"Yet for all the talk about being good, still no one can answer the fundamental question: What level of good is good enough? Bizarre. At stake is our eternal destination, yet we are more confident about lasagna recipes than the entrance requirements for heaven. God has a better idea: 'For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God' (Eph 2:8). We contribute nothing. Zilch. As opposed to the merit badge of the Scout, salvation of the soul is unearned. A gift. Our merits merit nothing. God's work merits everything."
Max Lucado, Grace: More Than We Deserve, Better Than We Imagine, Thomas Nelson, 2012, 47.
Thursday, May 30, 2013
Friday, May 24, 2013
Grace - How to Stop the Pain
James Richards, author of "How to Stop the Pain", says:
"Too often I sit in counseling sessions with people who say, 'This person has done this to me for years, and I am sick of it. He is mean and uncaring. He has hurt me for years.' I often ask, 'How did he respond when you discussed this in the past?' Then, to my utter amazement, I find that they have never discussed it. It is true that the offender should have been sensitive. But if it was not important enough for you to bring it up before now, then you are a partaker in your own pain.'
How true. And he continues:
"The goal of confrontation must be to help that person as much as to help yourself. You must help him to understand the nature of the offense. He needs to realize the effect his actions have on others so that he can have the opportunity do something about it."
How unfortunate that we rarely extend a second chance to people--or even allow them the opportunity to offer a sincere apology after we've given them time to come to an awareness of how their actions affected us.
"Too often I sit in counseling sessions with people who say, 'This person has done this to me for years, and I am sick of it. He is mean and uncaring. He has hurt me for years.' I often ask, 'How did he respond when you discussed this in the past?' Then, to my utter amazement, I find that they have never discussed it. It is true that the offender should have been sensitive. But if it was not important enough for you to bring it up before now, then you are a partaker in your own pain.'
How true. And he continues:
"The goal of confrontation must be to help that person as much as to help yourself. You must help him to understand the nature of the offense. He needs to realize the effect his actions have on others so that he can have the opportunity do something about it."
How unfortunate that we rarely extend a second chance to people--or even allow them the opportunity to offer a sincere apology after we've given them time to come to an awareness of how their actions affected us.
Grace=Peace...even among ourselves,
Jeremy
Thursday, May 16, 2013
Grace - Live Loved
Just a short message today. I hope you're all doing well.
Are we aware of our Father's love for us? I submit to you that if we were to truly dive into this awareness, none of life's disappointments--none of our "issues"--would adversely affect us.
I see people struggling, and they need help, but we must start with the love of the Father. An awareness of His love for us calms us, it stills us. Being the Anchor of our soul, He assures us that all is well. Our mind stayed on Him (Isaiah 26:3) gives us peace.
As Wayne Jacobsen says above, our perception and decisions are affected by the level of awareness we have.
I hope you will stop and reflect on just how loved you are. It will affect every perception you have and decision you make.
If you are struggling with an addiction or loneliness or depression, I submit that it's not strength you need, but to rest in the presence of His love for you. It will calm you. It will heal you.
Grace=Peace,
Jeremy
Monday, May 06, 2013
Grace - The Awareness of Our Sins Does Not Produce Righteousness.
In a recent conversation, I was reminded of a book I read five years ago. This book was the last book I read immediately before Grace took on a whole new meaning for me. The book is called "The Valley of Vision" and it's a collection of Puritan prayers.
(You can find it on Amazon here: http://www.amazon.com/Valley-Vision-collection-Puritan-Devotions/dp/0851512283/ref=sr_1_8?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1367264793&sr=1-8&keywords=the+valley+of+decision).
I do recommend that you read this book, because there are some really great prayers; just be aware of the tendency of their prayers to shift focus.
In these prayers, the Puritans wavered between focusing on their own sinful actions and the work of Jesus Christ. They found hope in Christ, but there was always something in them that seemed to focus on the "not yet" of holiness, instead of the "now". I'm sure I can't give them the proper credit they're due, but those prayers were actually part of the process I journeyed through to discover the amazing news of Grace.
(You can find it on Amazon here: http://www.amazon.com/Valley-Vision-collection-Puritan-Devotions/dp/0851512283/ref=sr_1_8?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1367264793&sr=1-8&keywords=the+valley+of+decision).
I do recommend that you read this book, because there are some really great prayers; just be aware of the tendency of their prayers to shift focus.
In these prayers, the Puritans wavered between focusing on their own sinful actions and the work of Jesus Christ. They found hope in Christ, but there was always something in them that seemed to focus on the "not yet" of holiness, instead of the "now". I'm sure I can't give them the proper credit they're due, but those prayers were actually part of the process I journeyed through to discover the amazing news of Grace.
Many of their prayers spoke of contrition, with which I, not coming from a Catholic background, don't have a church-initiated history. "Acts of Contrition" is a pregnant thought to which I'm not necessarily willing to give birth in this post. My point in writing this to you is to describe how my perspective shifted from my short-comings and failures, to the realization that my only perspective is to see Jesus. And I've chosen to remain there, despite the times when some would say that one should be more aware of one's sin(s).
I am of the opinion that the institutionalized church has done believers a great injustice by insisting we spend hours grieving over our sins. Some churches would even insist that should there be acts or sacrifices on our part to make right our wrongs. To these acts, I might agree in part, if they relate to other people, but never to the exclusion that our sins have already been forgiven by God. And it is for this reason that we must move to see Jesus and keep our eyes on Him, but not in order to assure ourselves that we are still forgiven (as if at some point our forgiveness would be revoked), but rather for the freeing understanding that Jesus IS our justification, our redemption, our sanctification--our forgiveness. The damage done by such internal introspection taught to us by the church institution is a wavering of our faith--are we forgiven or not? are we righteous or not? are we sanctified or not? etc, etc. What I see are Christians who generally cannot celebrate, because they don't know the security of their life in Christ. The introspection we've become accustomed to--even thought of as holy--has undermined our confidence. The idea that introspection actually would make us holier baffles my mind. "Let's get together and make sin the theme of our meeting."
No, thanks.
It's as if we've been led to believe that the key to holiness and righteousness is be to aware of our sin and that we must remain in such a reflective state. That's totally different than the exhortations found in the Bible. Yes, to become a Christian, one must have that initial awareness of condition of sin before a holy God, but does a Christian stay there? Should a Christian return there? Do we "look back" to the cross to crucify something in us, or do we rejoice because of a work that Christ has already done? All the gifts are already under the tree, but it does take time for us to get around to handling and unwrapping each gift.
Not only should we not look at our past or present sins and react with an effort to maintain our holiness, but we have the confidence that even future sins, which are already forgiven, cannot affect our condition of righteousness. If that weren't amazing enough, here's the kicker: we can't even look to the Law to aid us in our introspective search to root out sin so we can be holy. Why? For at least two reasons: 1. The Law doesn't make any one righteous (Romans 3:19-20 and Galatians 3:11) and 2. the Law was crucified:
"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." (Col. 2:13-14, NASB)
The awareness of sin NEVER produces righteousness. It's only faith that our righteousness is Christ's righteousness, which He gives us, that causes the heart to rejoice.
And honestly, that's the language that I would like to hear from brothers and sisters in Christ. A language replete with confidence in their reality in Christ. And when we do sin, I pray we would never look to a list of DOs and DON'Ts to inspire us to regroup and redouble our efforts. What do we do after we sin? We remind ourselves of the truth:
"God has united you with Christ Jesus. For our benefit God made him to be wisdom itself. Christ made us right with God; he made us pure and holy, and he freed us from sin. Therefore, as the Scriptures say, "If you want to boast, boast only about the Lord." (1 Cor. 1:30-31, NLT)
The motivation and ability to not sin was never found in clinging to a list or even a command*, really. The command was only given to us to prove we could not obey (see Romans 5:20 and Galatians 3:21). Obedience is found in the awareness of the Father's love and our reality in Christ--the security of our lives. That's faith, and that's why every Christian alive should be always rejoicing.
Grace=Peace,
Jeremy
*For those who would refer me to John 8:11, in which we've always read "Go, and sin no more" as a stern command, I submit to you the following thought: which might have remained in her thoughts more, the act of love or the command? We can't know for sure, but we do know that it is God's kindness that causes us to think differently about our actions/condition. I believe that the woman who had been caught in adultery had just experienced the most loving act ever done to her when Jesus chose mercy above justice. Perhaps for the first time in her life a man treated her with love, dignity and respect, and it is for that very reason that we Christians need to see Jesus and all the benefits of our reality in Him. Let's focus on Him and not on ourselves--Since Jesus is not counting our sins against us, why would we?
I am of the opinion that the institutionalized church has done believers a great injustice by insisting we spend hours grieving over our sins. Some churches would even insist that should there be acts or sacrifices on our part to make right our wrongs. To these acts, I might agree in part, if they relate to other people, but never to the exclusion that our sins have already been forgiven by God. And it is for this reason that we must move to see Jesus and keep our eyes on Him, but not in order to assure ourselves that we are still forgiven (as if at some point our forgiveness would be revoked), but rather for the freeing understanding that Jesus IS our justification, our redemption, our sanctification--our forgiveness. The damage done by such internal introspection taught to us by the church institution is a wavering of our faith--are we forgiven or not? are we righteous or not? are we sanctified or not? etc, etc. What I see are Christians who generally cannot celebrate, because they don't know the security of their life in Christ. The introspection we've become accustomed to--even thought of as holy--has undermined our confidence. The idea that introspection actually would make us holier baffles my mind. "Let's get together and make sin the theme of our meeting."
No, thanks.
It's as if we've been led to believe that the key to holiness and righteousness is be to aware of our sin and that we must remain in such a reflective state. That's totally different than the exhortations found in the Bible. Yes, to become a Christian, one must have that initial awareness of condition of sin before a holy God, but does a Christian stay there? Should a Christian return there? Do we "look back" to the cross to crucify something in us, or do we rejoice because of a work that Christ has already done? All the gifts are already under the tree, but it does take time for us to get around to handling and unwrapping each gift.
Not only should we not look at our past or present sins and react with an effort to maintain our holiness, but we have the confidence that even future sins, which are already forgiven, cannot affect our condition of righteousness. If that weren't amazing enough, here's the kicker: we can't even look to the Law to aid us in our introspective search to root out sin so we can be holy. Why? For at least two reasons: 1. The Law doesn't make any one righteous (Romans 3:19-20 and Galatians 3:11) and 2. the Law was crucified:
"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." (Col. 2:13-14, NASB)
The awareness of sin NEVER produces righteousness. It's only faith that our righteousness is Christ's righteousness, which He gives us, that causes the heart to rejoice.
And honestly, that's the language that I would like to hear from brothers and sisters in Christ. A language replete with confidence in their reality in Christ. And when we do sin, I pray we would never look to a list of DOs and DON'Ts to inspire us to regroup and redouble our efforts. What do we do after we sin? We remind ourselves of the truth:
"God has united you with Christ Jesus. For our benefit God made him to be wisdom itself. Christ made us right with God; he made us pure and holy, and he freed us from sin. Therefore, as the Scriptures say, "If you want to boast, boast only about the Lord." (1 Cor. 1:30-31, NLT)
The motivation and ability to not sin was never found in clinging to a list or even a command*, really. The command was only given to us to prove we could not obey (see Romans 5:20 and Galatians 3:21). Obedience is found in the awareness of the Father's love and our reality in Christ--the security of our lives. That's faith, and that's why every Christian alive should be always rejoicing.
Grace=Peace,
Jeremy
*For those who would refer me to John 8:11, in which we've always read "Go, and sin no more" as a stern command, I submit to you the following thought: which might have remained in her thoughts more, the act of love or the command? We can't know for sure, but we do know that it is God's kindness that causes us to think differently about our actions/condition. I believe that the woman who had been caught in adultery had just experienced the most loving act ever done to her when Jesus chose mercy above justice. Perhaps for the first time in her life a man treated her with love, dignity and respect, and it is for that very reason that we Christians need to see Jesus and all the benefits of our reality in Him. Let's focus on Him and not on ourselves--Since Jesus is not counting our sins against us, why would we?
Wednesday, May 01, 2013
Grace - My First Step
I'm not perfect in my behavior--none of us is. I've got hang-ups--all of us do. There are things I've done that people hold against me, and I, too, have been hurt and had occasion to be offended, especially when people have either shut me out of their lives, or held grudges against me for years without ever honestly approaching me about them, or even both. But in recent months I've grown to move past the forgiveness that people normally offer, which is really only a platitude, to the importance of non-judgment and a willingness for restoration and reconciliation--all which more accurately represents the heart God desires us to have for each other. It's a result of applying Grace teaching. I just wish we were more patient and honest with each other than we are.
Recently, two friends have shared with me how the Gospel of Grace is being resisted at their respective churches. Topics such as sanctification, sinner vs. saint, and assurance of salvation are always at hand, and that's the case with these two friends who are preaching grace and bearing much fruit along with those who receive and apply the Gospel. What I find is that people flock to Jesus when the Gospel (and these topics) are taught aright. But, in contrast, those with differing views tend to -- and I mean no insult or condemnation -- these brothers and sisters tend to have their eyes focused on themselves, rather than Christ. They would never say that, but in some ways, it's as though we were all trained to look to ourselves and our resolve to live the Christian life. "Jesus is great, but you need to get to work." I think I'm seeing more and more that that kind of "living" is devoid of the life for which Jesus died and poured out His Spirit.
Joy? Miracles? Revelation of His love that causes you to weep? Experiencing His heart *for* you? Gifts of healing? Prophetic words of knowledge? Rest in Father?
Where are these among us? And why is each of them *not* a part of our daily life?
I believe it's because, 1). the Gospel is preached along with exceptions, and 2). we've been taught to be suspicious of good news. We've heard that God loves us, but that message is effectively cancelled when we're then told to do something for God. And why do we have to always be at work? Because when someone "qualifies" the Gospel message and limits the work of God's love toward us, we are essentially told that we're not good enough yet and that we haven't been sorrowful enough for our failures. That's the work that we're told we should always be about. We're told that it's us who needs to actively maintain our salvation and especially our righteousness and holiness. I don't know about you, but that's a heavy weight, but it's a burden we can't carry. Only Christ can.
"Learning to trust Him...is not something any of us can resolve in an instant; it's something we'll grow to discover for the whole of our lives, and He teaches us with more patience than we've ever known" Wayne Jacobsen
Because of the subliminal message that "the Gospel is too good to be true", or "Jesus is not enough, you need to sacrifice something else", I believe we're robbed of the full freedom which we're meant to live in. We can only experience that freedom when we trust. It really is that simple.
I remember that the first step I took on this road to freedom was when I understood the revelation that I no longer had a sinful nature. I likened my previous experiences to an attempt to remain stable on shifting sands; if the battle in me was on the two foundations of myself (two natures), then I never, never, never stood a chance for victory. But, because the sinful body has been removed, this revelation showed me that the battle was in my thought life, not in my nature, and Holy Spirit now sought to reveal this truth of my identity in Christ. I realized that I was a saint the moment I believed in Jesus, and if I sinned, it didn't change my nature, but that action was inconsistant with who I really was: a saint, not a sinner.
I didn't need to ask to be forgiven; I already was. I didn't need to be sanctified; I already was. I didn't need to climb the mountain of the Lord; I was already seated with Him in the highest of places! We're not bringing heaven's kingdom into our realm; we are bringing our real realm, the kingdom, into this natural realm.
This is victory; this is freedom. This is reigning in life and far, far, far, above simply avoiding sin and doing good, which has the fixated attention of most of the church.
Someone preached Grace to me, and Grace taught me. You may have heard someone also preach that John 1:17 says: "grace and truth came through Jesus Christ." The verb "came" is in the singular form in the Greek, not plural (grace and truth). The reality is that grace is the truth and the truth is grace; they are inseparable. It is KNOWING the truth through the preaching of grace that brings freedom.
So, if you've made it through reading this post to this point, I hope you'll take what I've said to heart and realize that the Gospel is probably a lot better and Christ in you more complete than you've thought. You're released from trying to fix your life. You're released from holding judgment against others. You're released to live loved. You're released to see Jesus, and Jesus only as your freedom, life, righteousness, holiness, and refuge. Paul focused on resting, and God did more through him than through any other apostle. Let's see what happens for you when you rest as well.
Grace=Peace,
Jeremy
Friday, April 26, 2013
Monday, April 22, 2013
Grace - Adam and Eve on the Road to Emmaus
In Genesis 3, God carries on a conversation with Adam and Eve. They've just messed up by believing they could (or needed to) choose between good and evil for themselves. This act brought sin into the world and created in them an orphan attitude: a fear of their Father. They were, of course, not without hope, because God prophesied a coming Savior (Gen. 3:15b "he shall bruise your head and you shall bruise His heel).
I wonder...
if God's conversation with these two, Adam and Eve, should be compared with Jesus' conversation with His two disciples, Cleopas and his companion, on the Emmaus Road. They knew what they had seen during the last week and a half: Jesus' triumphal entry, miracle after miracle, and Jesus' arrest, trial and crucifixion. Even the report of the disappearance of Jesus' body and supposed resurrection made all they had seen and heard all the more confusing.
Yet Jesus did rise from the dead, and I feel like somehow He ends a conversation with them that He started in the Garden of Eden.
It's as if He were to say: "Adam and Eve, here's the consequences of your choice to not trust in Me. A curse will come upon you and all creation, but I will one day redeem you from it." And to those traveling to Emmaus (Luke 24), He might have said: "My disciples, I've now taken the curse and sent away all sin under the Law. This was written about Me and foretold by all the prophets. The work of redemption and restoration has been completed."
But I have a question: Why did Jesus at first conceal His identity to those disciples?
Let's suppose you are seated beside someone on a plane. You and this person casually strike up a conversation and it flows very naturally. Believing the other person to just be a "normal" person, you speak honestly and are not tempted to impress. Some time later, you learn that the person you were conversing with is an internationally-known business-mogol whose ingenuity earned his company billions. How would you feel now? Like an idiot? That the topics you introduced in your conversation were absurdly below the intelligence and wisdom of this person?
I believe that Jesus hid His true appearance from those two disciples so that they would not have experienced the same fear as Adam and Eve: that "Oh, Jesus, we really messed up", self-deprecating, groveling reaction, which would have blocked their ears from hearing the good news of restoration and reconciliation. Because Jesus was sensitive to this possible reaction to them, He hid His identity, enabling them to hear the good news of Him first, which, as the Gospel news should do in any person, caused a fire to stir in their hearts. He then broke bread with them, and only then did He reveal His identity, as if to say, "I'm not angry or disappointed with you. I just wanted you know what great thing I had done so you wouldn't leave Jerusalem and be discouraged for the rest of your life!"
I pray that you will believe that Christ Jesus (God's ability to Save) really did settle those issues that you return to time and time again; that you would no longer look back to what you once were and did, and would now see yourself fully restored, reconciled, righteous, sanctified and holy, and complete in Jesus. Stop groveling and begin reigning.
Grace=Peace,
Jeremy
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
Grace - Fatherhood Defined
The first-century Jewish hope of a Messiah did not include the idea that God would be incarnate in human flesh. That He would be with them, yes. But certainly not one OF them. The Jewish people expected Messiah would be a man whom God anointed, much like Moses, David, or Ejilah. However, His plan was much greater, but He had to disguise Himself, and He did so, as a baby in a lowly manger, as a young boy in Nazareth, and as a young man walking in and around Galilee. When God revealed Himself in Jesus like this, NO ONE reacted in cowardice and fear, and for the first time since the Garden of Eden, God walked among His people
People were drawn to Him, not repelled. His gracious presence allowed them to be real and thus find acceptance. Jesus didn't want sinners groveling at His feet which, for us, has unfortunately become the model of holiness. "Fear God because He is Holy!" is the trumpet call of slave mentality under the old covenant.
No, God is a loving God who has settled the sin issue: Jesus said, "If you really knew Me, you would know my Father as well." Such tender images are given to us to explain our Father's love and desire for a tender relationship with us, IN us:
Young children beloved by a gracious Father
The bride of an eager bridegroom
Friends dear enough to die for
Little chicks under the loving wings of a hen
When we see the reactions of sinners afraid and prostrating themselves before angels and manifestions of God, it has less to do with God's holiness, and far more to do with how sinful people naturally reacted to God.
How did Peter react to Jesus? "Go away from me, Lord. I'm a sinful man." How did Jesus respond? Did He say, "Yes, Peter, you're a lousy sinner. Be grateful I don't vaporize you right now"?
No! He elevated Peter to be a son, a co-heir, one who goes about the business of his Father!
So, stop groveling and start reigning! God is serious about the intimacy and security of a relationship with Him built on love and trust. And for those who think this is presumptive on our part, well, guess what, it was His idea, not ours!
"Finding a true friendship with the living God never demeans who He is. It doesn't reduce Him to our level and allow us to treat Him tritely; it only defines His Fatherhood in ever more grandeur." - Wayne Jacobsen
Grace=Peace,
Jeremy
Friday, April 12, 2013
Grace - Moses Changed!
I want to share something in Scripture that I recently noticed. We all know that Moses couldn't speak very well, right? Here it is, Exodus 4:10 in his own testimony in two translations:
But look at what must have changed when Moses is mentioned in Acts 7:22:
Moses raised another objection to God: "Master, please, I don't talk well. I've never been good with words, neither before nor after you spoke to me. I stutter and stammer." (MSG)
But Moses pleaded with the Lord, "O Lord, I'm not very good with words. I never have been, and I'm not now, even though you have spoken to me. I get tongue-tied, and my words get tangled." (NLT)
What???
Moses was taught all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and he was powerful in both speech and action. (NLT)
...and Moses was taught in all wisdom of the Egyptians, and he was powerful in words and in works. (YLT)
Well, I guess two things must have changed: Moses' heart and speech. It's obvious that Moses was not confident at all when called by God, but after spending time with God, Moses has experienced God's continual affirmation. God blessed all that Moses did and He brought favor and honor to Moses.
Could it be that when we experience the Father-love of God, a confidence we've never known grows and influences not only our attitude, but also our (dis)abilities? Could it possibly be that Moses, having become confident that God contended for him, eventually became the man whose speech was powerful, effective, and eloquent?
I pray that Grace will continue to show you who Christ is IN you and FOR you.
No limitations, for...
Grace=Peace,
Jeremy
Monday, April 01, 2013
Grace - His Presence Gives Us Confidence To Go Off The Map
The following passage is taken from Bill Johnson's book "When Heaven Invades Earth". Enjoy!
"History provides us with a lesson from a great military leader. Alexander the Great led his armies in victory after victory, and his desire for ever greater conquest finally brought him to the foot of the Himalayas. He wanted to go beyond these intimidating mountains. Yet, no one knew what was on the other side. Senior officers were troubled by his new vision. Why? They had gone to the edge of their map--there was no map for the new territory that Alexander wanted to possess. These officers had a decision to make: would they be willing to follow their leader off the map, or would they be content to live within its boundaries? They chose to follow Alexander.
Following the leading of the Holy Spirit can present us with the same dilemma. While He never contradicts His Word, He is very comfortable contradicting our understanding of it. Those who feel safe because of their intellectual grasp of Scriptures enjoy a false sense of security. None of us has a full grasp of Scripture, but we all have the Holy Spirit. He is our common denominator who will always lead us into truth. But to follow Him, we must be willing to follow off the map--to go beyond what we know. To do so successfully, we must recognize His presence above all.
There is a great difference between the way Jesus did ministry and the way it typically is done today. He was completely dependent on what the Father was doing and saying. He illustrated this lifestyle after His Holy Spirit baptism. He followed the Holy Spirit's leading, even when it seemed unreasonable, which it often did.
The Church has all too often lived according to an intellectual approach to the Scriptures, void of the Holy Spirit's influence. We have programs and institutions that in no way require the Spirit of God to survive. In fact, much of what we call ministry has no safeguard in it to ensure that He is even present. When our focus is not the presence of God, we end up doing the best we can for God. Our intentions may be noble, but they are powerless in effect."
Grace=Peace,
Jeremy
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Grace - All Revelation is Really an Invitation to Personal Encounter
Hi Everyone,
All revelation from God is really an invitation to personal encounter. Until we pursue the reality revealed through revelation, our experience remains as it always has, even though the reality of God's revelation is much greater and always has been. However, if we pursue the personal encounter offered to us through reality revealed, the truth/reality that we believe in will, for us, go from being a reality to a personal, experiential encounter. For example, if those in the church who believe healing is possible could demonstrate that the anointing to heal is real and available to all, then those who are unsure would stop questioning and then themselves move in signs, miracles, and wonders.
For more, I highly recommend the following sermon by Bill Johnson. There is an amazing testimony of healing during the first 16 minutes, and then the proper sermon goes until around 48:00.
Please make the time to watch this:
Be Blessed!
Grace=Peace,
Jeremy
Saturday, March 23, 2013
Grace - Amazing Healing on Video
Hi Everyone,
You won't believe what you see in these videos (but I hope you do!). The videos together take about 20 minutes. A woman is healed and three friends confirm it! Please make the time to see what every believer can do and how every non-believer should react to God's power and love.
Watch first: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVVT1nMnfpA
Watch second: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9byC_TD3jww
Watch third: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=piHq7qXPTzM
Friends, if you hear of God's miracle-working power healing people elsewhere in the world, don't accept the absence of those same experiences around you. Your faith should never have only the stories of other people's experiences in the supernatural, but your own testimony that God has indeed equipped His people with every spiritual gift needed to further His Gospel both in word and deed.
Check out the following websites for testimonies of what God is doing (and can do with you):
http://www.ibethel.org/testimonies
http://globalawakening.com/testimonies/video
Grace=Peace,
Jeremy
You won't believe what you see in these videos (but I hope you do!). The videos together take about 20 minutes. A woman is healed and three friends confirm it! Please make the time to see what every believer can do and how every non-believer should react to God's power and love.
Watch first: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVVT1nMnfpA
Watch second: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9byC_TD3jww
Watch third: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=piHq7qXPTzM
Friends, if you hear of God's miracle-working power healing people elsewhere in the world, don't accept the absence of those same experiences around you. Your faith should never have only the stories of other people's experiences in the supernatural, but your own testimony that God has indeed equipped His people with every spiritual gift needed to further His Gospel both in word and deed.
Check out the following websites for testimonies of what God is doing (and can do with you):
http://www.ibethel.org/testimonies
http://globalawakening.com/testimonies/video
Grace=Peace,
Jeremy
Thursday, March 21, 2013
Grace - It's Not a Second-Hand Experience
"When everyone else said they had seen Jesus after the crucifixion, Thomas wasn't satisfied. He wanted more. He wanted to touch Jesus, hear Jesus, see Jesus, embrace Him. Most theologians have labeled Thomas a doubter. "Doubting Thomas" is the negative spin they have applied to Thomas's questioning. I disagree. Thomas wasn't doubting Jesus, he was longing for Jesus. Curiosity is a hunger of the soul, and because Thomas was strong and courageous and spoke bluntly, he was daring enough to ask though questions. He was not refusing to believe, he was refusing to settle for secondhand faith. Thomas was driven to know truth--to mingle with it, wrestle with it, become intimate with it. Jesus didn't criticize Thomas. He honored his curiosity. Jesus legitimized Thomas's holy curiosity." - Michael Yaconelli
Friends, if you hear of God's miracle-working power healing people elsewhere in the world, don't accept the absence of those same experiences around you. Your faith should never have only the stories of other people's experiences in the supernatural, but your own testimony that God has indeed equipped His people with every spiritual gift needed to further His Gospel both in word and deed.
Check out the following websites for testimonies of what God is doing (and can do with you):
Grace=Peace,
Jeremy
Monday, March 18, 2013
Grace - Never Fear Again
"In the beginning of His ministry, Jesus was continually bumping into fishermen, tax collectors, and political activists and asking them to follow Him. Astonishingly, these men abandoned their careers, their families, and their futures to follow Jesus. All because this Jesus said, 'Follow Me.' Why? Why would these men give up all they knew to follow Jesus into what they didn't know? Because somehow these men knew that life with Jesus is the life they had been seeking unsuccessfully in the confines of safety and caution. They knew life's greatest adventure was waiting just beyond the limits of carefulness." - Michael Yaconelli (emphasis mine).
Friends, I've known one too many people who have refused to step out because they feared failure. God's grace in our lives is greater than that. One of the greatest things I've done as I have moved in the prophetic and prayer to heal others is to grant myself permission to make mistakes...to grow in my ability to hear God's voice and prompting.
Will you accept the grace of God upon your life to step out and see Him work alongside you to do the impossible "God-things" such as laying on of hands for healing and prophetic encouragement?
I pray you will believe.
Grace=Peace,
Jeremy
Friday, March 15, 2013
Grace - Did the Gospel become the "Okay" News?
"We are in a war between dullness and astonishment." - Robert Capon
"The most critical issue facing Christians is not abortion, pornography, the disintegration of the family, moral absolutes, MTV, drugs, racism, sexuality, or school prayer. The critical issue today is dullness. We have lost our astonishment. The Good News is no longer good news, it is the okay news. Christianity is no longer life changing, it is life enhancing. Jesus doesn't change people into wild-eyed radicals anymore, He changes them into 'nice people.'" - Michael Yaconelli
If you're no longer finding yourself to be astonished and amazed by the Gospel, let me suggest that you've lost sight of what the Gospel really is. I pray that you will re-discover this, if necessary, and experience the power of God for you, in you, and through you as you see the sick and oppressed healed and set free. This is the Gospel; this is our realm.
Grace=Peace,
Jeremy
Thursday, March 07, 2013
Grace - Push the Affection Boundary
The Church is so far from holy affection for each other, that people who want affection have to leave the Church. Then, we accuse them of getting affection in a place they shouldn't have gotten it from. (Paraphrased from Kris Vallotton)
Folks, we must be intentional with our love for each other, even when it pushes boundaries created by our culture, and let's face it, our culture has pushed us so far from one another, that we think it's weird to show affection for someone. I see it all the time, and I am raging against that machine, because Jesus did, too.
Folks, we must be intentional with our love for each other, even when it pushes boundaries created by our culture, and let's face it, our culture has pushed us so far from one another, that we think it's weird to show affection for someone. I see it all the time, and I am raging against that machine, because Jesus did, too.
Saturday, March 02, 2013
Grace - Who Loves You?
Hi Everyone!
The focus of the Gospel is God's love for us. However, I believe that most people are quick to think differently. We've been trained to focus on our love for God. This, unfortunately, is a huge, HUGE problem, because it takes our eyes off of Jesus. I see one Christian after the next struggling to love God more, and their life speaks more of defeat than joy. There's nothing wrong with growing in one's love for God, but I get the sense that most Christians fall into this cycle: because their love for God falters and varies, they believe so also God's love for and approval of them wavers.
Simply put: Christians struggle to believe that God loves them when they see their love for Him as so inconsistent. They find themselves asking the question: "How can God truly love me, when I can't love Him as I ought to and as He deserves?"
Well, thankfully, this lie is being busted. Let's look at what Jesus did in John 11: Lazarus was sick and died, but Jesus was not moved by Lazarus' love for Him, rather by His love for Lazarus. Lazarus' sisters did not say: "The one who loves You is sick". They said "Lord, the one You love is sick."
Let us put this ever in the forefront of our thoughts--let it be the beginning and ending of all our musings, so that we may remain in that place of freedom and joy given to us by a Creator God Who is prodigal in His love for us. We are accepted by God, Who has demonstrated His complete and over-whelming love through Christ. Let us stand firm in this faith, and never again submit ourselves to the deadly cycle of trying to prove our love for God in order to gain acceptance and approval--or blessings!
Look to Jesus, for in Him, you are beloved.
Grace=Peace,
The focus of the Gospel is God's love for us. However, I believe that most people are quick to think differently. We've been trained to focus on our love for God. This, unfortunately, is a huge, HUGE problem, because it takes our eyes off of Jesus. I see one Christian after the next struggling to love God more, and their life speaks more of defeat than joy. There's nothing wrong with growing in one's love for God, but I get the sense that most Christians fall into this cycle: because their love for God falters and varies, they believe so also God's love for and approval of them wavers.
Simply put: Christians struggle to believe that God loves them when they see their love for Him as so inconsistent. They find themselves asking the question: "How can God truly love me, when I can't love Him as I ought to and as He deserves?"
Well, thankfully, this lie is being busted. Let's look at what Jesus did in John 11: Lazarus was sick and died, but Jesus was not moved by Lazarus' love for Him, rather by His love for Lazarus. Lazarus' sisters did not say: "The one who loves You is sick". They said "Lord, the one You love is sick."
Let us put this ever in the forefront of our thoughts--let it be the beginning and ending of all our musings, so that we may remain in that place of freedom and joy given to us by a Creator God Who is prodigal in His love for us. We are accepted by God, Who has demonstrated His complete and over-whelming love through Christ. Let us stand firm in this faith, and never again submit ourselves to the deadly cycle of trying to prove our love for God in order to gain acceptance and approval--or blessings!
Look to Jesus, for in Him, you are beloved.
Grace=Peace,
Jeremy
Friday, March 01, 2013
Grace - You Don't Have a Sinful Nature
Hi Everyone,
There's a lot of talking still going around over an issue that was settled roughly 2,000 years ago. Does a Christian have a sinful nature? The answer, emphatically, is NO. And yet, I continue to hear talk from church members and leaders to the contrary.
I'm not going to try and prove you this truth in this email, except to point you to Romans 6, which clearly states:
"...do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? 4 Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have become [a]united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be [b]in the likeness of His resurrection, 6 knowing this, that our old [c]self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be [d]done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; 7 for he who has died is [e]freed from sin.8 Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him..."
But, what I'd really like to point out is just two of the reasons why this truth is either unknown or misunderstood:
1. This truth is not taught, because we've been negatively focusing on our identity. The Bible clearly points to the renewing of the mind as the task at hand (see Romans 12:2, Ephesians 4:23, and Colossians 3:10). Christians have been taught that it is their identity that is flawed--feed the white dog; starve the black dog. It wasn't until I realized the truth of Romans 6 that I began to see that I was dead to all sin, past, present, and future, and alive IN Christ. I didn't understand my identity, so I was fighting the wrong battle. In fact, there is now no sin in me. How can I say that? Because 1 Corinthians 6:19 proclaims that I am the most holy place (temple, or naos) of the Holy Spirit and that I have been sanctified and made complete (see Acts 26:18, Hebrews 10:10, and Colossians 2:10 among many other similar passages). Therefore, as my mind is renewed to this new reality in Christ, my belief will affect my behavior. Simply put: the Christian needs to know the truth about their identity/reality/existence IN Christ. Our minds are being renewed to this reality and we are putting on our new selves by grace through faith. Without this renewed mind, we present our bodies to the control of Sin and its lusts, which I believe are not in us or our bodies, but are now external to us, since we have been born again.
2. Another reason for the wrong belief that a Christian still has a sinful nature--and even should be still called a sinner--is more an inherent aspect of Christianity today. It is certainly not my motive or intention to attack any leader, but here's what I see: If Christians no longer believed that they possessed a sinful nature, there would be a subsequent and nearly immediate end to most of the work of the Church. We all know that there are many programs, sacred and secular, that Christians look to for help in their attempts to modify their behavior, i.e., eliminate both sin and sinful habits in their lives, and Church leaders are kept busy in their efforts to control the flock. I'm sure most of it is well-intended and done from a sincere belief that their actions are helping the members of the Church, but the reality is that, as a whole, Christians are being told to manage their behavior through self-effort and discipline, rather than through a renewal to the truth of who they are in Christ. Frankly, to manage one's behavior through self-effort and discipline is not a life of faith, unless, of course, that you are fighting the fight of faith to believe what the Bible and the Spirit are really saying about. Christians need to be told that they are holy and righteous, even when they fall and struggle. Why is this so? Because our identity, sanctification, holiness, righteous, justification, etc, etc, has its truth in who Jesus is and what He's done, not in anything we have done, or even the person we were or should be.
If we can show Christians this truth, then the activities of the Church pertaining to behavior modification and other similar needs will cease. That will free us up to do what we were really called for: receiving God's love and free gifts and loving the world unconditionally through God's love and supernatural acts of power God does through us. However, for this to happen, leadership needs to let go of its reins and its programs and trust the Holy Spirit to direct the lives of the individual members of the church, and for some, that may be a scary thought. Those who sat in darkness have seen a great light. We were once under the law and subject to its demands; now we are under grace, and the Spirit reigns in us, because that great Light is now and forever shining upon us. We are always in the light. I feel that anyone who truly loves those whom they have the honor of mentoring or discipling would want them to experience this kind of faith life.
Let us turn from any wisdom, any addiction, any person as our source for Life, and realize that in Christ alone we find both freedom, satisfaction and Life abundant.
Grace=Peace,
Jeremy
There's a lot of talking still going around over an issue that was settled roughly 2,000 years ago. Does a Christian have a sinful nature? The answer, emphatically, is NO. And yet, I continue to hear talk from church members and leaders to the contrary.
I'm not going to try and prove you this truth in this email, except to point you to Romans 6, which clearly states:
"...do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? 4 Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have become [a]united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be [b]in the likeness of His resurrection, 6 knowing this, that our old [c]self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be [d]done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; 7 for he who has died is [e]freed from sin.8 Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him..."
But, what I'd really like to point out is just two of the reasons why this truth is either unknown or misunderstood:
1. This truth is not taught, because we've been negatively focusing on our identity. The Bible clearly points to the renewing of the mind as the task at hand (see Romans 12:2, Ephesians 4:23, and Colossians 3:10). Christians have been taught that it is their identity that is flawed--feed the white dog; starve the black dog. It wasn't until I realized the truth of Romans 6 that I began to see that I was dead to all sin, past, present, and future, and alive IN Christ. I didn't understand my identity, so I was fighting the wrong battle. In fact, there is now no sin in me. How can I say that? Because 1 Corinthians 6:19 proclaims that I am the most holy place (temple, or naos) of the Holy Spirit and that I have been sanctified and made complete (see Acts 26:18, Hebrews 10:10, and Colossians 2:10 among many other similar passages). Therefore, as my mind is renewed to this new reality in Christ, my belief will affect my behavior. Simply put: the Christian needs to know the truth about their identity/reality/existence IN Christ. Our minds are being renewed to this reality and we are putting on our new selves by grace through faith. Without this renewed mind, we present our bodies to the control of Sin and its lusts, which I believe are not in us or our bodies, but are now external to us, since we have been born again.
2. Another reason for the wrong belief that a Christian still has a sinful nature--and even should be still called a sinner--is more an inherent aspect of Christianity today. It is certainly not my motive or intention to attack any leader, but here's what I see: If Christians no longer believed that they possessed a sinful nature, there would be a subsequent and nearly immediate end to most of the work of the Church. We all know that there are many programs, sacred and secular, that Christians look to for help in their attempts to modify their behavior, i.e., eliminate both sin and sinful habits in their lives, and Church leaders are kept busy in their efforts to control the flock. I'm sure most of it is well-intended and done from a sincere belief that their actions are helping the members of the Church, but the reality is that, as a whole, Christians are being told to manage their behavior through self-effort and discipline, rather than through a renewal to the truth of who they are in Christ. Frankly, to manage one's behavior through self-effort and discipline is not a life of faith, unless, of course, that you are fighting the fight of faith to believe what the Bible and the Spirit are really saying about. Christians need to be told that they are holy and righteous, even when they fall and struggle. Why is this so? Because our identity, sanctification, holiness, righteous, justification, etc, etc, has its truth in who Jesus is and what He's done, not in anything we have done, or even the person we were or should be.
If we can show Christians this truth, then the activities of the Church pertaining to behavior modification and other similar needs will cease. That will free us up to do what we were really called for: receiving God's love and free gifts and loving the world unconditionally through God's love and supernatural acts of power God does through us. However, for this to happen, leadership needs to let go of its reins and its programs and trust the Holy Spirit to direct the lives of the individual members of the church, and for some, that may be a scary thought. Those who sat in darkness have seen a great light. We were once under the law and subject to its demands; now we are under grace, and the Spirit reigns in us, because that great Light is now and forever shining upon us. We are always in the light. I feel that anyone who truly loves those whom they have the honor of mentoring or discipling would want them to experience this kind of faith life.
Let us turn from any wisdom, any addiction, any person as our source for Life, and realize that in Christ alone we find both freedom, satisfaction and Life abundant.
Grace=Peace,
Jeremy
Thursday, February 21, 2013
Grace - Sin can lay claim neither on Jesus, nor you. Part 3
Here is the second part of an excerpt from Paul Ellis' book "The Gospel in Ten Words":
Below you may read the third and final part. I've highlighted a few meaningful sentences.
Grace=Peace,
Jeremy
So how do we walk in that freedom? "Count yourselves dead to sin." Your old master Sin will tempt you and pester you and try and bait you back into captivity. One of Sin's more cunning strategies is to so sinful desires into your mind and make you believe they are your desires. Do not be fooled. You have the mind of Christ, and Jesus never has a sinful thought. So, if a sinful thought enters your head, you can rest assured it did not originate in your sound mind. Don't take ownership of it. If it flew in your left ear, let it fly our your right. But what you must not do is engage with it. Don't react, don't dialogue, don't wrestle. Just play dead.
Playing dead is your best response to a provocateur such as the devil. Understand that the devil doesn't particularly care how you respond to sinful desires as long as you respond in the flesh. Sin like a sinner, or resist like a Pharisee, and he wins because you will be distracted from the grace that preserves you. Your eyes will be on your sinful- or self-righteous self instead of Jesus.
That's the first part; here is the second: "Reckon yourself alive to God in Christ Jesus." If all we did was play dead, life would be dead dull. Life is meant to be lived in spite of all the temptations we face. We have to live for something, so let us live for Him and His righteousness (1 Peter 2:24). If we react to anything, let us react to Jesus and the beauty of His holiness.
Choosing to live for Jesus IS spiritual warfare. It is resisting the devil by submitting to God. It is the choice that brings ever-increasing freedom and freedom is fun!
Friday, February 08, 2013
Grace - Sin can lay claim neither on Jesus, nor you. Part 2
Here is the first part of an excerpt from Paul Ellis' book "The Gospel in Ten Words":
Below you may read the second part.
Grace=Peace,
Jeremy
So how do we partake? How do we walk in this new way of life and resist the temptation to sin? The wrong way is the old way. It's trusting in the might of Adam and striving in the flesh to be an overcomer. It is telling ourselves, "Don't do this. Don't do that." Such an approach cannot succeed because it relies on our own resolve and determination rather than the grace of God. It's flesh-powered Christianity.
The problem is we have been eating from the forbidden tree for so long, we just don't see it. We think the remedy for bad behavior is good behavior. We think the solution for sin is to lay down the law. "Just stop it!" But this is a misuse of the law. It's like fighting fire with gasoline.
The law is good, but it is not your friend. We have a far better friend in Jesus.
"The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus." (Romans 6:10-11)
If our co-inclusion with Christ's death is to remain anything at all, we need to consider the nature of his death. "He died to sin once for all." Sin has no claim on Jesus, therefore sin has no claim on you. Sin's wage has been paid and all outstanding debts have been cancelled. You don't need to do anything to earn your freedom; you are free. Freedom is your starting point.
So how do we walk in that freedom? (To be continued....)
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