Those who have selfish hearts, in fact, know not God.

18 Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.

Some wrongly assume that as a Christian you can sin and not be condemned for it. They call this freedom. But true Christian liberty is to be set free from the power and dominion of sin itself. We no longer have to sin; we owe no debt to sin — our debt is to our Savior, Who declared, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever. If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed (John 8:34-36). Sin enslaves; and slaves to sin will not have eternal life. But the Son sets us free from sin, so that we may serve righteousness and live with Him forever.

19 I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh:

You are so blinded by the infirmity of your flesh that you cannot see the obvious: you do not have to sin anymore. You have been set free. Wise up! Paul has been appealing to common sense. We do not find the meat of the Word in Romans 6. This is milk, just basic Christianity. Anyone in his right mind should understand that when we become Christians, our sinning days are over. Right-minded people are saints who refuse to sin; wrong-minded people are sinners who are bound to sin until they change their mind, that is, REPENT. To him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin (James 4:17).

19b For as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness.

Sin demanded our all. Why should holiness require anything less? Should not our present zeal for righteousness and holiness surpass our former zeal for every possible sensuous indulgence?

In my ministry, when I preach the new birth, I am often asked, “How can you know you’re born again?”

I used to answer, “Well, if you’re born again, you’ll know it.”

I no longer think that is a very good answer; it implies that the new birth is some sort of feeling. But here is the test: If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new (2 Corinthians 5:17). What are the things that are passed away? Our sins! And all things are become new. For all things to become new, all the old has to go. Now we are committed unto righteousness (obedience unto the Divine will) and unto holiness (conformity to the Divine nature or character). Holiness is the principle under which we operate; righteousness is the fruit, or practice.

20 For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness.

But now we are servants of righteousness, so we are free from sin.

Think about It!

21 What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death.

The shame of sin should be enough to keep any Christian far from it. Suppose a promiscuous woman is converted, marries and then returns to her former paramours. She is confronted by her husband. She explains to him, “I have this sexual nature that I can’t completely control. Surely, you don’t expect me to be totally faithful to you. I love you more than all others, but I simply can’t help going back occasionally to my former boyfriends. Only when I die and go to Heaven will I be free from lust.” Obviously, such a woman would be a shame to her husband. Likewise “Christians” who daily indulge ever-so-little in sin are a disgrace to the Spirit of Grace.

22 But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.

Without holiness no man shall see the Lord. His end will be everlasting destruction in Hell-fire.

23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

This verse has been used in evangelism as part of “the Roman road to salvation” so that most never think of applying it to the regenerate; however, Paul does. The oldest lie of the Devil is that sin is not deadly — our first parents fell for that one in the Garden. Today, multitudes of professing Christians, who are convinced that sin is deadly to the unregenerate, have believed Satan’s greater deception, that sin is not fatal to those who have once been born again. Remember, it took but one act of disobedience on the part of Adam and Eve to cast them out of the Garden. Yet so-called Christians still think that they can continue in sin and remain in the Kingdom of God. God does not have a double standard — The soul that sinneth, it shall die (Ezekiel 18:4). The Christian who decides to sin, by default chooses to return the gift of eternal life to God. Sin is the evidence that one has lost saving faith (Ephesians 6:16; Acts 15:9; 1 John 3:3).

Eternal life implies so much more than going to Heaven when we die. This is life eternal, that they might know Thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom Thou hast sent (John 17:3). Eternal life is an intimate and holy relationship with the Father through His Son, so that we are able to say with our beloved brother, Paul, I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me (Galatians 2:20).

There is no chapter in Scripture any clearer than Romans 6. Paul makes it plain that the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ have provided total deliverance for all who believe. As we look into Romans 7, Paul shows us that this glorious freedom was never attained by those under law. Instead, all who struggle to please God in the flesh are doomed to a miserable existence. Paul makes this so vivid that no right-thinking Jew or Gentile would dare look to the Mosaic Covenant for salvation.

Intro to a life Liberated from Sin Rom 6-8 (Pt 1)

Posted: May 11, 2011 in disciples life, teaching
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INTRODUCTION: GOD’S STANDARD

More than Conquerors

The Nature of Christianity

by

George E. (Jed) Smock

GOD’S STANDARD

This series is written for those who hunger and thirst after righteousness. Only men seeking first the Kingdom of God and His goodness will be interested in these writings. The purpose of this commentary is to remove every cloak under which the sinner, especially the religious sinner, is hiding.

No one has to sin! Anyone who is walking in the Spirit is living a life far removed from sin. Anyone with sin in his life has no Biblical basis to consider himself a Christian. From the moment of conversion to Christianity until the end of a man’s life, he can and should live a life of holiness and righteousness.

No one has the right to sin! The Bible is a call to holiness from Genesis to Revelation. Would a just God command man to obey, but at the same time teach that complete obedience is impossible? It is imperative that we understand this point, if we are going to correctly comprehend the Bible. Any Biblical interpretation which gives man space to sin is an erroneous conclusion.

God is a reasonable and logical being. We are made in His image, and He expects us to approach His Written Word intelligently. It is a basic fact of logic that truth cannot contradict itself. Therefore, if our conclusions are self-contradictory, we may assume that we are in error. It is amazing how fundamentalists will fervently defend the view that there are no contradictions in the Bible, but overlook contradictions in their own doctrines.

Bible commentators are more likely to stumble over Romans chapter 7 than any other passage of Scripture. After writing forceful expositions on holiness from Romans chapter 6, they reach the pitiful conclusion that Romans 7:14-25 is the normal experience of the devout Christian. Usually Romans 8 gets them somewhat back on track, but there is no plausible way that the wretched-slave existence described in chapter 7 can be simultaneously experienced with the victory and freedom described in Romans 6 and 8.

There are two options for the one whose life does not conform to the Biblical standard of holiness: an individual may lower the requirement so that it corresponds to his present conduct; or he may raise his behavior to match the Biblical standard. When it comes to studying Romans 6 through 8, few professing Christians are able to identify with Romans 6 or 8. However, they do relate to the struggles expressed in Romans 7. They also assume that everybody in their church is going through the same conflict with sin which they are personally experiencing. Therefore, they conclude that Romans 7 must describe a Christian, because it is the only Christianity they know.

There is always a great amount of subjectivity in reading and interpreting the Bible. This is unavoidable. The danger comes when we assume our experiences are universal. If we find ourselves in association with an assembly where everyone is still sinning, it is time to seek new fellowship and, even more importantly, to seek God. All Christians should be able to identify with the testimony of John and his associates: We keep His commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in His sight (I John 3:22).

Somehow the church has acquired the notion that it is prideful to confess to living a righteous life, but humble to confess to sinning daily in thought, word and deed. One problem is that people have self-righteousness confused with the righteousness of God. When believed from the heart, God’s righteousness always produces an actual righteousness in the life of the confessor. There is no righteousness in the life that is lived independent of our Lord Jesus Christ. For the professed follower of Christ to confess that he will habitually sin until death is not humility — it is the height of arrogance. The Biblical command is to forsake all sin as a condition of salvation, not to be a habitual sinner.

There is a general misunderstanding of spiritual warfare in our generation. The Christian’s warfare is not an inner struggle with sin, in which he hopes to have more victories than defeats; at the point of true repentance and faith in Jesus Christ, sin receives its death blow. The Christian’s battle is with temptation. His war with sin is not from within, but from without. He is to be fighting against sin in the world, not within himself. Christian combat is an offensive battle against sin, not a defensive one.

What would we think of a Commander-in-Chief who taught his countrymen at war that the enemy was always bound to be within the nation’s boundaries? Any leader worth his salt is going to settle for nothing less than a complete routing of the enemy. The aggressive commander will not stop at the enemy’s border, but will pursue him into his territory and demand unconditional surrender.

What a disgrace that we have church leaders teaching that a Christian will always have sin in his life! Hypocrites professing Christianity, yet continuing to sin, are God’s most dangerous enemies. They are moles who should not be tolerated on the grounds of the church. The church would be better served with agnostics and atheists than these creepers.

Anyone who makes peace with an enemy within his borders is, at best, a coward and, at worst, a traitor. Professing Christians who allow any vestige of sin to remain in their lives are not fit for the Kingdom. Such descendants of Judas must either repent or be denounced and forbidden to continue to weaken the Army of God.

Walking in the Spirit is written for the purpose of exposing the false notion that sin and righteousness can co-exist in the life of a Christian, or of anyone, for that matter. Defenders of that diabolical doctrine appeal most often to Romans 7 to support their defeatist dogma. My strategy is to attack this doctrine by teaching from the very text its proponents use, but in context with its surrounding passages.

More than Conquerors

Taking scriptures out of context is one of the most frequent and dangerous errors of exegesis. When Romans chapter 7 is removed from its connection with Romans 6 and 8, it can mean just about the opposite of what Paul intended. As an accomplished artist paints shade in his pictures to heighten the effect of the light, so the apostle interjects in the latter part of Romans 7 a vivid description of the tyrannical power of sin (I am carnal sold under sin) and of the unbearable burden of guilt (O wretched man that I am!). Paul’s sketch of the man who groans under the vexing yoke of sin is penciled in merely for contrast to set off the amazing difference there is between the bondage of the law of sin and death and the spirit of life and righteousness in Christ Jesus. Let us never get the glorious portrait of the Christian of Romans 6 and 8 confused with the ugly sketch of the sinner of Romans 7 trying, but failing, to serve God under the law.

Not only must the Biblical interpreter consider the context of a passage in question, but he must judge the general purpose and scope of the writer. A basic theme of Paul in Romans and all of his epistles is to promote righteousness and condemn sin (Romans 1:16-17, 2:5. 3:21, 5:19, 6:18-19, 8:4, 14:7). Interpreting the person described in the latter part of Romans 7 as any kind of Christian excuses sin and discourages righteousness.

Paul had a penchant for using military terminology to describe the Christian warfare. He was likely familiar with one of the greatest spectacles of ancient Rome: the official triumph of a returning Roman general who had slain at least 5,000 of the enemy. The grand procession formed outside the city of Rome and entered through a triumphal arch. Trumpeters led the march; next in line were floats representing the defeated cities and pictures portraying the exploits of the victors; then wagons rolled by loaded with gold, silver, works of art and other spoils of war; followed by seventy white oxen walking blindly toward their sacrificial death; then the minor officers, harpers, pipers and incense-bearers. After them rode the conqueror himself in a triumphal chariot, wearing a purple toga and a crown of gold, and bearing an ivory scepter and a laurel branch. In contrast, the captive king who followed on foot, burdened with chains, made a striking part of the show. Last, came the legions carrying their awards and each one wearing a crown. After the parade, the general mounted the Capitol to the Temple of Jupiter, Juno and Minerva, laid his loot at the feet of the gods, offered an animal in sacrifice and ordered the subjugated king to be slain as an additional thank-offering. Parties, receptions and audiences before the emperor and senate waited the returning hero.

It would seem impossible for anyone lining the parade route to have mistaken the vanquished king for the conquering general. It seems almost as impossible that any honest and intelligent reader could err so blantantly by attributing the enslaved man described in Romans 7 to the triumphant Christian of Romans 6 and 8.

No Roman would have had any excuses for the vanquished king. The senate would not have considered paying reparations to him for the rest of his life. He would not be put on the lecture circuit to be admired as a man with a message. He would not be acclaimed as a model for the military strategists to study and emulate. This disgraced and defeated king was considered worthy of nothing but an ignominious death.

So should the loser characterized in Romans 7 be put to death and not set up as any sort of example of a Christian at any stage of development. Let us acclaim and broadcast the victorious Christian of Romans 6 and 8 and not give any credibility to the miserable wretch of Romans 7. Paul claimed, we are more than conquerors (Romans 8:37). Let it never be said by the conquering Christian, That which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I (Romans 7:15). This is the language of the defeatist, the coward, the sinner.

The Bible is full of examples of how God commanded not only the utter destruction of the military enemy, but also a complete purging of sin among those called His people.

Seven nations inhabited the promised land which God commanded Israel to possess. And when the LORD thy God shall deliver them before thee; thou shalt smite them, and utterly destroy them; thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor shew mercy unto them (Deuteronomy 7:2).

In obedience to the Lord, Joshua quickly achieved a miraculous victory at Jericho. Afterwards, Israel suffered a shocking defeat at Ai because Achan had partaken from the accursed spoils of war at Jericho. Consequently, God had withdrawn His blessing from Israel. Therefore, God ordered Moses to sanctify the people and stone to death Achan and burn his body. After Achan’s execution, the LORD turned from the fierceness of His anger (Joshua 7:26). Joshua again attacked Ai, utterly destroyed the city and hanged the king.

In America’s early history, Christianity was a dominant influence in our culture and institutions. Today, Christianity has been usurped by humanism and secularism because there is sin in the visible church. The church must sanctify herself and put to death Achan, if she is going to stand against her enemies.

After the defeat of Ai, the Gibeonites, by the ruse of rags and stale bread, tricked Joshua into a protective treaty. Later, in the time of Solomon, Gibeon became a favorite “high place” of idolatrous worship for Israel.

Today many, with nothing more than a Romans 7 experience, profess Christianity and play upon the sympathies of pastors, even maneuvering themselves into positions of leadership and setting up “high places” of worship to a god of their own imagination who excuses sin.

God commanded King Saul, Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass. Saul defeated the Amalekites but spared their king, Agag, and the best of their livestock. Despite Saul’s rebellion, he still tried to convince Samuel that he had obeyed the commandment of the LORD; but neither Samuel, nor God, accepted his partial obedience. And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, He hath also rejected thee from being king (I Samuel 15:22 23). Samuel then called for Agag, who thought he had escaped death, and cut him to pieces with his sword.

Are not our pulpits filled today with ministers who, like King Saul, are satisfied with partial obedience? Are not our pews filled with Agags who offer the sacrifices of praise and worship, but have not come to true repentance? Like Agag, they say, Surely the bitterness of death is past (I Samuel 15:32). “Surely, we will not be damned.” But surely they are deceived and will come to a bitter end, unless some Samuels rise up who wield the sword of Truth and put to death Agags’ fleshly, carnal appetites before the angel of death casts them to perdition.

When Israel abode in Shittim, the men committed whoredom with the daughters of Moab, and Israel sacrificed to their idols. God was so angry He ordered Moses to hang the whoremongers. Meanwhile, as Israel was weeping before the door of the tabernacle, an Israelite named Zimri and a Midianitish woman named Cozbi began to fornicate in the sight of Moses and the congregation of Israel. Thank God, a man of Israel called Phinehas rose up from the worshippers, took a javelin in his hand, ran to the lewd couple and thrust the javelin through the back of the man into the belly of the whore. So the plague was stopped among Israel, but not before 24,000 died. And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, hath turned My wrath away from the children of Israel, while he was zealous for My sake among them, that I consumed not the children of Israel in My jealousy. Wherefore say, Behold, I give unto him My covenant of peace: And he shall have it, and his seed after him, even the covenant of an everlasting priesthood; because he was zealous for his God, and made an atonement for the children of Israel (Numbers 25:1013). Evidently, Phinehas was a type of the Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ.

As Christendom mourns over our porno-plagued culture, the fornication and adultery running rampant in our sanctuaries of praise and worship is overlooked. My prayer is that this book will become a javelin in the hands of some Phinehases who will thrust the Truth into the hearts of those who have ears dull from hearing a gospel that makes place for sin in the lives of those who claim to be Christians.

The Nature of Christianity

Among professed Christians, there are two distinct views of salvation. They are represented by two different schools of “believers,” both of whom claim to be members of Christ’s church.

One school sees salvation primarily as forgiveness for sin in order to reach Heaven. Meanwhile on earth, “miserable sinners” strive to obey, but have no hope of overcoming “indwelling sin,” until death. After accepting Jesus as one’s personal Savior from Hell, man struggles to make Christ the Lord of his life. There is a definite distinction between man’s standing before God and his actual state or condition. This means that even though God considers man justified and righteous, man continues to sin daily in thought, word and deed. Our works definitely play no part in our relationship with God or our ultimate destiny. This view is the majority opinion in American Christendom at the close of the Second Millennium. Because of the dominance of this school of thought, Christianity has become a weak influence on our culture and institutions.

The other school views Christianity as a right relationship with God. Salvation includes complete deliverance from the power of sin in this present life, and forgiveness of the penalty of sin, which is eternal damnation. The redeemed challenge man to repent and turn to God, through faith in Jesus as both Lord of one’s life and Savior from all sin. True saints believe that one cannot be considered justified or righteous in the sight of God without being pure in heart and life. If Christianity is going to be a powerful influence into the twenty first century, this understanding of Christianity must once again prevail.

Both schools of thought have appealed to selected verses from the book of Romans to affirm their understanding of the gospel. Controversy concerning the nature of the gospel is nothing new. The church at Rome was rife with doctrinal strife and disagreement. In the first five chapters of Romans, the Apostle Paul emphatically defends the gospel of salvation by the grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ. He denies that there is any hope for sinners to be justified by the law, which they had broken. He exposes and condemns false teaching which threatened to put the Roman church under bondage to the rites and rituals of Judaism. Romans chapters 6, 7 and 8 represent the very heart of Paul’s epistle. In these chapters, he explains man’s failure under law, and, under grace, his mastery over sin.

In chapter 5, Paul shows that because natural law (the law of reason and conscience) was broken by Adam and his descendants, eventually the written law, the law of Moses, was given to the Jews. Because man had failed to live sensibly by responding to the influences of reason and conscience, God put everything down in writing, so there would be no more misunderstanding of what He expected from man and what man could expect from Him. The written law gave God the opportunity to plainly show man His true character. Its moral precepts reveal the Holiness of God; its penalties pronounce His Justice; its sacrifices herald His desire to pardon the awful penalty of sin. All the commandments, especially the first four, reveal God’s longing for a special, loving relationship and delightful fellowship with man.

Paul writes, The law entered, that the offence might abound. God had made the way plain: Do these things and live (Romans 10:5). God established a system of animal sacrifices as object lessons to show the awfulness of sin. These blood sacrifices also pointed man to the Savior Messiah who was to come. The people acknowledged the goodness of the law and promised to obey (Deuteronomy 6:24; Exodus 24:3). But, alas, they quickly rebelled. Therefore, sin abounded all the more. Since they had rejected greater light, their guilt and responsibility multiplied. Blame is always measured in the light of knowledge. Therefore, the law brought even more of God’s wrath on man; and the law became a curse instead of a blessing.

Paul concludes chapter 5 with the startling statement: But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound. Sin provided God with the astonishing opportunity to demonstrate His nature and character in an even more revealing way than the law ever could have done. The failure of man under the law gave God the occasion to commend His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8). Grace abounded to undeserving sinners! The greater the sin, the more bounteous the grace that was needed to forgive. But God’s grace offered much more than forgiveness. It extended deliverance (freedom) from the power of sin and death. It gave man a restored relationship, renewed fellowship and revitalized communion with his glorious Creator. It empowered man to live the abundant life that our Lord promised to all who follow Him. In Romans 6, Paul unfolds the might and victory experienced by all who believe the gospel and obey the Truth.

Warning! Before you read another word! Are you ready for true freedom from sin? If you are content to dabble in sin here and indulge there, do not turn another page! Do not read any further! Do you really want the abundant life, joy unspeakable and peace that passes understanding? Or are you content to struggle along naming the name of Christ and yet living a frustrating, embarrassing and defeated life? If you read on, you will be accountable for the truth God reveals; and a refusal to act will bring greater damnation. Will you take up your bed and walk? Will you be made whole? Will you walk in the Spirit? You have the freedom to choose….

Part 2 “SERVANT OF RIGHTEOUSNESS” coming tomorrow

DOCTRINES IN LIGHT OF KINGDOM

Posted: May 6, 2011 in disciples life, Kingdom Teaching, wilderness
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The word “doctrine” is a very religious sounding word. It sounds very important when used in relation to the church. Every religious order has its set of doctrines. There seems no end to the number of divisions caused by differences in doctrine.

No one knows the number of the multitudes of people who have been killed over religious doctrines. Conflicts and all-out wars have occurred through the centuries and continue today. Churches are split again and again; families, friends and nations are fractured by doctrinal disputes.

The word translated doctrine in the New Testament simply means “teaching.” Doctrine can be true or false teaching depending on the source. It could be a doctrine of God (Titus 2:10), or a doctrine of man (Col. 2:22), and even a doctrine of demons (1Tim. 4:1).

Most religious people and all denominations, sects, and cults are convinced that their system of theology is doctrine from God. Therefore, they see any teachings that do not align with their system of theology as doctrines of demons and/or doctrines of man.

Therefore, each group sees the other as deceived by doctrines of man or doctrines of demons; and, they see themselves as possessing doctrines of God. Doctrines tend to become sacred to the believer and, therefore, very resistant to change even when additional light comes from God. Doctrines can be passed from generation to generation for centuries without change.

In the limited light of the early reformation period of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, doctrines were developed in the church and passed down. These doctrines of then fresh light mixed with fallacious doctrines and practices of the past have been rooted into the church and are now considered precepts of truth in the church today. When a doctrine has been in place long enough, it may be considered sacred, though it may have begun as speculative. Once it is considered sacred, many people would die or kill rather than consider change.

One of the enemy’s most effective stratagems may be to pervert the truth of God by bringing forth doctrines of his own into the church. Centuries ago the powers of darkness brought doctrines into the then apostate church. Some of the doctrines of demons have become traditional, sacred doctrines carried forward into churches of today. The enemy affected the efforts of Bible translators of the early reformation period by coloring their selection of words according to some of these perverted or false doctrines.

In light of the continuing restoration of revelation, we must reexamine traditional doctrines by returning to the Greek and Hebrew text depending on the Holy Spirit to guide our pure heart toward truth. We must not defend doctrines solely because our particular branch of the church traditionally accepts them. It is not enough to believe doctrines just because we have believed them all of our lives. We must not substitute the stored data of our minds for the discernment of the Holy Spirit if we are to continue toward the powerful reality of the truth of God.

1 Tim 4:1, 6:3: Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons. If anyone teaches otherwise and does not consent to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which accords with godliness.
Receiving Truth Exposes Mixture

The “words of our Lord Jesus Christ may be used along with that “which accords with godliness as a measure of wholesome doctrine. Clearly, our Lord’s words in the Gospels primarily focused on the kingdom of God (the ruler-dominion of God) on earth. Godliness implies being in accord with the character and nature of God.

Therefore, any teaching, which does not appear to be in agreement with the words of Jesus Christ, nor in accord with the character and nature of God, should be reexamined. The words of Jesus are recorded in the Greek language in the New Testament. By the Word and the Spirit, we can know the words of Jesus and the character and nature of God. Any doctrine or teaching that seems to take away from the ruler-dominion (kingdom) of God on earth or in some way postpones or diminishes the victory over the powers of darkness is suspect and should be reexamined.

The false teacher and teaching can also be known by its fruit (Mat 7:15-20). In practice, any doctrine that does not seem to produce good fruit unto godliness in life should be reexamined.

Some questions we might ask regarding the fruit of a teaching are:

(1) Does the fruit of the teaching seem to allow the powers of darkness opportunity to function now?
(2) Does it in any way seem to promote ungodly behavior now?
(3) Does it provide false assurance to those who practice lawlessness?
(4) Does it create less motivation to serve God and seek His kingdom now?
(5) Does it seem to elevate anyone or anything equal to or above God?
(6) Does it cause us to despise prophecy or any other spiritual gifts?
(7) Does it tend to ascribe the works of God to the powers of darkness?
(8) Does it cause us to fear the powers of darkness?
(9) Does it cause us to not love our brothers or our enemies?
(10) Does it hinder our forgiving from the heart?

Our view of the answers to these and similar questions is not the final factor. Rather, it may be an indicator that the doctrine in question should be investigated.

The fruit of any doctrine is measured by the effect it has on those receiving the teaching. A true doctrine of God will motivate one toward godliness (alignment with the character and nature of God) and build faith, hope, and love. The teaching will promote godly behavior and activity toward profitable production of the will of God on earth. It should move the individual toward health and well being of spirit, soul, and body. A true doctrine of God will inspire a loving, respectful fear of God and a fearless disrespect for evil and the evil one. It will move the individual toward freedom from evil bondage to any person, place, or thing. A true teaching of God will move the person toward a total love for God and an allegiance to Him above anyone or anything else. It will move the individual toward alignment with God’s love and care for His creation including the earth and the fullness thereof.

1 Cor 10:26 KJV: For the earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof.
A true doctrine of God will implant God’s ways into man and the world.

The fruit of false doctrine will always tend to move toward the opposite of the true. It will tend to erode the principles and precepts of God and plant alternate ways. The doctrines of demons and/or man will allow or encourage movement away from alignment with the character and nature of God and will tend to weaken faith, hope, and love. It will tend to lessen godly behavior and activity of profitable production toward the will and purposes of God. It will tend to inspire a lack of respect for God and a fear of evil and the evil one. It will move the person toward bondage’s and addictions to a person, place or thing. Doctrines of demons and/or man will tend to create allegiances other than to God Himself. These false doctrines will cause the person to not love and care for God’s creation, especially the earth and all its fullness.

Many teachings emanated from the defeatist attitude of the oppressed, apostatized church of the Dark Ages and were carried forward into the early reformation. People had been enslaved in religious bondage’s for centuries. They had not experienced the power of God flowing through their lives. Deceived and unjust religious rulers had controlled their thoughts and beliefs by controlling the teachings of the church. The essence of the doctrines and their belief was that Christians could only expect to live in defeat, misery, poverty, and repression in this life. According to these doctrines, all potential blessing, victory, prosperity, and freedom would come to them only in heaven after they died.

The fulfillment of most of the promised blessings of God, which are for His children today, were moved forward in these teachings to heaven after death. Those promises, which directly referred to victorious living on earth and could not possibly be viewed as only for heaven, were seen as not for this time, but for after the future bodily return of Jesus to the earth.

Centuries of enslavement to fallacious doctrines have caused a slave mentality and a defeatist attitude to be formed within Christians much like the Egyptian enslavement had formed in the children of Israel. When it was time for the children of Israel to move into the Promised Land and possess it, they did not overcome their defeatist attitude caused by centuries of bondage. They did not adjust their beliefs to align with the will and plan of God.

Even the great miracles demonstrated to them in the wilderness had not repaired their slave-minded defeatist attitude. Their lack of respect for God’s power and their fear of evil made them easy prey for a false report and they did not receive the promise of God. Instead, they continued in the hardships of defeat. Only after that generation passed away and the next generation, who did not retain the old beliefs and attitudes, took over did the children of Israel enter victoriously into the promise of God.

Not until the twentieth century, the final moments of the sixth millennium, has there been an awakening, which has changed the defeatist attitude of the slave-minded church. There were great revivals and awakenings prior to the twentieth century in which many people became Christians. But, the focus of their salvation hope was heaven when they died, not the power and presence of God working in and through them to bring forth the rule of God into the world, to destroy the work of the devil, and establish the kingdom of God on earth.

Early American revivals were eventually squelched by denominational church disputes as different denomination leaders argued over the order of services and doctrinal positions.

Before the awakening of this current time, achieving holiness was often seen as striving to legalistically keep laws and rules. Though the church derived the laws and rules from the Bible, they became a bondage to the people. The people struggled with religious rules, without the teaching of the grace of God empowering the believer from within to live holy lives by faith. Some Christians are still affected by this view. This view tends to cause one to become a legalist and to seek to be holy by externally applying laws devised by the church.

Many others believe that holiness is unattainable in the experience of life and that they must depend on the mercy of God to forgive their continued unholiness. This view tends to lessen the search for further purification and holiness in life now, and accepts positional righteousness as a ticket to heaven that cannot be cancelled.

Both of these views are powerless to produce the power of Christ, the anointed One. They do not produce His anointing within God’s people to empower them to live holy lives. The spiritual awakening of the revelation of the kingdom of God, coming forth on earth by the anointing of Jesus Christ within God’s people, by the Holy Spirit, is restoring holiness and power to the people of God.

Rom 14:17: For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

1 Cor 4:20: For the kingdom of God is not in word but in power.

Keep on Pursuing Love
It Will Never Fail,
Ron McGatlin
http://www.openheaven.com
basileia@earthlink.net

Sin no more!

Posted: May 3, 2011 in disciples life, Kingdom Teaching, teaching, wilderness
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For by the death He died, He died to sin [ending His relation to it] once for all; and the life that He lives, He is living to God [in unbroken fellowship with Him]. Even so consider yourselves also dead to sin and your relation to it broken, but alive to God [living in unbroken fellowship with Him] in Christ Jesus.

Let not sin therefore rule as king in your mortal (short-lived, perishable) bodies, to make you yield to its cravings and be subject to its lusts and evil passions. Do not continue offering or yielding your bodily members [and [a]faculties] to sin as instruments (tools) of wickedness. But offer and yield yourselves to God as though you have been raised from the dead to [perpetual] life, and your bodily members [and [b]faculties] to God, presenting them as implements of righteousness.

For sin shall not [any longer] exert dominion over you, since now you are not under Law [as slaves], but under grace [as subjects of God’s favor and mercy]. (Rom 6:10-14 AMP)

As I woke this morning I felt in my spirit that we are in the day of urgency, when we must present our bodies before the Lord as living sacrifices and with that we must live sinless lives.

The Word is filled with powerful passages of the power of God, the power of His Christ to not only defeat sin, but to live righteous lives having had sin’s power broken in our lives. We must live in the faith of God’s Word, believing in it’s power. Does not His Word declare:

“But now since you have been set free from sin and have become the slaves of God, you have your present reward in holiness and its end is eternal life” (Rom 6:22)

Not only that if we truly believe the word of our Lord, then we can live a life without sin:

“And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more” (John 8:11)

Are we living lives free from sin today – have we grasped His Word allowing it to live out through our lives? I look at my life and tremble for I see a past not merely as I walked as one not knowing Christ but even as one who had received the truth – I read 1 Cor 15 and Holy Spirit brings such a conviction into my life such as when I read the verse stating “Let’s eat and drink because tomorrow we’re going to die!

So what is the answer to not living so carelessly as to put the gospel message in my life to shame? We find it in verse 34 “Come back to the right point of view, and stop sinning”. And what is that right point of view? That I have been, thru the cross of Christ my Lord been set free from sin.

The Spirit has been searching my thoughts as of late and I have questioned my self as to whether I have been living the religious game – O’ how many of us think we can live as the world lives and yet have the fragrance of the Lord on our lives! We must come out from the world and all its thinking, allowing Holy Ghost to separate us unto the Lord. We must go to the alter of the Lord and having laid our lives down their, allow our lives to be put to death in the baptism of the Lord.

God call’s us (those called by His Name) to be Holy even as He is Holy. The good news is that we can not do it on our own – the best news is where we fail, God Triumphs! All of our works can not achieve it, only thru Christ can we live a righteous and holy life. We must humble ourselves, having realized that we are completely incapable of pleasing a Holy & Righteous God – Yet through His Son we can! The Word say’s say that our works are but filthy rags in His sight – think of the dirtiest rag you have ever seen, then think of what you consider the best deed you’ve ever done – Now look back at that picture of the dirty rag – there you have the view of what your great deed looks like before the Lord!

God doesn’t accept just anything. Worship is the act of offering what God asks, with a heart of affection. Both Cain and King Saul experienced God’s rejection from the altar.

Neither men met the simple criteria of true worship, and were refused for it. God reveals the worship He enjoys in scripture, particularly the sacrificial law. May it be noted, Jesus satisfied all of the law’s sacrificial requirements, freeing us to worship our Father in spirit and in truth. Still, the sacrificial law recorded in scripture offers us precious revelation on true worship.

While the Old Testament prescribes all the outward acts of worship, it doubly reveals the inward spirit Father is looking for.

The matter is clear. The closer we draw to spirit-based worship, the farther we flee from human cleverness. He’s not looking for originality or invention, but authenticity and humility. I understand that creativity and authenticity are not mutually exclusive. Still, the essence of spirit-based worship is to depart from intellectual demonstration to enter into humble observation of His magnificence. Psalm 46:10 explains, “Be still, and know that I am God.” Loving the Lord our God with all our heart, soul and mind, requires a yielding of the intellect to matters of spirit.

Yet still, can we admit that what God wants, and what our fallen nature wants to give Him are two very different things? He doesn’t want what we want for Him. He wants what He wants. Period.

There is nothing artificial sweet about the cross of Christ, or the surrender of self-will to the sovereignty of God. The sweetness lies in the reward of sacrifice, which is the unabated fellowship of spirit to Spirit. We don’t need to sweeten the pot to gain the favor of God. Humble grains of obedience will do.

If the generation we live in is too see the beautiful reality of God’s Bride, we must come out from under religion, we must start walking in righteousness with holy lives through Christ Jesus our Lord. We must be willing to put to death every worldly desire, every worldly agenda and submit our lives to the Father in everything we do and say. For it is then that the world shall witness His Glory, shining forth through broken vessels.

Today we must live free of sin, no longer slaves to it’s power – that power which Jesus Christ broke – that power which is destroyed through the message of the cross, by the power of the Blood of the Lamb, shown forth in the testimony of our lives lived through Christ. For when we take the fullness of what our Lord did there and apply it through the revelation of Holy Ghost in Spiritual truth, it is then that it may be seen fully manifested in our lives.

Today is the day that we must surrender to the cross and sin no more!!!

For we who are called by His Name, do indeed serve an Awesome God!

IHS,
Russ Welch

UNIVERSAL RECIPROCITY

Posted: May 2, 2011 in disciples life, Kingdom Teaching, teaching, wilderness
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UNIVERSAL RECIPROCITY

Universal reciprocity can be viewed as The Universal Bank in Heaven. It is the only completely secure bank. All other banks can fail, but our deposits are secure in God’s bank. Just as a natural bank is a place where we deposit our money or treasures until we call for them, so the bank of heaven is a depository for our treasures until we call for them. The enemy would like for us to believe that we cannot make withdrawals from the bank of heaven now, that we must wait until we die and go to heaven to have any use of our account in heaven. That same enemy desires that we believe everything about heaven pertains to only the future, and not now. This would be like a bank forbidding us the use of our checking account. Yes, we are to lay up treasures in heaven, not on earth. But where does Scripture say that we must die and go to heaven to before we can access them?

We are being used of God in the business of ruling and reigning on earth with Him. We are God’s earthly managers bringing forth His will on earth as it is in heaven. God’s universal laws govern the working arrangement between God and His earthly managers (mankind). As good managers of God’s assets we are instructed to lay up treasures in heaven by faithfully and obediently managing our lives and all He has put into our hands. We are clearly instructed not to gather treasures on earth for ourselves.

Matthew 6:19-20: “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroy and where thieves do not break in and steal.”

Meeting needs of mankind and the world around us makes a deposit in our account in the universal bank in heaven. We are God’s possession and all that is in our hands belongs to Him. Our personal accounts in heaven are His riches reserved for us. When we have need, God supplies all our need according to His riches in glory.

Philippians 4:17: Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that abounds to your account.

Matthew 19:21: Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”

1 Peter 1:4: …to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you.

Phil 4:19: And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

SOWING AND REAPING

One of the major banking laws governing business activities of the “Universal Bank in Heaven” is the universal law of sowing and reaping. In the realm of physics, this law may be expressed as the law of cause and effect. Isaac Newton said, “For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.” In the realm of finance, one might refer to it as the law of investment and return. A preacher might express it as giving and receiving. The farmer would speak of planting and harvesting. In any case, the law always involves a costly sowing process. We must take what we have and plant it. We may desire to consume it, but we know there will be no harvest if we do not plant.

Psalm 126:5-6: Those who sow in tears shall reap in joy. He who continually goes forth weeping, bearing seed for sowing, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.

Galatians 6:7-l0: Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.

We will reap what we sow, if we do not lose heart. We must patiently wait and remain until harvest time. All sowing requires a period of natural growth before harvest. If we, for any reason, lose heart and leave or quit before the harvest time, we will miss the harvest. It may be wasted or another may gather the harvest we planted. Man does not decide when it is harvest time; the crop does. We must be available and ready to put in the sickle immediately when the harvest time comes.

No one can reap until someone has sown. To look for a harvest without sowing means that we are looking to receive from what someone else has sown. This is like borrowing and must be paid back. The account books will be balanced. To continue to borrow (seeking to reap without sowing) will put us further and further in debt and into the bondage of lack. It’s much the same as if we continued to borrow money from a natural bank, but made no payments. We are given an original inheritance in our account but if we never use it to do good, we make no deposits. Our inheritance will soon be gone and we will have nothing in the universal bank to draw upon.

We are to sow (doing good) to all, but especially to those of the household of faith. The more we can do to really meet the needs of God’s people and all mankind, the more we will reap. Helping to provide food for people by farming, processing, or distributing, is sowing. Using what we have to manufacture and distribute or otherwise provide clothing, clean water, adequate housing, transportation, medical services, and so on are forms of meeting needs. Mankind’s greatest need is to be rightly related to God. Preaching and teaching the Word of God, bringing forth the ministry of Jesus by the Holy Spirit to save, heal and deliver is a major area of meeting human needs. The more we do to establish systems or provide resources to accomplish these things, the more we will reap.

2 Corinthians 9:6-12: But this I say: “He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, have an abundance for every good work. As it is written: ‘He has dispersed abroad, He has given to the poor; His righteousness remains forever.’” Now may He who supplies seed to the sower, and bread for food, supply and multiply the seed you have sown and increase the fruits of your righteousness, while you are enriched in everything for all liberality, which causes thanksgiving through us to God. For the administration of this service not only supplies the needs of the saints, but also is abounding through many thanksgivings to God.

Hebrews 6:10: For God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward His name, in that you have ministered to the saints, and do minister.

Becoming Better Managers

Who can meet more needs for mankind, the skilled or the unskilled, the diligent or the slothful, those with Godly wisdom or the unwise, the one who cares for others or the one who cares only for himself, the one who receives wise counsel or the one who listens only to himself, the one who labors or the one who talks idly? The one who meets more needs is making more deposits and subsequently will reap more from the Universal Bank in Heaven.

It is not necessary that men know the good we do. The return does not depend on men. It depends on God and His accounting and reward system in Heaven. We will be rewarded openly for using that which we have to meet the needs of others in secret. Prayer and fasting makes a deposit in the Bank of Heaven. Anything that meets human need, especially the needs of the brethren, makes a deposit.

Matthew 6:1-4,6,17-18: “Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in Heaven. Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what you right hand is doing, that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly.” “But you when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.” “But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.”

Giving to a person or an organization that is meeting human needs makes a deposit. Investing in a company that is meeting human needs makes a deposit.

The amount of return is based on the net value produced. It costs something to maintain our life and any system of endeavor. The net product is what is left of the value we added after subtracting the value that we consumed or used.

There is positive and negative sowing. If we do good to one person but take away from another, the value we added to mankind is lessened by the amount of negative we sowed. If we go out to help the world but offend our own children, we may take away as much or more than we deposited. The net value added to mankind is our deposit in the Bank of Heaven. If we have not been giving to God by adding value to mankind but have been consuming all God has placed into our hands, we have been robbing God – robbing the bank of heaven.

Malachi 3:8-9: “Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, ‘In what way have we robbed You?’ “In tithes and offerings. You are cursed with a curse, for you have robbed Me, even this whole nation.”

Jesus said that when we give to the brethren, we give to Him. We give to God by giving to others. Our gift to an organization is a gift to God only if the organization is meeting people’s needs.

Malachi is a transitional book. It is the last book of the Old Testament and in part speaks into the New Testament. The tithe was God’s instruction in the old covenant law that does not transcend into the kingdom. In the new covenant we, and all that we have in our hands are God’s. We are to administer it according to His instruction. In the time of the old covenant, they did not have the indwelling Holy Spirit to guide and empower their lives. Basic laws and rules and the words of the prophets were the Israelites primary forms of direction. There was no potential for them to all become priests and kings as in the new covenant. Rather, God appointed some to be priests and sent prophets to anoint some as kings.

In the kingdom our lives are about giving and serving God by serving His people. We are to be hearing and obeying God’s desire and direction as to how and where we give or serve. In so doing, our treasures are stored in heaven to be drawn upon as needed to provide for meeting more needs in obedience to God’s direction through the Holy Spirit.

There is no room in the kingdom for greed and covetous practices such as have perverted the ways of people, including many Christians, in past centuries. Failure and depletion of available provision comes from the disobedience of keeping back for ourselves what God has given us to invest in meeting needs, which is the business of kingdom management.

Keep on Pursuing Love
It Will Never Fail,

Ron McGatlin

http://www.openheaven.com
basileia@earthlink.net

Teaching, Training And Disciplining in the Christian Community

Posted: May 1, 2011 in disciples life, Kingdom Teaching, teaching, wilderness
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Teaching, Training And Disciplining in the Christian Community – By Dr. David Ryser

The western model of teaching and training is based in value being placed upon the dissemination of information. Knowledge, and by implication wisdom, is defined as a collection of a body of information. Relationship between the teacher and student is considered unimportant or even irrelevant.

However, even those shaped by this system instinctively know its shortcoming by remembering our best (and most effective) teachers as those with whom we had the strongest/closest relationship. What we call teaching (or training or education) the culture of the Bible called reasoning (Acts 17:2; 17:17; 18:4; 19 8, 9 to reference a few instances). Teaching/training, biblically, is relational and interactive (Luke 2:46, 47) When a child comes home from school in the typical American household, he/she is asked “Did you learn anything at school today”? whereas the Jewish child is more likely to be asked “Did you ask any good questions at school today”?).

There are numerous examples in the scriptures of people being trained to carry out the call of God for their lives, and they point to the centrality of relational teaching/training. Two such examples come readily to mind. The first is the training of Joshua by Moses. Joshua was trained to take leadership of Israel for more than forty years, by being with Moses observing, assisting, and serving. The second is the relationship between Elijah and Elisha.

Elijah was commanded by God to anoint Elisha as his successor. Although no implicit command to train Elisha for his ministry is given, Elijah takes Elisha into his home for some 15 years as Elisha observes, assists, and serves Elijah as his servant. This method of training is particularly remarkable in this case because there existed, and had existed since the time of Samuel, several “schools of the prophets” (cf 2 Kings 2:1-5) throughout Israel?and Elijah?s successor came from none of these.

This relational teaching/training model continued to develop during the exile and intertestamental periods and was the basis for the rabbi-disciple relationship whereby the student would attach himself to a teacher not so much for the purpose of learning what the teacher knew as to become what the teacher was (Matthew 10:24, 25a; Luke 6:40). Jesus used this model as He chose 12 men to be with Him in ministry, intending to turn over His ministry to them upon His departure.

These were not mere followers, Jesus had over 500 of those (1 Corinthians 15:6), but men chosen to be with Him and learn by observing, assisting, and serving Him. Even within the group of 12, there were 3 whom Jesus was more intimate with and who were privileged to see and do more than the others and to relate with Jesus at a higher/deeper level.

This relational model continues through the remainder of the New Testament. Paul trains the younger members of his ministry team, Titus and Timothy being the most notable examples, though there were others as well (Colossians 4:7-14 as well as Aquila and Priscilla) – as they accompany him during the time of his ministry and observe, assist, and serve him. There are other examples; for example, Mark had two such relationships (with Barnabas and Peter) during his time of training for ministry.

And this model of teaching/training is not restricted solely to raising up ministries, but is also utilized in the raising up of disciples by more mature disciples (Romans 15:14; Colossians 3:16; Titus 2:3-5; Hebrews 3:13; 10:25; 1 Peter 5:5a) as the people of God speak into one another’s lives. Doing this effectively requires relationship, and the level of effectiveness is determined by the intimacy of the relationship.

To sum up, the biblical model of teaching/training can best be described by the word mentoring. This requires the mentor and those being mentored to be in relationship; which requires, among other things, those in this relationship to spend time together so as the student observes, assists, and serves the mentor, then questions and answers – and thus teaching/training takes place in context. This method should be in place at every level of Church life from Disciplining new converts to maturing believers and training leaders (even in a school of ministry) with the goal of instructing, enabling, empowering, utilizing, and releasing giftings and ministries. Just as Jesus attempted to duplicate Himself in His followers, a pattern perpetuated by His disciples, so the Church seeks to duplicate the character of Jesus (modeled by the mentor) and pass on passion for Him and a vision for establishing His kingdom to those being discipled.

Arise And Possess the Kingdom

Posted: April 27, 2011 in disciples life, Kingdom Teaching, Prophetic, teaching, wilderness
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If you are reading this, you are privileged to live in one of the most dynamic times of change upon this planet. The core of reality as has been practiced in the church is changing. In 1990 God spoke clearly to me, one of His nobodies, and said, “Church is over.” I replied, “What does this mean”. I quickly heard, “Church as you have known it is over”. Fifteen years ago that was an astonishing word to me and did get me into a heap of trouble when I dared to share it with a few others. I do remember being preached at from at least a few pulpits.

This word was preceded several years earlier by a life changing response to another question that I had asked God in 1985. I had simply asked, after beginning again to read the gospels, “God what does this word kingdom really mean? Why did Jesus speak of it so much?” I was quickly within an open heaven as God poured revelation of His Word into my astonished soul. Many of my religious views and formulas began to dissolve as truth became reality.

My grave concern of being the only person I knew who was hearing this (though there were others unknown to me) was soothed by an assurance that He was also giving this revelation of kingdom truth to others around the world and eventually it would “come up like grass in a field”. The resulting rejection by all religious organizations, friends, and family was most painful but there was no possible turning back from the revelation and call of God.

Today we are alive in a day when the gospel of the kingdom is being preached widely and the great transition of the church from the church emphasis age to the church of the kingdom emphasis age has begun. Many have seen and are moving into the experience of the reality of the manifest presence of God changing the people of God (the church) to change the world. Religious pomp and ceremony are, over time, being replaced by the reality of the joy, power and love of intimate relationship with God and with one another. The focus on “me” and “my needs” is becoming a focus on God and His desires. Our will is fading into His will. Our ways are beginning to transcend into His way.

We must fully awaken from the soul sleep of religion to the purposes of God to establish the kingdom of God as a practical reality; eventually ruling and reigning over all the earth. God has not sent angels or any other beings other than mankind to possess the kingdom of God. Only man is made in the image of God and today can be filled with the life of the Spirit of the resurrected Christ. Only man has the God-given place to rule and reign with Christ on earth.

Sons must arise from the limitations of fallacious doctrines of demons and traditions of men to the reality of Almighty God and His truth. All things are possible to him who believes. Believe false limitations and it is possible to limit the life of God in and through you. Believe the truth and it is possible to become as Christ in the world. The question is not whether you will believe or not. The question is “Whose report will you believe?”

The world is in great darkness. And sadly many people of God who are called by His name are in much darkness as well. Many leaders are stumbling in darkness even in the noon day of the light of God coming forth. Spiritual blindness will be broken as the people sitting in darkness see and begin to move toward the great light of the gospel of the kingdom manifesting in the holy humble servants of God filled with the power and love of the resurrected Christ. Christ living within them is beginning to possess that which was created for God and redeemed by Christ at the cross and now must be possessed by the life and power of the resurrected Christ living through mature sons of God.

It is not going to happen some other way. There is no plan B. Sons and daughters of the most High God fall on your face before Him. Let His manifest presence of ultimate fire burn everything from your life and refill you with only His life, His love, His ways, His power, and His wisdom – pass through the dark night of the soul of death and then ARISE IN HIS GLORY! ARISE IN HIS LIFE AS CHRIST IN THE WORLD. Speak carefully, speak only His words from His Spirit within. Speak with the authority of Christ. Destroy the works of the enemy. Instruct and bless your brothers and sisters.

Light come! Will of God be done! In the name of Jesus.

Pursue Love, It Never Fails,

Lots of Love,

Ron McGatlin

NATURAL SUPERNATURAL GROWTH

Posted: April 25, 2011 in disciples life, Kingdom Teaching, teaching, wilderness
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In the kingdom we cannot build a life, a business or a ministry. We cannot build the kingdom of God. Everything of the kingdom of God must grow from a seed from God through a supernatural natural growth process. We must receive good seed in good soil and let the earth grow it. Indeed, this is a great mystery.

We will become what we hear and believe in our hearts. “As you believe, so be it unto you.” “Your faith has made you well.” “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.” “With God all things are possible.” “As a man thinks in his heart, so is he.”

Again, natural things are often pictures that can be used to show us spiritual things. Consider the natural growth process of a stalk of wheat that begins with a dormant seed. The seed placed in good soil sprouts and soon grows roots below ground and a small green blade breaks through above ground. The green blade grows and becomes a stalk. Then, a head begins to form on top. Next, the grain begins to grow in the head. The mature seeds in the head are seeds like the one that was planted. The seeds left alone will dry and eventually fall upon the ground and begin the process over again except there are a multiplied number of seeds.

A seed (word, thought, vision) planted in our heart-soil becomes a belief as it sprouts. The belief becomes a conviction as it grows a blade. A conviction becomes our attitude as it grows a head. Our attitudes become our actions as the full grain in the head becomes seeds (words & actions) sown into the world to sprout and grow into the natural world.

This is the supernatural natural process of bringing the desires and plans of God from heaven into the natural world. By this process, spiritual seed/word/vision from heaven becomes natural reality in the world. Through this growth process the world can be changed to become as it is in heaven.

Mark 4:26-32: And He said, “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground, and should sleep by night and rise by day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he himself does not know how. For the earth yields crops by itself: first the blade, then the head, after that the full grain in the head. But when the grain ripens, immediately he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.”

And He said, “To what shall we liken the kingdom of God? Or with what parable shall we picture it? It is like a mustard seed which, when it is sown on the ground, is smaller than all the seeds on earth; but when it is sown, it grows up and becomes greater than all herbs, and shoots out large branches, so that the birds of the air can nest under its shade.”

1 Corinthians 3:6: I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase.

Psalm 127:1-2: Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it; unless the Lord guards the city, the watchman stays awake in vain. It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows; for so He gives His beloved sleep.

The heart of man is God’s spiritual/natural interface. Spirit God and physical earth meet in the heart of man. Two realms meet heaven and earth connect in the heart of man.

The pure heart of man is like a fruitful garden. It receives spiritual seed from God and grows it into the natural world. (The earth yields crops by itself.)

The soil must be moistened and protected by the life giving brooding of the Holy Spirit.

The pure heart of man is God’s production center on earth that fills the world with God’s plan and rule. Only the pure heart of man is the wife of God capable of intimately relating to Him, receiving seed from Him and giving birth to God’s plan and rule into the earth. If we love God and intimately relate to Him, we will receive His seed and become pregnant with God’s plan. If, however, we love another god, its seeds will be planted in us.

Things in the world are changed through the process of the seed and natural growth. We cannot change our character and actions by trying hard. Trying to stop doing something we want to do, or trying to start doing something we do not want to do will not make permanent changes. We must change what we hear, what we think and what we believe. We must receive new seed that will grow and change who we are and what we want to do.

Luke 8:15: But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience (endurance).

Patience is required to reap a harvest. There is a space of time between the planting and the production. Our part is to patiently wait for the harvest and to care for the soil and the growing seedling or plant. There is nothing we can do to make the seed have life. God puts the life into the seed, and He causes it to sprout and grow. We can and must, however, provide the proper atmosphere, nutrients and care for the seed to grow to fruition.

This means holding on to the idea or vision even when we cannot see anything with our natural eye that indicates the idea is growing. The larger the idea or vision the longer the gestation period. A large work like a large animal or plant takes a much longer time. A chicken is birthed in only three weeks and is fully-grown in about twelve weeks. A human baby is birthed in nine months and takes about twenty years to be reach maturity. You can grow a radish in the garden in a few weeks; an oak tree will take many years. The vision may be lost if we abandon it. Many worthy works planted by God in the hearts of men have failed to come to fruition because they were prematurely abandoned. If a brood hen sitting on eggs leaves the nest even one day too soon, all the chicks in the eggs will be lost.

The seed planted in the soil dies and is reborn a living plant. This eliminates any potential of human effort adulterating the pure supernatural natural growth process. The temptation is to abandon God’s plan during the time of the death and rebirth transformation.

John 12:24: “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain.

Just as a natural gardener works to care for the soil keeping it loosened so that it does not become too hard for the seed to grow, we must keep our heart-soil tender by forgiving and receiving healing for all offenses that can press down and harden our heart. The soil must be kept moist and the temperature in the proper range by the presence of the Holy Spirit. We must keep the weeds of useless words (bad seeds) out of our soil. Useless, negative words or thoughts will grow weeds that rob nutrients from the good seed and prevent them from growing properly.

We must not only allow time for growth, we must also allow space. Seeds that are going to produce a large plant will require more space in the soil of our heart. Planting too many seeds in too small a space will cause them to grow improperly and bear little or no fruit. After the plants are up and growing, it may be necessary to remove some of them in order that there will be adequate space for growth. With some plants, it will be necessary to prune or trim the limbs to provide space on the plant for good fruit to grow.

Keeping the weeds out means taking every thought captive. We must remove the thoughts that would hinder the growth of the growing vision. Negative thoughts of doubt, worry, and fear will choke the vision. The enemy of the vision will always attempt to plant the seed that “you cannot do it”, or “you are just not capable enough to do whatever God has said.” He is exactly right. We cannot do it. We are not supposed to be able to do it. God does it! We must hear, believe, and obey what God tells us to do next. The earth brings forth the crop by itself.

Thinning the plants means that we may need to lay down some really good ideas in order to concentrate on the more important vision. Our heart-soil just is not big enough and enriched enough to bring forth all the good ideas in the world at one time. If there are too many ideas or visions in one heart, none of them will grow well.

Trimming and pruning branches means cutting off excessive or wild growth of the vision. Too many branches on a fruit tree may cause the fruit to be small and may cause disease because sunlight cannot enter. Branches that are too long or improperly shaped may break when the fruit nears maturity. We may need to limit parts of the idea or vision as it grows.

We are the manager of our garden. What we choose to hear and believe, what and how we think, are the seeds that will produce our life and affect change in the world. Bad thinking always produces bad life. Quality thinking always produces quality life. The difference between the man who tries hard but always accomplishes little in the kingdom and the man who is of much valuable service is what each hears and believes. In other words, how they manage their gardens.

All the seemingly unrelated negative events that consistently happen to the unproductive man are the product of bad seeds growing to fruition. All the seemingly unrelated doors of opportunity and blessings that consistently come to the productive man are the results of good seeds. Nothing happens until somebody believes something.

Remember “the earth yields crops by itself.” We cannot make growth, but we must care for the soil, thin and trim the plants, protect the seedling from a hostile environment and predators, pull the weeds, shoo off the birds, and above all, keep the soil moist with the presence of the Holy Spirit through prayer. Communing with God in prayer and meditating the word (thought, vision, seed) in the Holy Spirit is the process by which the natural growth and eventual harvest will come.

Prayer and meditation is speaking to and hearing God. Speaking to and hearing God does not only involve audible words. Communing with God also involves speaking and hearing by pictures and feelings. It is seeing and feeling what God is saying as well as praying visions and feelings to Him.

Prayer and meditation is experiencing in the spiritual realm what God desires to bring into the natural realm.

To intimately commune with God, one must come to a place of inner quiet where the thoughts and distractions of the world can be silenced. Close your eyes, quiet your soul, and seek to enter into the presence of the Father. Ask God what He wants to do with your life and wait quietly before Him. When you have a clear word, a vision from God, meditate it in your spiritual mind. Look at it. Understand it. Get to know it. See it happening. Feel how it feels. Then pray the vision back to God. With the vision in your spirit, go to Him and ask Him to give you the vision He has shown you. Daily continue praying this way. You will find that the vision will change some. It will become more detailed with a little more of this and a little less of that as God continues to clarify the vision in you.

You are now pregnant with the word from God. The vision is now alive within you. Allow yourself to become excited as you feel the first movements of the living vision within you. Original creation is beginning to be reshaped as the vision in the spiritual realm begins to impact the physical realm. All over the world things may begin to move or adjust in order to set the stage to bring about the vision that God has placed in your heart as a seed.

Next, begin to speak the vision out loud into the earth. Share it with those who can hear. Let your passion for the vision come forth as you speak it to others as God directs. You may need to begin writing it down or sketching it out on paper. Don’t be alarmed if the vision is a thousand times greater than you think possible. Remember it is God’s baby; He will bring it to birth.

Be faithful to pray the vision and be ready to take whatever next step the Lord shows you. Wait and watch for the opportunities and circumstances that in time will appear before you to birth the vision.

GOD’S PRODUCTION

Man is made in the image of God to have dominion in the earth. God blessed man to be fruitful and multiply, to fill the earth and subdue it and to have dominion. It is God’s desire that the earth be ruled according to His heavenly plan and pattern. Man has the potential to grow the seed of God, or the seed of the enemy. Only man has the God-given position to rule in the earth. Only man has the potent heart-soil that is the interface between the spiritual realm and the natural realm.

Genesis 1:27-28: So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

After our hearts are seeded with the plan of God, we then become seeds sown into the world to bear fruit–to bring forth the plan of God on earth.

We are at the end of this age. The good news of the kingdom is being preached; the rule of God is coming forth on earth; and pure hearted sons of God are bringing forth the plan of God on our planet now. The sons of the wicked are being removed from the kingdom of God and cast into fire. They will repent and be purified or continue in the fiery judgment of God. Then, the pure hearted sons of God, bearing His plan, will shine forth on Planet Earth.

Matthew 13:24-30, 37-43: Another parable He put forth to them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way. But when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares also appeared. So the servants of the owner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?’

“He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The servants said to him, ‘Do you want us then to go gather them up?’ But he said, ‘No, lest while you gather up the tares, you also uproot the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.”’”

He (Jesus) answered and said to them: “He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked one. The enemy who sowed them is the devil, the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels.

“Therefore as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of this age. The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”

The first soil is the heart of man in which the seed of God’s plan is sown. The second soil is the field of the world into which we are sown to produce God’s plan, which was sown into our heart. The field of the world is also sown with those who have had their hearts sown with a different, conflicting unfruitful seed.

We are to keep the tares (weeds) from growing in our heart-soil. However, the scene has changed in this parable. We are no longer looking at the soil of our heart but at the soil of the world. God, by his angels, will remove the tares from the world. They are allowed to grow together for a season. The tare is a plant in the kingdom that does not produce good fruit.

Thank God for the purifying fire we are coming through. Our hearts are being cleansed and healed to become good soil that will receive good seed and become fruitful producers in the kingdom of God.

We cannot change our lives by changing our actions. We must clear the land of our heart and plant the word (plan) of God. We must change what we hear and what we think. This will change our attitudes and actions, which will change our lives and destiny.

In the kingdom, we are not controlled by our circumstances. Christ living within us by the Holy Spirit is in control.

Jesus experienced the fullness of creative power from heaven flowing through Him. Few people if any since then, have fully experienced the creative power of the kingdom of heaven flowing through their lives into the world. Those who have come close have produced significant accomplishments with God.

Someone once said, “The man with an experience is never at the mercy of a man with an argument.” My own experience parallels that of every other man who has heard and employed this mystery. It is not possible to share with you the miraculous, overcoming experiences of my 75+ years of which over 55 years were spent seeking to serve the Lord. They would become other books of many pages. In this work, I have sought to provide the reader with the foundational core of truth and wisdom resulting from my experiencing God and His word. For illustration’s sake, let us take a brief peek at a small window of experience. By no means will we set the stage or give the background or complete story. We will only take a window peek for illustration.

In the late 1960s, after beginning to hear the mystery of “as you believe, so be it unto you,” I began to prosper and to be used in giving. Through a series of changes, I had left my first miraculously prosperous job experience to manage a very small, industrial instrument sales company. Everything about the small company was minimal and poor. There were two employees. One was a middle-aged, Native American lady who wore the same pillow-tick, sack dress most everyday, ate a whole onion for lunch each day, and had a teenage son who slept in a coffin. The other employee was a young, alcoholic man who had the top of his left ear bitten off in a bar fight. The previous owner/manager smoked cigars and spit on the floor. Total sales for the first month were about $11,000 at about 20% gross profit. That is about $2,200 before wages and overhead, which left nothing for me.

There was no doubt, however, that God had put me there for a purpose. At this season, my life was to be dedicated to giving money for the work of God in the world. God made it clear to me that this was what He desired to do with this business endeavor. As I prayed, God began to give me visions of how the place and the business could be cleaned up and rearranged. I would see the changes in my heart by the spirit. Later, I could see that what I had seen in the spirit, had come to pass and was functioning in the business.

I would ask God, “What do You want to do in sales this year?” I was usually shocked as He revealed to me an amount that seemed, to my mind, far too great for the business to accomplish. Yet, I had come to believe that God could do what He said. Therefore, I would take a piece of paper and draw a graph representing the increase God had said. At this point, I had no idea how this tremendous increase could occur. As I prayed, I would take that line on the graph to God and ask Him to give me that. I would meditate before Him the vision of that increase coming to pass. I let myself feel what it was like to actually experience the increase happening.

After only a few months, the Lord gave me the little company. I purchased it on time payments without any money. Suddenly, for the first time, I found myself totally responsible for a business and God began to reveal the vast unlimited potential of the situation. The whole world was a potential marketplace. All the products of the world were potential goods to be marketed. There was no one over me to say it could not be done. The only limitation was what God said, and what I believed.

I am convinced that most men have never really touched the potential of their lives. Most of us experience only the smallest fraction of what God would like to do with us. We have been so planted and trained with the limitations of natural thinking and dependency upon our natural selves that we have rarely touched the vast, unlimited, spiritual realm of ruling and reigning with God. God will do anything in and with our lives that He says and we believe.

As I continued to pray and meditate the vision before Him, God would give me creative ideas and specific instructions for the next step. One example of these ideas was the printing of a catalog. No distributor of industrial temperature and pressure instruments had ever printed their own catalog. All the distributors used the manufacturers’ printed material. We printed our own stock catalog, listing and describing all of the particular items that we carried in local inventory. We did all the photography, typesetting, and layout ourselves in our small office. It was a new experience; none of us had any experience in such procedures. There were some, who worked on the little, blue catalog, that were so proud of it that they did not want to give them away to customers! The idea worked and grew. The next catalog was the size of a telephone book and brought together a product mix that could not be had anywhere else.

Soon the Lord directed other divisions of the corporation and expansion into branch operations over the southwest United States market area that we served. We were among the first in our field to use toll-free, long distance (800) telephone service for incoming sales calls across the nation. In only three years, God’s little company had become a multi-million dollar corporation. We sought to employ only maturing Christians. Some actually got saved in the employment interview and went on to spend much of their working life serving the Lord in the company. Not only were significant amounts of money flowing through me personally into the work of God; but also, many of the employees regularly gave to churches and other ministries. Many were very thankful to have a place to work where Christian values and morals were the norm.

I was never qualified to do this work. I had only a high school and some Bible college education. My work experience had been mostly in route sales, selling milk or bread on a commission basis. I had worked exceptionally hard to earn commissions to provide for my five children. There was nothing in my background that said I could do this thing. But God said it and I believed it.

It takes courage to hear God and obey what He says. I can recall occasions when God would tell me something to do. Sometimes it did not seem to make much sense according to the facts, as we knew them at the time. It was even more difficult for some of my business associates to accept some of the actions. Later, some of them came to me and said something like, “How did you know these things were going to happen?” The seemingly unreasonable actions we had taken earlier all made perfect sense as new developments occurred; and, we were sitting in exactly the right place at the right time to benefit. I would simply reply, “I didn’t know. I was just obeying God.”

Everything God does in the kingdom begins as a seed planted in the heart of man and grows into the world through the natural supernatural growth process. The work of the kingdom of God on earth can be hindered by unbelief and doubt. The work of the kingdom cannot be stopped if the seed of God is planted in an obedient heart of faith and trust in God.

Intimately relating to God and faithfully serving Him in the world allows us to see and hear His plan in heaven by the Spirit and plants it in our hearts. The God-given enthusiasm for the plan causes us to begin to speak it forth into the world; and, eventually to see it come forth into the natural world by supernatural natural growth. This is the creative process of God that will bring forth the will of God on earth as it is in heaven.

Keep on Pursuing Love

It Will Never Fail,

Ron McGatlin

http://www.openheaven.com

basileia@earthlink.net

A Matter of Life or Death – By Ron McGatlin

Posted: April 24, 2011 in disciples life, Kingdom Teaching, Prophetic, teaching, wilderness
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From where we stand today on the brink of great changes of eternal proportion, life or death is before us. The Fire of God has come near the earth and the heavens are opening. Spiritual blindness is being removed. Captives are being set free from the bondage’s of carnality. The power of God is changing death to life. Those who were deceived by the cunning of religion are coming to truth. The power of true worship is being felt across the world.

The light of God is penetrating the darkness of hearts. Love is replacing bitterness in broken lives as pride is dissolved by the deep love of the Father flowing through Christ in a new people – a people who love God above all else and openly seek Him with their whole hearts. The Spirit that raised Christ from the dead is raising up a generation of “Christ in you” people who walk in holiness and love that overcomes the work of the enemy.

The world is in position to receive the greatest blessings every poured out – the very life and presence of God within and among His people on earth. This is a great gift to the world. But to whom much is given much is required. Because God is coming forth on earth excuses are disappearing. There will be no place to hide and the earth shall be purified through unrelenting loving judgment.

Multitudes are entering the valley – “the valley of decision”. As the “Christ in you” people manifest the reality of God in man everyone will be able to view true holiness, purity, and love without hypocrisy. They will know that God is real and must decide to give their lives to Him or face the judgment of self condemnation – the terrible judgment of love. Death will become very common and a daily reality for multitudes who reject the love of the Father. The standard of Christ will be lifted up through the Holy Spirit forming Christ in His people.

The new called out ones will not gather under the banner of religion nor any other manmade or demonic authority but only the real authority of Christ and under His banner of love. Gatherings of the “Christ in you” people will meet in homes, business places, parks, churches or wherever. These will be highly committed and submitted people who will follow the voice of their true shepherd and will not follow another. Christ from the throne will come in glory by the Holy Spirit to meet with His people and His glory shall fill the earth. The government of gifted elders (mature ones) will follow only the Spirit and will bring forth the feeding of the immature ones as they grow.

It is a very deadly mistake to hold on to the past when God is severely changing things.

Ron McGatlin

Living life radically for Christ..

Posted: April 23, 2011 in disciples life, Kingdom Teaching, teaching, wilderness
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There is an awesome revolutionary shift going on in today’s church. It seems there is a wave of God’s people who are being shaped and molded to be something radically different than that of the typical known church. These radical followers of Jesus are no longer settling with large buildings, extravagant stage performances, theological arguments, fancy ministry shows, lofty programs and plush chairs. They are not interested in staying comfortable but looking for a change that will promote the heart and message of Jesus. They are a people seeking something greater than themselves. These people have been refined and are still being refined to better understand the things that matter most to God.

Now, when I stop and read I have just wrote above, I feel like it might somehow express my feelings that there is a “select” group of God’s people. An “elect” group. This is not at all what I am suggesting! I know God has plans for all of His people and His plans are for good (Jeremiah 29:11). I am only making a point that there seems to be many that are speaking, acting and responding more boldly to the call of Jesus. It could be you – I just think it’s a neat thing that there are people out there that will attempt to follow Jesus at all cost.

After studying the bible, actively participating in serving others, growing in love for others and then reading several chapters in David Platt’s book, “Radical”, I am even more curious what God is up to. In my mind, He is developing His Radical Church, which I define as those who are wholeheartedly after Jesus’s heart. Having a heart like Jesus requires one to receive and accept His love, “Let Him Love You!” It is hard for many to receive the real, unconditional, no-strings-attached king of love. Upon receiving this love for Jesus to overflowing, it allows a person the ability to go out into the world and spill love onto other people. I don’t believe anyone that has not felt and accepted this kind of love can truly love the way Jesus loved back.

We need to be honest here in the fact that a truly radical “Christian” (meaning, “follower of Jesus”) would be one who would be willing to lay down his/her life for someone else’s in order that they would be saved. It may be one that would sell all of their possessions to the poor then travel to the remote places in the world to share the message of Christ through exemplifying love and kindness to those in need. The radical Christian might be one that would leave his/her family to proclaim the gospel. It’s a person that is completely sold out to Jesus.

Sound impossible? Sound scary? Sound radical? To some more than likely. Sadly via a watered down, super sensational hyped up gospel message others came to the alter driven out out selfishness not wanting to go to hell. Yet praise God thru the gospel message delivered in truth we find that others came to the alter out of a deep admittance that they whole heartedly need God. I must admit that I was part of the first group for years. Lived any ole way I pleased believing I had a get out hell free card.

Praise God for faithful servants who deliver the true message of freedom. For today I have come to that place of surrender, abandoned in in His Love and with some others, here lately, I don’t see any other way of living. It’s more scary to me if I don’t follow Jesus. I seem to always mess things up! There is an urgency in my soul that doesn’t rest that beckons me to reach people for the sake of the kingdom. I know it’s not about me. God doesn’t need me. But, He wants me. He wants me to have the blessing of being a part of His work. So how far do I go?

I need to stop for a moment before I go on any further, I must admit that I am not without fault. I am a “sinner” -(meaning I have done many wrong, careless and hurtful things). My life has in no way exemplified the word perfect. I have failed God on many occasions. I have disappointed my family and I have disappointed my friends. In my thirties, however, God got hold of me. Without going in to all the details, He changed me. I made a decision to do something different that I had been doing since nothing that I was doing was working – at all. I took baby steps at first. With each step closer to Jesus, I only wanted more of Him. I was hungry for more and more. And today, I still hunger and thirst for more of Jesus. I am trying to be today what one might call a ”radical” follower of Jesus.

It is by the grace of my Lord Jesus Christ through faith I was saved. It was because He chose me, not because of something that I did. I cannot offer good works and work myself into a saving place with Jesus. ”For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, that no one should boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9)

The Radical Christian: believer’s who are serious about following Jesus. It is a group of common people, who come from a wide variety of back grounds, many have nothing in common except their love for Jesus, a group of believers who are more concerned about accomplishing the things that matter most to God and not feasting on their own selfish desires. It’s not radical in a sense of weird, but radical in the sense of putting forth one’s ALL in order to express the love of Christ to save the lost and to glorify God. I love radically because He first loved me.

I challenge you today to begin living a radical life of love for your family, friends and neighbors. I can almost guarantee you that as you take this step forward, all hell is about to break loose in your life, but be of good cheer for you are not alone. You will see Jesus come into your life in such a powerful way, His Love will weight you down under its glorious power. You will face many trials, yet rejoice for the Master is walking with you – showing you the steps that He too took to pour out His love and show the world the Fathers love.

When you make this step you will find a refreshing breath of grace flowing into your life like you’ve never experienced before, and a peace that words can not describe. Jesus said we must weight the cost – I have friends and there is nothing that even begins to compare to a life radically sold out to Jesus, of being radically in love with my Lord – Holy Spirit has been drawing me into a deeper understanding of a life of radical servant-hood that I might be crushed and pressed until all that is left in my life is the radical image of the Son of God!

For indeed we serve a radically awesome God!

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