Romancing the Stone Tablets

My last post, *Grace Alone (but don’t go crazy with it)*, touched on the fleshly component that accompanies the fresh revelation of Grace that Christ is breathing into the Church in these last days.  It is different than the disclaimer of old that warned against misconstruing Grace as a license to sin, but it comes from an unspoken fear that Grace alone will not produce holiness.   It is the message that God’s Grace is free, it is unmerited, but it does not free us from “obeying” (or trying to follow) the imperatives in the Bible, and the new buzz-phrase for this “there is still something you must do concept” is *Grace Driven Effort*.

Adding a “but” to Grace is not new, Paul himself dealt with it often, and in reality it is as deceptive and destructive in the body as the deceit of sin is outside the body.  The truth is, religious rule keeping and grace driven effort are not different, and the result will be the same.  The focus is still on the keeping of rules.  Somehow we have determined that since we have detached the earning of salvation from the rule keeping, we are free to strive away to achieve holiness, but now it is a grace driven striving.  If grace is driving a thing, the point at which fleshly effort begins is the point where grace stops.  Having begun in the Spirit are you now made perfect by the flesh? (Gal 3:3) Yes Paul is speaking of our righteousness, but can the flesh perfect or acheive anything lasting in its own power?   (Paul mentions 2 ways we are to labor, hard physical labor, completely abandoned to the Holy Spirit’s leading; and laboring to rest in Christ’s finished work, which is a continual refusal to trust in our flesh) 

The bible makes it clear we are to put NO confidence in the flesh, and neither the law nor imperatives, no matter how you slice it have ever produced holiness.  Romans 7: 2-5 explains the difference between the fruit produced by the letter of the Law (our dead husband) and the fruit produced by the law of the Spirit (our new husband who is very much alive).  Any union between our flesh and Mr. Letter-of-the Law, will result in miscarriage, premature birth and stillborn children, fruit unto death.(vs. 5)  Conversely, children that come from the union between our spirit and Mr. Spirit-of-Life, will be healthy children that have been carried full term and will live a long healthy life, the fruit of the Spirit.   Why do we continue to produce stillborn children with our dead husband?  Why do we continue to try and temper the freedom we have in Christ, what are we afraid of?

The problem is, those wielding the message are more confident in the arm of the flesh to lose control, than they are the spirit of Grace to restrain.  If we truly believe that right believing produces right behaving, why the big ‘ol BUT?  Let’s look at the fruit produced quite effortlessly by our flesh before we were saved.  Was there a book of imperatives that we all followed that taught us how to sin?  Romans 6:19-22 says that unrighteous deeds were produced by our flesh when we naturally obeyed unrighteousness; because we were FREE from righteousness!  We were simply lending our members to unrighteousness, and our flesh followed suit.  In fact, we often had to restrain our flesh physically so it would behave seemly for a time.  So why, now that we have been MADE righteous, and are simply asked to lend our members to righteousness and allow them to obey righteousness, do we believe there must be some effort involved.  Just as when we obeyed unrighteousness simply because we yielded to the thing that drove us, we WILL obey righteousness by simply yielding to the thing that drives our members now…RIGHTEOUSNESS!  Vs. 21 says that unrighteousness produced a fruit in us to our shame, and vs. 22 says that now we HAVE our fruit unto holiness that is produced in us because we ARE free from sin. 

There is no grace driven effort on our part, we do not need to jump start the process or prime the pump in order for God to keep it going.  He has MADE us righteous, we are called to believe what He says about Himself and about us, and then we WILL behave what we believe.  The power of God’s grace will always trump the power that sin had in our lives.  He knows grace is what restrains and empowers us in the time of greatest weakness, and so where sin abounds, His GRACE SUPERABOUNDS!

Grace Alone (but don't go crazy with it)

By now you may have heard, you may even be part of what many in the church are calling the “Gospel centered”, or “Christ centered” movement.  God is definitely on the move, and His message is always and has always been, His Son.  God has never spoken in secret, keeping His plans from His own; His desire has always been that His chosen ones would have a part in spreading the wonder of Him to a lost world. As God’s plan unfolds He is constantly revealing more and more of His agenda and His Son, to us His children, who make up His Church. In Hebrews 1:2 God tells us that in these last days He has spoken to us through His Son.  It is the mystery given to Paul, God’s plan to redeem humanity, Christ in us, beseeching the world through us, that is constantly unfolding and expanding till it comes to full manifestation at His return!  So at every turn, man has given some label to the fresh revelation uncovered for us by the Holy Spirit, as if to take ownership of it or credit somehow for its discovery. 

Part of the irony, to me, is, if this new movement is centered on Christ and His too good to be true message of salvation (which is a complete work as we have discussed in previous posts, not just a get out of hell free card) what in the WORLD were we centered on before?  But all that aside, let me present the real reason for this post.  I want to do a little autopsy on the term, discipleship. I say autopsy because the word disciple was never seen again after Acts 21:16, so to dissect it we must first exhume it.  The definition for the Greek word mathetes is a learner, pupil, disciple.  The teachings of one are passed by word of mouth, one to another.  Now at this point there are many directions we could go, we could discuss the difference between a disciple and an apostle; we could talk about the fact that the 12 apostles were directed to carry a different message to a different people group than was the Apostle Paul, and on and on.  But the focus of this post is what WE are called to.  Are we disciples? And are we instructed to go make disciples? 

Keep in mind that Paul was not taught by any man, the revelation of Christ was imparted to Paul supernaturally by the Spirit of God.  Today we are not merely adherents to the teachings of Jesus, the very Spirit of the risen Christ is imparted to us when we receive and believe His Word.  Colossians 3 says we have put on the new man which is already perfected in the knowledge of Christ.  John 14, I John 2, Romans 8, tells us that the Holy Spirit instructs our Spirit man inwardly and the Word renews (Rom 12) our mind so that we will begin to see our flesh line up with the truth of who we have become in Christ.  Paul, the Apostle that God entrusted with His message to us, never said go make disciples of all nations.   He said God is beseeching the world through us “Be Ye Reconciled to God!”   Through us, because God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself through Christ and Christ is now alive in us.  The mandate of the Gospel through Paul is not to merely be a “follower” of Christ and His teachings, the Greek word mimetes is poorly translated follower (I Cor 4:16, 11:1, Eph 5:1, Phil 3:17) and is actually the word mimic in the English.   We will be mimickers of Paul, just as he is a mimicker of Christ because The Living Word which has the power to save the world and to transform the lost into sons and daughters of God resides in us, ready to be unleashed as the Holy Spirit utters these words of life through us.   Those who receive this power are not merely disciples, they become new creatures! Partakers of the Divine nature of Christ!  

The concept of making disciples falls short of the original intent of the Gospel of God.  It also carries with it a fleshly component that ministers of the gospel seem unwilling to completely let go of.

There is an awakening to the unmerited Grace of God, but alongside there is a disclaimer that says we must temper the freedom we have in Christ with an explanation of what freedom is NOT, or all hell will break loose and grace will be the culprit.  If too much grace is to blame for licentiousness, then what a cruel tactic that grace should super abound where sin abounds.   Man, stop trusting in your ability to restrain the people and trust the power in the Grace of God.  Only when grace is PURE will it produce the fruit of righteousness that comes from an unfettered gospel. 

There is much more to be said here.  But for now let me close with this.  Whoever we may be, believer, Pastor, Evangelist, Youth leader, we do not drive the message, the message drives us.  We do not shape the message, the message shapes us.  Let’s keep a right perspective, and maybe not take ourselves so seriously.  We need only rest in the One who embodies the message, and His ability to accomplish all that He intended for His word to accomplish.  

That's My Story and I'm Sticking to It

We talk a lot about the fact that God operates according to principals that He has instituted, to counteract the principals of the corrupt system that Satan instituted.  Hopefully it is bringing clarity to your purpose as a believer and the how to of walking it out.  Knowing we not only have a role individually in God’s plan but we are part of His corporate plan “the Church” to carry out His will on the earth, keeps us focused on truth and our mission, and keeps us from getting bogged down in the world.

America has strayed far from the model that I believe was God inspired.  But God’s original intent was for the branches of government and the judicial system to mirror God’s justice system and how we are to operate here as representatives of the kingdom of God.  Isaiah 33:22 gives us some insight, it says “The Lord is our Judge, the Lord is our Lawgiver, the Lord is our King, He will save us.  (The 3 branches of U.S. government, Judicial, Legislative, Executive) 

So here is what that looks like practically.  In the court system, you have the Judge who arbitrates and decides matters, the prosecuting attorney who brings accusation of your crime, the defense attorney who is your advocate, witnesses for the accuser and witnesses for the defense who speak on your behalf.  Then often there is a jury of 12 who hears and weighs the testimony to make a determination for or against the defendant.  The whole process is called a trial.  (Hopefully you can already see where this is going)

So let’s say the believer is faced with an accusation.  Let’s say we find ourselves in the midst of sin, or we receive a diagnosis of illness or a bad report in our life. (i.e. Job loss, whatever) That would be equivalent to being arrested by the police.  At that point most people know the rule of thumb is, “don’t talk to anyone, don’t admit anything, don’t say one word till your attorney is present".  These instructions will serve us well when dealing with one of the above situations.  When “catastrophe” strikes, we should guard our mouths and not let one admission of defeat or guilt come out of our mouth.  We should run to God’s word to find wisdom for the moment.  After one’s attorney (Christ is our advocate) arrives they talk privately with their client and develop a strategy to prove the client's innocence.

Now I want to stop here and make sure we are of one mindset before I go on because this is key.  If you have trusted in Christ as your substitute for your sin, YOU ARE INNOCENT.  No matter what the crime, even if you committed it, YOU ARE INNOCENT.  The believer is declared NOT guilty the moment he trusts in Christ to save Him.  That innocence can never be revoked!  GOT IT?  Ok, so throughout this whole trial, no matter who is deposing you (who is listening to your testimony) your testimony never changes, you are innocent.  Whether it’s some behavior, or sickness, or whatever the trial, your accuser is waiting to hear you break down on the witness stand and admit that you deserve this, you brought this on, and God is not going to deliver you.  But God’s Word says; Hold fast your confession of faith! (Heb 10:23)  What is our confession?  "I am the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus, I am innocent"! That is your story, you are sticking to it, and don’t ever let it change! 

Now the devil is our accuser (the prosecuting attorney) and his job is to wear us down till we admit guilt.  Once we admit guilt, we allow unbelief in Christ’s accomplishment to set in.  We begin to look at our behavior, our weakness, and we wrongly accept the accusations that are thrown at us.  When that doubt and condemnation comes at you, see the devil grilling you on the witness stand.  Go to the Word and find the promises that belong to you, that are proof of who you are and proof that God has promised to deliver you from EVERY affliction.  That is the testimony that your attorney has instructed you to give, those are the pat answers that you cling to  no matter what the devil throws at you.  No matter what evidence you see that attorney pull out of his hat, no matter how surprised you are at what he has found out, your story does not change! 

Now in any trial there are witnesses that speak on our behalf to help bolster our case.  The Holy Spirit is our witness.  The Bible says that He testifies that we are sons and daughters of God.  (Rom 8:16)  That testimony alone makes it an open and shut case.  The Holy Spirit is the expert, surprise witness that the prosecutor cannot refute.  All the evidence was piling up, but at the last minute, this witness tore it all to shreds.  Maybe you have been given a report from the doctor and you see evidence that agrees with what he is telling you.  Maybe you have a wayward child and all the evidence says they will never change.  Maybe you are days away from losing your house, or car or just lost your job.  Is your marriage hopeless, are you already divorced and you can’t imagine any miracle being able to fix the horrible mess?  Hold fast to your confession, don’t change your story, don’t break down on the witness stand.  That expert witness is on His way, don’t you dare throw in the towel! 

Case Dismissed

Dear believer I pray that this Easter is unlike any other for you.  I pray that you are receiving such a revelation of Christ within you that Resurrection Sunday will burst forth on the inside of you every single day.  My heart aches for those who have come to believe that Jesus died so they could pray a prayer to go to Heaven, try not to sin anymore because it makes Jesus sad, read their bible and go to church more because it makes Jesus happy, smile more, hold the door for others, try to love others and not say any 4 letter words.  The transaction that took place at the cross is so amazing, so much more than that, not only did Christ save our life, but He saved us to have life!  To fulfill the amazing purpose that He created us for, to restore us to our original value. 

Have you ever lost something so valuable and you would give anything, pay any price to have it back?  God did.  He sewed His very likeness into us when He knit us together, lovingly carefully; He crowned us with His own glory.  He marveled over His creation, danced over him, loved him, related to him and thoroughly enjoyed him.  In the fall man was handed a lie and was forced to put it on and walk in it.  Christ came and offered His life to redeem us; He bought us back, removed the lie from our backs and filled us with His very being.  In that exchange I became someone else.  I am no longer who I was.  That lie, that imposter, died the instant I recognized the truth of who I was always meant to be in Christ.  And at the same instant that lie died, the truth of my original intent came to life. II Corinthians 5:17-21 is the CRUX of it ALL.  The old me has been replaced with the Spirit of the risen Christ, He is exploding on the inside of me with life.  My death, behind me, I have stepped into eternal life, never to die again.  He stepped into my crucified flesh and gave it new life; there is not one ounce of the old me anywhere to be found!

Is there a “but” on the tip of your tongue?  Why?  What are you thinking right now?  Are you thinking about your imperfect behavior, your habits?  WHY?  That has NOTHING to do with WHO you are.  Your flesh is along for the ride and it is being renewed daily by Christ’s Spirit and His Word.  Look at vs. 17 and 18 again.  In Christ the old you have passed away!  He’s deader than a doornail.  vs. 18 all things are of God.  God’s only communication with you is His Spirit inside of you.  It is in perfect agreement with Him; there is no longer any opposition on your part because there is no OLD YOU to get in the way anymore.   He did this so we could stop being preoccupied with us and get on to the business at hand, spreading the message of reconciliation to others.  He has made us His ambassadors.  This was all perfectly legal, (remember all the conversations we have had in earlier posts, God is a law abiding God) there are no loopholes, this is a done deal, it’s all tied up very neatly in Christ, an iron clad covenant.

Yes, at one time you were legally guilty under the law and you deserved for the punishment to fit the crime.  But your case has been settled, and here is how it went down.  When you trusted Christ as your substitute, your sin (or your crime) was charged to Christ, but since there was no actual guilt in Him, there was no evidence to convict Christ of sin.  He had not committed the crime Himself.  So what you have is an innocent man being charged with your crime.  Well naturally there is no proof for the accuser (prosecuting attorney) to bring against Christ because He is innocent.  He actually disposed of the evidence of your crime at the cross when He triumphed over death hell and the grave.  So try as he might, the accuser has no evidence against you that you are a sinner so your case had to be dismissed because of lack of evidence.  So who is it who brings accusation against you?  Satan cannot, and God disposed of the evidence himself so why would He accuse you?  Why are you accusing you?

The truth is that your behavior will change as this truth, that you are as righteous as Christ, sinks deeper and deeper into you.  You will behave what you believe, as the truth of Christ transforms your flesh.  So the behavior you see is not you, (Romans 7)  it is just an indicator of how deeply you believe or disbelieve the truth of who you are in Christ.  Your behavior is not a stumbling block to Christ; don't let it be a distraction to you.  Remind yourself daily who you are.  Find proof of it in His Word and look yourself in the eye and declare that you are the righteousness of God in Christ!  This song says it all (see link below) ...enjoy!  and Happy Resurrection Sunday!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKyY8zfjBMQ&list=HL1333713494&feature=mh_lolz

 

Mr. Flesh Goes to Washington

If there is one thing that brings out the worst in people it is an election year and social issues.  It seems like we are constantly being bombarded with some cause, some reason to unite and rally against or for something.  It is hard to find an automobile that doesn’t take some stand with its bumper sticker or ribbon magnet. And we can hardly turn on the television without seeing some law-firm telling us we may be entitled. Proponents incite us with their rhetoric, we are urged to RISE UP and either be loud or be generous, or both, till this wrong is righted.  With 2012 being an election year in the United States, countless groups are lobbying to make sure their concerns are taken seriously by each candidate, as they demand to know his solution for their plight?

How should the believer respond in the midst of all this?  First of all we must ask what fellowship does light have with darkness.  Can corruption possibly spawn incorruption?  Are we to look to the world or any man to meet our needs?  As we have seen in prior posts, we wrestle not against flesh, because our needs are not fleshly!  Every issue we face, in this realm comes from the fact that there is a corrupt system in operation which opposes the truth of Christ’s kingdom.  No matter what label man assigns to the problem, the correct plan of action for the believer will NEVER NEVER NEVER NEVER change; our solution lies in the wisdom of God. 

It saddens me most when I see believers caught up in the throes of some fleshly movement.  Wearing some placard, chanting some mantra, pointing fingers, making demands.  These issues are real, but the banter is nothing more than a tactic the devil uses to distract and divide.  A believer has no business touting any label other than “RIGHTEOUS”.  Your identity is not in your flesh your identity is in Christ!  Labels like  “Conservative”, Progressive”, “Minority”, “Baby Boomer”, “Flood Victim”, “Unemployed”, “Male”, “Female”, “The 99%”.   You are not oppressed, not a victim and you have no other cause than the cause of Christ.   Man does not have your answer, government does not have your answer and there is no amount of money that will solve your problem.    

Only the Gospel; the message of the accomplished mission of Christ, has the power to save mankind.  God has placed the embodiment of His Son Jesus Christ in us, the Church (the body of Christ) of which He is the head.  God is beseeching the world through us “Be reconciled to me!” (II Cor 5:20) We should stand out like stars against a dark backdrop!  Believers don’t seek the world’s “wisdom”.  Our Father is the only wise King; all that we need is in Him.  He has sent us forth to be an influence in this world and He will remove every obstacle and meet every need to accomplish His will and bring himself glory.   The same power that raised Christ from the dead is alive in us and He has given us the authority to wield it!

THIS is why it is IMPERITIVE in these last days that we learn to live by faith.  God’s intent has always been that His people be a conspicuous anomaly that defies logic.   When the world cannot find answers on its own, it should look to the Church and see a group of people who have a seemingly endless supply for every demand.   When there is tribulation and unrest, and the world is gripped with fear, the Church should be standing at the ready to receive instruction from her commander.  Where there is need, the wisdom of God provides supply.  Where there is injustice, we seek His wisdom, and prepare to act in defense of the weak.  When the Church learns to operate by faith, completely undaunted by the chaos around her, she will see God move in miraculous unexplainable ways.  What man could not accomplish with billions of dollars, endless litigation, protests, riots and wars, God can accomplish with one shepherd boy and a rock.   Does this sound far-fetched?  This is the very strategy by which Christ has always intended to lure the world to His grace, THROUGH US! (Matt 5:13-16)  But the church has become anemic because far too many believers see themselves as flesh, their problems as fleshly, and flesh as the answer to the problem.  

God has purposed each of us for an assignment, we are backed by His name (his authority) and all of Heaven is our sponsor, to enable us to accomplish the task at hand.  Why do we make statements like, “we are only human” and “we are all in the same boat”?  WE ARE NOT!  We are spirit, we should talk, think and act nothing like the world!  We serve a God who saves, and He expects us to expect Him to save.  Do we know the God we serve?  We are His representatives!  He does not ask us in our own power, with limited resources, to save the world; He asks us to represent the One who already has!