Grace - Jesus Is Faithful to God

" …He [Jesus] had to be made like His brethren in all things, so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people…Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the Apostle and High Priest of our confession; He was faithful to Him who appointed Him, … Christ was faithful as a Son over His house—whose house we are…."  Hebrews 2:17; 3:1-6

Hi Everyone,

I find that the writer of Hebrews is a forerunner of the very thing that I am attempting to do:  I want people to see and believe that Jesus is our supply and only need for both life and godliness.  In Christ, we are pleasing to our Father by faith.  His life in us is the source for both everything we need and that which we should do.

Let's not kid ourselves, it must have been—at the very least—very difficult for Hebrew believers to experience a total change in their faith system.  It was hard for them to accept that the entire priesthood and law covenant system had been fulfilled in Christ.  What were they being asked to give up?  The priesthood—their daily representatives before God; and their law covenant system—the method by which they knew right and wrong and what they needed to do and not do to be pleasing to God.

The eradication (better:  fulfillment) of the levitical priesthood and mosaic law covenant ultimately meant that they could finally REST.

But I want to simply point out the message of the verses above.  For most of us, we have always heard that Jesus is faithful to us.  That is true and good, but there is something even more fantastic! See the above verses:  Jesus is faithful to our God and Father! 

Oliver Greene says that "Christ is the substance and the content of our confession."  I wonder what would happen if our prayers reflected this belief:  "Jesus, in everything that my Father has appointed you to do and be on my behalf, you have been and will always be perfectly faithful."

Just as the Hebrews had to rest from the priestly system, the law covenant, the blood of animals, and the earthly tabernacles, so must we also rest from the striving from within and without to perfect ourselves before God.  We must look at Jesus and see ourselves in Him.  If we do this, then we will see our every need fulfilled in Him.  We will no longer strive to combat sinful habits, but we will know that the life of Christ in us brings more satisfaction than anything else.

May you come to understand the importance of Jesus' eternal faithfulness on your behalf.  And just in case you still think it's humble and holy to see yourself as a sinful worm whose actions are negated by a glorious high priest, let me declare that Jesus is not just your high priest, He is also your life.  Your sinful nature was crucified with Christ, and now Christ has also given you His life and a new nature.  You are in union with Christ (Romans 6:5 - symphytos:  born together with, of joint origin; connate, congenital, innate, implanted by birth or nature; grown together, united with; kindred—symphytos is related to the phrase "Siamese twin").  What sinful habit can withstand that?  None.  Change your mind about what you've believed to the contrary (or as Jesus would say, "Repent!").  Now that's good stuff.

Grace=Peace,

Jeremy

Great Books to Read

Hi Everyone,

Here is a list of books that are great reads.  I've read most of them myself and would highly recommend them.  (In fact, I sent out an email a while back with a long list of books to read.)

Enjoy!

http://escapetoreality.org/book-reviews/

Grace=Peace,

Jeremy

Grace - You Are versus You Are Becoming

Hi Everyone,

Just a thought below from me:

The word of God says that we are a chosen race--not becoming a chosen race. That we are a royal priesthood, not becoming a royal priesthood. That we are a holy nation, not becoming a holy nation. That we are a people for God's own possession (which means that we are separated unto Him, also known as being holy), not that we are becoming a people for God's own possession.

We are chosen, we are royal, we are holy, we are His people, and we have been called out of darkness and are now and forevermore, by His doing, abiding in His marvelous light. (See 1 Peter 2:9-10.).

If Christians would simply have faith and believe the above truth, we would no longer see Christians struggling against temptations and striving to be acceptable to God, but rather we would see joyful Christians who are established in righteousness, who boast only of Christ's love for them, who demonstrate power in the Holy Spirit, who are followed by signs, miracles, and wonders, and who are the most loving, self-abasing people on the planet.

As long as Christians strive to obtain what scripture clearly states is theirs already, or even refuse to believe this truth, then the world will only see another world religion, replete with zealous, albeit anemic followers hoping to please a god who stands aloof, waiting for them to get their act together and bridge the gap between them and their god themselves.

Grace=Peace,

Jeremy

Grace - Hebrews: Consider Jesus, Part 6 - The Fear of Death

Hi Everyone,

I hope that you can take the time to read this; I believe it might be one of the best I've written so far.

Hebrews 2:14-15 – "Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives."

I am convinced that those who have placed their faith in a mixed teaching of law covenant and grace covenant—not discerning the deadly cocktail the two create—suffer from the fear of death.  I say this because that is the only thing Law can create.  Even the greatest teaching on Grace can be nullified by one ounce of Law—the fulfillment of one singular legal requirement in hopes of satisfying God through righteous behavior.  This leaves the hearer with a terrifying expectation of judgment as described in Hebrews 10:26-27, because if the hearer sets aside even one ounce of Law, they experience condemnation for their failure.

Paul described this very situation in Titus 3:9-11:

"But avoid foolish controversies and genealogies and strife and disputes about the Law, for they are unprofitable and worthless. Reject a factious man after a first and second warning, knowing that such a man is perverted and is sinning, being self-condemned."

You see, the context of this passage in Titus is the struggle believers faced when people would try to convince the believers to add law covenant obligations to their faith in Christ.  These people were looking to the Law to make them acceptable and pleasing to the Lord, and no matter their intention, Paul clearly recognizes that they are motivated by the condemnation they themselves had experienced when failing to fully obey.  How can Paul know this?  Because he himself had been in the same situation before faith in Christ:

"…I see a different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members.  Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death?"  Romans 7:23-24

Paul addressed a similar situation with the church at Colossae when he wrote:

"If you have died with Christ to the elementary principles of the world, why, as if you were living in the world, do you submit yourself to decrees...in accordance with the commandments and teachings of men?  These are matters which have, to be sure, the appearance of wisdom in self-made religion and self-abasement and severe treatment of the body, but are of no value against fleshly indulgence. Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.  Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God."    Colossians 2:20 – 3:3.

Paul brought the Colossians back to the realization that they died with Christ and were no longer under law and man's traditions (BOTH are what he calls "elementary principles of the world").  He agreed that coming under the law in obedience to it in hopes of being satisfying to God by their behavior seemed wise, but Paul, the experienced Pharisee, unapologetically declared that coming under law was not only unhelpful, but also deadly to faith (Gal 3:12).

What is the answer, then?  How is the wretched man rescued?  How does the Christian not yield to the flesh (meaning a sinful nature) with its passions and desires?

"Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.  Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God." Colossians 3:1-3

What does this mean?

I know so many brothers and sisters who look to their own efforts and ability to discern between good actions and evil actions, thinking that this is how the Christian life is lived.  What they don't realize is that they are failing to live by faith.  "Seeking the things above", which has become analogous to seeking to obey the Ten Commandments and behaving righteously, is so much more.  What does it mean to seek the things above and "set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth"?  The answer is right there:  it is to KNOW that you died (you and your sinful nature, on the cross with Jesus), and that your life is hidden with Christ.  It is NOT crucifying your sinful nature on a daily basis; it is a recognition that it has already occurred.  We look to our condition in Christ AND our position in Christ to know that we are dead to not only sin and temptations, but we are also dead to the LAW!  This is the revelation of Christ in scripture that escapes anyone who tries to obey and be pleasing to God through behavior and adherence to the Law.

When I see a Christian striving to be a "better" Christian, or one that is striving to "please" God, I don't deny that behavior is important.  Instead, I see that, like the teachings and philosophy of men that Paul warned against over and over, those Christians are supplanting the revelation of Christ in scripture with their own effort—thinking that such action will be of use to them.  It's usually also these same Christians who are caught in the vicious circle of repent/do better/maintain/fall/repeat.  This is not victory over sin and it's certainly not how Paul would have us live a Christian life.  I see the roller-coaster lives of Christians who try hard, fail, make re-commitments, and fail again.  I truly believe that Christians who refuse to see Christ as the SOLE source of their salvation, justification, redemption, sanctification, etc., are bound by a fear of death and are enslaved to sin.  They live in a cycle of fear and striving because the law which they try to obey actually empowers sin, leading to fear and death.

In conclusion, we read in Hebrews 2:15 it was God's purpose in Christ to free those who "through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives."  We need to connect this with Hebrews 2:9-10:

"But we do see Him who was made for a little while lower than the angels, …so that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone.  For it was fitting for Him…to perfect the author of their salvation through sufferings."

Jesus tasted the death that we faced under the Law and it was fitting for Him to do so.  You see, Jesus' goal was to fulfill the Law and bring many sons to glory.  The way to complete this was for Him to taste death for us.  It's not that Jesus needed to become perfect, but that His task would be completed and thus He would be the manifested, promised way to salvation (teleioō - to carry through completely, to accomplish, finish, bring to an end; add what is yet wanting in order to render a thing full; bring to a close or fulfillment by event).

I hope that you can meditate on this and catch what I am saying.  If you can, it will be the most freeing experience of your life.  The demands that the Law placed upon you AND the demands you placed upon yourself after being "inspired" to obey the Law have been fulfilled in Jesus.  Stop your striving and rest in Him.  As Andrew Murray says, this righteousness brought to us by Jesus' complete fulfillment of the Law will bring you peace.  Nothing else will ever come close:

"There can be no real prosperity or progress in a nation, a home, or a soul, unless there be peace. As not even a machine can do its work unless it be in rest, secured on a good foundation, quietness and assurance are indispensable to our moral and spiritual well-being. Sin had disturbed all our relations; we were out of harmony with ourselves, with men, and with God. The first requirement of a salvation that should really bring blessedness to us was peace. And peace can only come with righteousness. Where everything is as God would have it, in God's order and in harmony with His will, there alone can peace reign." – Andrew Murray 

Grace=Peace,

Jeremy

http://jdkrider.blogspot.com/2012/10/grace-hebrews-consider-jesus-part-5.html

Each time I am faced with a new demand from the Lord, I look to Him to do in me what He requires of me. It is not a case of trying, but of trusting; not of struggling, but of resting in Him. If I have a hasty temper, impure thoughts, a quick tongue or a critical spirit, I shall not set out with a determined effort to change myself, but, reckoning myself dead in Christ to these things, I shall look to the Spirit of God to produce in me the needed purity or humility or meekness. This is what it means to "stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will work for you" (Exodus 14:13). -- Watchman Nee

I agree with Watchman on the above, except to say that the needed purity, humility, or meekness is already in the Christian. These traits are simply accessed by faith by the Christian, as Holy Spirit reveals to the Christian the reality of the existence of that fruit in them by way of life in Christ.

Paul considered everything the Law gained him as "skybalon", which is Greek for "poop" (Philippians). And that's putting it nicely!

Grace - Hebrews' Author Remained Anonymous

No wonder the author of the book of Hebrews remained anonymous: in Hebrews, the author said that the Law was weak, useless, made nothing perfect, that God found fault with it and replaced it, that it was obsolete, growing old, ready to vanish, would never make anyone perfect, and was only a shadow of things to come. Obviously, the writer of Hebrews knew he would offend so many who were striving to be right with God that he never dared name himself! Who in his right mind would want to take that kind of heat from the religious community for saying such things?!?? Haha!

If we are not fully emancipated from the Law, we can never know full emancipation from sin. -- Watchman Nee

Grace - The Gospel Revolution

Enjoy this article on Galatians.  I've highlighted two or three sentences.

Grace=Peace,

Jeremy

Galatians - The Gospel Revolution

by Bert White

The gospel that Paul preached was very specific. It was also very important to Paul that his hearers receive and live in the truth and the power of the gospel that he preached. If we say the gospel is the most important message that we will ever hear from the bible, it would not be an understatement. Some people think that any message from the bible is the gospel. They also think that all parts of the bible are created equal. That is not true. There are parts of the bible that carry more weight than others do (See Matthew 23:23). There are also parts of the bible that should not be taught on this side of the cross (unfortunately, there are some things that I wish I had not taught on this side of the cross either)!

Tit 1:10 For there are many disorderly and unruly men who are idle (vain, empty) and misleading talkers and self-deceivers and deceivers of others. [This is true] especially of those of the circumcision party [who have come over from Judaism].

Tit 1:11 Their mouths must be stopped, for they are mentally distressing and subverting whole families by teaching what they ought not to teach, for the purpose of getting base advantage and disreputable gain.

It is very unfortunate that some believers do not even know what the gospel is! They sit in churches every Sunday listening to a strange mixture of law and grace not even knowing that the Old Covenant religious system was totally abolished. It is not any wonder why so much of the church is spiritually anemic, sick, and powerless. That is because there is no power, or glory in the preaching of the Old Covenant system (See 2 Corinthians 3:7-9).

This book of Galatians is a book of reformation! During the Protestant Reformation, Galatians served as the defense of the gospel against the religion of the Catholic church. Martin Luther regarded this as his favorite book of the New Testament, and he once wrote, "I have betrothed myself to it; it is my wife!" Frederick Godet later explained that "this epistle was Luther's pebble from the brook, with which, like another (David), he went forth to meet the papal giant and smote him in the forehead."

Luther's writings brought the truth of salvation by faith alone to John Wesley's heart in that little meeting at Aldersgate Street in London on May 24, 1738. It was Wesley whom God used in such a remarkable way to spearhead revival in the British Isles, leading eventually to the founding of the Methodist Church. And that revival positively affected the entire English-speaking world.

Galatians should serve in every age to inspire reformation and restoration that sets Christians free from religion and its stepchild legalism. In case you have not noticed "Galatianism" is still prevalent in the church today. Like Paul, we must reject this false gospel, and clearly explain that the only distinguishing mark of a genuine Christian is the manifestation Christ as the grace of God.

There is a tremendous weight of glory that rest upon the preaching of the gospel (1 Cor 1:18) and there is also a weight of doom that rest upon the preaching of the Old Covenant (2 Cor 3:9). Paul knew this, so when he learned that the young Galatian Christians were infiltrated by another gospel, he was so upset that he was compelled to write and set things in order. The Judaizers were telling the new Galatian Christians they had to add "works" (circumcision in this case, but our list may be a bit different) to obtain their salvation.

In his letter, Paul takes off the gloves and fights for the purity of the gospel of grace. He makes some strong statements against those who would pervert the gospel of grace. From its earliest days, those who would destroy it are those who try to add to it. You must understand the deception of legalism and performance based Christianity does not attack the message of grace by denying it. They attack it by adding to it! Selah! Two thousand years later, we face the same battle. The lines are drawn. The gloves are off! This means war!  We are standing in the middle of a revolution … Its a gospel revolution.

Live Loved – Bert

Grace - Why Is Jesus' Yoke Easy?

Hi Everyone!

"All things have been handed over to Me by My Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father; nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.  Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.  Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." Matthew 11:27-30

So, I heard this explained basically three ways:

1.  We take a yoke and a burden upon ourselves and although it sounds nice in this passage, the Christian life, in reality, is very difficult, with lots of burdensome experiences, sacrifices, and pressure to perfect ourselves in holiness through OUR self-discipline.  I'm sure this is not the Gospel of Grace that Paul preached, so, quite frankly, let's move on to the next traditional explanation of this passage.

2.  To understand this passage, we've often been brought into the agrarian context of Jesus' world with the illustration of two oxen.  For centuries, and even continuing now into contemporary days, farmers have known how to best use oxen.  No farmer will place a heavy yoke and demand intensive plowing from a young, immature ox.  Instead, the heavy yoke and strength to plow fall upon a mature, experienced ox, and the younger ox's load is considerably less as the older ox pulls the weight and does all the work.  This is how I have always taught the meaning of the above passage in Matthew, and it sounds great, but I see now how it falls so short of Jesus' intention and message.

3.  Let's look at the above passage again, and I will also bring in some other scripture verses:

"…no one knows the Son except the Father; nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal Him."  Matthew 11:27

"Therefore Jesus answered and was saying to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner."  John 5:19

"For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God."  Romans 8:14

"And Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit…He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath, and stood up to read…The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me…Because He anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor…He has sent Me to proclaim release to the captives.…" Luke 4:14-18

Jesus' intent in Matthew 11:27 was to show us the Father!  As a result of this, Jesus not only shows us the Father, but He shows us His own relationship with the Father, and therefore the relationship we ourselves should have with the Father.

In Jesus' illustration in Matthew 11, we have mistakenly thought that Jesus was the "big ox" and we are the "little ox".  But look at what the passage actually says:

            "For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."

Do you see it?  Jesus is NOT the "big ox".  His Father is the Big Ox, and Jesus' experience of being led by the Father in everything means that Jesus' yoke is easy.  Jesus is the "little ox" and He wants us to be at ease just as He was while the Father did all the work!

I wanted to share this revelation with you because I feel that so much pressure has been put upon people.  There is a great load of expectation on our shoulders to get our act together, to sacrifice, to self-discipline, to sin less, do better, and to work on our salvation and holiness.  I see clearly now that religion has placed Man on center stage and completely ignored the revelation of Jesus Christ and the Father.  While we will all agree that life is not always easy, this is not the same as the Christian life.  Why is the Christian life to be easy?  Because we are to experience the life that Jesus Christ secured for us, primarily, the experience of the Father working in and through us.  What are we to do?  Frankly, we need to rest, also known as to abide.

"The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own initiative, but the Father abiding in Me does His works."  John 14:10

I pray that you will understand the impact of Jesus' revelation of His relationship with the Father.  Clearly, we are meant to live in the same way.  If we will abide and rest in a trustworthy Father, all the spiritual growth demanded of us by religion will be not only met, but be exceeded by Holy Spirit in us.  Holy Spirit in us will produce not only good works, but most importantly, love!

Keep your eyes on Jesus; put Him on center stage—watch what resting in the Father's rest will actually do.

"For the one who has entered His rest has himself also rested from his works, as God did from His."  Hebrews 4:10

May the easy yoke of Jesus lead and guide you!

(By the way, the word "easy" is the Greek word "chr­ēstos", which comes from the "chraomai", meaning:  to furnish what is needed.  Jesus' yoke furnishes and supplies what we need!)

Grace=Peace,

Jeremy

Grace - Hebrews: Consider Jesus, Part 5

Hi Everyone,

Here are the scripture passages upon which I am basing this email:

Colossians 2:8-14 - "See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ.  For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority; and in Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ; having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.  When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross."

Hebrews 2:11, 14-15 – "For both He who sanctifies and those who are sanctified are all from one Father; for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren….Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives. 

As Bert White says, concerning the letter to the Galatians:  "He [Paul] makes some strong statements against those who would pervert the gospel of grace. From its earliest days, those who would destroy it are those who try to add to it. You must understand the deception of legalism and performance based Christianity does not attack the message of grace by denying it. They attack it by adding to it! (emphasis mine).

I think one of the hardest aspects about communicating the Gospel of Grace is that most Christians have essentially been inoculated against the full reality of life under grace.  I'll relate it to you this way:  when talking to people about Jesus, I find that most people have a pre-conceived notion of Him.  If it's not that they've never heard of Jesus, then often they have a notion of Him that He was either JUST a good teacher, or the Son of God, or that He died for their sins, for example.  What I don't hear very much from people is an assurance that Jesus still heals today or that He is in them, very alive, active, and powerful.  It's almost as though a "head-knowledge" about Jesus has inoculated or prevented people from accepting information (and the reality) of Who He is which does not that fit within their understanding.  Your body's acceptance of weakened virus protects you from the real virus; your mind's acceptance of a weakened Jesus prevents you from experiencing His full effect in your life.

In the same way, I believe that most Christians have a hard time accepting (or even sometimes simply hearing and understanding) the Gospel of Grace because they have been taught a mixture of law covenant and grace covenant teaching.  They're confused from the cocktail.  The apostle Paul states time and time again:

•            beware traditions of men [that add to] the person of Christ
•       we were circumcised with Christ
•       we were buried with Christ
•       we were raised up with Christ through faith in the working of God
•        we were made alive in Christ
•        we have been forgiven
•         the decrees which were hostile to us were nailed to the tree
•        we were made complete in Christ
•        we were sanctified in Christ (He IS our sanctification, so HE can't be a process)

What is the result of all of this?  The passage in Hebrews 2 above tells us:  that we have been sanctified and that He "might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives."

When I see a Christian striving to be a "better" Christian, or one that is striving to "please" God, I don't deny that behavior is important.  Instead, I see that, like the teachings and philosophy of men that Paul warned against over and over, those Christians are supplanting the revelation of Christ in scripture with their own effort—thinking that such action will be of use to them.  It's usually also these same Christians who are caught in the vicious circle of repent/do better/maintain/fall/repeat.  This is not victory over sin and it's certainly not how Paul would have us live a Christian life.  I see the roller-coaster life of Christians who try hard, fail, make re-commitments, and fail again.

Here's my point:  the Hebrews passage above tells us that it was God's purpose in Christ to free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives.  I truly believe that Christians who refuse to see Christ as the SOLE source of their salvation, justification, redemption, sanctification, etc., are bound by a fear of death and are enslaved to sin.  They live in a cycle of fear and striving because the law which they try to obey actually empowers sin, leading to fear and death.

And here's the most dastardly point:  the Christian who endeavors to not lust, to not steal, to not violate any law is in reality the one who is sinning.  Why?  Because only one person was able to not do any of those things:  Jesus Christ.  If His life is in us (Christ in us), then why are we looking both to our own righteousness and to a list of things to not do to receive power to not do those things?  Only a life will make us righteousness AND cause us to walk in righteous behavior—His Life.

Don't add anything—a list, your effort, a knowledge of good or evil—to your Christian life.  Your Christian life is completely filled with the life of Christ.  Do not be tricked into adding anything that supplants Christ as your life and source.

More later.

Grace=Peace,

Jeremy

http://jdkrider.blogspot.com/2012/10/grace-hebrews-consider-jesus-part-4.html

Did you know that the only way to please the Father is to believe the fact that, because of Christ, you're pleasing to the Father? That's called faith.

Grace - For the Present

Grace to you,

Enjoy the short excerpt from "Two Kinds of Righteousness" by E.W. Kenyon

Grace=Peace,

Jeremy

"The church has been very strong in teaching man his need of righteousness, his weakness and inability to please God.  She has been very strong in her denunciation of sins in the believer. She has preached against unbelief, world conformity, and lack of faith, but she has been sadly lacking in bringing forward the truth of what we are in Christ, or how righteousness and faith are available.

Most of our hymns put our redemption off till after death.  We are going to have rest when we get to heaven.  We are going to have victory when we get to heaven.  We are going to be overcomers when we get to heaven.  We are going to have peace with God when we get to heaven.  There will be no more failings when we get to heaven.  We have nothing on this side except failure, misery, disappointment and weakness...

What does He mean when He says "Ye are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power"?  When are we to be complete?  Is it in this life or in the next?  What does he mean in Rom. 8:37, "Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us"?  When are we to be more than conquerors?  Is it after death when we leave this vale of tears?

The ministers do not preach peace in the present.  It is always in the future.  When are we to find this glorious thing call Peace?...

If it requires death to cleanse us from sin, we are left in an unhappy dilemma.  Death is of the Devil.  It would indicate that God in His Redemption was unable to give us victory, that He needed the Devil to complete His redemptive work.  I believe what the Scripture says about us is absolutely true, that God Himself is now our very Righteousness, and that we are the Righteousness of God in Him.  I am convinced that we are partakers of the Divine Nature.  There is no condemnation to us who "walk in the light as He is in the light."

by E.W. Kenyon

Grace - Being Genuine with God

Enjoy the following article!

Grace=Peace,

Jeremy

Being Genuine with God
by Paul Ellis

Now the question might arise: "Why would God not want us to confess our sins to Him? After all, we do make mistakes!" The answer is simple: Because walking around the whole day remembering all the bad things we have done will not bring us closer to God! Jesus already paid the full price so that we could have unbroken fellowship with the Father. This means that when we make a mistake, it does not break our fellowship or right standing with God. Jesus was forsaken by his Father on the cross so that we would never have to experience that!

Some may argue: "But I want to be genuine with God and talk to Him about all my mistakes." Well if people believe they need to be "genuine" with God about their mistakes, then to be really genuine they should rather act in faith, because without faith it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6). How much faith does it take to look at our mistakes and feel miserable about them? None. On the other hand, it takes faith to believe we are forgiven, loved, holy, perfect and righteous, even after we have just messed up…

There is however nothing wrong with confiding in our loving Father about our struggles. He understands us better than anybody else. But it's all about our motives. When we mess up, do we run to Him feeling guilty and condemned like a murderer about to be condemned to retribution? Or do we ask Him for wisdom in overcoming the habits of our unrenewed minds, knowing we stand completely forgiven and holy in His sight?

Andre van der Merwe, Grace: The Forbidden Gospel, WestBow, 2011, 105.

Grace - I hope I'm a Good Cook

The Requirements to Be A Preacher!

Grace=Peace,
Jeremy

"Preachers of the Word labor under three distinct requirements. First, they are to be faithful (pistoi). They are called to believe, and they are called only to believe. They are not called to know, or to be clever, or to be proficient, or to be energetic, or to be talented, or to be well-adjusted…

Second, the clergy are to be wise (phrenimoi). They are not to be fools, rich or poor, who think that salvation can come to anyone as a result of living. The world is already drowning in its efforts at life; it does not need lifeguards who swim to it carrying the barbells of their own moral and spiritual efforts. Preachers are to come honestly empty-handed to the world…

But it is the third of these clerical requirements that strikes me as the most telling: preachers are stewards whom the Lord has 'set over his household servants to provide them with food at the proper time.' After all the years the church has suffered under forceful preachers and winning orators, under compelling pulpiteers and clerical bigmouths with egos to match, how nice to hear that Jesus expects preachers in their congregations to be nothing more than faithful household cooks."


Robert Farrar Capon, The Parables of Grace, Eerdmans, 1988, 91-2.

If you hear a sermon and you begin to feel that a relationship with God is really complicated, you're probably not hearing the Gospel. Our God is not capricious--you don't have to walk on eggshells around him. He loves you and works in your life to prove to you that He is faithful and trustworthy.

Grace - It's Not a Theory

Enjoy the article below!

Grace=Peace,
Jeremy

"The American church today accepts grace in theory but denies it in practice… Too many Christians are living in the house of fear and not in the house of love… Personal responsibility has replaced personal response… Though lip service is paid to the gospel of grace, many Christians live as if it is only personal discipline and self denial that will mold the perfect me. The emphasis is on what I do rather than on what God is doing… How could the gospel of Christ be truly called "Good News" if God is a righteous judge rewarding the good and punishing the evil? Did Jesus really have to come to reveal that terrifying message? How could the revelation of God in Christ Jesus be accurately called "news" since the old testament carried the same theme, or "good" with the threat of punishment hanging like a dark cloud over the valley of history?


Brennan Manning, The Ragamuffin Gospel, Multnomah 1990/2000, 18-19.

Grace - Be Perfect!

Hello Everyone,

"The perfection that Jesus is telling us to be can mean no less than that we are to be filled with the perfect nature of the Father. Just as He is, so we are privileged to be…. The word perfect means 'to be complete, lacking nothing from purpose, finished.' Being a Christian means that you are in Christ. We are in perfect union with Him; this is what you and I were created for. This is Christian perfection – to be one with Christ, who is infinitely perfect. That is our purpose, our finish line, and our completion. The shocking truth that we discover in the Gospel is that Christ has already run that race for us while we weren't looking, and has won!"

by Benjamin Dunn in "The Happy Gospel", Destiny Image, 2011, 101-3


Grace=Peace,

Jeremy

Grace - You Died

Hi Everyone,

Below I've selected from quotes from Watchman Nee in his book "The Normal Christian Life."

He is dealing with our need to know that we have been freed from sin's power in our life, and urges us to know we can no longer be overcome by sin because we are dead, and ultimately are alive in Christ.

Grace=Peace,

Jeremy

"God's way of deliverance is altogether different from man's way.  Man's way is to try to suppress sin by seeking to overcome it; God's way is to remove the sinner.  Many Christians mourn over their weakness, thinking that if only they were stronger all would be well.  The idea, that, because failure to lead a holy life is due to our impotence, something more is therefore demanded of us, leads naturally to this false conception of the way of deliverance.  If we are preoccupied with the power of sin and with our inability to meet it, then we naturally conclude that to gain the victory over sin we must have more power.  'If only I were stronger', we say, 'I could overcome my violent outbursts of temper', and so we plead with the Lord to strengthen us that we may exercise more self-control.

"But this is altogether wrong; this is not Christianity.  God's means of delivering us from sin is not by making us strong and stronger, but by making us weaker and weaker.  That is surely rather a peculiar way of victory, you say; but it is the Divine way.  God sets us free from the dominion of sin, not by strengthening our old man, but by crucifying him; not by helping him to do anything, but by removing him from the scene of action.

"For years, maybe, you have tried fruitlessly to exercise control over yourself, and perhaps this is still your experience; but when once you see the truth you will recognize that you are indeed powerless to do anything, but that in setting you aside altogether, God has done it all.  Such a revelation brings human self-effort to an end."

"So it comes to this, that unless we know for a fact that we are dead with Christ (Nee is citing Romans 6:5-11), the more we reckon the more intense will the struggle become, and the issue will be sure defeat."

"In these verses it is made clear that the death of the Lord Jesus is representative and inclusive.  In His death we all died.  None of us can progress spiritually without seeing this."

Grace - Did Paul Ignore the Old Testament?

"However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me--the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace."  Acts 20:24

Hi All,

Consider Mick Mooney's comment below:

"The gospel Paul was given to preach, although glorious and liberating, was one that challenged a lot of people who heard it.  It not only challenged those outside the body of Christ, but all many who were part of the body of Christ, too.  Paul was accused by many leaders within the church of the day as attempting to simply wipe way the Old Testament and the legal requirements attached to it.  He was charged with creating his own idea of God's gospel by purposely ignoring the whole history of God in the Old Testament.  Many claimed he was simply seeking to proclaim his own message, an 'easy believing message', at the expense of ignoring the Law and the Prophets.

"Of course, Paul didn't think this way at all.  On the contrary, Paul embraced the Old Testament, not with a false understanding of it, but as he saw God's true intentions within it.  He never saw its true purpose as a written code describing how to obtain righteousness and blessings by works, but rather, he saw the message of Jesus within it and how, through Jesus, the glory prophesied in the Scriptures was now available for the church and established for us through the perfect redeeming work of Jesus.  In fact, everything Paul preached can be found in the Old Testament (Acts 28:23).

"The Apostle Peter, at the time of writing his two letters to the church, also had this understanding when he looked into the Scriptures.  He didn't see the prophets preaching rules and regulations; but rather, he saw that they were testifying to and prophesying about the coming of an era of grace for all (1 Peter 1:10-11)."

Grace=Peace,

Jeremy

Grace - Hebrews: Consider Jesus, Part 4

"...we must pay much closer attention to what he have heard, so that we do not drift away from it."  Hebrews 2:1

Hello Everyone!

We have a natural tendency to take our eyes off of Jesus.  It's not because of a sinful nature inside of us, but rather because we contend with the customs and traditions of this world (Romans 12:2) and the elementary things of this world.  This is crucial to understand, as the writer of Hebrews states, because we do not want to drift from what we've heard.  Let me first point you to the things we should move FROM, and then I'll show you what it is upon which we are to STAND:

Colossians 2:8 - "See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ."

Colossians 2:20-21 - "If you have died with Christ to the elementary principles of the world, why, as if you were living in the world, do you submit yourself to decrees...in accordance with the commandments and teachings of men?"

Hebrews 5:12 - "For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food."

Hebrews 6:1 - "Therefore leaving the elementary teaching about the Christ, let us press on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God."

In my next email on Hebrews, I'd like to talk about the above cited verses and show how they point to Jesus, of Whom the Father considered it befitting that He should accomplish the requirements of the Law and sanctify us once and for all. It  (See Hebrews 2:10-11.)

Lastly, consider the word spoken by Christ, to which I believe Hebrews 2:3 is referring:

Luke 24:44 - "Now He [Jesus] said to them, 'These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.'"

Jesus then shows us the singular message of Moses, all the Prophets, and the Psalms:

"that the Christ would suffer and rise again from the dead the third day, and that repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem" (Luke 24:46).

We must keep our eyes on Jesus, and as He is revealed to us by Holy Spirit more and more, we will eventually see ourselves in the proper light.

1 Peter 3:18 - "For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit."

Dear friends, by faith you are righteousness, dead to sin and striving according to the flesh, and you have been made alive in the spirit.  This is your inheritance; this is your victory.

Grace=Peace,

Jeremy

http://jdkrider.blogspot.com/2012/09/grace-hebrews-consider-jesus-part-3.html