The Performance Gospel

Galatians 5:1-4
1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. 2 Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing. 3 For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law. 4 Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.

In Galatians 5:1 "Stand fast" is an expression of the Greek word "STEKO." STEKO means "to stand firm...persevere...to hold one's ground" (Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon). Just as countries must persevere to maintain freedom and protection of their rights, so also must we stand fast in protecting our spiritual freedom.

Paul's admonition to "stand fast" also reveals that our freedom in Christ doesn't function automatically. We have a part to play. Our adversary, the devil, is always seeking whom he may devour (1Pe 5:8). Legalism is one of his greatest weapons, and we must resist every attempt he makes to draw us back into self-effort (1Pe 5:9).

When you see the word "therefore," you need to stop and think what that word is there for. The word links what Paul was saying here with what he said in the previous verses.

Paul had just compared being under the Law to being a descendant of the slave woman, Hagar, and therefore not an heir of the promises of God ( Ga 4:22). Therefore, since none of us want to be cast out from the inheritance of God, we need to steadfastly defend our liberty that we have received through faith in Christ.

The word "liberty" means "1.a. The condition of being free from restriction or control. b. The right and power to act, believe, or express oneself in a manner of one's own choosing. c. The condition of being physically and legally free from confinement, servitude, or forced labor" (American Heritage Dictionary). The liberty that Paul was speaking of is specifically the freedom from the oppression of the Old Testament Law ( Ro 3:19).

Of course, Paul was not out of control. He was controlled by his love for the Lord instead of his fear of punishment for breaking the O.T. Law. Paul made it clear in Ga 5:13-15 that this liberty is not freedom to sin but freedom from sin. If we use our freedom in Christ to indulge our sinful passions, we will pay a price ( Ga 5:15).

The word "entangled" in Greek carries the idea of being "ensnared or held in a net" (Wuest's Word Studies from the Greek New Testament). The bondage that had ensnared the Galatians was the Law's demands in which they were trying to find God's favor or acceptance through performance.

God paid the ultimate price for our liberty. Freedom from self-justification through the Law was purchased by Christ upon the cross. We must never let anything or anyone bring us back into bondage again.

The context makes it very clear that this "yoke of bondage" that Paul was speaking of is the Old Testament Law. This is a strong statement and leaves no doubt that the Law was not for the purpose of liberty but bondage ( Ro 3:19 and Ro 7:11). Contrast the Law's "yoke of bondage" with what Christ said in Mt 11:29-30: "Take my yoke upon you...For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light" (Mt 11:29).

In Galatians 5:2 Paul was circumcised himself (Php 3:5), so what was he saying? Paul was referring to trusting in some external action to produce justification with God instead of just faith in Christ. The false teachers in Galatia had taught that circumcision (Ac 15:1) and the keeping of the Old Testament Law were necessary for salvation.

It doesn't matter if it is circumcision, water baptism, holiness, or any other religious act; trust in anything except Christ voids the saving effects of Christ in our lives (Ga 2:21).

A simple way to detect what our faith is in is to imagine ourselves standing before God, giving a reason that we should be allowed into heaven. If we pointed out our church attendance, giving receipts, acts of holiness, or anything else, then that is what our faith is in. Those of us who would do that are no different than Muslims or Buddhists. We would be trusting in our own efforts to produce salvation.

The proper response would be to say, "The only thing that makes me worthy to enter heaven is what Jesus did for me. My total faith and trust is in Jesus." It's not Jesus plus anything (Ro 11:6). Faith alone saves (Joh 3:3).

The phrase "Christ shall profit you nothing" is another way of saying that if people turn to self-effort for salvation, then they cannot benefit in any way from what Christ has done for them. The only way to appropriate what Jesus did for man is by faith.

It is possible to put total faith in Jesus concerning our eternal salvation and yet turn back to the deception that God will only bless us in this life proportionally to our performance. That is not true and will keep us from experiencing the abundant life Jesus purchased for us (Joh 10:10).

In Galatians 5:3 Paul was circumcised (Php 3:5), so he was not saying that circumcision prevents people from being saved. He was saying that people can't trust in any outward acts of holiness on their part to save them. Their faith has to be in Christ alone.

This passage is saying the same thing as Jas 2:10. Those who commit to obeying any part of the Law for justification obligate themselves to keeping all of the Law (Ga 3:10).

In Galatians 5:4 the phrase "is become of no effect unto you" was rendered from the Greek words "APO" and "KATARGEO." KATARGEO means "to be (render) entirely idle (useless), literally or figuratively" (Strong's Concordance). Regarding the Greek word APO, Strong's Concordance says, "In composition (as a prefix) it usually denotes separation, departure, cessation, completion, reversal, etc."

What effect is Christ having in your life? If you feel separated from what Christ has done for you, then the cause is probably what Paul was speaking about here. You have turned from grace and are trying to earn God's favor. That stops God's power and makes all that Jesus provided of no effect in your life. The antidote is to get back into the grace of God by putting faith in what Jesus did for you and not in what you are doing for Him (Ro 5:1-2).

Here are some scriptures that speak of voiding what Christ did, and they are all centered around legalism: Mr 7:13; 1Co 15:14-17; Ro 9:31-32; Ga 2:21, 5:2, and 4.

The New American Standard Version states, "You have been severed from Christ, you who are seeking to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace". We all know how serious it is to have a body part severed, such as an arm or a foot. How much more dangerous it is to be "severed from Christ." This takes place when anyone turns from grace to the Law for salvation.

The expression "you are fallen from grace" "should be understood not in the sense that grace has been taken away from them, but in the sense that they have turned their backs on it. One may also say 'you have put yourself in a place where God cannot be good to you, or show you His goodness'" (UBS Handbook, p. 122). "Fallen from grace" is not speaking about the Armenian doctrine of losing salvation by one's sins; rather, it is speaking of turning from the method of salvation (grace) to seeking salvation by another way.


A lot of Christians would say you are making light of sin, believe me I am not but what most Christians are doing is making light of what happened at the cross. They are making light of what Jesus has done and are saying that it is not enough? It is like Jesus has put a down payment on their lives but you have to make monthly installments. Jesus has done it all. You know what all means when you look it up in the Greek, it is very profound, it means all. If you add to what Jesus has done, as Paul would say “you have fallen from grace.”

Does that mean that you do not do anything for Christ, no. But it does mean that you do things for Christ out of your love for Him, not out of obligation or earning. As a Christian, you cannot do anything more or anything less to earn God’s love for you. God loves you the way you are, not as you should be, for we are all not as we should be.

Church and State, the Compromise of Christianity

The coziness between church and state may be good for the state; it is bad for the church. Herein lies the chief danger to grace: the state, which runs by the rules of ungrace, gradually drowns out the church’s sublime message of grace. Insatiable for power, the state may well decide that the church could prove even more useful if the state controlled it. The church works best as a force of resistance, a counterbalance to the consuming power of the state. The cozier it gets with government, the more watered down the message and absolute quality of Jesus’ commands becomes. Then the state will turn them into a form of external morality and they will precisely become the opposite of the gospel of grace.

A state government can shut down stores and theaters on Sunday, but it cannot compel worship. It can arrest and punish KKK murderers but cannot cure their hatred, much less teach them love. It can pass laws making divorce more difficult but cannot force husbands to love their wives and wives their husbands. It can give subsidies to the poor but cannot force the rich to show them compassion and justice. It can ban adultery but not lust, theft but not covetousness, cheating but not pride. It can encourage virtue but not holiness.

All too often the church holds up a mirror reflecting back the society around it, rather than a window revealing a different way.

The world's great economic crisis is not the result of the rich oppressing the poor. A much better case can be made that it's the result of the world turning its back on God. The cure for the world's woes is not government handouts, bailouts and entitlements. It should be obvious the world's governments are too bankrupt to expand or even continue this destructive behavior. You cannot collect enough wealth from the rich to provide middle-class luxuries to everyone on earth – especially when the media is encouraging greater and greater immorality.

The path to sanity and prosperity is paved with righteousness. It's paved with workers and employers who put God first and have a servant's heart. It's paved by giving up the "modern family" and reestablishing the family as God intended it to be. It's paved with real compassion and generosity – not forced redistribution of wealth. It's paved with redemption of the media.

The subtlety of projecting Christianity in being incorporated into state functions and laws and thinking that is the true function of the church and the gospel is not the true gospel of grace. No matter what our influence is to the state we cannot legislate morality or have state run Christianity. Why? The state cannot change the heart, that is God’s job. You cannot change your own heart nor the heart of someone else. Yes, you and the state have influence, but not the power over the will. The church has been using external means to change an internal problem. We do not need a change of our country. We do not need a change of politicians. We do not need change of laws. What we need is a change of hearts, for when the heart changes the politicians change, the laws change, and the country changes. The changes do not occur from the outside in, but from the insides out.

As a church we should be focusing on the internal and not the external that is why the church has become impotent. The church has taken God out of the equation and makes emphasis on external political means. Jesus Christ did not use political means to accomplish His goals, nor did He teach His disciples to use them. Jesus used grassroots, the basis of a country is underlayed by the people. If the people are no longer following Jesus Christ, then the country will be proceded by whatever belief system that is in place. If we as a church would spend our time on dealing with the internal issues and grassroots that Jesus advocated, we would not as a country be in the moral decay that we find ourselves in. To quote Dr. Martin Luther King: "The ends don't justify the means, for the means represent the seed and ends represent the tree."

“Stand Fast”

Galatians 5:1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.
2Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing.
3For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law.
4Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.

“Stand fast” is an expression of the Greek word “STEKO.” STEKO means “to stand firm...persevere...to hold one’s ground” (Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon). Just as countries must persevere to maintain freedom and protection of their rights, so also must we stand fast in protecting our spiritual freedom.

Paul’s admonition to “stand fast” also reveals that our freedom in Christ doesn’t function automatically. We have a part to play. Our adversary, the devil, is always seeking whom he may devour (1Pe 5:8). Legalism is one of his greatest weapons, and we must resist every attempt he makes to draw us back into self-effort (1Pe 5:9).

When you see the word “therefore,” you need to stop and think what that word is there for. The word links what Paul was saying here with what he said in the previous verses.

Paul had just compared being under the Law to being a descendant of the slave woman, Hagar, and therefore not an heir of the promises of God (Ga 4:22). Therefore, since none of us want to be cast out from the inheritance of God, we need to steadfastly defend our liberty that we have received through faith in Christ.

The word “liberty” means “1.a. The condition of being free from restriction or control. b. The right and power to act, believe, or express oneself in a manner of one’s own choosing. c. The condition of being physically and legally free from confinement, servitude, or forced labor” (American Heritage Dictionary). The liberty that Paul was speaking of is specifically the freedom from the oppression of the Old Testament Law (Ro 3:19).

Of course, Paul was not out of control. He was controlled by his love for the Lord instead of his fear of punishment for breaking the O.T. Law. Paul made it clear in Ga 5:13-15 that this liberty is not freedom to sin but freedom from sin. If we use our freedom in Christ to indulge our sinful passions, we will pay a price (Ga 5:15).

The word “entangled” in Greek carries the idea of being “ensnared or held in a net” (Wuest’s Word Studies from the Greek New Testament). The bondage that had ensnared the Galatians was the Law’s demands in which they were trying to find God’s favor or acceptance through performance.

God paid the ultimate price for our liberty. Freedom from self-justification through the Law was purchased by Christ upon the cross. We must never let anything or anyone bring us back into bondage again.

The context makes it very clear that this “yoke of bondage” that Paul was speaking of is the Old Testament Law. This is a strong statement and leaves no doubt that the Law was not for the purpose of liberty but bondage (Ro 3:19; Ro 7:11).

Contrast the Law’s “yoke of bondage” with what Christ said in Mt 11:29-30: “Take my yoke upon you...For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Mt 11:29).

Paul was circumcised himself (Php 3:5), so what was he saying? Paul was referring to trusting in some external action to produce justification with God instead of just faith in Christ. The false teachers in Galatia had taught that circumcision (Ac 15:1) and the keeping of the Old Testament Law were necessary for salvation.

It doesn’t matter if it is circumcision, water baptism, holiness, or any other religious act; trust in anything except Christ voids the saving effects of Christ in our lives (Ga 2:21).

A simple way to detect what our faith is in is to imagine ourselves standing before God, giving a reason that we should be allowed into heaven. If we pointed out our church attendance, giving receipts, acts of holiness, or anything else, then that is what our faith is in. Those of us who would do that are no different than Muslims or Buddhists. We would be trusting in our own efforts to produce salvation.

The proper response would be to say, “The only thing that makes me worthy to enter heaven is what Jesus did for me. My total faith and trust is in Jesus.” It’s not Jesus plus anything (Ro 11:6). Faith alone saves (Joh 3:3).

The phrase “Christ shall profit you nothing” is another way of saying that if people turn to self-effort for salvation, then they cannot benefit in any way from what Christ has done for them. The only way to appropriate what Jesus did for man is by faith.

It is possible to put total faith in Jesus concerning our eternal salvation and yet turn back to the deception that God will only bless us in this life proportionally to our performance. That is not true and will keep us from experiencing the abundant life Jesus purchased for us (Joh 10:10).

Paul was circumcised (Php 3:5), so he was not saying that circumcision prevents people from being saved. He was saying that people can’t trust in any outward acts of holiness on their part to save them. Their faith has to be in Christ alone.

Ga 5:3 is saying the same thing as Jas 2:10. Those who commit to obeying any part of the Law for justification obligate themselves to keeping all of the Law (Ga 3:10).

The phrase in Ga 5:4 says “is become of no effect unto you” was rendered from the Greek words “APO” and “KATARGEO.” KATARGEO means “to be (render) entirely idle (useless), literally or figuratively” (Strong’s Concordance). Regarding the Greek word APO, Strong’s Concordance says, “In composition (as a prefix) it usually denotes separation, departure, cessation, completion, reversal, etc.”

What effect is Christ having in your life? If you feel separated from what Christ has done for you, then the cause is probably what Paul was speaking about here. You have turned from grace and are trying to earn God’s favor. That stops God’s power and makes all that Jesus provided of no effect in your life. The antidote is to get back into the grace of God by putting faith in what Jesus did for you and not in what you are doing for Him (Ro 5:1-2).

Here are some scriptures that speak of voiding what Christ did, and they are all centered around legalism: Mr 7:13; 1Co 15:14-17; Ro 9:31-32; Ga 2:21, 5:2, and 4.

The New American Standard Version states, “You have been severed from Christ, you who are seeking to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace”. We all know how serious it is to have a body part severed, such as an arm or a foot. How much more dangerous it is to be “severed from Christ.” This takes place when anyone turns from grace to the Law for salvation.

The expression “you are fallen from grace” “should be understood not in the sense that grace has been taken away from them, but in the sense that they have turned their backs on it. One may also say ‘you have put yourself in a place where God cannot be good to you, or show you His goodness’” (UBS Handbook, p. 122). “Fallen from grace” is not speaking about the Armenian doctrine of losing salvation by one’s sins; rather, it is speaking of turning from the method of salvation (grace) to seeking salvation by another way.

Romans 11:6 And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then it is no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.

Paul stated the doctrine of justification by grace through faith so clearly in his writings that any person who claims to believe the Bible has to acknowledge this truth. However, one of Satan’s cleverest deceptions is to take a truth and add to it until it is no longer the truth. Lest that happen with this doctrine of grace, Paul stated emphatically that we cannot combine anything with God’s grace as a requirement for salvation.

In the same way that gasoline and water don’t mix, so grace and works will not mix. Justification has to be all works or all grace, but not a combination of the two.

In this epistle, Paul repeatedly made his point of justification by grace through faith. He repeatedly stressed that faith is the only requirement on our part. Here he was repeating that point once again in perhaps his clearest words yet. Still, an abundance of religious people today cannot accept the fact that all we have to do is to believe to receive God’s grace (Ro 5:2). This verse leaves no alternatives.

If you believe that you earn, deserve, receive by works (performance) or sacrifice, or keeping rules, regulations, or laws then you have fallen from grace. Stand fast therefore in the grace that Jesus Christ has provided for you.

True Commitment to Jesus

Matthew 10:37
37 "Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me;

Jesus' instruction here which, if taken by itself, might leave the impression that we are supposed to hate our fathers and mothers, wives and children, and even ourselves. However, Matthew made it very clear in this verse by the use of the words "more than" that this was not what Jesus meant. We are commanded to walk in love, especially to the members of our own families (Ephesians 5:25-33 and Titus 2:4). Jesus was simply stating that we should prefer Him above any other relationship.


Luke 14:26 "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters--yes, even his own life--he cannot be my disciple.

Jesus said nearly the same thing in (Matthew 10:37-38). In Matthew's account, there is an important difference. Jesus said, "He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me."

This isn't an instruction to hate our fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, and ourselves. We are told to love others as ourselves (Leviticus 19:18; Matthew 19:19, 22:36-39; Mark 12:28-33; Romans 13:9-10; Galatians 5:14; and James 2:8). The Apostle John, who was present when Jesus spoke these words, later revealed that loving our brother is essential to true salvation (1 John 2:9, 11; 3:15; and 4:20). This is simply saying that in comparison to our love for God, our feelings toward ourselves and others ought to be far less. Many people have become co-dependent on others instead of God. This is commanding just the opposite. As explained in Matthew 10:37, this is a comparative statement and is not teaching hate as a condition for being Jesus' disciple (see John 6:26 below).

John 6:26
26 Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, you are looking for me, not because you saw miraculous signs but because you ate the loaves and had your fill.

They were seeking the Lord, which was the right thing to do, but they were doing it for the wrong reason. Once again, Jesus reveals that the motives behind our actions are more important than the actions themselves. If we desire the Lord just because of what He can do for us, then we are no better than these people were. We should certainly take advantage of all the good things the Lord provides (Psalm 35:27), but we must always love Him for who He is and not just what He provides.

Just as in John 2:23-25, Jesus knew the people's hearts, and therefore He did not commit Himself to this crowd. Just the day before, these same people had tried to take Him by force and make Him their king (John 6:15), but He withdrew and spent the night in prayer. Jesus was never moved by flattery, and He said that those who were could not operate in God's kind of faith (John 5:44).

This crowd looked like they were seeking Jesus, but they were actually trying to use Jesus to seek their own welfare. It is true that there are many personal benefits to be reaped through serving the Lord, but the benefits are never to become our object. In all things, Christ must have the preeminence (Colossians 1:18).

Jesus exposed the true intent of these people's hearts by preaching a strong message of commitment. Those who were self-centered were offended and left (John 6:66), while those who were willing to lay down their lives so that they could experience God's abundant life (Luke 9:24 and John 10:10) remained (John 6:68). Commitment to God Himself (not what He can produce) is what always separates the true worshipers of God (John 4:23) from the false.

These people had no true commitment to God but wanted Jesus as their king for their own selfish reasons. They had mistakenly interpreted the miracle that Jesus performed in feeding the 5,000 to mean that Jesus would supply all their lusts (James 4:3). On the surface, it may have looked like they were seeking Jesus, but they were actually seeking their own interests. Jesus didn't come to do His own will (John 6:38) or our wills, but the will of the Father.

In these verses, we see Jesus did something that very few ministers of the Gospel will do today. He preached a hard message of commitment, knowing that many of these people would follow Him no more. Many times, we see Christians today compromise the message in an effort to win more people. Regardless of how well ministers can argue this point and justify their actions, this is not the way that Jesus ministered. Jesus was always more interested in quality than quantity. We would do well to follow His example.

Do we love Jesus more than others, or is it just what we can get out of Him? Do we love Jesus more than the life we have with friends and family? Are we co-dependent on others and not depending on Jesus? Do we truly love Jesus more and hate the life we would have without Him? Will we forsake all else and follow the Lord no matter where that takes us? That is the true question of commitment.


—

Self-denial is an important part of the Christian life

Luke 9:23-24
23 Then he said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.
24 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it.

Self-denial is an important part of the Christian life. Jesus sacrificed His life for us, and He demands we die to ourselves that we might experience this new life He has provided. We do this first by recognizing that we can't save ourselves by our own effort and second, by trusting God--not self--for salvation. Then we daily need to deny our own wisdom and seek God's wisdom and direction for our lives.

Self-denial is only good when it is denying ourselves for the singular purpose of exalting Jesus and His will for us in some area of our lives. Some have made a religion out of self-denial and take pride in their denial, not in Jesus' Lordship. This leads to legalism and bondage, which Paul condemned as "will worship" (Col 2:23). We are told not only to deny ourselves but to deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Jesus.

The real benefits of fasting come as a result of denying ourselves (Mt 4:2). However, if we fast to glorify ourselves, as the Pharisees did (Mt 6:16 and 23:5), we have no reward from God. All we will get from such a fast is hungry.

The cross is what Jesus died on. There are circumstances in our lives that, like the cross of Jesus, give us the opportunity to die to ourselves each day. These are not things like sickness, poverty, etc., for which Jesus' atonement provided redemption (Mt 8:17), but rather things like persecution (from which we are not redeemed, 2Ti 3:12) and the constant battle between our flesh and our born-again spirits (Ga 5:17). Our cross that we must bear is to take God's Word (which is His will) and exalt it above our own will in every situation that we face each day.

It is very important that we take up our cross daily. Consistency is one of the most important keys in subduing the flesh. We cannot seek God in "spurts" and expect to reach maturity. The victory goes to those who abide in Him (Ps 91:1; Joh 8:31, and 15:4-7).

These verses are not saying that we have to suffer martyrdom to receive salvation. Rather, it refers back to us denying ourselves and following Jesus. Many people have desired salvation from God but have been unwilling to let go of things that stand between them and God. We are not fools to give up what we cannot keep to gain what we cannot lose.

I Have a Dream

Tuesday, 18 October 2011 11:51 AM EDT Robert Ricciardelli Newsletters - Prophetic Insight


The last few days I have been waking up thinking about Martin Luther King Jr. I kept hearing his "I Have a Dream" speech as I awoke each of the last few mornings. He is one of my heroes of the faith; a difference-maker, and a catalyst for good and for the generations. I asked the Lord if there was some further meaning to my thoughts about him. He said, "I gave him a dream, and I have given you a dream."

I decided to write out my dream in honor of one of my hero's dreams. Thank you, Lord, for Dr. King, who stood for You, stood for freedom and gave his life for the cause of that freedom. I write this in honor of him and the legacy he left for us all:

“I have a dream that one day the kingdom nation of God will rise up and live out the true meaning of Christ’s all-consuming creed that fulfills all laws and prophecies with these words: 'The Lord our God is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength, and also love your neighbor as yourself.

“I have a dream that one day the children of God will truly answer the Lord’s prayer in becoming one as He and the Father are one; that they would move as one 'body of Christ' through the power of the love of God within them.

"I have a dream that one day the walls of culture and preference that have divided our communities will come crashing down so we may truly love and honor each other's uniqueness and our strength in diversity.

"I have a dream for freedom from the grip of false religion and anything that gets in the way of the agape love of God and His perfect will for humanity.

"I have a dream that our children will see an example of life that is not based on what one may have on the outside, including race or financial status, but on what matters most—the integrity and character of what is on the inside of a person.

"I have a dream today.

"I have a dream that one day the hierarchical deception and distortion of community through the systems of man will give way to authentic relationships and communities that are not based on performance or hidden agendas.

"I have a dream today.

"I have a dream that the systems of man that have controlled and manipulated the people of God will give way to the freedom and power of the kingdom of God. I have a dream that there is neither male nor female, Greek nor Jew, or any other caste system getting in the way of the freedom that can only be realized through Christ Jesus our Lord.

"I have a dream today.

"I have a dream of revolutionary authentic servant leaders all over the world who do not usurp their authority and mandates but lead through humility while coaching and assisting others toward the way, the truth and the life.

"I have a dream today.

"I have a dream that one day the last shall be first and the first shall be last, and for the day when the highest esteem is reserved for those who are humble, for those who are motivated by love and for those who desire to serve others in their journey.

"I have a dream today.

"I have a dream that the manifest sons and daughters of the living God will be realized on the earth, supernaturally presenting Christ as the only answer to the groaning within all of creation."

I can see it now, the glory of the Lord filling the earth like the waters cover the sea; all people united as one, every knee bowing and every tongue confessing that Jesus Christ is Lord. This will be the day that both the mystery and the majesty of the Most High God is fully known throughout the universe with the whole world singing, “For the kingdom, the power and the glory are Yours now and forever.”

About the Author: Robert Ricciardelli is a prophetic minister, an entrepreneur and the founder of Converging Zone Network, a social-networking site developed to spread the kingdom of God on a global level through the exchange of products, services, training and ideas.

Are You Fully Alive and Fully Human, the Way God Intends for You to Live

Are you living with a sense that something's missing in your life? If you so, you may be settling for less than the best God wants for you. The only way you can truly find fulfillment is by living up to your fullest potential - to be fully alive, and fully human - the way God intends for you to live.

Jesus, who was both fully God and fully human, lived that kind of life. He stands ready to help you become the best version of yourself. Here's how you can join Him on that journey:

Recognize how God has made you in His image. You're creative because God is creative; you communicate because God communicates; you're intelligent because God is intelligent; you're relational because God is relational; and you're morally responsible because God is a moral being. Decide to do all you can to develop and express those qualities in distinctive ways, according to how God has uniquely designed you.

Appreciate how other people reflect God's image. Ask God to help you see other people as He sees them so you can recognize their value and appreciate the unique contributions that they make to the world - whether or not society values them. Notice how even people who are forgotten or mistreated in society, such as disabled people or addicts, have the same great value in God's eyes as everyone else does. Reach out to others with encouragement and support to help them reach their fullest potential while you're working to reach your own full potential, since together you all can improve the world in bigger ways than you could just by yourself.

Realize that a connection to God through Jesus is what humanizes you. If the intimacy that you were created to enjoy with God is broken through sin, you can drift away from Him. The farther you drift away from God, the more prone you become to behaviors that dehumanize you by violating the essence of who you are. But Jesus came to give you a complete and fulfilling life by restoring your intimacy with God.

Seek God and nurture your soul in a materialistic age. Many people in our society are preoccupied with earning and spending money. But God calls you to seek Him first and trust Him to meet all of your material needs. So make it your first priority to pursue God than you do to pursuing money.

Nurture your mind in a mindless age. Even though some people are content to be entertained in life without seeking to keep learning, God wants you to cultivate the mind He gave you by continuing to learn something new every day.

Pursue creativity and excellence in a superficial, expendable age. Our society doesn't demand or even expect that people use their creativity to produce excellent work, but God wants you to blaze new trails to help make the world a better place.

Go relationally deep in an age of shallow relationships. Many people substitute shallow relationships they have with people they connect with in the virtual, digital world of technology for real, in-person relationships. But God calls you to spend time with people in person to build relationships that can truly go deep, helping you and them grow closer to God together.

Love, forgive, and accept others in an age of anger, rejection, and revenge. Society celebrates selfish interests that lead to a destructive cycle of wounds and bitterness, that then cause anger, rejection, and revenge. But God wants to pour out His healing love through your life, so answer His call to love, forgive, and accept other people.

Embrace certainty in a relativistic age. Attitudes of moral and intellectual relativism are commonplace throughout our society today, but God has revealed absolute truth through the Bible, and He wants you to choose to embrace that truth, even when others around you are falling victim to misguided, relativistic philosophies.

Slow down in a frantic age. Life often moves at too fast a pace in our society to be healthy. God wants you to rediscover the proper rhythm of life, living free of the burden of hurry.

Value everyone in a segmented age. Our society segments people in many ways, such as by gender, race, age, nationality, education, and income. But God calls you to look for His image in the face of everyone you meet.

Come to your senses. Acknowledge the reality of sin in your life that is limiting you and and afflicting you with the brokenness that's causing you to feel incomplete. Then let that awakening motivate you to turn to Jesus, who can restore you to a healthy condition and empower you to live a fulfilling life. Keep pursuing Jesus persistently, learning more and growing closer to Him every day. Communicate with Him often through prayer and open your heart to follow where He leads you as He restores your soul.

Ask Jesus to give you a pure heart. Pray for the ability to devote yourself to God and invite His love to flow through you to other people.

Ask Jesus to renew your mind. Pray for the ability to develop your mental capacity to its fullest and keep learning every new day that you're alive.

Ask Jesus to give you a new spirit. Pray for the ability to develop your spiritual capacity to its fullest. Cultivate it through such spiritual disciplines as worship, prayer, Bible reading, meditation, solitude, silence, and fasting.

Ask Jesus to rebuild your relationships. Pray for the ability to heal the broken relationships in your life by loving, forgiving, and accepting other people.

Ask Jesus to rekindle your creativity. Pray for the ability to identify, develop, and express the talents that God has given you to help make the world a better place.

Ask Jesus to help you live harmoniously. Pray for the ability to become the complete, whole person God created you to be, pulling together the different aspects of your life into a harmonious lifestyle that is faithful to Him throughout your daily life.

Ask Jesus to keep you focused on God's purposes for your life. Pray for the ability to keep working toward fulfilling God's purposes for you. Respond to His calls to serve others, and expect that, as you do, God will keep increasing your capacity to love.

'Where their treasure wasn't, it's for sure their heart wasn't there either.' "

Matt. 6:19-21 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.


'Where their treasure wasn't, it's for sure their heart wasn't there either.' "

Resting in What God has Already Provided by Grace

Hebrews 4:10-11
10 For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his.
11 Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.

Rest is what the writer had been speaking of. It is ceasing from our works the way God did from His after Creation.

When the Lord created the heavens and the earth, He did it in a unique way that many people have not understood. He didn't just create trees, plants, and animals. But He created them in a way that they could procreate. That means He doesn't make new trees, plants, and animals today. But His original act of creation was done in a way that He has been resting ever since. He did it perfectly and so completely that He hasn't had to create since.

This is what the Old Testament Sabbath was painting a picture of. It was only a type and shadow of this New Testament rest (Col 2:17). It was not the reality itself. The Jews were commanded to take one day out of seven off and devote it to worshiping the Lord as an act of faith that God was their source. In the natural, this didn't make sense. If they didn't work every day, they wouldn't prosper as much as those who did. But that's not the way it worked. Because of their faith in the Lord, which was expressed through their obedience to take the Sabbath off, they prospered more than those who worked seven days a week. God was teaching them to rest in the Lord as their source and not their own works.

Just in case anybody missed the obvious lesson of the weekly Sabbath, the Lord told the Israelites to take one year out of seven off (Le 25). During the seventh year the Israelites couldn't sow or reap any crops. That which came up naturally they had to leave in the fields for the poor and the wild beasts.

Some would say, "What shall we eat the seventh year?" (Le 25:20) The Lord blessed their crops supernaturally on the sixth year so that their fields brought forth three times a normal harvest. They would eat the harvest of the sixth year during the sixth, seventh, and the eighth year while their crops were growing.
All of this pictured that God is our source. We may work and sow our crops, but it is God that gives the increase. Likewise, in the New Testament, Jesus has done everything for us. He isn't still saving people and healing them. That has already been done. All we are doing is entering into what has already been provided.

Those who think they have to act a certain way to gain God's acceptance and approval are not resting in the finished work of Christ. Sure, we need to live holy, but it should be a fruit and not a root of our relationship with the Lord. This is what the Old Testament Sabbath was a picture of.

Those who legalistically observe the Sabbath today with the belief that the Lord is angry with those who don't, are missing the true meaning of the Sabbath. They are really Sabbath breakers. True Sabbath keepers in the New Testament are those who don't try and relate to the Lord by their holiness but totally rely on what Jesus did for them to make them acceptable to the Lord. That is a relationship to be enjoyed every day of our lives and not a single day per week.

This was understood by the early New Testament church and is one of the specific reasons they chose to meet on the first day of the week (Sunday) instead of the seventh day (Saturday), which was the Jewish Sabbath. They knew they were free from the observance of a day and were now living in the true Sabbath that the seventh-day observance pictured.

Hebrews 4:11 sounds like an oxymoron. Why labor to rest? If you understand clearly what the rest of the Lord is (Heb 4:10), then it takes effort to rest in the finished work of the Lord. Our human natures want to do something to be worthy of the Lord's blessings. But the truth is that we can never deserve the goodness of the Lord. We have to cease from trusting in our own works and rest in what Jesus has freely provided by grace. It will be the hardest thing you will ever do. You need to get where you trust that God has done everything instead of thinking that something still needs to be done. It's challenging to control your tongue, anxieties, and actions. It takes effort, you have to labor to rest.

The Church's Great Deception

Rev 2:4
4 Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love.
(NIV)

I Jn 4:19
19 We love because he first loved us.
(NIV)




The great deception is that there is a sign out in front of the church that say’s “We are a Hospital” where Jesus is calling out "Come to me to all who are heavy laden and I will give you rest",
but inside the doors it changes into “A Courtroom”, where there is division, judgement, condemnation, and there is no rest.

It is not just about the words that we speak, but it is how we speak them and how we demonstrate those words. Talk is cheap, we can say all the words that we want to but if it does not align with our actions (as James 1:22 would put it) then we are just hearers only.

Jesus’ answer to the great commission is that they (the world) would know us by the love that we have for one another (John 13:35). We the church have lost that love because we lost that Christ first loved us. Grace being given to us is the hospital that we have all needed. Instead we have incorporated a courtroom and are to busy judging and pointing fingers.

Another way to say this is like gold being refined. Impure gold is added to a oven that produces 2000 degree temperatures and is melted. What happens is that gold is a very heavy metal and the impurities (dross) rise to the surface and the gold remains beneath. The gold is taken out of the oven and the dross is skimmed off. The gold then is put back into the oven over and over again till the dross is eliminated.

In relationship to the church when an individual is being put through the refining fire and that person comes out with dross on the surface the church is standing all around pointing fingers and judging. But what does not happen is that this same church can’t go deep enough to see the refined gold that lays below the surface to see that God is changing a life His way and time and not the Churches way and time. It is God’s job to refine, He is the husbandman (gardener – oven tender) who prunes, skims off the dross.

John 15:1-2
1 "I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.
2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.
(NIV)

The reason for this is that church has lost its first love, lost that Christ loved them first despite their own sin and frailty. While they were still sinners Christ died for them. We are not commanded by God as a church to judge, we are commanded to love. We lost the ability to love because we lack the foresight on how much Christ loves us. We think that now that we have arrived it is okay to now judge and it’s not.


John 13:34-35
34 "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.
35 By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."
(NIV)

We wonder why the world is not interested in Church; it is because we do not love. Loving means laying down our lives for one another. It means looking out for other people’s interest even foregoing our own. The world would bust the Churches door down if they saw the real thing. Were to busy pointing out the dross to notice the hurting individuals that exist across the street, next to our desk, across the hallway, and even sitting in the pew next to us.

This is the great deception, trading a hospital for a courtroom.

Now more than ever our country and the world is desperate for an authentic witness of God's love expressed through Jesus Christ.

Amazed at the Judgments and Attacks by Christians

J Lee Grady (Charisma Magazine) wrote in a recent article “The Ominous Handwriting on America’s Wall” and quote: “An earthquake rattles Washington, D.C., and a fierce storm ravages the East Coast. Is God speaking to us? I’m not a doomsday prophet, and I don’t believe every hurricane, earthquake or drought is God’s judgment. But I did pause to ponder the significance of the freakish 5.8-magnitude quake that jolted the East Coast last week. The White House was evacuated, the Washington Monument was closed indefinitely because of cracks, and the National Cathedral’s central tower was seriously damaged. Does anybody else find that slightly spooky?” Also, “Judgment from God? That’s not how I view disasters. But I do think last week’s double whammy was about as obvious a sign from heaven as when God scribbled a warning on the wall while King Belshazzar was partying in his palace. Hello? Is anybody reading the handwriting on America’s wall?”

What was disturbing was not so much what J Lee Grady wrote but what fellow Christians wrote in the afterthoughts following the article. They all seemed to be happy about judgment, and happy that they thought they were better than the ones they thought were being judged. It bewilders me that Christians think that they have deserved a place with God. That they have earned a spot in God’s army as if they have done something so wonderful that God loved what they were doing with their life that God could not help it but to bring them along and sit them along side of His judgment seat. What is more insidious than that is that the cross has been negated. All sin has already been judged at the cross. When you look up all in the Greek it is very profound, it means all. It does not mean some or the one’s you get to pick and chose, it means all.

2 Corinthians 5:19 (KJV)
19 To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.

1 John 2:2 (KJV)
2 And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

Titus 3:5 (KJV)
5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;

Mercy is not receiving what we justly deserve; grace is receiving what we don’t justly deserve. If this is true how can we stand in judgment of anything? If all judgment for sins came upon Jesus, than what judgment can become on us. We keep on pointing to sins that Jesus has already died for, and that puts us into what Paul says in Galatians:

Galatians 5:4 (KJV)
4 Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.

Ephesians 2:8-9 (KJV)
8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.

God has designed salvation in such a way as to eliminate any boasting from man. If salvation was by works, either partially or wholly, then man could boast, but grace and faith eliminate man's boasting altogether (Ro 3:27). Salvation by grace brings praise and glory to God. If we could save ourselves, either partially or wholly, we would take the credit for it. That is not the case. All the glory goes to God.

Finally Paul says in Galatians 6:14 (KJV) But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.

Christians have been so busy pointing out sins and having a sin conscientiousness which means the world has not been crucified and they do not believe in the cross of Jesus Christ and what was accomplished there.

I have been humbled by the Lord Jesus Christ, knowing that He loves me and gave Himself for me even though I do not deserve it at all. His love for me is because of His love. "God loves you and me unconditionally, as you are and not as you should be, because nobody is as they should be." In the light of that, how can we stand in judgment of anything or point to any sin in anyone else?

Love & Friendship

A story is told about a soldier who was finally coming home after having fought in two tours of duty.

He called his parents from San Francisco. “Mom and Dad, I’m coming home, but I’ve got a favor to ask. I have a friend I’d like to bring with me.” “Sure,” they replied, “we’d love to meet him.” “There’s something you should know the son continued, “he was hurt pretty badly in the fighting. He stepped on a land mined and lost an arm and a leg. He has nowhere else to go, and I want him to come live with us.” “I’m sorry to hear that, son. Maybe we can help him find somewhere to live.”

“No, Mom and Dad, I want him to live with us.” “Son,” said the father, “you don’t know what you’re asking. Someone with such a handicap would be a terrible burden on us. We have our own lives to live, and we can’t let something like this interfere with our lives. I think you should just come home and forget about this guy. He’ll find a way to live on his own.” At that point, the son hung up the phone. The parents heard nothing more from him.

A few days later, however, they received a call from the San Francisco police. Their son had died after falling from a building, they were told. The police believed it was suicide. The grief-stricken parents flew to San Francisco and were taken to the city morgue to identify the body of their son. They recognized him, but to their horror they also discovered something they didn’t know, their son had only one arm and one leg.

The parents in this story are like many of us. We find it easy to love those who are good-looking or fun to have around, but we don’t like people who inconvenience us or make us feel uncomfortable. We would rather stay away from people who aren’t as healthy, beautiful, or smart as we are.

Thankfully, there’s someone who won’t treat us that way. Someone who loves us with an unconditional love that welcomes us into the forever family, regardless of how messed up we are.

Tonight, before you go to sleep for the night, say a prayer that God will give you the strength you need to accept people as they are, and to help us all be more understanding of those who are different from us!!!

There’s a miracle called -Friendship- that dwells in the heart. You don’t know how it happens or when it gets started. But you know the special lift It always brings and you realize that Friendship Is God’s most precious gift!

Friends are a very rare jewel, indeed. They make you smile and encourage you to succeed. They lend an ear, they share a word of praise, and they always want to open their hearts to us.

The Gospel of Jesus is not enough! Or is It?

There are thousands of people who just won’t let the Bible get in the way of their theology. Religious traditions and widely-accepted teaching have become the basis of their beliefs, rather than the Bible. The results are obvious: Their relationship with Christ is profiting them little or at the very least less than God intended.

Would God send His only Son to bear our sin, becoming sin itself, and then judge Him without mercy for that sin if His sacrifice wasn’t enough? No! Yet, many Christians act as though it wasn’t enough and continue to believe God is withholding His blessing because of their sin. It’s time to learn the truth.

There are people who have accepted Jesus as their Savior. Yet, they can’t get healed, they’re unhappy, depressed, fearful, and full of unbelief. I encourage you to allow the Bible, God’s Word, to get right in the middle of your theology.

If you’re conscious of sin, then you truly don’t understand the grace of your salvation through Jesus. It sounds radical, but it’s true. That is totally different than the way most people think. It’s different than what most of us have been told. But this is what God’s Word declares. God is not imputing, or laying to our account, our sin.

2 Cor 5:19 "that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation."

Sin consciousness has been ground into us. Grace is not the way of the world. Your employer doesn’t hire you by grace and promise to pay no matter what you do; they have expectations of performance. In marriage, spouses don’t always love each other unconditionally. Even in most Christian families, children are either rewarded or punished based on their performance.

In this earth almost everything is based on performance, and because it is, it always forces us to focus on our weaknesses. That performance mentality then transfers into religion where we’re taught to focus on our sin. However, where God is concerned, it’s just the opposite. In fact, sin isn’t even an issue with God. Why? Because our sin is not being imputed, or charged, to our account. It’s being charged to Jesus’ account, and He already paid the bill.

Heb. 9:11-12 "When Christ came as high priest of the good things that are already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not man-made, that is to say, not a part of this creation. He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption."

If words mean anything, think about these words: Jesus entered in once! Do you know what once means in the Greek? It means once. It means He doesn’t do it over and over again. Every time you sin, the Lord doesn’t have to wait until you repent and then get that sin under the blood.

Most Christians believe that when you’re born again, you get your sins forgiven up to that point. Then, every time you sin after becoming a Christian, you’ve got to run to the Lord with that sin and confess and repent, or you could be lost. If not lost and on your way to hell, then at the very least, God would not fellowship with you, and He certainly wouldn’t answer your prayers.

If that were true, then everybody would be on their way to hell. There isn’t a person on this earth who doesn’t have either a known or an unknown unconfessed sin. Or, if sin just means the loss of relationship with God and unanswered prayers, then God wouldn’t have a single person qualified to receive an answer to prayer or fellowship with Him. Was Jesus enough or not?

This is a huge issue. It’s the reason many believe God isn’t healing them or prospering them. They say out of one side of their mouths that He loves them and sacrificed His Son, Jesus, for their salvation, and then out of the other side, they say that He is still judging them for sin. Those are incompatible!

Heb. 9:13-15 "The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God! For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance — now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant."

It isn’t God who is condemning us when we sin; it’s our own consciences. We haven’t purged our consciences with the truth of what Jesus has done with sin. Satan knows that and is using it to condemn us and destroy our faith and confidence in God by reminding us we don’t deserve God’s blessing.

Praise God, He isn’t giving you what you deserve; He is giving you what Jesus deserves. Jesus paid for sin one time, past, present, and even the sins you will commit in the future. How can that be, you ask? I don’t know exactly, but let me tell you this, Jesus only died one time for our sins two thousand years ago, so you better hope He can forgive your sins before you commit them.

Heb. 9:25-28 "Nor did he enter heaven to offer himself again and again, the way the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood that is not his own. Then Christ would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world. But now he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself. Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him." (emphasis mine)

God knows the end from the beginning and He knew all the sins of the whole world. Jesus paid for all those committed before His sacrifice and for all that had not yet been committed. He made the payment once and it will never be made again. The price for sin, all sin, has been paid!

We have received an eternal inheritance (Heb. 9:15) that cannot be taken away. Your inheritance is not temporary; it’s eternal. You aren’t disinherited and you don’t lose the benefits of being part of the family because of sin.

To understand this, you have to see yourself as God sees you. In your born-again spirit, you are as clean and holy and pure as Jesus is. Religion has you looking at your flesh. It has you searching the soulish realm of thoughts, attitudes, and feelings. But that is not what God is looking at. He is looking at your spirit, the part of you that’s become a new creation.

2 Corinthians 5:17
“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”

John 4:24
“God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.”

What part of you is new? It’s not the flesh and it’s not the soul; it’s your born-again spirit. When you go to God in prayer and say “O God, I’m so ungodly and so unworthy, please forgive me, please answer my prayer,” you are not in the spirit; you are in the flesh. Your spirit is righteous, holy, and pure. Sin does not affect your spirit.

Am I saying sin is okay? Absolutely not! When you sin, you give Satan an open door to the soul, your mind and emotions, as well as opportunity to destroy your physical body. It’s just stupid to open yourself up to the devil. Rom 6:15-18

Some of you may still be thinking, Well, I know God died once for all men, but His sacrifice still must be applied whenever we sin. Let’s allow God’s Word to get in the way of this wrong theology again.

Heb 10:10-12
“By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified,” (emphasis mine).

This is not talking about your physical body or your soul; it’s talking about your born-again spirit. Your spirit is identical to the Lord Jesus Christ. It is sinless! Your soul and your body can be defiled by sin, but your spirit never can; it’s sealed forever.

Maturity in the Christian life isn’t about trying to grow your spirit up; it’s trying to educate, or renew, your mind to what you already have in your spirit. Your spirit is already perfect! You already have the fruit of the Spirit—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control. Your spirit is always happy, always rejoicing, and always healthy.

God loves you even though you’ve messed up, even though you aren’t perfect. He loves you not because of your performance but because of Jesus’ sacrifice. If you can ever get a revelation of this, it will change the way you see God forever.

Are you just visiting faith?

Romans 1:17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.

The expression “from faith to faith” describes the means whereby righteousness is given and retained. God’s righteousness cannot be earned; it can only be acquired through faith. As proof that righteousness received by faith is not a new idea or concept, Paul quoted Hab 2:4, “The just shall live by his faith” (Ga 3:11 and Heb 10:38).

The just shall live by faith. They don’t just visit faith every once in a while or vacation there once a year; they live in and by faith.

Usefulness of my life is Jesus' concern, not mine

"All that is not the love of God has no meaning for me. I can truthfully say that I have no interest in anything but the love of God which is in Christ Jesus. If God wants it to, my life will be useful through my word and witness. If He wants it to, my life will bear fruit through my prayers and sacrifices. But the usefulness of my life is His concern, not mine. It would be indecent of me to worry about that."

- Brennan Manning

"God loves you unconditionally, as you are and not as you should be, because nobody is as they should be."

Intolerance, Atheists and the Cross

While Christians are regularly accused by secularists and atheists of being intolerant and coercive, often it is exactly the opposite. This has been demonstrated again this past week.

Most Americans are aware of the remarkable 9/11 World Trade Center Cross that has been on display since the collapse of the Twin Towers following the fateful terrorist attacks. After its discovery among the rubble, that cross became an instant symbol of hope and optimism for first responders, families of the victims, and America at large. That cross has been on temporary display at Ground Zero since recovery efforts began almost a decade ago. But now that the famous cross is being moved to its permanent home inside the 9/11 Memorial and Museum, a lawsuit has been filed against the cross by the American Atheist Association.

Ironically, Dave Silverman, head of the atheist organization who filed the suit, claims the object of their suit is really only “some rubble that represents a cross.” He called it “truly ridiculous” that such a random pile of steel should “become a Christian icon.”

Dave! If it is only a random pile of rubble, then why file suit? After all, every day across America, as loggers cut down trees, the trunks randomly fall across each other to form crosses; so why not sue the loggers? And everywhere an oilfield crew drops a load of pipe for a new well, the joints of pipe randomly roll across each other to form various crosses; so why not sue the drillers? Apparently Silverman and the American Atheists must not really believe that the 9/11 cross is so random. In fact, why do they insist on getting so wrought up over something and Someone they claim doesn’t even exist?!

Somehow, so many atheists and secularists just can’t seem to allow people of faith to enjoy their constitutionally-guaranteed “free exercise of religion” in public; instead, they are consistently and aggressively intolerant of Christian faith and they want to coerce citizens not to publicly express their faith. Romans 2:20-21 talks about how often someone is actually guilty of that which they accuse others – and atheists and secularists certainly seem to be the intolerant and coercive ones, rather than the Christians they accuse.


Strikingly, there is an official symbol and logo for atheism, yet there is no flurry of lawsuits filed by Christians to keep atheists from expressing their beliefs or their symbols. But there are plenty the other way, including the ongoing and the recent lawsuits against the Mojave Desert War Memorial Cross to honor those who fell in WWI, the Mt. Soledad Memorial Cross to honor those who fell in the Korean War, the crosses erected to honor fallen State Troopers in Utah, the Bald Knob Cross of Peace, the Anderson County Cross erected by a pastor on his own property, the Prayer Garden Cross erected by a private organization, the city seals of Los Angeles, Redlands, Wauwatosa, Zion, Edmond, and many similar cases.



Crosses have always been an important part of the public culture and landscape in America. After all, inside the Rotunda of the Capitol is the massive painting of Christopher Columbus landing in the New World with the cross in tow, the Cape Henry Cross (see picture on right) commemorating the cross erected when the first settlers landed in Virginia, the St. Clements Island Cross commemorating the cross erected when the first settlers landed in Maryland, the Peace Cross of St. George’s County in Maryland, the large cross engraved in stone outside the U. S. Federal Courthouse in Washington, D. C., the crosses engraved in the Memorial Stones inside the Washington Monument, and many others.

Atheists and secularists seem determined to continue their intolerance of faith and their efforts to coerce others into secularism. The good news is that because of the religious and strongly Christian nature of the American people for the past four centuries, they will have no shortage of high-visibility targets to pursue – such as the World Trade Center Memorial Cross in New York City!

God Bless America

Some Think the Only Difference Between the Old and New Covenant is a Blank Page

Matthew 26:26-30
26 While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, "Take and eat; this is my body."
27 Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you.
28 This is my blood of the new testament, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.
29 I tell you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it anew with you in my Father's kingdom."
30 When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

The Greek word for "testament" used here is "DIATHEKE," and it primarily denotes a contract, covenant, agreement, or promise (Ga 3:17). Vine's Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words states that this Greek word "does not in itself contain the idea of joint obligation, it mostly signifies an obligation undertaken by a single person." In other words, in the New Covenant, it is not what we can do for God but what God has done for us.

The principle of the Old Covenant was "do" and we shall live (Ro 10:5). The principle of the New Covenant is "it is done" (Ro 10:6-9), and that includes redemption, reconciliation, righteousness, and sanctification. The work is finished! We are complete in Him (Col 2:10)!

If the Old Covenant had been without defect, there would have been no attempt to institute another (Heb 8:7). In the Old Covenant, people found themselves unable to abide in its agreement, for it was based upon people's performance (Ex 19:5-8). The new agreement, however, was based totally upon God's grace (Ro 4:4-5). Under the Old Covenant, people approached God through a priest (Heb 5:1), while under the New Covenant, people have direct access to the Father through Jesus Christ (Heb 4:16).

Under the Old Covenant, people's sins led to their deaths (Heb 10:28), while under the New Covenant, God is merciful to people's unrighteousness (Heb 8:12; 1Jo 1:8-9, and 2:1). Under the Old Covenant, people could not be cleansed of sin-consciousness (Heb 10:1-4); while under the New Covenant, people's sins and iniquities are remembered no more (Heb 8:12 and 10:17), and their guilty consciences are cleansed (Heb 10:22).

What does correlate between the Old and New Testament is that in Exodus chapter twelve where God sent the Angel to kill the first born of every household. The Israelites were told to put blood on the door posts so the Angel would pass over that home. In each of those homes who had sprinkled the blood of a lamb on the door posts were varying degrees of holiness, growth, and sinfulness in following God. The Angel did not look at the people inside the home, the Angel only saw the blood and passed over that home. It was not about inspecting the people, it was only seeing the blood. The same is true in the Old Testament when a person brought their sin sacrifice to the Preist, the Preist did not inspect the people for their blemishes but inspected the lamb that they brought if it was perfect and without blemish. It is the same today, God looks at the blood of Jesus that covers us and see's us righteous. Which means that if your trying to be justified by anything other than faith in Jesus Christ then you are not believing the true Gospel. His blood and only His blood covers our sin, it is not any works that you do at all.

Receiving by law and receiving by promise are opposites. Law involves effort (works). Promise provides as a gift (grace). We are either saved by works or by grace, but not a combination of the two (Ro 11:6). Paul stated the doctrine of justification by grace through faith so clearly in his writings that any person who claims to believe the Bible has to acknowledge this truth. However, one of Satan's cleverest deceptions is to take a truth and add to it until it is no longer the truth. Lest that happen with this doctrine of grace, Paul stated emphatically that we cannot combine anything with God's grace as a requirement for salvation.

In the same way that gasoline and water don't mix, so grace and works will not mix. Justification has to be all works or all grace, but not a combination of the two. All religion is based on what you do or sacrifice. The new covenant with Jesus Christ is based on what Jesus Christ has done and sacrificed. Still, an abundance of religious people today cannot accept the fact that all we have to do is to believe to receive God's grace (Ro 5:2). Faith is our admission, or ticket, into the grace of God. No one is allowed in without a ticket. Our own good works won't grant us admission. God's grace can only be accessed by faith.

Ephesians 2:8-9
8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--
9 not by works, so that no one can boast.

Christianity is not an Island Unto Thyself

On July 7, 2011 the Oakland A’s were playing the Texas Rangers. In the second inning, one of the A’s hit a foul ball that went into the stands, then bounced back onto the field. So as a friendly gesture, Rangers outfielder, Josh Hamilton picked up the ball and tossed it to a fan in the stands. Hamilton’s toss was a little short, causing the man to lean over the railing in an attempt to catch the ball. Unfortunately, this caused the man to lose his balance, topple over the railing and fall head first to his death.

I can only imagine how badly Josh Hamilton feels. Although he intended no harm to this fan, his action resulted in the death of this man. As I have listened to the news reporters and sportscasters comment on this sad event over the weekend, I couldn’t help but think of a spiritual application. For how many times does this very thing happen in our homes and in our churches. How many fathers and mothers will make spiritual decisions that are not intended to harm their children, but they do that very thing. A period of “spiritual slumber” for mom and dad results in the unintended faithlessness of their children. Harsh words, judgmental attitudes, and a critical spirit unintentionally sours a child, spouse, or neighbor and they rebel against what they’re told is “Christianity.”

Friends, "no man lives to himself, and no man dies to himself" (Romans 14:7). We all influence other people for the better or for the worse. Give diligence to make sure that the choices you make in life don’t have unintended consequences that will haunt you later.

Definition of unintended consequences: A positive, unexpected benefit (usually referred to as serendipity or a windfall). A negative, unexpected detriment occurring in addition to the desired effect of a choice. A perverse effect contrary to what was originally intended (when an intended solution makes a problem worse), such as when a policy has a perverse incentive that causes actions opposite to what was intended.

This is the very reason why the Apostle Paul continues on in Rom 14 and says we should not judge one another in any form or fashion. Judgments have unintended consequences beyond our own scope, ability, or intended action. We are all accountable to God, God is God and we are not. We should always choose love over everything else, for the intended or unintended consequence of love is always love.


Rom 13:8
8 Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law.

Time is our Ally not Our Enemy and Less is More

Mark 4:13
13 Then Jesus said to them, "Don't you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable?

Jesus was saying that this parable of the sower is the key to understanding all His parables. The interpretation that Jesus gave of this parable provides a model for interpreting all His parables.

Mark 4:14
14 The farmer sows the word.

Jesus wasn't teaching on farming. He was using some truths about farming to illustrate how God's Word works.

It's interesting that He used a natural example like a seed. This is because people can't cheat on sowing and reaping. If He had used a social example like school, people beat the system. They don't pay proper attention in class, but they can cram for the test and pass. They never learned the material. They just figured out a way to cheat. People can't cram for a harvest. They can't wait until the night before a harvest and sow their seeds. This natural system is governed by the unchangeable laws of seed, TIME, and harvest.

This parable illustrates some of the unchangeable laws of how God's Word works. The whole world operates from seeds. There would be no animal, plant, or human life without seeds. Likewise, the whole kingdom of God is dependent on the Word of God. God's Word is to His kingdom the way the world is totally dependent on seeds.

Mark 4:15
15 Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them.

Mark 4:14 makes it clear that the seed represents the Word of God. The ground represents people's hearts. There are four different types, or conditions, of hearts represented in this parable.
The first type of heart is one that has no desire toward God's Word. The Word never gets inside of the heart but lays on the surface where it's easily stolen away by the devil.

This same parable was recorded in Mt 13:3-23. In Mt 13:19, Jesus said that Satan has the ability to steal this Word from those who understand it not. Therefore, understanding is the first step in getting God's Word down on the inside of us. This is why we teach children on a level they can understand. Without understanding, Satan has complete access to steal the truths of God's Word from us.

The only one of these four types of ground, or hearts, where Satan has free access to steal away the Word is this first one where there is no understanding. Therefore, understanding is the first step in getting the Word of God to germinate in us.


Mark 4:16
16 Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy.

The second type of heart condition described in this parable is one where a person understood the Word and was excited about it, but that person didn't take the time to get God's Word rooted inside. Therefore, the Word did germinate, but it couldn't produce fruit because it didn't have a good root system.

Roots develop underground, out of sight. Most people want the visible results of fruit, but they don't want to develop the root system necessary to produce and sustain the fruit. A seed that germinates in shallow earth will put all its energies into growth above ground, because there is nowhere else for its growth to go. So, at first, it looks better than the seed that is putting its effort into building a good root system. But when the sun starts drying out the plant, the root system isn't there to sustain it, and it will wither and die.

Most people don't like the root-building process. They want to experience the benefits of the Word that are visible in their lives, but they don't want to just spend time alone with God in His Word, letting that Word get rooted and established in them. So, there can be visible results in a person's life who only listens to someone else minister the Word. But when things get tough, only the Word that has personal roots in our hearts will bear fruit.

As a plant must establish a strong root system to sustain its growth, so we must become rooted and grounded in God's Word (Eph 3:17; Col 1:23, and 2:7). Too much attention on visible growth will cause us to become impatient and not take the time to become firmly established in the truths of God's Word. This will always result in fruitlessness.

A seed planted in shallow soil will germinate and grow faster than a seed planted in deep soil. The seed in deep soil will put all of its energy toward the roots first, while the seed in shallow soil has no choice but to put its effort into the growth of the plant above the ground. The plant in shallow soil will look like it is far ahead of the other seed for a while, but that will not last. It soon withers and dies, while the seed with roots grows and brings forth fruit.

Likewise, some Christians get very excited over the promises of God's Word but make the mistake of not getting firmly established in those truths before they "jump out on a limb" with them. This kind of people withers away when the heat is on. We can't live off of someone else's commitment to the Word; we must have root in ourselves (Mr 4:17).

Was living in Chicago in the early 1970’s and in 72 they started to build the Sears Tower. Worked for a bank just three blocks from the Sears Tower and a few of us used to sit across the street on some steps and eat our lunches and watch them build this magnificent building. At this time they were still working on the foundation which took about nine months. One day there was a group of men who were sitting by us who were debating why the foundation was taking so long. They were speculating that maybe there were not enough laborers, union problems, inspection problems, financial problems. Actually it was none of those things, you see the taller the building the deeper the foundation and the longer it takes. The other aspect is that if you’re an eighth of an inch off on the foundation by the time you reach six stories the building would be three and half inches off. The foundation must be perfect and that is why it takes time. If you’ve reached a certain level in your life and things are not fitting it is because you built your life on an imperfect foundation. The only perfect foundation is Jesus Christ.

Notice that afflictions, persecutions, and tribulations are instruments of the devil and are used to stop God's Word from bearing fruit in our lives. They are not good things that God brings our way to improve us. They are instruments of Satan. These things are designed to take our attention off of God's Word, thereby stopping the Word from taking root in us. It's like the runners who spend all of their time in the grandstands arguing with the hecklers over the way they're running the race. They may win an argument, but they will lose the race. We must not let anything distract us from meditating on God's Word day and night, for then we will make our way prosperous and then we will have good success (Jos 1:8). By consistently putting God's Word in first place in every area of our lives, we will let that Word become so rooted in us that nothing can get it out.

Time in God’s kingdom becomes our ally, it matters to our growth process. If one thinks in the flesh that you are running out of time, than that thinking and way of life is earth like. You may be saying to yourself “I’m running out of time”, and start taking short cuts in your progress. All you end up doing is circumventing the Lords hand in your life. Time with God is on your side.

Mark 4:17
17 But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away.

Afflictions and persecutions aren't blessings from God. They come against us from the devil in an attempt to steal away the Word of God. Notice that they come for the Word's sake. Persecution isn't personal like we think. It's all about the Word.

If you throw a rock into a pack of dogs, the one that yelps the loudest got hit. That's the way it is with persecution. Those who persecute us the most are the ones that are under the most conviction. It really isn't about us but about the conviction of the Holy Spirit, which they are resisting. Look at Saul on the road to Damascus (Ac 9).

Mark 4:18
18 Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word;

Notice that the seed was scattered everywhere. This was not the type of planting where furrows were made and the seeds evenly spaced. This was sowing where the seeds were just thrown everywhere. Likewise, God's Word is supposed to be given to everyone. We don't just pick a few here and there to share the Word with. We need to give it to everyone. It's true that not everyone will receive, but that's not our business. Our job is to sow everywhere. It's up to the individuals whether or not they receive. We shouldn't make that decision for them. We need to give them that choice. There is always one great aspect to a parable even though there may be many lessons that are taught to us. The great aspect in this parable is Grace, that seed is sown to all forms of ground no matter if they returned fruit or not, the seed is sown indiscriminately. The seed is not bigoted, and neither should we. Grace given to anyone is not determined how good or bad a person is, or nationality, color of skin, how educated one is, how rich or poor, or what stature in society that one exists, Grace is given to all of us.

Mark 4:19
19 but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful.

The point being made by this third type of ground is that we only have so much attention. If we want fruitfulness, we need to focus on the Word and not other things that can occupy us. Just as the earth only has so many nutrients and weeds take nourishment that could be going to the desired plant, so all the things of this world will steal energy from us that could be going into the Word of God.

Notice that these aren't necessarily bad things. We have to be occupied with the affairs of this life to a degree. But there has to be a proper balance among job, family, leisure, and the Word. We don't strike this balance once and are through with it. This is something that constantly varies based on our seasons of life. The only way to maintain the proper balance is to maintain a vibrant relationship with the Lord. He will reveal to us any time we begin to be too focused on something other than Him (Php 3:15).

Flew into Newark Liberty Airport one day and took a limo to where I was going. We pulled up to a light and there was a bebopper on the corner with a big old honking radio on his shoulder with music up high and dancing to the beat. It came to my mind about who owned who, did he own the radio or did the radio own him. You see if he owned the radio than why did he have to take it wherever he went? A lot of times the things we own tend to own us.


Mark 4:20
20 Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop--thirty, sixty or even a hundred times what was sown."

The strength of the laser lies in its focus. If the focus is diffused, the laser ceases to be powerful. Likewise, the power of the Christian is amplified by a single focus (Php 3:13). The way to destroy a man's vision is to give him two.

What made this good ground? Did it have more than the other types of ground? No! It had less. It had less weeds and fewer rocks to drain the nutrients. So for our hearts to be good ground doesn't take more. It takes less--less occupation with the things of the world and more focus on the Lord. So Less is More. Even among those who were fruitful, there were varying degrees of fruitfulness. But this wasn't dictated by the person who sowed the Word. It's all about the condition of the soil it is sown in.

God's Word is an incorruptible seed (1Pe 1:23) and has the same potential in every situation. It's not the Word that is the variable, but rather the condition of the heart that is receiving it.

This should really encourage you. We may not be the sharpest knife in the drawer and not have all the talents and abilities that others have. But if fruitfulness is all about having less, than we can do that. Thank You, Jesus.