To Live and Walk By Faith

From John Angell James:

"'The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.' Gal. 2:20

To live and walk by faith, is to come daily to Jesus in the exercise of fresh dependence, fresh expectations, and fresh devotedness.

To live and walk by faith, is to see more of His glory and grace continually, and to rejoice greater in His unsearchable riches, and inexhaustible fullness.

To live and walk by faith, is in all our conflicts, sins, fears, weaknesses, and woes--to resort afresh to Jesus, with a full persuasion that we are welcome, and thus ever to derive strength and courage from Him."
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I would humbly add to these rich words:

1. The beginning of the Gal. 2:20 verse James quoted, "I have been crucified with Christ and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me..."

2. To live and walk by faith, is to so commune with Jesus as to have Him evidently living His life out through me.

Listen to "Grace For Life" Radio Program.

Replacing Resentment With Forgiveness

I love science. I'm not a scientist, but I love the observation of "the way things are".

And one of the "way things are" is that we are "fearfully and wonderfully made" (Psalm 139:14).

And one of the ways we are fearfully and wonderfully made is in how our soul (mind, emotions and will) affects our body.

And one of the ways our soul affects our body is in the devasting effects of unforgiveness.

We might assume this from the Scriptures, and rightfully so, but it is science which has actually demonstrated that the following is true:

"Resentment is like taking poison, and waiting for the other person to die."

Self-interest is not as high a motive as Spirit-filled obedience to our loving God, but it doesn't hurt to hear the words of scientists who have studied unforgiveness. They have universally found that unforgiveness, bitterness, anger, etc., cause increases in heart rate, blood pressure, cortisol (a fat-producing hormone), nervousness, adrenalin, restlessness, sadness, cardiovascular disease, relationship problems (duh..), and immune deficiency.

But forgiveness is only possible as we draw near to our Lord. As we commune with Him, as He expresses His Life through us, as we are filled with His Spirit, and as we walk by the Spirit, forgiveness is as natural as the fruit of the Spirit, which is love. Fellowship with Him. Practice His Presence. Let go of the resentment.

Oh, that Grace and forgiveness would govern our relationships. Healing balm for our souls and bodies. Isn't science something?

Listen to "Grace For Life" Radio Program.

Your Acceptance By God

I have a theory. I'm not the originator of the theory, but I subscribe to it. It goes like this:

If a believer in Jesus Christ has not "appropriated" the love and acceptance of God for them, that is, if they have not grasped in their very heart the utter unconditional way that God loves them and accepts them, then they can't really grasp the love and acceptance of other people for them.

Let me say that in another way.

If a person feels unloveable, or...

If a person feels that others can't really love or accept them, or...

If a person feels that if someone really knew them, then they wouldn't love or accept them, or...

If a person feels like if they only could do such-and-such or be such-and-such, or accomplish such-and-such, or be good enough, THEN someone might be able to love and accept them...

Then I believe that person has not understood their acceptance in Christ by God.

They may be born again, saved from their sins, and biblically knowledgeable, but they haven't grasped the basic understanding of what their relationship is to the God Who loves them unconditionally. They may even know about God's acceptance of them intellectually, or logically. But they haven't "appropriated" it spiritually, in the heart.

Sometimes they just need to be taught it from the Scriptures and they blossom as the light dawns in their hearts. But other times it seems that a person must come to some crisis in their lives, some hopelessness in their own self-righteousness, some discouragement from imperfect people, some "whatever", before the Lord opens their heart to the glorious truth that He doesn't have a relationship with them based on performance. But it must be spiritually discerned, and so it must be taught over and over and over. Faith even for that, comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.

Meanwhile, if you have that gnawing feeling that you just don't measure up to the standard that would allow God to really love and accept you, if you are striving to please Him, and feel like you're failing to do so, listen: He loves you. Yes, you. Not just enough to die for your sins. Enough to dwell in you. Enough to "justify" you, to declare you righteous, just as if you'd never sinned. Enough to no longer have any condemnation for you. Enough to take you in His arms and comfort you with the truth that He fully, fully accepts you in the Beloved. Enough to call you His beloved, the apple of His eye.

And if you have that gnawing feeling that people can't really love you, or they sure wouldn't if they really knew you, understand that you feel that way because you have yet to really grasp God's love and acceptance for you.

Those who have the Spirit of God surely can love and accept you, even if you have a hard time accepting it, because love is a fruit of the Spirit. And you will be sky-walking when you come to the knowledge of God's love so strongly that you can say with all sincerity, "Even if no one else loved me, my Savior and my God loves me, and that's enough." And the irony is, that's when you may first be able to accept the love of other people like you never have before.

And then you can love like you never have before.

P.S. Critical: This is not psychology, this is theology. It falls under the heading "...Truth shall set you free." The application is "If you really appropriate the Truth of the love and acceptance of God for you, then you will be set free to receive the love and acceptance of others (and to love and accept others)."

Listen to "Grace For Life" Radio Program.

Academic vs. Spiritual Bible Studies

If you are not in a small group Bible study at your church I highly recommend it. Sometimes known as "small group", "home fellowship", "cell group", etc., they are often where the real "Church" takes place. Especially if you are in a church so large that you can't really get to know too many people.

The key is not to have it merely academic. That is, if it is just "study", you are missing perhaps the greatest blessing of "assembling together". You can thoroughly learn the Bible, but go away cold, unfed, unblessed, and having not blessed others.

What's the alternative? Nothing specific, but the following things help:

1. Plenty of Time.

If it's 30 minutes of structured "study", ending with, "Well, time's up, folks. Let's rush out into our lives. Have a nice day," spiritual assembling isn't going to happen. You may need to be sensitive to the time schedule of some, and give an opportunity for those to leave who need to (without guilt that they're not staying for 7 hours). But if feasible, set it up such that those who can "hang around" will do so.

2. Some "Chat and Snack" Time, or Even Better, A Pot-Luck Meal.

If it's all formal, there won't be a chance to really get to know each other. When it's formal, people tend to put their "adequate masks" on, and you seldom find out what's really on someone's mind. It's also difficult to give individual counsel to one another, without the loose time to do so. You may say, "I'm not a counselor", but the truth is you are. It may be informal, but we should be "counseling" one another on a regular basis, with spiritual, biblical, common sense truths.

3. Understanding What "Fellowship" Really Is.

Fellowship is the Greek word "koinonia", which means "common". So fellowship is sharing in what we have in common. And the most important and satisfying thing we have in common is Jesus Christ Himself. So when we "fellowship" in small groups, it's critical that we have our minds on Him. It's critical that we "feed" each other with Jesus Christ Himself, and not just the academic study of the Scriptures.

Jesus said to the Pharisees, in John 5:39: "You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me." The point is that without relating the Scriptures to Jesus, Who is the key subject of those Scriptures, it becomes just academic, or even worse, just a book of legalistic, condemnatory rules to follow.

4. Prayer.

Prayer for one another. Prayer for ourselves. Prayer for others. Adoration, confession, thanksgiving, supplication, etc. This is not to be rushed or tacked on to the end of the meeting, squeezed into a fleeting time frame. This potentially can be as spiritual as it gets.

The tried and true method of asking for "prayer requests" can be wonderful. But additionally, the group should be encouraged to pray "as they are led" by the Holy Spirit Himself. Prayer is a form of fellowship itself, as we share something very precious that we have "in common", that is, access to "the throne of grace, for help in time of need."

5. Bible Study.

Yes, we don't want to neglect this, after we've put it in it's proper framework of Plenty of Time, Chat and Snack Time, Understanding Fellowship, and Prayer. It's best if there is at least one gifted "teacher" among you, to avoid the "this is what it means to me, how about you?" syndrome.

Most scriptures have an actual meaning, not a flexible rubber meaning that can be stretched to suit anyone's untamed thought. So studying should be studying, but always with an eye and heart to Jesus Christ. Better to draw near to Him, than to have the exact exegesis right, but miss Jesus and His Holy Spirit. That's what I call Spiritless Exegesis.

6. Fervent Love for One Another.

I wish I could shout this, without being rude. If you don't remember anything else, remember this. Maybe this should be listed first, but I saved it for last for two reasons:

a) Without love, all the rest leaves us nothing, a sounding brass, a clanging cymbal, profiting nothing (1 Cor. 13:1-3).
b) Love covers a multitude of sins. We will sin against one another. That doesn't surprise you, does it? We will sometimes neglect one another, or insult one another, or hurt one another's feelings, and on and on. Unforgiveness and even a root of bitterness can result, UNLESS...we "have fervent love for one another, for 'love will cover a multitude of sins'." (1 Peter 4:8)

Listen to "Grace For Life" Radio Program.

Defining Legalism - Part 2

6. Legalism is rampant in the Churches.

The largest responsibility for this lies with the Pastors (and the Seminaries which crank them out) not understanding the very nature of the New Covenant, and not understanding the centrality of Jesus Christ in every passage.

But the congregation, too, has a responsibility. Too often the congregation actually welcomes moralistic, performance-based preaching, while they suffer severe malnutrition because they are missing the Bread of Life, Who is Grace, Who is Jesus.

In not "rightly dividing" or "cutting straight" the Scriptures, they mix Old and New Testaments, Old and New Covenants, Natural Israel and Spiritual Israel, Law and Grace, Blessings and Cursings, and a whole hodge-podge of Theological Chili results, where one can't tell when the tomatoes end and the beef or beans begins.

7. The answer at least partly lies in a vigilant watch for legalism, and slaying it's dragons with the clear Word of God at every opportunity.

We may start with really taking Galatians at face value. If teacher or student gets a handle on the radical nature of Galatians, three things will be clear:
a. there is no law or performance involved in initial salvation
b. there is no law or performance involved in retaining salvation
c. there is no law or performance involved in God's loving His children, and bestowing His favor on those who have already been given "all spiritual blessings in Christ Jesus".

8. There are two useful personal tests for legalism, even when it's so slippery that it fights definition:

Test 1--
Do I think I'm "better" than some other guy or gal, or do I think I'm "worse" than some other guy or gal?

If I think I'm better, I am not understanding Grace. I am not understanding "that nothing good dwells in me, that is in my flesh." (Rom. 7:18) True, I have a new spirit, a new nature, but "what do you have that you have not received?" Or as the common proverb puts it, "There but for the Grace of God go I".

If I think I'm worse, I am not understanding Grace, because I'm denying what God has done in making me a new creation, old things having passed away and all things becoming new.

Test 2 --
Do I think God will love me more if I perform in such-and-such a way? Then I don't understand
that by Grace, God loves me unconditionally. He set His love on me before I was even born. Nothing I do can make Him love me more, and nothing I do can make Him love me less. He loves me...period.

9. "It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore, keep standing firm, and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery." (Gal. 5:1)

"But now we have been released from the law, having died to that by which we were bound, so that we serve in newness of the Spirit, and not in oldness of the letter." (Rom. 7:6)

"For through the law, I died to the law, so that I might live to God." (Gal. 2:19)

Part 1

Defining Legalism - Part 1

1. Theological Error tends to resist definition.

So you have to wrestle it to the ground like a strong dragon and force it to define itself, then stab it through with the sword of truth.

2. Legalism, as theological error, resists definition.

But we must wrestle some definitions out of it anyway, so we can spot it when it raises it's multiple destroying heads.

3. New Covenant Scriptures allude to legalism in three genres or forms:

a. legalism for INITIAL salvation, e.g., baptismal regeneration, or "you must be circumcised", or the most popular among pagans, "do more good than bad in your life".

b. legalism to RETAIN salvation, for example, the Seventh-Day Adventists, who officially teach salvation by grace, but then teach that we must follow certain laws and practices or we lose it.

c. legalism to earn God's love and favor after we're born again, too common even among Reformed believers, and may be the slipperyest dragon of all to wrestle a definition from.

4. All legalism can best be defined by what it is not, i.e., Grace.

If it's not Grace, it's legalism.

Grace is the element that most defines the New Covenant, a unilateral work of God which not only imputes His righteousness to us, but actually "reborns" our spirits, making us new creatures who love Jesus and hate sin in our new natures.

1 Cor. 4:7 says, "What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?" If it's not All of Grace, it's partly of legalism.

5. Legalism is more insidious, more destructive, and more evil than is commonly thought by believers.

It's not just a "difference of opinion" or a "different slant" on things.

Rom. 6:14 makes a profound statement that the Church in general has missed: "For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law, but under grace."

Legalism literally robs us of the very ability to keep sin from being master over us. When law is used in any way in regard to the above three genres of legalism (for intial salvation, to retain salvation, or to earn God's love and favor), then one has "fallen from Grace" (Gal. 5:4), gotten on the ground of law, and two things happen:
1. One quenches the Holy Spirit by spurning His Grace, and
2. One inflames sin, since the law is the "power of sin" (1 Cor. 15:56).

When one gets on the ground of law, off of the ground of Grace, there are two typical results:
1. One thinks they are performing pretty well as compared with others, and becomes prideful, or,
2. One thinks they are perfoming poorly as compared with others, and despairs or loses the joy of their salvation.

Part 2

How to Love Everybody

Do you have trouble loving anybody? I mean anybody. Do you find yourself being a loving person, but then along comes so-and-so and you sense that love goes out the window.

Well, that’s because there is love, and then there is love.

I’m talking about Natural Love, and Supernatural Love. Natural Love shouldn’t be denigrated or put down. Without Natural Love, mothers wouldn’t take care of babies, brothers wouldn’t protect their sisters, husbands and wives who are not Christians wouldn’t treat each other right, people wouldn’t give to starving natural disaster victims, and so on. Natural Love is a wonderful thing that God has, in general, graced humans with, and for that we should be grateful.

But there are times and places and situations in which Natural Love fails. And there is scriptural indication that Natural Love will decline as history winds down.

And the main drawback of Natural Love is that it is virtually always conditional. It depends on circumstances, personalities, moods, feelings, and all kinds of things that change. And "change" is the key word.

Husbands who adore their new wives end up abandoning them. Why? Something changed. Him…her…circumstances…physical beauty…something changed, and Natural Love went out the window. Or I love people of this race, but not that race, or this nationality or that nationality. Or I find it easy to love beautiful people, but not homely people. Or I love lowly people, but I can’t stand rich people. Or I love my family, but not YOUR family. And on it goes.

If all you have is Natural Love, then it's impossible to love everybody. It’s conditional, and how many conditions we place on our Natural Love will determine how many people we love.
And so there are wars and rumors of wars. There are fights and conflicts. There are Adolph Hitlers and Saddam Husseins who love their grandchildren but massacre other people’s grandchildren.

Supernatural Love is different. Drastically different. Why?

Because Supernatural Love is the fruit of the Spirit.

That means it’s produced in us by God, through His Holy Spirit. And since He gives us a new spirit when we are born again, and joins our spirit to His, we have His love shed abroad in our hearts, in our spirits, too.

Well, there are three implications of that:

1. Supernatural Love is unconditional. It’s literally a miracle. If we are born again, we who once had only Natural Love, now have the capacity to love anybody, of any age, of any color, of any class, of any disposition, friendly or mean, beautiful or ugly, healthy or smelling of putrifying disease, left-wing or right-wing, commie, nazi, friend or enemy, man or woman, saint or sinner.

Now, if I mentioned a group or individual there that causes your hair to stand on end trust me, Supernatural Love can rescue you. Because if there is anybody that you think you can’t love, you need rescuing. But there is great hope. Because…

2. Supernatural Love comes in a package, which is called the fruit of the Spirit. The package includes the following: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness, and self-control. Each one is directly connected to love.
But…

3. Supernatural Love doesn’t come Naturally. That makes sense, doesn’t it? We are made up of body, soul, and spirit. And it's our spirits which have been "born again" or made "new creations". And Christ has come into us and made His Spirit one with ours. And the Flesh is still with us, and sin still indwells our Flesh.

We now may "walk by the Spirit", or "walk by the Flesh". Flesh can only have Natural Love (and it's not even very good at Natural Love, because it's self-oriented).

So...
We need to be filled with the Spirit, and walk by the Spirit, if we are to have Supernatural Love.
And we need to be in fellowship with Jesus Christ in order to walk by the Spirit.

You wanna see what Supernatural Love looks like?

Look at the One Who always walked by the Spirit.

--Jesus, eating with the sinners.
--Jesus, having compassion on the crowd of people who followed Him for bread, knowing full well that those same people would shortly be shouting, "Crucify Him, Crucify Him"
--Jesus, on the cross, saying, "forgive them, for they know not what they do."
--Jesus who, while we were yet sinners, demonstrated His own love toward us (Rom. 5:8)

But just seeing Jesus as an example is not enough. We, too, need to walk by the Spirit.

You can love everybody. You don’t have to pick and choose. You don’t have to settle for Natural Love that comes and goes. Change your mind about that. But it must be Christ in you the hope of glory. It must be Christ, Who is our life, living His life through you.

Draw near to Him, and He will draw near to you.

Listen to "Grace For Life" Radio Program.

While We WERE Yet Sinners

Just a reminder that, although we Christians still sin, because of the deceit of the world, the flesh, and the devil, yet we are not sinners in our new natures. We are saints (set-apart ones).

Romans 5:8, "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."

1 Corinthians 6:11, "And such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and in the Spirit of our God."

He who is in Christ is a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17). Just a reminder, Saints.

Listen to "Grace For Life" Radio Program.

Are Charismatics "Spirit-Filled"?

Walking In the Spirit And the Charismatic Movement

Often you will hear Charismatic Christians speak of themselves and their church or movement as "Spirit-Filled". For example, "I'm Spirit Filled, are you?" "Oh yes, I'm Spirit Filled, too!" "Oh, that's wonderful. Where do you go to church?"

Or, "Our church is Spirit Filled, is yours?" "Yes, we're a Spirit Filled church, too." And so forth.

What they mean of course is that they consider themselves "baptized in the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues". There are slight variables between one Charismatic and another, but that's the basic.

This short post will not be a treatise on pentecostal theology in general. Although I'm not prepared to say that God has boxed Himself in such that He could never give someone the true gift of tongues, I believe what passes for "tongues" in the modern Charismatic church is a tragic joke. "Shandala mandala preekoo yaba daba doo" is not the supernatural gift of another language that characterized the apostolic age.

I flirted with the movement in the early 1980's, when I was "taught" how to speak in tongues:

"Just let words come out of your mouth, but make sure they're not English."

"Shai rah pahnee doi..."

"That's it! You've got it! You're baptized in the Holy Spirit. You're Spirit-Filled!"

"I am? Uhh...All-righty then!"

Then I was taught not to doubt that the "tongues" were real. When I would read about real tongues in the Bible, and my mind would say, "This is ridiculous. It's a sham on the level with the Emperor Who Had No Clothes," I was taught to "pray in tongues" until the doubt goes away. Well the doubt never went away, and I eased back out of the "Movement".

I was a co-teaching-pastor-elder of a Charismatic church in Grand Rapids, Michigan for about a year. When I said I must resign, 'cause I don't believe this stuff, the other two co-teaching-pastor-elders begged me to stay. They said, it's O.K. if you don't believe in the "baptism with the Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues" (showing how important they really thought it was). I told them that if they had so little belief in their own Charismania that they would want ME to stay, then they ought to consider resigning, too.

Anyway, I was teaching things like the sovereignty of God, justification by faith, walking in the Spirit, communion with Jesus Christ, etc., and the people in that Charismatic church were really appreciating it.

The Tragic Part

What I saw, and have seen ever since, is the tragedy that a person who thinks they are "Spirit-Filled" because of some one-time experience, has typically lost the understanding of really being "filled with the Spirit".

Ephesians 5:18 which tells us to not be drunk with wine, but to be "filled with the Spirit" is the key verse. In the original Greek, the meaning is literally "be being filled with the Spirit". In other words, it's a continual and repeated thing, a goal of being "re-filled" or "kept full" as a lifestyle. To put it another way, after the "filling" we leak. The world, the flesh, and the devil deceive us, and we may quench the Holy Spirit. We then need to "be being filled with the Spirit" anew.

Another angle by which to understand it is regarding control. To be filled with the Spirit is to be controlled by the Spirit, or to "walk in the Spirit", or to be in "surrender" to Jesus Christ.

"Surrender" is my favorite biblical way of looking at it, because it not only is a beautiful thing in itself, it's the key to "be being filled". When we seek close communion with Christ, and surrender to Him in the moment, such that we can say, "Not my will, but thine be done", then we are subject to the real filling of the Spirit.

What's the result? The fruit of the Spirit! Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, meekness, faithfulness, and self-control.

That's the easiest way to see the error of the Charismatic who says they are "Spirit-Filled". When they exhibit fleshly behavior, as we all do at times, they simply are not "Spirit-Filled". And the sad thing is they don't even know it.

Listen to "Grace For Life" Radio Program.

Slaying the Dragon of Legalism

You know how in those thriller-type movies when the bad guy or monster is killed. And you can finally take a breath, and relax? Evil is destroyed, and all is finally well? Your adrenaline subsides?

Whew!

But then the bad guy or monster sorta twitches, and then jumps up to attack the good guy again, right?

That's Legalism.

It never rests. You can expose it, argue against it, show how unbiblical it is, show how destructive it is, and stab it right in the heart. And you think, "There! That oughta take care of that!"

But then it sorta twitches, then gives a little movement, then jumps up and screams, "You know what a sinner you are!"

It rages, "You call yourself a Christian! You think God could really love a hypocrite like you!?"

It screeches, with it wings spread, "You'll never be holy! You know your performance isn't good enough to earn the favor of the Holy Creator of the universe!"

It spreads its claws and flaps its wings and jumps up to scratch your eyes out, bellowing with breath of fire, "You're not good enough for Jesus, and you know it!!"

And fear grips you and you think, "Maybe this Grace-After-Salvation thing is all a lie. Maybe I do need to try harder, struggle more, really earn God's love."

That's when our Champion charges in on his steed, and raises His Sword, which is the Word of God, and plunges it into the dragon's head, and draws it back and slices the dragon's head off with the power that formed a trillion galaxies with, "Let there be..."

And He picks you up, and dusts you off, and says, "Nothing you do could make me love you more, and nothing you do could make me love you less. I love you. And nothing can separate you from my love. I kept the Law for you. And when I said, 'It is finished', I meant it. When I justified you, declared you righteous, I meant it. When I said your sins were forgiven, I meant it. When the next dragon of Legalism stalks you, call me. It was for freedom that I set you free. Therefore, keep standing firm, and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery." [Galatians 5:1]

Listen to "Grace For Life" Radio Program.

Stress vs. Trials

Do you get "stressed out". Do you have a lot of "stress" in you life? Before you answer, let’s take a look at stress from a Biblical slant.

I know what you hear or read all the time about stress and how bad it is for your health, your high blood pressure or your heart. There's even an actual organization called The American Institute of Stress!

Time Magazine, in their June 6, 1983 cover story called stress "The Epidemic of the Eighties", calling it our leading health problem. Surveys show that adult Americans perceive they are under much more stress than a decade or two ago.

I won't go into all the bodily changes that take place under stress, but they include the release of powerful hormones and neuro-transmitters. These bodily changes are actually good if, say, a bear is chasing you. It's sometimes called the fight or flight mechanism, and it’s very useful in such cases. But when we have such things as fear, or worry, the same hormones and neuro-transmitters jump into play, and if we sustain those emotions for very long they can destroy our health, which can of course affect other parts of our lives.

So what do we do about stress?

God has ordained trials as a means of growing us, sanctifying us, teaching us, conforming us to His image. That’s why James wrote, "Count it all joy, brethren, when you encounter various trials." We will never escape having trials in this life.

But the question is, How do we handle the trials? There are many answers, but we can illustrate them in general like this:

Picture a fork in a road, one road going one way, the other going another way.
One road we’ll call the Biblical Spiritual Road. The other we’ll call the Unbiblical Unspiritual Road. Now when we encounter pressures or trials, we will tend to handle them by taking one or the other of those two roads. We will handle that trial in Biblical Spiritual ways, or we will handle them in Unbiblical Unspiritual ways.

So let's attempt a biblical definition of STRESS… here it is:

"Stress is the result of an unbiblical unspiritual response to pressure or trials."

God hasn’t made us to "stress out" for escaping trials. He has given us the biblical spiritual road for trials. He has given us precious instruction in handling those trials that come our way.

I can only scratch the surface in this brief post, but let’s just look at one example, to show the difference in the two choices at that fork in the road.

One of the most precious is Philippians 4:6: "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God".

Let’s break it down just a little. A trial comes along and we have two roads to choose from. One says. "Be anxious"… worry, fret, stew, get uptight, try to figure it out, try to escape it, wring your hands, envision the horror of it all, get mad at somebody, get mad at God, and so forth.

The other road says, "Don’t be anxious" ... but pray, supplicate (that is, ask God's help), don’t worry, don’t fret, don’t stew, don’t get uptight, walk by faith, not by sight, don’t try to escape it, don’t wring your hands, envision the good of it, let it work it’s work in you, don’t get mad at anybody…pray for them…and above all do it with thanksgiving.

Be thankful for the trials, or at least be thankful for the grace to bring you through the trial, be grateful you have a Lord who loves you. Be thankful for eternal life, peace with God, the peace of God, forgiveness of sins, love shed abroad in your heart, the promise of heaven, the indwelling Holy Spirit, the ability to approach God in prayer, the promise to be like Him one day, freedom from the power of sin, the ability to understand the scriptures by his Spirit, the fruit of the Spirit, the promise of Romans 8:28, etc. You get the idea.

Praise Him in the midst of the trials, and trials won’t become stress. Remember our definition of stress: "Stress is the unbiblical unspiritual response to trials."

We don’t have to experience stress, and we don’t have to resort to the world’s solutions…taking hot baths, chanting mantras, hooking up to bio-feedback machines, and then stressing out all over again.

Seek Jesus… seek Him in the stillness of your heart. As you read your Bible and pray, look for the Biblical Spiritual Road, and take it.

Listen to "Grace For Life" Radio Program.

True Biblical Counseling vs. Psychology

Psychological counseling strengthens the flesh. Paul said "For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh;" Who wants to strengthen that!?

Better to zero in on the new man, that spirit which is now joined to His Spirit, that spirit which now loves Jesus and hates sin.

The Word of God, and the Wonderful Counselor is what we need in our times of trials (which is almost always), not a psychologist.

"Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need." (Heb. 4:16) Too often we need counseling because we avoid the throne of grace. First counseling instruction: draw near to Him!

A caution, however, regarding so-called Biblical Counseling. Sometimes "Biblical" or "Nouthetic" counseling is reduced (as the Gk noutheteo --admonish-- implies) to merely "admonishing". That is, it becomes merely rule-oriented, or Law-based. Sort of, "Repent, don't do that anymore, do this, and everything will be O.K." Duty, duty, duty. And if the counselee doesn't comply pretty darn quickly...well then they're just stiff-necked and hopeless.

True Biblical counseling will encompass such important doctrinal foundations as the sovereignty of God, His great love for His children, His total acceptance of His children "in the Beloved", the ongoing grace of God after salvation, the attributes of God which engenders love for Him in true believers, and training in how to walk by the Spirit and being filled with the Spirit in an ongoing lifestyle.

Without those kinds of foundational truths, instead of the "love of Christ constraining us", and true repentance of the heart as a lifestyle, it becomes a Holy Behavioral Modification that makes someone look good, smell good, but wither on the Vine. Without preaching the whole counsel of God, and particularly feeding the sheep with Him Who is the Bread of Life, even so-called Biblical Counseling can become the "letter [that] kills" (2 Cor. 3:6).

Listen to "Grace For Life" Radio Program.

Unequally Yoked?

Prominent Christian authors often have books published by publishing houses that are owned by pagans. Is this a violation of Scripture? Here are some thoughts:

1. The Pharisees took a principle of their Old Covenant Scriptures (that one should not work on the Sabbath) and "extended" it even to ladies not having needles in their skirts, since that would be "work".

Pharisee-ism always takes good principles and makes them intoTaliban-like rules for everyone. This is bad enough under the awe-full Old Covenant, but even worse under the glorious New Covenant, wherein each believer has the Holy Spirit in them, guiding them.

2. There has never been a convincing exegesis of the relevant passages about being "separate" and not being "unequally yoked" that would universally forbid all believers from contracting with pagans for book deals. One's own conscience may lead in that direction, but it's a form of Pharisee-ism to "extend" the verse to book deals.

3. There are several Christian book publishers who would get a pass under the "extended" no-unequal-yoke rule, yet they practically specialize in Law-based Galatianism that puts, guilt and condemnation on those whom Christ has made free.

4. The whole discussion here, I believe, is missing the real point. That is, that our essential goal should not be outward, but inward. That we should seek close fellowship with Jesus Christ, seek to be filled with His Spirit, seek to walk by the Spirit. If we walk by the Spirit, He may lead us to renounce, or to embrace, a secular book contract. He will teach us and lead us into His mind regarding those separation Scriptures, and He may lead each of us differently.

5. Revival is not all it's cracked up to be. Jesus is building His church, and the gates of Hell will not prevail against it. Ebbs and flows of so-called "revival" can be very deceptive, as in the Finney revivals which left unregenerate bodies strewn from Ohio to New York.

God's sovereignty is not an excuse for lack of vision, action, or exhortation. But it is a cause for comfort in the midst of what can be disheartening circumstances. It is God "who is at work in us both to will and to do His good pleasure".

6. A Spirit-filled man has love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control.

Finding a man who is filled with the Spirit as a lifestyle sometimes seems like Diogenes with his lantern trying to find an honest man. Yet twelve such men "turned the world upside down", as God saw fit.

Take heart. He is working...through you, and me, and the heretics, and the donkeys.

7. The greatest of courage is not in demanding the presumed "duty" of others, it's in proclaiming the freedom of the gospel of Jesus Christ, in the midst of a self-righteousness performance-based church culture.

"Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage." -- Gal. 5:1

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Lonely But Never Alone

Loneliness is a universal problem. But there is hope...

By Michele Rayburn

I never feel lonely when I spend time alone with the Lord, and when I practice His presence the rest of the time. When I am not "filled with the Spirit" is when I am the most lonely.

What a blessing it would be (what revival might even come) if all of us Christians would make it a priority to develop our Spirit life through close communion with Christ. Then our lives would be more fulfilling. And when we come together again, our fellowship with one another will be more fulfilling.

What the Church seems to be lacking today is the Spirit of Christ moving in our own personal lives the way God meant for it to be. We lack spiritual teaching that will draw us back to Christ. The teachings we often hear tend to be man-centered rather than Christ-centered.

We should keep our focus on Christ and imitate Him, instead of looking at ourselves and beating ourselves up about how imperfect we are. He’s not surprised by our weaknesses. Even before we were born, He knew how we would stumble. But we are "accepted in the Beloved". So we should keep our focus on Him. We should think on things like God's everlasting love for us, His total acceptance of us, and our security in Him.

I think that if we don't fully comprehend and receive God's love for us, we may feel unacceptable to Him when we fail. And that kind of alienation can also make us feel lonely.

When our own lonely heart is comforted by our communion with Christ, then we can fellowship with others in a way that will ease their loneliness.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.

For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also abounds through Christ. 2 Corinthians 1:3-5

It's so important to be sensitive to the fact that as brothers and sisters in Christ, we really need each other.

Therefore comfort each other and edify one another, just as you also are doing. 1 Thessalonians 5:11

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Christians Not Perfect, Just Forgiven?

I've never liked the bumper sticker that says, "Christians Are Not Perfect -- Just Forgiven". It's true we're not perfected yet, but it's not true that we're just forgiven. A lot more has been accomplished with our regeneration, our "new birth". We are a new creation. Old things have passed away, all things have become new.

He has made us "fearfully and wonderfully". There is sometimes a real pride in self-abasement How's that for an oxymoron? (see Col.2:18, "Let no one keep defrauding you of your prize by delighting in self-abasement...").

I have a couple friends who are so into self-abasement that they actually say that God didn't send Jesus to die for us because He loved us, but only for His own glory. He certainly did it for His own glory, but how absurd to deny the very clear John 3:16,"For God so loved the world, that...".

One friend even claims his favorite Bible verse is in Job 42, when Job says, "I abhor myself". When it's pointed out that "abhor" is an incorrect translation, he says it's still his favorite verse.

We need to be Christ-centered. Indeed, the more Christ-centered we are, I believe the more we will be amazed at what He has done in us. And the more Christ-centered we are, the more we will walk by the Spirit. Yet, I believe that, ironically, to deny what God has done in and to us, is a sort of unbelief that quenches the Spirit.

Glory and credit is another matter. Who should get the glory and credit for all this? Well, the one who did it all, of course. Whatever we are is by grace.

"What do you have, O man, that you did not receive?" (1 Cor. 4:7)"

"You are worthy, O Lord, To receive glory and honor and power;For You created all things, And by Your will they exist and werecreated." (Rev. 4:11)

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Should We Love Ourselves?

Should we love ourselves? We do, of course, in the natural sense. That's what Jesus was saying when He said to love others as we love ourselves (Matthew 22:39). He wasn't commanding us to love ourselves, He was pointing out the obvious that we already do.

But should we love ourselves? That depends on how we define "love".

Let me give a working definition of "love", that sort of love that is the fruit of the Spirit, and is good. Here's the definition:

"Love is the fruit of the Spirit in which one desires the greatest good for the object loved, and acts accordingly."

I contend that usually we have to use our God-given "reason" or "common sense" in figuring some biblical things out. I admit that too much "reasoning" can get us into trouble, especially if we reason with unbiblical premises. But here's my point: If God repeatedly tells us to love, and if love is the fruit of the Spirit, does it make sense that we should NOT love ourselves?

Or to put it in terms of my working definition above: If love is the fruit of the Spirit, and desires the greatest good for the object loved . . . shouldn't we desire that greatest good for ourselves? I think it's obvious that we should.

But . . . that leaves open "what is the greatest good for us", doesn't it? And that's where I think the unbiblical notion that "we shouldn't love ourselves" comes in.

For example, would it be our greatest good to be a selfish pig, or a hedonistic worldling, or a self-centered narcissistic "me, me, me" person? Of course not. Would it be our greatest good to take on the philosophy, "It's better to receive than give"? Of course not.

On the other hand, would it be our greatest good to "not think more highly of ourselves than we ought"? Yes! Would it be our greatest good to be selfless servants of our families, our fellow man, and God? Yes! Would it be our greatest good to recognize that we "are fearfully and wonderfully made", yet also recognize, "what do you have that you didn't receive?"?

In other words, our greatest good is to deny ourselves, take up our crosses, and follow Him. Our greatest good is for Jesus to live His life through us. Our greatest good is to believe Him that we are new creations, that old things have passed away, and all things have become new. Our greatest good is to reckon ourselves to be dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

Our greatest good is to walk by the Spirit, and thereby to not fulfill the lust of the flesh.

If we truly love ourselves, we will love others greatly, because to not do so is to be clanging cymbals, and who wants that?

So, yes, we should love ourselves. To NOT love ourselves would be wrong. But first we have to understand what love is.

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Casting Crowns: The Trinity Rewards Conspiracy

I have a theory. The theory is that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit have gotten together and cooked up a little conspiracy.

They have given us gifts and abilities. We are "fearfully and wonderfully made" (Psalm 139:14), but of course we can't take credit for that. After all, "What do you have that you did not receive?" (1 Corinthians 4:7).

Then the Lord works in us "both to will and to do for His good pleasure" (Philippians 2:13), so we will do good works. Then the Lord promises rewards (also know as "crowns") to us for those good works.

You with me so far? We do good works and we get rewarded for it, but it is God who gives us the desire, the ability, and whatever else is needed to get it done.

I tell you, it's a conspiracy to bless and reward us! He even made it "more blessed to give than receive" (Acts 20:35).

And so we know why, when we meet this blessed Lord face to face, we "cast our crowns" at His feet (Revelation 4:10).

Worthy is the Lamb who was slain --- not to mention the Father and the Holy Spirit. :)

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Why Performance-Based Legalism Is Harmful

I want to say a few words about that form of “legalism” which I call Performance-Based Christianity, as opposed to Grace-Based. It's that form of legalism that tries to earn God's favor or love by what we do.

There are several other forms of legalism, for example:

1. There is initial salvation by works;

2. There is the Seventh Day Adventist type of legalism, which speaks of initial salvation by grace, but it must be followed by law-works or you end up losing your salvation;

3. There is that extra-biblical type of cultural "legalism", such as "no lipstick", "no pants for ladies", etc.;

4. There is pure Galatianism, which mixes law-works with grace, which of course makes it not grace.

The Perfomance-Based Christianity type I speak of is, I believe, the most destructive to the spiritual walk of the Christian, because it does several bad things:

1. It makes a Christian think they are better or worse than other Christians, causing pride or despair respectively;

2. It encourages the Christian to be self-centered -- always examining his navel as to whether he is "measuring up" (and he never is, of course) -- instead of being Christ-centered, looking to Jesus and fellowshiping with Him;

3. It encourages Daisy Theology -- "He loves me, He loves me not", robbing the believer of that precious and total love and acceptance that God has for him in Christ;

4. Worst of all, it adds law to grace, which Paul points out makes it no longer grace, whereupon one "falls from grace", as the Galatians did in their foolishness, and gets on the ground of Law, which quenches the Holy Spirit, and inflames sin.

The problem with Law-based living is that the one who lives that way must, 1. obey all of it, 2. obey it continually, 3. obey it perfectly.

Sorry, but "Striving to obey God's commandments" won't cut it, and one who lives that way is cursed by his own paradigm.

"For as many as are of the works of the Law are under a curse; for it is written, 'Cursed is everyone who does not abide by all things written in the book of the law to perform them.'" (Gal. 3:10)

But...We are "...servants of a new covenant, not of the letter, but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life." (2 Cor. 3:6)

And that New Covenant, of course, is in Jesus Christ, our Lawgiver, Lawkeeper, and Sacrifice Lamb, who became sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God. What a Savior and Friend!

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What Christians MUST Obey

Someone wrote me the other day pointing out the obvious truth that the Bible has commands in it. So far so good, but he went on to say that the commands were "from Moses to Jesus to Paul" and that it is these commands "we must obey."

Now, if we're talking Moses, I could point out that there are over 600 "laws" in the Old Covenant, and most don't have anything to do with us under the New Covenant. But I have a broader point I'd like to make:

Whenever someone says that we Christians MUST obey some rule or law, two questions are raised in my mind:

1. To what extent MUST we obey? 10%, 50%, 99%? If you say 100%, you're correct. And thank God that Christ did it for us on the cross, 'cause we can't DO a hundred. As the song says, "I'm running trying to make a hundred...ninety-nine and a half just won't do."

2. We "must"? What if we don't? I mean, "must" is a pretty strong word. Well, the answer is, if we are a born again Christian, we are forgiven...period. Grasp that profound, radical truth! When you do, "must" becomes a moot point.

We "desire" to obey, in our very [reborn] spirit. And if we walk by the Spirit, we will obey. We will read His Word, desiring to know His heart, that we may walk in His ways. But if we walk by the flesh, all the "musts" get shaken off our backs like water off a wet dog. The key, then, is not the law, it's the Spirit. Walk by the Spirit and you will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh.

You wanna "strive"? Don't strive to follow the law. Strive to spend time in His presence, communing with Him, loving Him, basking in His love for you, talking to Him, listening to Him through His Word.

Then the fruit of His Spirit will rise up in you (love, joy, peace...), and the glorious law of Christ planted in your heart will make the written commands seem like mere shadows of a much higher glory, fulfilled in you by Christ, as He lives His life through you.

Mount up with wings, baby!

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Longings for Simple Worship and Fellowship

Some of the sweetest times in the Body of Christ that my wife and I ever had were back in the early 80's with a bunch of Plymouth Brethren rejects who gathered in an elementary school basement (about 25 to 35 of us, including kids).

We arranged some hard-as-a-rock steel chairs in a series of semi-circles with a loaf of bread and a bottle of wine in the center. Our goal was to be led by the Spirit. Let me say that again: our goal was to be led by the Spirit. Nothing "spooky", but we reminded each other of our goal regularly.

We would sing a song "randomly" called out by someone in the group, then maybe another, then someone would pray "as led", then maybe another song, then some exhortation or a request for prayer, then we'd sing again, etc., etc. The kids were included, so we sang "If You're Happy and You Know It", complete with hand clapping and stomping, along with "Majesty", often with tears.

When it "seemed right", one of the men would take the bread and wine (a common cup with a wiping cloth) and pass it around, with a brief word regarding the remembrance of the One who gave His body and shed His blood.

Then we took a 15-20 min. break, with chatting . . . sometimes d-e-e-p theology, sometimes small talk . . . coffee and maybe cake or donuts . . . and hugs.

Then we re-assembled (minus the kids, who were babysat or taught in another room), and one of the men would teach from a scripture passage. Pretty much always expository, but always with open comments from whomever.

Total time: 2-3 hours.

What's amazing, as I look back, is that there was quite a broad spectrum of theological beliefs, broader than I would be inclined to "tolerate" now, rightly or wrongly. Yet, we really were one in Christ, and full of love for one another and for Jesus.

We've never recaptured that, though we've since been in many churches around the country.

But we've never forgotten it, either.

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Is The Gospel In The Gospels?

Yes, the Gospel is in the Gospels, but there is a clear shift in the meaning of "Gospel" as we progress from the "Gospels" (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John), to the epistles, particularly those written by Paul the Apostle.

The word "gospel" is used several times throughout Matthew, Mark and Luke (not in John). It essentially means "good tidings", or "good news", and usually refers to the good news that the Messiah has come, the Savior, the King and His Kingdom in some sense. And it certainly was Good News.

But there is much about the Gospel, as it is presented in the epistles, that is lacking in the Gospels. Why? Primarily because Jesus Himself lived on earth under the Old Covenant. Much of what He taught, He taught to Jews who were still under the Law of the Old Covenant. He was in a transition time, to be sure. He was beginning to herald something glorious beyond the Law. But He still had to live under the Law, in order to fulfill it, and be qualified as the perfect Lamb of God.

There were seeds of grace in His ministry. But those seeds had been planted even in Genesis, with the promise of the crushing of the head of the serpent. And in Jeremiah Chapter 31, where the New Covenant was promised.

The Gospel of the New Covenant, as it was expounded by Paul, for example, included not only a general faith in Jesus Christ as Lord, but faith in a complete Messiah and His work on the cross, and His resurrection. Even John wrote, "but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name." (John 20:31) And this was in the only Gospel that didn't contain the word "gospel". But it lifts Him up, the Lord Jesus Christ, and calls us to believe in Him as Lord, and Savior.

Probably the clearest factual presentation of the Gospel content is in 1 Corinthians 15:1-4, where it says,

"Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures..."

There is a principle of hermeneutics (Bible interpretation) that says that, all things being equal, Scripture tends to progressively shed more light on a given subject as we progress through the Bible. And sure enough, the gospel is really explained in all its glory in the epistles, not in the Gospels.

In fact, much of what Jesus taught seems to smack of legalism. And why not? He was teaching under the Old Covenant, which later was to become "obsolete" (Hebrews 8). There was some legalism, but it was righteous legalism, true and Biblical legalism.

My point is this. It is a mistake to go back to the Gospels to explain that Gospel of Grace which is so exalted in Romans and Galatians. It is a mistake, and leads to confusion, to proclaim "The Gospel According To Jesus". We are not saved under the New Covenant by "give all that you are for all that He is". First, that would be salvation by works as a reward, and second, it's a good thing that giving "all that you are" is not the condition for salvation, since I'm confident that no one has ever given all that he is. We are not saved under the New Covenant by "deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow Me" (Matthew 16:24). That "follow me" is in the present tense, and involves the linear action of a whole life of discipleship. But the Gospel of Grace says that "he who has the Son has life" now (1 John 5:12).

And out of that new life springs fruit. But the fruit comes from the life, not vice versa.

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The Primacy of Regeneration

People must "do" two things to be saved, though actually they may be considered one thing, part and parcel. The Scripture says it in various ways, but simply put, people must "repent" and "believe".

The essence of repentence is to change one's mind, or one's "beliefs", in this case regarding our sin and Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Changing one's mind includes at least some change in actions as well. One must believe in Jesus Christ as their Lord, or Master, and believe that He is alive, risen from the dead. And if one believes in Jesus Christ as their Master, they will at least to some extent live differently, as they follow Him. And believing in Him as Savior will ideally wipe away all faith in oneself as Savior, recognizing Him as the one who paid for sin, and said, "It is finished", then giving the righteousness of God to them as a gift.

So far, so good. But there is one little problem...

...People are born "dead in their sins and trespasses" (Ephesians 2:1). That means dead spiritually, and therefore they are unable to "repent and believe". Along comes Grace, in the form of the Holy Spirit, who "regenerates" some, gives them Life, gives them a new heart, gives them "the new birth", and they are "born again". Read John 3, where Jesus speaks to Nicodemus about this new birth, and one thing is clear. The Spirit, like the wind, blows where He chooses to blow (John 3:8).

And the newly "born again" ones are "new creations" (2 Corinthians 5:17). They are now "alive to God" (Romans 6:11), and with this new life, something amazing happens...

...They "repent" and "believe". They can't help it! It's been revealed, by revelation, and though they were blind, now they see! Their repentence and faith didn't even produce their regeneration, let alone merit it. Too often the cart has been put before the horse. Regeneration must come first. Jesus said that unless a man is "born again", he cannot even see(!) the kingdom of God [let alone believe in the King].

That's true Grace. All of Grace. All of God. The New Covenant, that glorious unilateral covenant in which God the Son becomes the sacrifice Lamb, then short-circuits any form of "works" salvation by giving new life to His children before they can do any "works". And they now believe in the One Who has been revealed to them. And as His new creation, the believer has all their sins forgiven, forever! So the Grace Goes On. And On.

Keep this Primacy of Regeneration in mind, and you will see many Scriptures opened up to your understanding like never before, I promise you.

Who Will Separate Us From the Love of Christ?

"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?" (Romans 8:35)

On Sunday, August 16, 1987, Northwest Airlines Flight 225 crashed just after take-off at Detroit, Michigan.

155 died, and one lived.

That one who lived was a little 4-year-old girl named Cecelia. The wreckage was so bad, that the authorities thought at first she had not been on the plane. Checking the flight roster, however, and with Cecelia's own testimony, the following was discovered:

As the crash was developing, Paula Chichan had unbuckled her own seat belt, got down on her knees in front of her daughter, wrapped her arms and body around Cecelia, and would not let her go! Nothing could separate that child from her parent's love...neither disaster, nor crash, nor flames, nor pain.

Such is our Savior's love for us...
"...that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:38,39)

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Bible-Man or Jesus-Man?

One of the most important verses in all of the Bible is John 5:39...

Jesus said, "You search the Scriptures, because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is these that bear witness of me". The Pharisees and scribes were Bible scholars, but they missed the Messiah, Who was the Author.

I love the Bible. I love the Word of God. I believe it is all inspired (God-breathed) and "inerrant in the original", and that we should let it "dwell in us richly".

But having said that, here are four reasons why John 5:39 is such an important verse:

1. Relationship is more important than raw data. Dictionary definition of "Data": Factual information, especially information organized for analysis or used to reason or make decisions. Jesus is not data. He is our Shield, Defender, Advocate, Savior, Lord, Brother, Friend, and Beloved. A relationship to Him is even more important than info about Him.

2. A Guide is more important than a Guidebook. Don't think of the Bible as "The Owner's Manual", used for fixing up your life. See Jesus on every page, lovingly guiding as you walk this road of life arm in arm.

3. Life is more important than Lists. I love Bible lists as much as the next guy. The Kings of Judah, Wells of the Bible, Furniture of the Temple, etc. But Jesus said, "I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly." (John 10:10) We can't say, "He who reads the Bible every day, has life". But we can say, "He who has the Son, has life". (1 John 5:12)

4. Spiritual understanding is more important than scholarship. The "scholars" of the Jesus Seminar, or some Time Magazine article on who Jesus really was, are often blind. They are brilliant scholars, but "The natural [unregenerate, unsaved] man cannot understand spiritual things, for they are foolishness to him. He cannot understand them for they are spiritually discerned." (1 Corinthians 2:14)

If we miss Jesus, then searching the Scripture is worse than worthless. It's "always learning and never able to come to a knowledge of the Truth" (2 Timothy 3:7). But if we search the Scriptures for Him, then we will know Him Who is the Way, the Truth and the Life.

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Was Pope John Paul II A Great Spiritual Leader?

I liked Pope John Paul II. He was kindly, charming, hard-working; a genius who spoke many languages, and he shared some of my own views on moral issues, such as the evil of killing our unborn, so I'm grateful for his influence in those areas.

And I wouldn't judge his final destination, heaven or hell, because it's God Who saves, by grace through faith, and none of us knows what may happen, even on a death bed.

But was John Paul a great spiritual leader? Particularly in this website about Grace, I must say "no", for three reasons:

1) He taught and supported a religion of "grace" plus works. The Bible says clearly that if works is added to grace for salvation, it's no longer grace ("But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works, otherwise grace is no longer grace." --Romans 11:6)

Look at some excerpts from the Catechism of the Catholic Church (this is the "new" "modern" "open-minded" one...you should see the Traditional One!):

". . Baptism is the first and chief sacrament of forgiveness of sins because it unites us with Christ, who died for our sins and rose for our justification, so that 'we too might walk in newness of life,'"(Catechism of the Catholic Church, par. 977). [note this first of seven sacraments obtains the forgiveness of sins]

"In every circumstance, each one of us should hope, with the grace of God, to persevere 'to the end' and to obtain the joy of heaven, as God's eternal reward for the good works accomplished with the grace of Christ," (CCC, par. 1821). [note "as God's eternal reward for the good works"]

"Moved by the Holy Spirit and by charity, we can then merit for ourselves and for others the graces needed for our sanctification." (CCC, par. 2010) [note we not only merit for ourselves, but for others]

And since the Catholic Church obviously teaches that salvation includes man's works, then it follows that the failure of man's works can destroy that salvation and damn him again, after he's been "justified". The solution: more works! Read the following:

"Christ instituted the sacrament of Penance for all sinful members of his Church: above all for those who, since Baptism, have fallen into grave sin, and have thus lost their baptismal grace and wounded ecclesial communion. It is to them that the sacrament of Penance offers a new possibility to convert and to recover the grace of justification. The Fathers of the Church present this sacrament as 'the second plank (of salvation) after the shipwreck which is the loss of grace." (CCC, par. 1446).

Acts of penance may be such things as prayer, saying the Rosary, reading the scripture, saying a number of "Our Father's" or "Hail Mary's", doing good works, fasting, etc.

Hold on, I gotta breathe in some fresh air of the Word of God, here:

"You foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified? This is the only thing I want to find out from you: did you receive the Spirit by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh? (Galatians 3:1-3)

2) John Paul also affirmed the Council of Trent, even traveling to Trento, Italy for the 450th Anniversary of the Council, and giving his approval. Among many other unbiblical teachings, the Council of Trent curses with damnation all of us who teach salvation "by grace through faith, not of works". Excerpts can be viewed at http://www.carm.org/catholic/trent.htm .

3) Like many false teachers, John Paul was deceptive in his public speeches, opening the gates of heaven to almost anyone from Protestants to Buddhists, Hindus, etc., ignoring the words of Jesus, "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me."

Whether by deliberate deception, or personal confusion, John Paul spoke out of both sides of his mouth when it came to whom are children of God. At best his sloppiness has caused masses (no pun intended) of people to miss the pure beautiful gospel of faith alone, by grace alone, in Jesus Christ alone. At worst, he deliberately said whatever itching ears wanted to hear, in order to win the crowds.

Either way, he could not qualify as a great spiritual leader.

Let me say, I have a particular love for Roman Catholics. I was once a member of the Roman Catholic Church myself, and my wife Michele was raised Roman Catholic. Many of our family members are of that faith.

If you are a Roman Catholic, or anyone who thinks that heaven can be earned by Sacraments or good works of any kind, I have terrific news for you. Jesus died on the cross for sins. He took the penalty for the sins of His people. He was buried and rose again from the grave, to give eternal life to all who will believe on Him and trust that His work on the cross was enough...who will believe that He meant it when He said on the cross, "It is finished." Whoever will may come to Him. God calls all men everywhere to repent, to change their minds. No works can earn it. It's a free gift of God. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved.

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Atonement or Redemption?

A little important theology today. I've noticed from time to time that there is a little confusion about the idea of atonement. In the Old Testament, "atonement" refers to the covering of sins by, for example, an animal sacrifice. Because of this, we tend to think of our sins under the New Covenant as being "covered". Nothing could be further from the truth.

Merely "covering" a sin meant that the sin was not taken away, that it was almost literally "swept under the rug" to be dealt with in the future. This meant two things:

1. The sin still had to be dealt with.

Hebrews 10:4 says, "For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins." So it was only "covered" for a time. Only when the New Covenant in the blood of Jesus Christ was enacted by the Cross, were these "covered" sins of the Old Testament saints finally dealt with, retroactively, being "taken away" by their Messiah, Who took those sins upon Himself, exchanging it for His righteousness.

2. The sacrificial "covering" had to be repeated over and over (literally ad nauseum, if you can imagine rivers of blood from the sacrifices).

Only the past sins of Old Testament saints were "covered" by blood sacrifices. So there was no end to the rivers of blood. Over and over and over, as new sins were committed, the sacrifices had to be repeated.

But praise God, when the final Sacrifice was made by the Lamb of God on the cross, all the sins (past, present and future) of all the Saints of all time were "taken away", replaced by the righteousness of God, Who will "remember their sins no more", Hebrews 8:12.

In Theology this is called the "Substitutionary Atonement", and there's where the confusion comes in. "Atonement" here is, I believe, a bad choice of word, since it's not a "covering" as in the Old Testament. Thank God, He has taken away our sins "once for all" (Hebrews 7:27; 9:12; 10:10; 1Peter 3:18)!

That means your sins are forgiven. All of them. Past, present, and future, if you are a born-again child of God. No need for condemnation or questioning God's love for you, or wondering if your sins will ever be "uncovered". They can't be, because they never were "covered", they were taken away! Redemption, not atonement.

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Our New Internet Radio Program

A blessed opportunity has come our way. Starting today, I will be doing a weekly 15-minute Internet radio program called "Grace For Life". It will broadcast once a week on Grace Walk Radio (www.gracewalk.org).

[Note: Gracewalk Radio has since been discontinued by Gracewalk Ministries, but archives to my broadcasts are still available at http://www.graceforlife.com/radio.html]

As of this writing, it will be on Tuesdays, but I found out that one of the unique things about Internet radio is that it's almost impossible to set a fixed time of day for a pre-recorded program. So we are archiving the programs on this Grace For Life web site at www.graceforlife.com/radio.html "for your listening convenience" :)

Take a listen, and come on back.

We appreciate your prayers for the new radio program, and for this web site. Thanks!

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What Is A Christ-Centered Life?

Here's a quote from John Reisinger's fine series on Ecclesiastes, from www.soundofgrace.com :

"One of the tragic mistakes that people commit is to think that alcohol, drugs, and pornography have produced the wicked society in which we currently live. It is actually the other way around. Our society has produced those things as essential means to kill the pain of an empty and futile life. If our culture, believing as it does, did not have drugs, booze and unbridled sex as distractions, it would finally find suicide the only acceptable option."

Wow. Seeing Solomon try to find the right "thing" to center his life around can't help but make a Christian thirsty to have a Christ-centered life. But what does that mean?

As important as it is to "preach Christ", there is more to being Christ-centered.

No matter how much we learn about Christ from His Word;
no matter how many verses we memorize;
no matter how diligently we "study to show ourselves approved, workmen who don't need to be ashamed, cutting straight the Word";
no matter how much we "preach Christ and Him crucified";
no matter how heartily we "serve" Him...
we will still have missed it...if we don't

--spend time with Jesus,
--commune with Him,
--walk with Him,
--talk with Him,
--bask in His presence,
--gaze on Him
--enjoy Him,
--accept His acceptance of us,
--love Him as our Beloved, and
--believe the incredible truth that we are His Beloved.

Then we are along the road to being Christ-centered.

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Man, Movement, or Monument?

Here's a terrific slice of an article from an online friend, Joe Terrell. In addition to being Pastor of Grace Community Church, Rock Valley, Iowa, Joe is a blessed hymn writer. Here's the article slice:

"Preaching Christ will deliver us from becoming a mere religious movement. Someone once said that all organizations go through three stages: "The Man (who founded it), the Movement (an organization that carries on under the momentum the man generated), and the Monument (a dead organization which may bear the name of the founder but has little or no connection to him or his vision.)

"The only thing that preserves the church from such a fate is that 'the Man,' (in this case, the Man, Christ Jesus) is continually revealing Himself from generation to generation. This revelation is accomplished through the preaching of Christ. When Christ is preached, the Spirit of God takes those things of Christ, shows them to His elect and a new generation is joined to Christ.

"When Christ is preached, we are never dependant on the momentum of one generation to carry the work of the gospel into the next generation. When Christ is preached, every generation is a brand new work, full of the vitality and energy of the Man who founds it, the Lord Jesus Christ." -- by Joe Terrell, www.rvgrace.com

Thought you'd enjoy that.

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Saints In The Hands Of An Angry God?

Question: When is God angry with His children, born-again saints of God?

The answer: Never.

Now I know you've been taught that He's angry, directly or by implication. Admit it. You may even think when you are sinful or disobedient to the Word of God that God sees you as "wicked", and everyone knows "God is angry with the wicked every day", right?

Jonathan Edwards preached his famous sermon, "Sinners In The Hands of An Angry God" in the 1700's, and the picture has been applied to believers and has stuck...

...with those who don't understand the difference between a Sinner and a Saint. Or who don't understand the difference between the Old Covenant and the New Covenant.

Oh, how the devil loves confusion. He loves confusion between the biblical concept of a "saint" as anyone who is a born-again child of God, and the Roman Catholic nonsense that a "saint" is someone who meets some elaborate criteria of the Mother Church, and is "voted in". The devil loves confusion between the Old Covenant (which Hebrews 8 says failed in bringing righteousness because of man's inability to keep the Law) and the New Covenant, in which God puts His laws in our hearts, fulfills those laws in Christ on the cross, declares us righteous, and forgives us of all our sins, past, present and future.

Yes, the devil loves confusion.

So it's no surprise (though a crying shame), that children of God think that God is angry at them when they fall short and sin. And otherwise fine Christians who mean well perpetuate this ridiculous notion, without one shred of support from the New Covenant scriptures!

And so Christians often run away from this angry God, instead of toward Him, when they fail. They won't look Him in the face, because they think it's a face of anger. What a tragedy.

This is not the place for an extended exegesis ("drawing out") of the subject in the scriptures. But here's a challenge for those who doubt what I'm saying: Search the epistles of the New Testament for any teaching that God is ever angry with His children.

By the way, don't think the passages on God's chastisement are regarding some kind of punishment out of anger. Study them closely, and you will see they involve loving gentle correction, from a loving Father, who just wants his kids to be in close fellowship with Him. No condemnation, no unforgiveness, no bitterness, no anger.

Like a daddy teaching his 1-year-old to walk, while the kid keeps wobbling, staggering, and falling...sometimes painfully in the wrong direction, but often into a laughing Daddy's arms for a big hug.

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What Is Our Highest Motive?

Measuring up?

I was listening to some instruction on the difference between secular psychology's "Behavior Modification" and Biblical change of behavior. It was pointed out that the important difference is motive, and I couldn't agree more. However, a chart was drawn on a white board showing two motives. Behavior Mod's motive was portrayed as "pleasing self". The motive for biblical change was shown as "glorifying God".

So far, so good. But it occurs to me that there are at least two other motives that should be mentioned. One is bad, one is good.

First the bad. There is a common motive among believers that I often call performance-based Christianity. It says, "I will obey (even though I don't really want to) because otherwise God will withhold His love and favor. I will earn God's love and favor by this behavior." And if I do pretty well, I have a right to be proud. And if I don't "measure up", I'm discouraged. But I'm always measuring myself by "the yardstick" of performance.

A dreadful way to live, and all too common. The solution? BAMM! An explosion of again understanding the love of God for His children. Of understanding that my performance doesn't affect His love for me. He loves me when I obey, and He loves me when I don't. Because I'm His Beloved.

Well, then why bother obeying at all? If I'm "in good" with God either way, why torture myself with obedience at all?

Good question. And that leads to the highest motive of all. The motive of LIFE! It's what occurs when Galatians 2:20 is in operation. "It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives through me." When Christ is living His life through me, I can't help but follow Him, love Him, obey Him, glorify Him, experience Him, rejoice in Him, die for Him if need be.

That's why we want the fullness of His Spirit, and we want to walk according to the Spirit. That's why we want to spend time with Him, gaze on Him, meditate on Him and His Word, know Him better and better, and have a heart of surrender toward Him. That's when His Life is manifested in us. That's when He lives His life through me.

That's the motive of Life, the highest motive of all.

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50/20 Vision

Jacob Sees Joseph Again

Just a reminder of what Joseph said to his brothers, after their awful treatment of him, selling him into slavery, and telling his father Jacob that he was dead. Years later, as the virtual ruler of Egypt, and after saving his family (the budding Israel) from starvation, he said, "...you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good..." (Genesis 50:20)

Have you come to see that yet, in your own life?

It's just another glittering facet of the Brilliant Diamond that also says, "God causes all things to work together for good, to those who love Him, to those who are the called according to His purpose." (Romans 8:28)

But you might think the Romans passage implies that evil just "happens", and God cleans up the mess. No, grasshopper. He meant it for good. The evil is part of His plan, even as He hates the evil itself. His thoughts are greater than our thoughts, and His ways are higher than our ways, and he has decreed the end from the beginning.

Praise Him even when evil comes. Count it all joy. He knows what He is doing.

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Manual or Immanuel?

There are few words that I find sweeter than "Immanuel". It means "God with us", and refers to the Lord Jesus Christ (Matthew 1:23). And not only is He with us, He is in us. "Christ in you, the hope of glory", the Bible says (Colossians 1:27). What is so beautiful about that? Simply that He is so attainable. We can fellowship with Him at will. And that fellowship is the partaking of the Manna that our spirits so hunger for, when we are in touch with even our own spirit.

Fellowshiping with Jesus is the most precious purpose for the Bible. Jesus said to the Pharisee crowd, "You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify of Me." (John 5:39)

The Bible is not a Manual. It's not primarily a book of rules, a how-to book, an "instruction manual" for living. It is the written Word of the living Word, Jesus Christ. And those of us who love Him will profit most if we go to the Word to meet Him, Immanuel, God with us.

"Come to the Word for one purpose, and that is to meet the Lord. Not to get your mind crammed full of things about the sacred Word, but come to it to meet the Lord. Make it a medium, not of Biblical scholarship, but of fellowship with Christ. Behold the Lord." -- Norman Douty

How Long Since Anybody's Told You That You Are Righteous?

Working definition of righteous: "innocent, faultless, guiltless" (Strong).

Question: If I gave you my Bible...I mean actually gave it to you to keep, whose Bible would it be? Yours, right? I mean it's my Bible, but now it's your Bible. Right? It may have "Terry Rayburn" printed in gold on the front, it may be filled with my lines and notes, it may even have pieces of paper, momentos, and church bulletins stuffed in it. It obviously has all the marks of my Bible. But now it's your Bible. Right?

O.K. That's what God has done for you, with His righteousness, if you are a born-again believer in Jesus Christ. It was His righteousness, not ours. Ours was "as filthy rags", the Bible says. But then, through the mysterious work on the cross, Jesus took our sins upon Himself (the Bible says He became sin for us...creepy!).

But He didn't stop there. He killed us too, that is, the old us. Our old man was crucified with Him. (Look, I know this is mysterious, even weird sounding. Hang with me a minute). We then were made a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17)!

And He didn't stop there. He became sin for us so that He could justly give us His righteousness as our own (the Bible says so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him...yikes!). And so here we stand --- or sit, in my case --- righteous before God. That is what "justification" or "justified" means: "declared righteous by God".

We are righteous. Do you see that?

"Yes, you say, but only in God's eyes."

Well, think a minute. Who's eyes count? Are you really prepared to say, "I know that the Creator of the Universe, the Alpha and Omega, the Almighty Jehovah says I'm righteous....but I've got a different view."?!!

To deny the above is not humility, it's unbelief. And it is bondage which traps us in a self-centered man-consciousness. There are many benefits of understanding our amazing total righteousness before God, but maybe the most important is this:

When we understand that we are righteous before God, we are set free to live with a Christ-focus instead of a sin-focus. With a Jesus-centered focus, instead of a self-centered focus. And you know what the real irony of that is? That Jesus-centered focus will lead us to live out our righteousness and actually sin less, as the precious Holy Spirit leads us and transforms us into His likeness.

"But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is reckoned as righteousness." (Romans 4:5)

"Therefore having been justified [declared righteous] by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." (Romans 5:1)

"He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." (2 Corinthians 5:21)

The Solution to Me! Me! Me!

In the movie, Lord of the Rings -- The Return of the King, there is a character named Gollum. He once murdered to get "The Ring", and was so corrupted by it that he shriveled into a despicable little creature so pitiful it's hard to hate him. His corruption was characterized by intense self-centeredness, which culminated in a scene hard to forget. Having lost the ring, it was now being carried off by the Hobbit hero Frodo, to be destroyed. In the unforgettable scene, Gollum is once again contemplating murder, the murder of Frodo and his faithful companion Sam. The evil Gollum talks to himself in the mirror of a pool of water, getting more and more excited at the thought of murdering them to regain The Ring, hatching his plan to feed them to a giant spider, until he gleefully shouts to himself a climactic, "And take it for Me-e-e-e-e!!"

Such is the height of self-centeredness. Me! Me! Me!

Every Christian has heard the concept of being Christ-centered versus being self-centered. And we all will agree that being Christ-centered is best. But what is being Christ-centered? Is it dutifully serving Him, honoring Him, doing good deeds for Him, etc.? You know what I mean, "Only one life, twill soon be past; only what's done for Christ will last?" I know this is the common view, but let me take a little different tack (actually a radically different tack).

Being Christ-centered, biblically speaking, is being in a relationship to Him in such a way as to be fixated with Him. It's not the deeds. It's the "looking upon" Him. Seeking His face. Seeking Him. Knowing Him, as opposed to knowing about Him. Fellowshiping with Him. Gazing on Him. Then, out of that, comes the serving, honoring, and so forth. But with joy and the power of the Spirit. When we look upon Him, we escape the obsession with ourselves. We stop asking ourselves, "How am I doing in my Christian life? Am I good enough? Am I working hard enough for the Lord? Am I acting holy enough? I, I, I, me, me, me!" We turn outward from our own navels to the glorious Son of God, our Lord, our Friend, our Savior, our Beloved.

And then something mysterious and wonderful happens:

"But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit." (2 Corinthians 3:18)

A.W. Tozer, in The Pursuit of God, put it this way:

"The man who has struggled to purify himself and has had nothing but repeated failures will experience real relief when he stops tinkering with his soul and looks away to the perfect One. While he looks at Christ, the very things he has so long been trying to do will be getting done within him. It will be God working in him to will and to do."