iCrucified

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Further Meditations in Genesis 15

^{My Comments (jb)} …this week has concentrated on dependence upon God, trusting God, and following Jesus. I started the week with Genesis…it just seems fitting to end the week with it as well.

God makes an incredible covenant promise to Abram that included protection, an heir, descendants numbering as many as the stars, “great” reward, land, and a long healthy life… Awesome stuff indeed! But wait; what about the process of getting there, to all those awesome blessings? Abram = Yay! Descendants = not so much. God also assures Abram his descendants will be “slaves” in a foreign land where they will be oppressed for 400 years. Wait for it… Let that sink in a bit… 400 Years.

Sure, they (the slave descendants) had Abraham’s covenant promise conveyed upon them…but people were born, lived, and died without seeing anything but slavery and oppression. I can’t help but wonder if Abraham’s knowledge of the 400 years was passed along to his descendants as part of their “blessing.” In other words, did they know they were going to be enslaved for this long?

400 Years…

Their emancipation was no cakewalk either… chased by an Egyptian army into the desert wilderness, they failed to trust God. An entire generation was “blessed” to die in their “desert of distrust” as part of their reward. Fortunately, we finally see the privileged inheritors of God’s promise walk across the river into land God had given to Abraham… YAY! But wait; these “people of the blessing” who were unskilled in the art of war, knew little in the ways of societal governance, and had little in the way of supply-line resourcing… were going to have to fight/war for every square foot of land that had been “promised” to them.

There’s more to this story, and these long periods of silence from God and oppression of His people have a disconcerting manner of repeating themselves… “Yeah, but that was the Old Testament, back when God was mean and people were primitive and ignorant” Right? Jesus ushered in an era of blessing and brilliance… Right? Of course he did, but not in the context most of us like to think about. Remember, all but one of the “Twelve of Jesus’ Disciples” met violent deaths. Most, if not all, followers of Christ were ostracized, oppressed, persecuted, and often killed because of their “blessed” status. It wasn’t until the fourth century before this level of oppression began to let up.

“Anyone who talks about spiritual things without any experience in them is like a person who is lost in the desert, dying with thirst… If you try to tell me about the Christian life without any personal involvement in it, you will mislead me. You will tell me fictional things, mistaken things.” ~Pseudo-Macarius

…the story continues, but we’re talking about trust, dependence, and following Jesus. What really is the cost, and what really is the blessing? How are these really measured? Can I trust God…? Am I willing to release my own self-reliance and independence to follow the unseen future led by the Invisible God?

“Deliverance can come to us only by the defeat of our old life… God rescues us by breaking us, by shattering our strength and wiping out our resistance. Then he invades our natures with that ancient and eternal life which is from the beginning.” ~A.W. Tozer

The picture I painted of the plight of “God’s people” is pretty terrifying and doesn’t look all too inviting to us from our perspective, but what if we glimpse how God looks at this:

I was always on your side. I destroyed the Amorites who confronted you, Amorites with the stature of great cedars, tough as thick oaks. I destroyed them from the top branches down. I destroyed them from the roots up. And yes, I’m the One who delivered you from Egypt, led you safely through the wilderness for forty years And then handed you the country of the Amorites like a piece of cake on a platter. I raised up some of your young men to be prophets, set aside your best youth for training in holiness. (Amos 2:8-10)

“God who is everywhere never leaves us… Yet He may be more present to us when He is absent than when He is present.” ~Thomas Merton

What if I’m one of those “400 year” people? What if I’m one of the persecuted, poverty stricken, disease-infested, natural disaster called Christians? Will I follow Him? Will I trust Him? Am I willing to depend upon Him?

“To live for the lesser things of life is to risk not really living at all.” ~Joan Chittister

“God says, when I toss My children into the air, terror comes before delight. Put yourself in the place of My people in Daniel’s day. They felt thrown into the air with no safety net beneath them. They couldn’t see their God ready to catch them.” (from 66 Love Letters: A Conversation with God that Invites You into His Story by Dr. Larry Crabb, ©2009.)

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Simple; not Easy…

For the past several months, I have been “meditating” (opposed to quickly reading) my way through several books. I don’t approach all books in the same way. Some books I breeze through, others I read more intentionally, and some I spend months chewing on them. Occasionally, two or more books will align in a delightful way such that they complement one another far beyond mere chance or coincidence. Presently, Deep-Rooted in Christ by Joshua Choonmin Kang, The Contemplative Pastor by Eugene Peterson, Life Together by Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Ancient Christian Devotional: A Year of Weekly Readings edited by Thomas Oden, and my Bible are working together in concert to sing a most divine song to my heart.

What is at the core of my post title, Simple; not Easy…? As the list of books above implies, a number of things are at the core…but when these are distilled down to the most common denominator and all the questions are asked and answered, what is left standing is one response; “simple.” What is simple? The answer is simple; the answer to every question and every challenge of life… and that answer is to Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength…then, love your neighbor as yourself. I’m sure there are detractors that say that is not the answer at all, and if it were the answer, it certainly is not simple, but I disagree. It is simple; we choose to put God first and then exercise with deliberate actions and intent to make it so in every facet of life. On the other hand, and as my title infers, it is not easy; not by a long shot.

Reading from The Contemplative Pastor Eugene Peterson writes; “Gabriel Marcel wrote that life is not so much a problem to be solved as a mystery to be explored. That is certainly the biblical stance: life is not something we manage to hammer together and keep in repair by our wits; it is an unfathomable gift. We are immersed in mysteries: incredible love, confounding evil, the creation, the cross, grace, God.” How true; life is a mystery…one we are all trying to figure out. The problem is that we are not equipped to figure it out on our own. There are simply way too many variables and complexities that make the equation unfathomable for us. Not the least of which, in this equation, is the deceptive heart; “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17:9). Here God tells us that without Him, we are not able to even know ourselves. How then, can we hope to make it through life? It seems to me that without putting God first (Deuteronomy 6:5 and Mark 12:28-31), our existence is only as sure as the next roll of the dice…not a very comforting thought.

I often listen to men and women express their discontent, confusion, and uncertainty about life; this isn’t new, unexpected, or abnormal. What perplexes me about this phenomenon of confusion and uncertainty is the amount of pastors, clergy, and spiritual leaders who are bound by it. I meet regularly with men who share a similar calling as I; we help to guide people in the ways of Jesus and faith. This is no easy task. As has already been mentioned, there are great complexities and challenges when human beings are involved…in anything. I am often perplexed and mildly disappointed when I meet with my peers. Many times I will meet with folks from different faith traditions and often I will meet with gentlemen of my own tribe; in either gathering I will frequently hear confessions and professions of faith that seem weak if not entirely contrary to the teachings of Jesus. My words should not be misunderstood; my intent is not criticism, or to judge someone’s faith, but as it relates to the leading of people or teaching the Word of God…it is most assuredly a matter that causes me great concern. Therefore, I am trying to understand why there is disparity between our views, opinions, and methods of counsel. Sorry for dropping off task for a moment, but I like to clarify and qualify my words. Back to my original thought now…

Recently I heard several leaders express their fears about the state of America (political and policy changes), the economy of our nation, and leading people through these times of transition and change. I heard them express uncertainty about knowing God’s direction for them as leaders in His Church and His direction for them as shepherds of His local flock…their home church. At the risk of sounding trite, I don’t get it. I don’t get the fear, I don’t get the uncertainty, and I don’t get the confusion. I understand there are ebbs and flows of our faith, especially so with concession given to physical, emotional, and outside-of-our-control circumstances; however, I think these are exceptions to our “normal” walk with God as opposed to the “natural” order of our faith journey. Yes, life can be difficult and in some cases it can be exceedingly difficult to the level of horrific proportion. It is not easy. The solution; however, is simple. Believe Jesus; take Him at His Word. Put God first in everything that we do; as He has said, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.” When we live with this as our primary directive, things change.

Problem: Things aren’t changing.

Why aren’t things changing? Why aren’t our church leaders, our spiritual guides, leading with confident trust in God? Why is it that so many of our professed teachers of Christian spirituality seem to have an uncertainty about God’s direction and will for His people? Once again, I think the will of God is pretty obvious (if we are open to the idea of reading the Bible). Jesus taught us what the will of the Father was during His time teaching the Twelve. Jesus shared repeatedly through His public teaching what the essence of God’s Kingdom was. He also told us to pray, teach, and live for the Kingdom of God at every single opportunity. We are to be Kingdom people. The command is simple; implementation and execution are not easy.

Why aren’t we living in compliance with the prayer and instruction of Jesus?

Generally speaking, I believe we have not become disciples. Oh, we profess to know Jesus and we claim to believe “in” him. We call ourselves followers and disciples, but we live frightfully similar lives in terms of those who openly reject Jesus and his teaching. We are easily offended by each other, we strive to purpose our personal agendas, we live immoderately and wasteful with regard to our personal resources, we are more concerned about individual comfort over the plight of the impoverished and marginalized citizens of earth, and we repeatedly rob God of the first fruits of His blessing to us (first fruits extends to every facet of our life: skills and gifting, time, talents, finances, etc.). I ask again, what is the reason for this offensive representation of Christianity? I believe the answer is; we have not become disciples. Jesus said, no one could be his disciple unless he was first willing to deny himself. He went on to clarify that statement to include “being willing to give up everything” to follow him (Luke 14:25-35). Jesus made a number of similar statements to these in other narrative accounts in the gospels; the point being, we must first be willing to die to self in order to become his disciple. This was the heart of his exposition to Nicodemus (John 3); “you must be born again.” One cannot be born again unless he first suffers some form of death whether it is literal or figurative… And again, on yet other occasions, Jesus spent considerable energy trying to explain the “first and last” concept along with the “lose your life to find your life” concept (see Matthew 10:32-39; 16:24-26; Luke 9:23-25). Could it be that our failure in becoming disciples is directly related to the fact we have not first “died to self?” I think this is the problem exactly and I think it is as prevalent among the Five-fold ministry (Eph. 4:11) as it is among those who are not. Yes, evidence indicates there is a large number of people professing to be teachers and leaders who have never become disciples. This is a tragedy. These “would be” teachers are in seriously dangerous territory (see Matthew 23 and James 3:1).

What is the answer; what is the takeaway?

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, the takeaway is simple, but not easy. The “Sign of Christ” only comes to those who are first willing to deny (die to) self. The sign of Christ is the transformed heart… without it there is no real evidence of a Christ-filled life.

“The sign of Christ drives the destroyer away from us insofar as our heart receives the Savior.” Augustine

In Deep-Rooted in Christ, Joshua Choonmin Kang reminds his readers of Jesus’ words from John’s Gospel… Jesus portrays his life with rich comparison to seed and fruit (John 12:24-25). “A seed that falls to the ground but doesn’t die won’t produce new life. Only when that seed is broken will the new life begin.” Pastor Kang also asks; “How can we let the life of God flow free? As the Lord said, ‘If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me’ (Luke 9:23).” Paul also discovered that the power of God flowed without limits when his self was broken. “I die every day! That is as certain, brothers and sisters, as my boasting of you—a boast that I make in Christ Jesus our Lord” (1 Corinthians 15:31).

“If we say ‘I believe in Jesus’ but it doesn’t affect the way we live, the answer is not that now we need to add hard work to our faith so much as that we haven’t truly understood or believed in Jesus at all.” Timothy Keller

I would add to Dr. Keller’s thought; we have not started down the path of discipleship…I am not following Jesus. My belief only trickles down from my brain to my lips. My belief has not consumed me to the point that it has affected the death of my Adamic nature and put to rest the cold, stony heart of this self-made-man…allowing the reconciling resurrection and restoration of the God-heart (Ezekiel 11:19 and Ezekiel 36:26) evidencing the transformational work of the Holy Spirit. This is the true sign of a disciple and how it begins to affect the way we live.

Simple; not easy.

The result of disciple-flavored leadership is confidence in the face of adversity, joy even in seasons of grief, gentle calmness of soul even when chaos surrounds, discernment, knowledge, and wisdom…yes, the very mind of Christ in a world that reeks of uncertainty. He has given us everything we need to live a godly life; even to sharing in the divine nature (2 Peter 1:2-4). How do we do this; what is our part? Our part is to trust, obey, die to self and follow. It isn’t easy, but it is simple.

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This was a sermon I shared in yesterday’s continuation of our “One Church” Core Values teaching. My contribution to this was centered on our core commitments of Growing through Spiritual Development and Loving & Encouraging One Another. I am including the audio file as well as my sermon notes. I always enjoy feedback and discussion!

Sermon Transcript ||| Outline and Small Group Discussion Questions

2009SEPT06 OneChurch Pt2 by icrucified

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Why…?

Why is probably not the best question, at least not in the context that it is asked (I mean) that I ask it. I continue to be burdened repeatedly with my attentions drawn to a singular message in God’s Word. I respond to this “word” with affirmation; I believe… and I consider myself to have received said message with joy and understanding. It is with this understanding that I ask God “why;” why do You keep bringing me to these scripture lessons, why do You keep highlighting, underscoring, and bolding this message to me if I agree with it and believe it to be true? While I don’t want to make egotistical parallels to my own life, I can identify with the sentiment that this “…word burns in my heart like a fire; it’s like a fire in my bones! I am worn out trying to hold it in! I can’t do it!” What is the message; this word?

The Way is narrow; this Jesus Way. The day is urgent and our time is running out…our lives are but a vapor and the call to become a true disciple of Christ continues to be marginalized, if not completely ignored. When I talk like this to my community, I am scorned. I’m asked to define the rules and parameters for this narrow way of discipleship. These questions make me realize the urgency of the message even more. The Way isn’t about rules. The Way is about foremost; putting God first in every nook and cranny of our life. Secondly, the Way is about love, AGAPE love…the Way is about community…defined by agape relationships. Jesus defined it by saying the most important commandment of the law was to “love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength. Then you must love your neighbor as yourself.” Our failure is to fully trust God at His Word. Most of us refuse to believe (this is a generalization, I know…) we can love in, and with, the capacity that God (Jesus) has called us to love. There is no wonder then, why we also don’t believe that we can truly live in Christian community with one another this side of eternity…since we cannot live in-with the definition of God’s love.  I not only believe we can, I know we can. A God… OUR GOD tells us that He has given us everything we need to live a godly life…to the point that we even share in His divine nature…His Holy Spirit indwelling and empowering us for walking the Jesus Way. But…we still refuse to believe.

I believe.

I am convinced or crazy, or both…that unless we enter into the path of agape appropriation (which entails believing that we can live today as agape-kingdom citizens), our eternal life may be in jeopardy. I am convinced that unless we strive (with agape-kingdom attitudes) for relational community with one another our eternal life may be in jeopardy. I am convinced that unless we enter into covenant agreement with the mandate to be missional-ambassadors in the ministry of redemption, reconciliation, and restoration… our eternal life may be in jeopardy. I have never felt more urgent and convinced of anything such as this in my entire life. It consumes me. I am overwhelmed with this Word. God invites us; everyone is welcome to participate and He does not desire anyone to be left out, but those who do not join in are (by their own volition) cutting themselves off from relationship with the Most High God. This terrifies me…for my family, for my friends, for a flock that God has entrusted to my care and oversight, and for legions of souls following the pied-piper of deceit, Lucifer.

Don’t get me wrong…I’m not pronouncing judgment or condemnation upon anyone and I’m not saying I have everything related to this Jesus Way figured out or mastered. I echo the words of the apostle Paul who writes; “Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.  Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:12-14)

What saddens me on top of these other concerns and fears is that not many wish to hear it. It is not a popular message and about the time I feel overwhelmed, the Lord speaks to me through one of many vehicles. This morning I was ministered to by the words of Origen, John Chrysostom, Ambrosiaster, and the prophet Isaiah; their words follow:

Origen: I think that any love without God is artificial and not genuine. For God, the Creator of the soul, filled it with the feeling of love, along with the other virtues, so that if might love God and the things which God wants. But if the soul loves something other than God and what God wants, this love is said to be artificial and invented. And if someone loves his neighbor but does not warn him when he sees him going astray or correct him, such is only a pretense of love.

Chrysostom: If you have love, you will not notice the loss of your money, the labor of your body, the toil of your words, your trouble or your ministering, but you will bear everything courageously.

Ambrosiaster: To be haughty is pride, which is how the devil fell… Solomon says that “God resists the proud.” Put pride aside and make other people’s cares your own so that you might be acceptable to God.

Isaiah 30:8-11 Now go and write down these words. Write them in a book. They will stand until the end of time as a witness that these people are stubborn rebels who refuse to pay attention to the LORD’s instructions.  They tell the seers, “Stop seeing visions!” They tell the prophets, “Don’t tell us what is right. Tell us nice things. Tell us lies.  Forget all this gloom. Get off your narrow path. Stop telling us about your ‘Holy One of Israel.’”

…maybe I am crazy. Maybe I am overconfident in what I believe is true. I’m so convinced those are not the case, that I am not willing to take the chance otherwise. I shall press on.

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I only pray that I would (will) be able to grow in my communication skills to convey difficult truth with the loving and gentle heart of Oswald Chambers. See this excerpt from My Utmost for His Highest today below:

We never know the joy of self-sacrifice until we abandon in every particular. Self-surrender is the most difficult thing – I will if…I Oh, well, I suppose I must devote my life to God. There is none of the joy of self-sacrifice in that

As soon as we do abandon, the Holy Ghost gives us an intimation of the joy of Jesus. The final aim of self-sacrifice is laying down our lives for our Friend. When the Holy Ghost comes in, the great desire is to lay down the life for Jesus, and the thought of sacrifice never touches us because sacrifice is the love passion of the Holy Ghost.

Our Lord is our example in the life of self-sacrifice – “I delight to do Thy will, O my God.” He went on with His sacrifice with exuberant joy. Have I ever yielded in absolute submission to Jesus Christ? If Jesus Christ is not the lodestar, there is no benefit in the sacrifice; but when the sacrifice is made with the eyes on Him, slowly and surely the moulding influence begins to tell.

Beware of letting natural affinities hinder your walk in love. One of the most cruel ways of killing natural love is by disdain built on natural affinities. The affinity of the saint is the Lord Jesus. Love for God is not sentimental, for the saint to love as God loves is the most practical thing.

“I have called you friends.” It is a friendship based on the new life created in us which has no affinity with our old life, but only with the life of God. It is unutterably humble, unsulliedly pure, and absolutely devoted to God.

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The crossroads of the Jesus journey… “Faith” and “Stretch.” This is a place we encounter over and over again as we avail ourselves to the One who desires to transform us into His image; or at least I do…find myself there. I so much believe in the kingdom of God and the resurrected life that I am completely consumed with thoughts of it. I believe that I can truthfully say, I am willing to give everything for it.

The work God has begun in my heart has “rippled” beyond me. A chain of events, a domino effect…was started through the working of the Spirit of Almighty God which will ultimately play out with me (and my family) square in the middle of God’s will and plan for our lives. I want to be in the story God is writing for me rather than attempt to author my own story…such that I think I could, that is.

I examine my heart and motive; I feel that they are pure…my sole desire is to be a faithful servant of the Most High God…Nothing more and nothing less; living for Him and to Him with all my heart, mind, soul, and strength. Amen

“…And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue His work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.” (Philippians 1:6)

• “Sacrifice allows no unclean thing. It is the first fruits of all other actions.” Chrysostom
• “Our bodies are sacrifices because the flesh is put to death. They are living sacrifices, because the Spirit has given them life.” Luculentius

“Jesus valued God’s kingdom above all. Spirituality is about bearing fruit for God’s kingdom…bushels of fruit should be our spiritual goal.” Joshua Choonmin Kang

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Daily Meds [17AUG2009]

Spending time with God the Holy Spirit this morning and my thoughts were drawn to thinking on unconditional forgiveness and grace. It seems to me these attributes are part of the overflow of true love (Agape Love). So, my thoughts were; “What if, when we first awakened to our day, we immediately and unconditionally forgave every single person we would meet in our coming day. And, what if, as an extension of that forgiveness, we extended unconditional and unlimited grace to those same persons?” This forgiveness and grace (as stated) would be completely unconditional, unlimited, and without offer or invitation…it would simple be given. I wonder what the day would look like? How would our hearts respond to the people that God had put into our lives for that day? What if we, beginning now, started to live this way every day? What would happen if we started to add attributes to this daily offering each week??? Like, kindness and gentleness… and then listening ears and unbounded patience… I’m just thinking and wondering.

Prayer and Psalm for the day:

Psalm 67:1-3   May God be merciful and bless us. May His face smile with favor on us. May Your ways be known throughout the earth, Your saving power among people everywhere. May the nations praise You, O God. Yes, may all the nations praise You.

O Lord, we draw near to You acknowledging our unworthiness, and we ask You that all the sins and defects of our past services may be freely pardoned and done away with, through the precious blood of Your dear son Jesus Christ our Lord. Anonymous

And now, rouse us, O Lord, from the sleep of apathy and from tossing to and fro in our thoughts, that we may no longer live as in a troubled dream but as people awake and resolved to finish the work You have given them to do. By Your humble birth root out of our hearts all pride and haughtiness, that humble ways may content us, if so be that we may serve the humble. By the life of compassion for those who labor and are heavy laden, teach us to be concerned one for another and to bear one another’s burdens. By Your hallowed and most bitter anguish on the cross, make us to fear You, and love You, and follow you, O Christ. [Amen] Brigid

From Deep-Rooted in Christ

“God didn’t tell us to become beautiful flowers. Instead, he commanded us to bear fruit… Fruit offers something more precious than flowers. It produces seed, brings life, looks to the future…” (See John 12:24 emphasis and italics mine). “Think what God wants to do with us when he asks us to bear fruit. He wants us to multiply, to make things grow, to give life… God wants Christians who bear witness to his grace in the world.” Joshua Choonmin Kang

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First, my prayer for this day: “Lord God, I pray that You will redeem and glorify Yourself with the years that I robbed from You and kept for myself. Jesus, I pray You will take my present, take my past, and take my future…make them Yours for Your glory and for Your kingdom. May my life be according to Your will and Your way for the advancement of Your kingdom and the manifest expression of Your glory.” [Amen]

Second, I’m still thinking about my earlier post (see here).

I know that my thoughts, and words, seem harsh. Rest assured they are leveled at me first. I have been giving much thought to something that God (I believe it is God) has consuming my heart and my mind; it seems like it is the only thing I think about lately. I don’t feel comfortable at this time to talk about it in detail, but a side conversation that has been birthed from it considers double-mindedness or hypocrisy. I wonder if there is such a thing as Christian hypocrisy…I don’t think there can be; really, at least not in the strictest definition…I don’t think.

I think we are too easy on ourselves. Hear what Joshua Choonmin Kang writes:

“One of the worst issues for Christians is hypocrisy. Many of us are slaves to this, and we barely know it. The Bible defines it as saying one thing but doing just the opposite. When thoughts and actions don’t match up, we try to deceive ourselves and others by our words and actions; we become hypocrites.  The book of Proverbs describes such people:

Like the glaze covering an earthen vessel are smooth lips with an evil heart. An enemy dissembles in speaking while harboring deceit within. (Proverbs 26:23-24)

Jesus condemned such hypocrites as whitewashed tombs. This is a striking way to put it because he was so kind to tax collectors, prostitutes and sinners of all sorts. But Jesus confronted the hypocrites and denounced them publicly: ‘Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence’ (Matthew 23:25).

Again Jesus said, ‘You are like whitewashed tombs, which on the outside look beautiful, but inside they are full of the bones of the dead and all kinds of filth’ (Matthew 23:27). Whenever I read and meditate on these verses, I feel that the Lord is reproving me for ‘holding on to the outward form of godliness but denying its power’ (2 Timothy 3:5).”

Ouch. Really… ouch! But really, is a hypocrite truly Christian…? Or, are they simply a liar; professing to be something they are not. A Christian implies one who follows Christ, a disciple (becoming like the one they follow) of Jesus, the Son of God.

I want to be a part of a community that believes the promises of Jesus Christ. I want to be a part of a community of believers that are intent on living the promises of Jesus Christ as well. I do not accept any excuse for our inability to live the life that Jesus instructed us to live. I believe the power of sin and death was defeated on the cross of my Lord; therefore, the power of sin and death have been defeated in my life and I am no longer subject to it. I believe this. Why is this important? I have been reading the words of the prophet Isaiah lately and his words (the words of the LORD) have been searing my soul. Hear what he says:

Isaiah 7:9 – “Unless your faith is firm, I cannot make you stand firm…” Wishy washy faith = wishy washy life. If you don’t believe God’s word is true for your life, it probably won’t be true in your life (thus says the Lord).

Isaiah 8:11, 13, 16, 19-20  ¹¹ The LORD has given me a strong warning not to think like everyone else does…” ¹³ Make the LORD of Heaven’s Armies holy in your life. ¹⁶ Preserve the teaching of God: Entrust His teaching (instruction) to those who follow me. ¹⁹ Shouldn’t people ask God for guidance? ²⁰ Look to God’s instructions and teachings!

And Finally, this:

“I have a plan for the whole earth…The LORD of Heaven’s Armies has spoken—who can change His plans” (Isaiah 14:26-27)

Not me. I don’t want to change them…I want to be part of the plan. May it be so unto Your servant according to Your word, O God. [Amen]

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What does it mean; “You must be born again”?

I can’t help but wonder why so many people that profess Christianity as their faith push against the teachings of Jesus and interpretation of those teachings by his disciples in the New Testament writings. Jesus promises us “new life,” a life that is lived and led by the Holy Spirit of God; a life that yearns for oneness and unity with the Triune God; a life that desires to be fully transformed and living (today) in physical form the life of Christ… Why do so many professing Christians reject this teaching, or at the very least, fail to exhibit this transformation of life. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t have it mastered; I am however a believer in it. I do believe that Jesus meant what he said. I do believe it is possible through complete submission to God’s Spirit, that we can live this transformed life…so I strive for it. It is all consuming. I believe there is nothing on this planet and in this life more important than seeking the fullness of this promise. I yearn to make the prayer of Jesus Christ (John 17) real in my life and I shall teach and preach this truth of the New Birth at every opportunity that is availed me.

iCrucified…

SIGNS OF THE NEW BIRTH: My Utmost for His Highest – Oswald Chambers

Ye must be born again

The answer to the question “How can a man he born when he is old?” is – When he is old enough to die – to die right out to his “rag rights,” to his virtues, to his religion, to everything, and to receive into himself the life which never was there before. The new life manifests itself in conscious repentance and unconscious holiness.

“As many as received Him.” (John 1:12.) Is my knowledge of Jesus born of internal spiritual perception, or is it only what I have learned by listening to others? Have I something in my life that connects me with the Lord Jesus as my personal Saviour? All spiritual history must have a personal knowledge for its bedrock. To be born again means that I see Jesus.

“Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” (John 3:3.) Do I seek for signs of the Kingdom, or do I perceive God’s rule? The new birth gives a new power of vision whereby I begin to discern God’s rule. His rule was there all the time, but true to His nature; now that I have received His nature I can see His rule.

“Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin.” (1 John 3:9.) Do I seek to stop sinning or have I stopped sinning? To be born of God means that I have the supernatural power of God to stop sinning. In the Bible it is never – Should a Christian sin? The Bible puts it emphatically – A Christian must not sin. The effective working of the new birth life in us is that we do not commit sin, not merely that we have the power not to sin, but that we have stopped sinning. 1 John 3:9 does not mean that we cannot sin; it means that if we obey the life of God in us, we need not sin.

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