Jesus and Santa

Jesus did not come for the "Christians". He came for the whole world. So, I wish everyone a very blessed and a joyful Christmas!

A Tale of Two White Shirts

Imagine you were given two white shirts as gifts. Shirt 1 was soiled due to poor packaging. Shirt 2 is dazzling white. Now imagine you need a cloth to wipe the dust off of your desk. Which shirt out of the above two would you pick for the task? Obviously, you would pick the soiled shirt. Why? It’s already dirty, so you wouldn’t mind some more dirt on it. The clean shirt, which is safely kept in the closet, would not even come to your mind for the task at hand.

Acquaint with religion and pretty soon you will hear a phrase, “we’re just sinners saved by grace”. Although the phrase sounds very pious and humble, it is absolutely un-scriptural to the core.

To understand this, we need to see how a person becomes a sinner. How or when did a person become a sinner? Paul said, “For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, …” (Rom 5:19). It was through Adam’s disobedience that we became sinners. We did not have to move one finger to inherit sin. In other words, it is not the sin action that makes a person a sinner, but the old self, the sin nature, which drives the person to sin.

But what happens when a person receives Jesus Christ to his or her heart by faith? I'll let Paul continue: “so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous.” The same person who was a sinner by Adam’s disobedience, when He receives Jesus Christ by faith, is now made righteous (made in right-standing with God) by the obedience of Jesus Christ, because the old self of the humanity was nailed to the cross (Rom 6:6). The new creation in Christ Jesus has a brand new nature in His spirit, and is sealed by the Holy Spirit (2 Corinthians 5:17, Eph 1:13). So the newly created person in Christ Jesus is no longer a sinner saved by grace.

The question that is often followed is, if the old self has be crucified when Christ died, why then does a born again person sin? First of all, not every church goer has heard the unadulterated Gospel. What is often preached from the pulpits is a gospel that is mixed with works, meaning you must do this and that to become righteous - when in fact, the liberating Message of the cross is about an exchange of lives - ours for His (Gal 2:20).

Secondly, this new birth happens in one’s spirit. We are made up of three parts – spirit, soul (mind, will and emotions), and body. Since the new-creation happens in the spirit, one cannot “feel” the amazing changes that happens in the spirit. We move and act on our dominant thought or belief. “As a man thinks in his heart, so is he”. So when a person’s dominant belief is that he is “just a sinner”, that is exactly what he or she will be drawn to. Add law and self-effort to the mix, the same person is turbo-charged to fail, because the strength of the sin is law (see 1 Corinthians 15:56).

The law was given to reveal the human inability to attain and keep the righteousness of God by our strength. If righteousness comes by our frail attempts at keeping the law, then Christ died in vain (Gal 2:21)! I say ‘attempts’, because we are incapable to keep all the commandments in perfection, because when you break one you break ‘em all (James 2:10). 

All of us needs His grace through Jesus Christ, and praise God, it is freely available. All we do is move out of the way and receive Him; not a doctrine, not a teaching, not a theology, not an emotional high, but Him. Sin will no longer have dominion over a person if he or she is under grace and not under law (Rom 6:14). Grace is about trusting solely in the life of Jesus in and through us, for without Him we can do nothing (John 15:5). It is His life that helps us bear fruit.

Look at it this way: prior to being saved, could any of our good works qualify us to be in right standing with God? No, because we cannot earn His righteousness. We are saved purely by grace through faith (see Eph 2:8-9). Likewise, one’s action does not alter the new nature in Christ Jesus. Does this mean that the message of His grace and love will be used as a “license to sin” as assumed by some? Let me answer that with another question - would anyone choose that dazzling white shirt to clean the desk? 

It is the knowledge our new identity in Christ Jesus that sets us free.


Related posts:
Purpose of the Law

Self-righteousness or His righteousness

Poor Man's Revelation

by Darin Hufford, Author of The Misunderstood God and the founder of The Free Believers Network 

I think one of the biggest things I’ve found myself trying to strangle out of my spirit is that dreadful, us-verses-them mentality that seems to creep to the surface of my heart when I’m in the midst of another frustrating conversation with someone who clearly hasn’t begun the “grace walk.” I’ve got a lot of Christian friends who are still in bondage to religious thinking and they all think I’m off my rocker because of the things I write about. For the most part I try not to get into any meaningful “God conversations” with these people because it’s like banging my head against a brick wall. Every now and then I’ll think I saw a twinkle of something flickering in one of their eyes like they may be about to get this, and I’ll jump up on their lap and start explaining the grace message at a hundred miles an hour. Before long I realize that, that twinkle I thought I saw, wasn’t a twinkle at all. It was just the lighting in the room coupled with wishful thinking on my part. I usually end up walking away feeling embarrassed, frustrated, unheard, judged, hopeless, and misunderstood. 

One of these people flat out told me he thought I was arrogant and that I acted like I had come to a “more significant revelation of God than he had.” He insinuated that I was boasting in what I had received from God and was patronizing him because he didn’t see the things I saw. He thought I was purposefully trying to point out his lack of revelation and compare it to my abundance. Truthfully, that was the furthest thing from my mind. I wanted this guy to get this and I did everything I could to help him understand it, but in the process of doing so, it became increasingly obvious that his eyes were not going to open to this and in that process he became understandably insecure.  

I remember leaving that confrontation many years ago feeling like I shouldn’t be comparing my revelation to his in any way, and the very fact that I could see a difference at all was proof that I had crossed some invisible line of “spiritual correctness.” I remember trying to convince myself in some kind of politically correct sort of way that in the future I shouldn’t acknowledge anyone’s lack of revelation as a “lack of revelation.” If I were truly spiritual I would be as blind as a bat to things like that. It brought me back to the whole politically correct racism conversation where somehow we’re not supposed to notice that Asian people are smart or Irish people have red hair.  

There is clearly a powerful move of God that is taking place across the world where our understanding of who He really is, is being expanded in ways we’ve only dreamed about. This current revelation of God so life-changing and significant that I can tell who “gets it” and who doesn’t from a helicopter hovering two miles above the earth. I’ve come to the conclusion that, like it or not, there is an obvious difference between people who have received this and people who are blind to it. I will no longer beat myself up for being able to detect this difference. This isn’t to say that I think I am more spiritual than people who don’t get this message, but I will say that I’m more free than I was before I opened my eyes to this. 

Having said all of this, I think it raises a significant question that must be answered. Why do some people get this immediately and others can’t see it to save their lives?

What does it take to “get this” revelation? 

Is this a matter of God giving it to each of us or did our eyes open because of something we did? 

I understand that it’s become very popular for people to say things like, “God just hasn’t revealed this to them right now,” or “They just haven’t come to this in their journey yet.” I’m not dismissing the idea that there might be a timing issue connected to this, but I think my biggest question is whether or not the “timing” has to do with “God’s timing” or ours. Is this something that God opens our eyes to, or is it something that WE open our eyes to? THAT is precisely where I want to park for a moment. 

I believe that most modern day Christians would say without hesitation that this understanding we possess concerning the heart of God is something that only God Himself can open people's eyes to.  The problem with believing this way is that many people end up with that overly spiritual glassy-eyed look on their faces, bumping and tripping over things right in front of them because they’re trying to focus their eyes on the unseen realm. The “revelation from God” mentality sometimes causes people to start looking for signs on cereal boxes and produce stickers in a desperate attempt to hear from an inaudible God so they can get the divine password their friends have gotten, and be in the club. I’m not denying that God gives us revelation, but I think He does that in the course of life. When we set out to specifically GET revelation from God in the spiritual realm I think we often go spiritually overboard and do some pretty whacky stuff in the process.

Let’s face it; it’s hip to get something straight up from God Himself. When you actually get the thing that you claim you got from God, it feels TOTALLY cool because you’re the onewho got it. For one thing, it appears to everyone including yourself that He’s not mad at you. You feel good about yourself, confident and strong. Claiming divine revelation rocks the house when you’re the one who received it. When you’re not that person however, it sucks big time. You walk around feeling as insecure as you did in junior high, wondering if you said or did the right thing, worrying you might be in trouble with God, or if you just missed Him altogether. 

It’s not surprising that when we start talking about a new revelation and understanding of God, some people get defensive and close down. I think the reason why most people who don’t “get this” are intimidated and insecure when it’s presented to them is because they don’t think they have what it takes to get to the “spiritual level” they think they need to get to in order to receive something like this from God. I think that this “get it from God” way of thinking is the primary problem. 

Most people have tried to be that deep supernatural person they’ve dreamed about, but for some reason the heavens didn’t open up to them like they seemed to for the traveling evangelist or the famous author who gave them the “three steps to reaching God.” They can’t even imagine what kind of “pressing into God” it would take to get what we have, so they just give up. The climb is just too intimidating. The fact that they don’t understand it NOW is proof to them that God has rejected them and has hidden this away on the grounds of their own spiritual incompetence.  When they see that someone clearly has something they don’t have, they automatically assume it’s because they didn’t jump through the same spiritual hoops as that person did.

I think the majority of Protestant Christians have been taught specific steps they must take in the spiritual realm in order to obtain revelation from God. They’ve been drilled with a lifetime of three-point sermons that outline step by step what supernatural calisthenics they must perform in order to hear and know His heart. In addition to this, they’ve also been given a lengthy list of things they must NEVER do, and another list of personal commitments they must make and master before God will open their eyes and ears to revelation of Him. Some have been taught that real revelation requires the pulling out of the supernatural “big dogs” like fasting, praying in tongues, a Greek and Hebrew dictionary and an olympic sized swimming pool of anointing oil. Amazingly, even after all that, I have found that people who diligently subscribe to all these religious practices are the least likely to get this message. Though these practices have their place in the Christian life, they are not the avenue through which this particular revelation comes.

So what does it take to get this message? 

When a person isn’t getting this, it’s not because they haven’t spent enough time in the Bible. It’s not because they haven’t prayed or fasted enough, and it’s not because they harbor some secret unconfessed sin in their life. In fact, it has nothing to do with any of these things. The revelation of the grace and love of God is plain as day to some and yet completely confounding to others. God actually made it this way and He takes great pleasure in it being this way. The deciding factor which determines whose eyes pop open and whose eyes don’t is NOT based on spirituality; It’s based on HONESTY.  

I learned almost ten years ago when I first started preaching this message that if I could get people to a point of absolute honesty with themselves, they’d get it. Almost every sermon I preached back in the beginning, started out with about twenty minutes of me trying everything in my power to prep the people so they would willingly put their guard down and JUST BE HONEST for once in their lives. I knew then, that if someone was willing to let go of all their religious obligations and be completely sincere with themselves about what was working and what wasn’t, they would receive this.

I call this revelation, “A Poor Man’s Revelation.” I love it. I love the fact that ANYONE can get this. The playing field has been leveled. You don’t have to be a Greek or Hebrew Scholar. You don’t have to be an eloquent “prayer warrior” or a super spiritual Guru. It doesn’t take any special gifting, commitments, or theological training. All it takes is good old-fashioned honesty with yourself. I believe that this fact is what separates the “getters” from the “non-getters.” 

It absolutely rocks my world to see how rarely the “spiritually wise” people in the church get this. All their years of study and dedication to the system mean nothing because they refuse to tell the truth to their own heart. On the same note, it’s a total gas to see the number of folks who would be considered spiritual failures by today’s religious standards because of their fumbling prayers, their lack of bible knowledge and their shoddy attendance record, yet they get this message with almost no effort. It’s simple for them because they’ve got nothing to lose by being honest. 

I believe that this is the primary difference and reason why those who are in positions of spiritual authority in the church are usually the least likely to get this revelation. They don’t because they won’t. They won’t because it’s offensively simple. Getting it would mean they’d have to admit that all their knowledge and accomplishments don’t mean jack. They’ve spent a lifetime climbing the religious-social ladder, memorizing, supporting and proclaiming church doctrines. They’ve put their belief in a system rather than in an actual person. Many times their entire identity is wrapped up in that system. It’s wrapped up in “being right.” I have found that most Christian leaders will stand there and lie till their dying day rather than come clean about what’s really in their heart. They’ve become so programmed to be dedicated and so dedicated to the program that being honest isn’t even an option anymore. When you spend a lifetime building a kingdom on the foundation of religion, the last thing you will ever do is be honest and risk losing everything in a moment.   

I think that in many ways, the Christian “religion” has effectively disqualified thousands of people from simple sincerity. People have been trained to not trust themselves. Over the years I have found that a staggering number of people have been evicted from their own hearts. They’ve been taught to despise themselves so much that many are afraid to even take a peek into themselves to find out what they really think. 

Modern day churches have basically evicted people from their own hearts and have taught them to follow a script instead.  Surviving in Christianity today is about memorizing the answers and reading the lines. Very little is authentic anymore.  

It always amazes me when I am confronted with the one or two people in the crowd who don’t get the message when I preach somewhere. Every one of their comebacks when they debate with me has a scripted sound to it. They literally sound like they’re reading a screenplay that was written by a pastor. I can’t get a personal opinion out of them to save their life. I think people have learned to trust the script over what’s actually on their heart. The religious script is a safety blanket for thousands of people today, and it’s astonishing to watch how quickly a person will go from speaking authentically from their heart to running back to the script the moment they feel intimidated or uncomfortable.  

I no longer suggest to people that they should pray to God and ask Him to give this revelation to them. I simply tell people who can’t see this, that they’re not being honest with themselves. They’re believing in a script that they’ve read for years and they’ve never stopped to ask themselves whether it’s working or not. Even though they know damn well it’s NOT working, they will act as if it is, because their social standing and reputation is what really matters to them. I think for many people, getting this message is about coming to the end of their rope. It’s about finally getting to the point where they’ve got nothing more to lose by just flat out being honest. I’ve never believed that this revelation is a deep spiritual one. In fact, that’s what I love so much about it. It’s obvious to little children and impossible for the wise and learned.

The Sudafed Anointing

by Curry Blake

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Christians and Politics

Two recent articles on Christianity and politics:

Should Glenn Beck speak for Christians? - by Dr. Russell D. Moore

Glenn Beck's "Restoring Honor" Rally and the Birth of a New National Religion - by Jonathan D. Fitzgerald


PS: I'm least concerned about Glenn Beck's Mormon background.

Spiritual Neurosurgery

When we purchase a brand new car, we do not expect to drive out an incomplete vehicle from the showroom. We do not assume that the manufacturer will add the tires 6 months after the date of purchase, engine, after 12 months, the seats, after 17 months. Wherever the car is made from, it comes complete, along with the new car smell.

Our new-creation in Christ is no different. We are complete in Him. We are brand new creations and are made righteous when we receive Jesus Christ to our hearts. Our old identity is gone and Christ Jesus becomes our new identity. Since we could not manufacture righteousness, sanctification, redemption or wisdom with our effort, Jesus became all of that for us. We cannot create love, joy, peace and all the attributes of His nature with our self-effort either. It is His life in us that enables us to bear fruit.

This new creation happens in the spirit. This regenerated spirit of ours is fused with the Spirit of Jesus and is seated at the right hand of the Father in the heavenly places. What is implanted on the inside of the believer is the very Life of Christ Jesus. We have been redeemed from all the spiritual, physical and financial curses and do not have to be helpless victims of the negative circumstances surrounding us.  As He is (present tense: the glorified Christ), so are we in this world.

But since the un-renewed mind (which is often a slave to emotions and circumstances) fails to grasp these amazing truths, it dominates and sucks the life out of one’s life. So the hindering element in the picture is the un-renewed mindset, which is shaped by upbringing, personal experiences, media, movies, friends, religious doctrines, collectively accepted opinions, collectively accepted religious views, books; or in other words, by what we have been exposed to over the years.

Thankfully, we do not need the services of a neurosurgeon to renew the mind. Thinking patterns or mindsets are formed simply by believing what we are consistently exposed to – whether it is true or not. We can alter the old mindset simply by re-aligning our focus. Unless the mind is focused on to the person of Jesus Christ, His finished work on the cross (I don't have to and even even if I wanted to, it is ignorance to assume that I can add to it by my works) and renewed to the knowledge of who we are already in Him - we will let the negative circumstances dominate us, try to put our trust in self-effort or hop from miracle to miracle.

I’m all for miracles, signs and wonders as they become a lifeline to us, when we exhaust our trust in our five senses. However, there is a difference between expecting miracles from without and allowing ourselves to be the living conduits of His abundant Zoe life, from within. The latter is more fun and comes as a result of the revelation of our new-creation reality in Christ.   

One of my favorite scriptures in the Amplified Bible is the second portion of 1 Thess 2:13 – “… the Word of God, which is effectually at work in you who believe [exercising its superhuman power in those who adhere to and trust in and rely on it].” The word of God exercises its superhuman power when we wholeheartedly depend on it. It is not just about quoting or memorizing scriptures, but internalizing or being one with it. 'It' becomes a 'He' when we realize that Christ Jesus Himself is the Word of God. The reality of our new creation has to move from one's spirit (where we are newly created) to the head.

Just because I have redeemed my credit card points for an Amazon or a Barnes & Noble Gift Card, does not mean I have the books from either stores with me. I need to exchange the gift card for the books in order to experience what has already been redeemed for. Likewise, since Christ Jesus redeemed us from all the curses, it does not mean we will automatically enjoy the freedom in all the areas of our life. We experience freedom to the proportion we renew our minds (believe with our heart) with Jesus’ finished work on the cross.

The exterior is merely the reflection of the what we deeply believe. The supernatural gift of salvation that we received by faith, is not just about a free ticket to heaven. Sozo (the greek term from which 'saved' comes from) is about full restoration; it has the potential to make a person whole. When Jesus taught the disciples to how to pray, He prayed, "Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven". It does not take much thinking or revelation to come to the conclusion that there aren't any kinds of ailments or recessions in heaven. If that is the case, why do we love to spiritualize and theologize and let simple truths go over our heads?

Instead of over-analyzing and over-spiritualizing, let us be like little children and receive what our Abba Father has to freely offer. We can do nothing to earn the blessings. The child of God is already blessed, in Christ Jesus. The moment we try to earn our blessings, we sever ourselves from the help of Christ, who is the answer. Lasting and abundant freedom becomes a reality as we continue to behold, revel and abide in the unconditional Love, which was expressed in the person of Jesus Christ.

God is not a white Man

by Gungor Music

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It Is Time To Expose My Father Publicly...

By Samuel Mathew, http://gracewalkgroupnj.blogspot.com/

It is time to expose my father publicly, for who he really is. This is my father, who gave life to me.

As far as my memory goes back, my father was always interested in changing my behavior. He would always nitpick on every little thing I would do. He would constantly ‘convict’ me of everything that I did wrong. He would always keep nagging at me to do the things that he thought I should be doing. He used to have a big rod, just itching to use it, every time I fell out of line. At other times, he would hang over my head, the fear of throwing me into the ‘fire’ in bonfire pit in our backyard. Thus he would scare me into obeying his rules and commands.

As the years went by, the constant threatening and terror of my father kept me in line. This had such an effect on me that before I did anything ‘fun’ in life, I would consider how far I could go without crossing the line drawn by my father. I would indulge in those things to the point that I would be very close to violating his rules, yet not violating them. Once in a while he used to remind me that it was all out of love for me. Fear and torment kept me obeying his rules.

After my father had given me his list of rules, he would often test me by orchestrating some circumstances or situations (he called them “trials”), to display my ‘true nature’ and to see ‘what was in my heart’. He said that these “trials” were to ‘humble’ me or in other words ‘humiliate’ me. At other times, when he saw that there were ‘unsanctified natures’ in me, and despite his repeated admonishments there was no change in me, he would go to the extreme of inflicting severe physical pain. Once he broke my bones by throwing me in front of a speeding car. At another time he brought an illness on me by poisoning my food. At other times he would break things that were dear to me like my bicycle. To make it worse, he often used my idol worshipper neighbor (agent of satan) as his accomplice or agent to bring these ‘trials’ and ‘temptations’ to prove me and build my character.

Talking about gifts, on the very rare occasions that I got something from him, they were not really gifts, because I had to ‘earn’ them. In the midst of my ‘wilderness’ like life, some of these so called ‘gifts’ were like ‘salvation’ for me. But such ‘salvation’ like gifts were given to me on the condition that I behave and keep his rules, if not, he would take these saving gifts from me. I would lose them for eternity. Vacations brought me rapturous joy and it was like heaven for me. But he also threatened me that if I did not live up to his rules and measured up to his standards, I would be ‘left behind’ home alone on our next vacation trip to suffer torture from our demon-possessed neighbor.

This was my greatest fear of all. I couldn’t even imagine being ‘left behind’ in a house haunted by my demonic neighbor. So I would try my best to keep all the “I’s” dotted and the “t’s” crossed. If I messed up, I had to keep an account of those things and at the end of the day with great guilt and shame I approached my father with the list. I had to beg, wail and plead with him to forgive all my misdeeds. Sometimes he would tell me that I had to forgo my meals, in other words ‘fast’, and do a thorough job of searching my life for every rotten thing I had done and every command that I had disobeyed. I had to make a commitment that I would turn from my ways or ‘repent’ and after much begging and pleading I was allowed to sup at the table.

This was the same modus operandi for even getting him to provide for me, protect me and getting my needs met. I used to wake up in the middle of the nights and cry out to him in my heart to grant my requests. I made sure that I had done everything I could have possibly done to obtain his favor. I used to have set appointed times in the day, usually once in the morning and once before going to bed, to make my requests known to him. I would butter him up by heaping praises on him. I would say such things to him that I thought would press his right buttons. Sometimes he would act deaf, so I had to raise my voice and cry out to him. I had to use the right salutations when I addressed him like, “loving, most adorable, precious, your majesty, and highly exalted father.” At other times, I had to get 50 other people to join me and convince him to grant my request.

Such was my relationship with my father, or lack of thereof. Can you imagine having such a life? Everything that I have described above is pure fiction. But yet, this is exactly how religion has portrayed and misrepresented our loving heavenly father to be. We attribute to Him, characteristics that match that of an evil, proud, impatient, angry, rude, narcissistic, masochistic person, which is nothing but the nature of the devil. Some people attribute a split personality or schizophrenia to Him. That is not how my heavenly papa is!

Our heavenly father is love. He is primarily interested in having a relationship with you, not how he can change you or not even in what you can do for Him. He is after your heart, not after your service. Once that connection happens between His heart and your heart, the Christian life will flow effortlessly. Everything you do will be the fruit of a loving relationship with him, not because of fear of going to hell or not making it in the rapture. It won’t be about mindless religious duties and following rules out of fear, but out of love for our daddy. Religion will use fear to control and manipulate you. I challenge you to meditate on these things and be honest with yourselves – is it a religion that you are following or is it a relationship based on love with our heavenly father?

Moving Forward

Moving Forward, by Free Chapel


Moving Forward, by Israel Houghton

Think Different

A very popular ad, by Apple Inc.

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Friendship with God

by Bill Johnson

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Jesus & The Kingdom

More videos at TheWorkOfThePeople.com

Being aware of His Presence

by Bill Johnson

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'Faith Muscles'

Note: This article will primarily speak to the believers who are familiar with the Word of Faith teachings.


Much is written and taught on the subject of faith to the point that faith is made into a nearly impossible goal to achieve. But is that the case? Is it really reserved only for the tenacious few?

FAITH MUSCLES
The Roman centurion had great faith for his servant's healing (Matt 8:5-13). The Syro-Phoenician woman was another person that Jesus referred to as having great faith (Matt 15:21-28).

Observing their great faith, we run around to build our 'faith muscles'. We learn about the 'authority' the centurion wielded. But we scratch our heads when we realize that the Syro-Phoenician woman was not part of an army. She did not possibly know about authority. Nevertheless, we move on to the next formula.

Quick question: What formula did we work to put our trust in Jesus? If salvation is an unearned gift, which it is (Ephe 2:8-9), why then would we assume that we have to earn the blessings that we already have in Christ Jesus (Ephe 1:3)? If one's 'tenacity' is the secret to deliverance, what is the answer to the person on the deathbed who cannot even think properly? How many scriptures should he confess to be healed? And no, I am not at all against confessing (agreeing with) the scriptures, which exercises its superhuman power when we believe. But I cringe when it is perceived as a technique to "move God".

ZERO FAITH
The epileptic boy, his father and Jesus' disciples whom Jesus gave the authority to heal, had no faith (Matt 17:14-18). And yet, Jesus cured the boy.

Peter walked on water effortlessly when His eyes were fastened on Jesus. But when he was distracted by the storm, he began to sink. But notice that Jesus did not let him drown because of his lack of faith. When Peter called upon the name of Jesus, he was instantly rescued by Jesus (Matt 14:25-31). Today's religion would have condemned him to death for his lack of faith!

Therefore, isn't it common sense to conclude that, our supposed faith level is not the answer? It does not matter if we have great faith, mid-level faith, low faith or no faith - Jesus is the answer. All things are possible to him who believes. it is easy to quote, preach or write that scripture when we are comfortably dependent on our five senses. When the storm hits, it is not really easy to believe (I did not say pretend) for the impossible. Jesus is the only person who can believe in all things. He is not fazed by the storms. The elements are subject to Him. All negative circumstances have no other choice, but to bow at His Name - when we believe in Him. Right now, He is in us. So instead of looking at our faith level, let us look unto Jesus, who is the author and perfector of faith (Heb 12:2 NASB).

HIS FAITH
Faith is not a mysterious thing that is often made out to be. We do not need to be ultra "spiritual" to understand faith. We do not need to learn Greek and Hebrew to have great faith. The Roman centurion and the Syro-Phoenician woman did not know that they had 'great faith'. Note that both of them were gentiles. In other words, they did not have a list of do's and don't's. They did not come to Jesus based on what they did. What they knew for sure was that their answer was in the person of Jesus. That, is faith.

24/7 FAITH
Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God (Rom 10:17). The 'word of God' is not merely a bunch of scriptures that we use to 'stand on'. Jesus is the Word of God (John 1:1, 14). So then, faith comes through Him. The lame man at the Temple Beautiful, was healed by this faith. "And His name, through faith in His name, has made this man strong, whom you see and know. Yes, the faith which comes through Him has given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all." (Acts 3:16, NKJV). The disciples did not run after faith-building techniques. Their secret was that they were with Jesus (see Acts 4:13). Are we connected with Jesus who is with us 24/7 (Matt 28:20) or are we practicing the popular faith principle?

ALL AUTHORITY
The believer's authority is the presence of Jesus and His authority in us. I did not say we are powerless and unworthy worms. Our authority and power is the person of Jesus, and not something we muster up with our performance.

Jesus said: "...All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth." (Matt 28:18, NKJV). "And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” (Mark 16:17-18, NKJV).

After His ascension, Jesus confirmed the word with accompanying signs - "And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs. Amen." (Mark 16:20, NKJV)

The disciples were aware that they were yielded conduits of the real person who did the miracles. Listen to their prayer in Acts 4, "Now, Lord, look on their threats, and grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word, by stretching out Your hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of Your holy Servant Jesus.”

CHILD-LIKE TRUST
The only thing that is required of us is a child-like trust. Jesus said, "...Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 18:3, NKJV). A baby is helpless to do anything on his own. He has to depend on his parents for every little thing. Jesus said, "...without me you can do nothing" (John 15:5, NKJV). There are great many things we can do apart from depending on the life of Jesus, but in order to manifest His life, His deliverance and His fruit, we have to move out of the way (Phil 2:13). When we cast our cares to the Lord (1 Pet 5:7), He does the work exceeding abundantly above all that we can ask or think according to His power that works in us (Ephe 3:20). And that is not a life of idleness. We will do all things through Christ who strengthens us (Phil 4:13).

It really is all about Jesus.

It's Not Over

by IgniterMedia.com

It is Finished

JesusPainter.com

Jesus Quotes (Paraphrased)

"Follow me; not the theologies" - Jesus

"I died in vain if you think righteousness comes through your works" - Jesus (Gal 2:21, Ephe 2:8-9)

"My sacrifice was perfect. Be free from the religious mindset that tries to make you earn what you freely have, in me." - Jesus

"I died in vain when you trust in your prayer/fasting for your healing. You are already healed in me." - Jesus (1 Pet 2:24)

"Believe in me and love everyone. When you are grafted in me, my Life in you will enable you to love." - Jesus (1 John 3:23, John 15:5)

"It is easy to love your friend, but my Life in you will help you love your enemies." - Jesus (Matthew 5:43-44, John 15:5)

"Look unto me for answers; not the neo-legalistic principles." - Jesus

"I was not kidding when I said 'I am The Way, The Truth and The Life.'" - Jesus

"Bring me your so-called "impossibilities". I specialize in solving them. Your job is to trust me." - Jesus (Matt 19:26, Mark 9:23)

"The New Testament "works" is to believe in me." - Jesus (John 6:28-29)

"You do not need "more faith" than you already have. What you need is a revelation of my finished work on the cross." - Jesus

"It is not about what you "do", but what I DID on the cross. What you do is merely respond to what I did, by believing." - Jesus

"I do not need your rituals; I am after your heart." - Jesus

"If a message/writing makes you feel inadequate, then it is not my Gospel. You, my child, are complete in me." - Jesus

"I don't say 'Yes', 'No', 'Maybe'. All the promises in me are YES and Amen!" - Jesus (2 Cori 1:20)

"Eternal life starts right here, right now." - Jesus (John 17:3)

"If you are a "Word" preacher, you will preach me, for I am the Word." - Jesus (John 1:1, 14)

"I give you sickness to 'teach you a lesson'? What is it that you are smoking?" - Jesus (Acts 10:38)

"I did not place that brain in your head to fill the space. Think. Ask questions. Allow my Spirit to enlighten you." - Jesus

"'The Blessing' is me." - Jesus

"I AM the abundant Life." - Jesus

"Break that full length mirror that is attached to yourself and turn your attention to me." - Jesus

"The demented religion makes you jump hoops to reach me, but you, my precious, are in the palm of my hand. Know that." - Jesus

"I am just a thought or a breath away." - Jesus

"I am the treasure in you." - Jesus

"Please leave Elijah and Moses alone. Don't you remember what my Father said on the mount of transfiguration?" - Jesus

"Quit thinking that you do not have enough faith. I AM the author and finisher of your faith and I am in you." - Jesus (Heb 12:2)

"The centurion had "great faith", the epileptic boy's Dad and my disciples had no faith. Your faith level is not your answer; I AM." - Jesus

"I will build My church. Now if you could please move out of the way, that would be awesome!" - Jesus

A Jesus Manifesto

If you could read only ONE post in this weblog, let it be this.
A Jesus Manifesto for the 21st Century Church

Preach the Vine

A Plea:

With all due respect, I am happy that you are a "grace" preacher, "faith" preacher, "feel-good" preacher, or that you can levitate while preaching. But unless and until the people are connected to the person of Jesus, what they hear are mere "doctrines" that will feed their head and not The Gospel, which will set them FREE - free from condemnation, free from the futile self-effort, free from every imaginable physical or emotional bondage, free to be themselves in Christ Jesus, free to fulfill their destinies in Christ.

The supernatural changes happen as we behold the Son, not the preacher or his/her "10 principles" or the labels. Gospel is a person and His name is Jesus. Eternal life begins right here, right now. Listen to Jesus' definition of eternal life - "And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent." (John 17:3 NKJV). It is about an intimate walk with God. It is about plugging into The Life, for we can do nothing apart from depending on Him (John 15:5). There is no life for the branch apart from the Vine. Preach the Vine and not how the branch can survive on its own. It can't. Self-effort may appease one's ego, but the branch will soon wither and die. We were created to live from the Tree of Life (Jesus) alone.

Please, bring the Son and His finished work back to the center, for He is the embodiment of grace, faith, love, joy, wisdom, righteousness, healing, prosperity, miracles, deliverance, sanctification, redemption, peace and whatever it is that we are looking for in Him.

One milli ounce of poison

Religion stifles the very life within a person. Religion imposes what it think is right, when we are liberated, in Christ and we have the Spirit (The Teacher) to guide us. Imposition (no matter how subtle its nature is) and condemnation is never from God. It is the hallmark of a religion.

In Jeremiah 31:33-34, we see - "But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.”

I just have this feeling that God is much smarter than all of us put together. He died for a person, He removed the old nature and chose to forget his iniquities. Now it is Him who draws the person to Him. His Spirit convicts him of the peril of not trusting in Him. When yielded, He changes the soul of the person. When the person is connected with the person of Jesus, new life flows from him. It is that intimate walk with Jesus that brings about changes on the outside, not the personalized doctrines.

Is it "rebellion" to speak against the message (not a person or an organization) when it tries to put me under the curse because of the mixture of law and grace (see Gal 3:10)? Look at it this way; if someone harms your family members, would you stand idle "in the name of love"? I would hope not. Yes, you love the invader with your whole heart because Jesus loves him unconditionally and His love is flowing through you, but you will not allow his negative actions to affect you or your loved ones.

Read it in context; legalism is the thief that comes to steal, kill and destroy (John 10:10) and I refuse to let that happen to me or my family anymore. All it takes is one milli ounce of poison to spoil a big container of soup. One milli ounce of legalism is more than sufficient to nullify the finished work on the Cross. Paul calls it foolishness when we try to mix God's gift with our weakly little efforts. I would urge you to please read the letter that Apostle Paul wrote to the Galatians in five different versions, until the mighty truth sinks in. Ask the Holy Spirit to quicken you with the revelation of the finished work on the Cross.

The Church That Christ Built

The Church That Christ Built
by Darin Hufford - The Free Believers Network

Related articles:
What I Think of Church
What I Think of Church - Part 2

My Papa

When people get the realization that Christian life is about an intimate, playful and an informal relationship with the Papa all the doctrinal talk will vanish.

The phrase "child of God" is thrown around a lot without realizing the depth of it. If President Obama's children were to visit our home, imagine how respectful we will be, because they are the President's kids! My Papa, however, knows the exact number of cells on Obama's body. That's how powerful and big my Papa is. And He loved me before I received Him. He continues to love me in spite of me. Jesus went through all of that so that our Papa can hold us so tight in His arms. He is love.

I have not even scratched the surface of what my Papa has done for me. Most of the info I have is head knowledge. A real person died for me! The more we know that this is about sitting in Papa's lap and playing with Him and that He is not angry, the more we enjoy Him. When I play with my son, He enjoys each moment. There are times I become stern. But stern is not equal to terror. If a child is fearful in his heart, he will not go to Papa; never mind enjoying His presence. That is religion. Text based. Cold. It look at the Bible as a rulebook. Bible, actually is a love letter of our Papa, a story of what He did so that we could enjoy His company, not fear Him. There is no fear in perfect love and He is love. How much would it hurt Him, when His precious children, that He gave His life up for, are afraid of Him and do things as an obligation!

Golf Balls

He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a golf ball at Tiger.

He that has been made righteous (not self-righteous), let him know that it is purely by grace (unmerited, unearned, undeserved Gift of God) that you have been saved and made righteous, before you decide to condemn the man.

Remove grace from the picture; all of us are in the same boat. I realize it is a tough pill to swallow, especially for the religious crowd, but if you doubt my statement, read James 2:10.

None of us can judge him (or anyone), because, often times people judge others based on the presumed notion that they are somehow "better" (self-righteous) than the other for whatever reasons. James 2:10 proves that one little lie keeps me in the company of the "worst" criminals without me lifting one finger. This is why there is none righteous by their own merits and all of us needs the gift of grace, which is freely available.

We Are the World 25 for Haiti

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Mahima

Mahima (Glory), by Kontagious

...
Mahimaa... Mahimaa....Mahimaa....Mahimaa.
Glory. x 4

Mahimaa....Mahimaa ho theri x 4
Glory.......May You be glorified x 4

Pavithra......Shakthimaan
Holy...........Powerful / Almighty

Ithna Mahaan......Theraa Pyaar
How Great is Your Love

Ishvar Puthr.....Theri Karuna apaar
Son of God...Great is your mercy

Pavithra...Thera Naam
Holy is your name

Utthar say Dakshin thak.....Purab say paschim thak
From the north to south .....East to West

Thera hee naam goonjay
Let your name alone resound

Aasmaan ki chaayi thak.....saagar ki dheh thak
To the heights of the heavens .....To the depths of the sea

Thera hee naam goonjay
Let your name alone resound

Mahimaa....Mahimaa ho theri x 4
Glory.......May You be glorified x 4

Saari srushti....karay theri.....stuthee x 2
Let all creation Praise you x 2

Mahimaa....Mahimaa ho theri x 4
Glory.......May You be glorified x 4

Thanks to Sam Mathew for the help with the translation.

"Spirit-led"

I had used the phrase 'Spirit-led' in my post titled 'Guilt Vs Love' and I feel I should clarify a point.

This phrase has become a cliché among some circles. People are waiting to be "led" always. We do not have to wait for the glory cloud to envelope us or for a booming voice from the Heaven, when a situation that needs Jesus' touch presents itself. Jesus said, "Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give." (Matt 10:8 NKJV). "Go into all the world and preach the gospel...And these signs will follow those who believe..." (see Mark 16:15-20 NKJV). The directives are straightforward and it is for the believer, not just a select few.

The person who has His power, which He freely gives, is equipped for the task. The authority is His; we are merely yielding ourselves so that He can flow through us. This does not necessarily have anything to do with our senses. Sometimes we may have to step out in faith and when we do that, the Holy Spirit will give us specific words of knowledge or a vision regarding the situation at hand. This is what I meant by 'Spirit-led' in this context. But often times, we like to wait for that 'great anointed minister' to pass through our city, while forgetting that the believer has The Anointing (Jesus) in him. 'Heal the sick' does not have a different or a deeper meaning in Greek. Gospel is powerful. But I can sound "spiritual" and mask the timidity that I have (which is simply a product of unbelief/unrenewed mind) with a statement like, "I do not feel led to go and empty a hospital".

Suppose a person who is gifted with the spiritual gift of prophesy stumbles upon a sick person. Should he say, "well, I'm a prophet and therefore I do not heal the sick"? No, Jesus wants to see the manifestation of the stripes that He bore for everyone. "Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven". Jesus healed and delivered those who were oppressed by the devil. Now that He is Spirit, He flows through us to touch others. Although we would have the urge to call it "our ministry", the ministry is really His.

However, each one of us have distinct* assignments (Eph 2:10) in Him. Not everyone is called to occupy the office of a pastor, evangelist, teacher etc. If my calling is to clean the bathroom at church (if you think that it does not need a calling, volunteer to clean your church bathroom for 8 weeks, and see if you can do that cheerfully), I should not try to become a teacher. This "trying" only leads to a flesh-driven activity, which will bear no fruit from Him. But when we are connected with and gently guided by the Holy Spirit, we will have great joy in whatever task that we are involved with and above all, He can do exceeding abundantly above all that we can ask or think.

*Lest it be misread, distinct does not mean that one person is "better" because he or she has a "flashy" assignment than the other. They are not. They are not lesser either. As a matter of fact, 'I' or 'They' no longer exists. "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." (Gal 2:20 NKJV).

I could be 5 seconds or 50 years in Christ Jesus - the resurrection power (Rom 8:11) that houses me is the same in either cases. Jesus Christ or His Power is not the variable here. What changes is my understanding of Who I am carrying, as I renew my mind to the knowledge of my new-creation reality.

Guilt vs Love

Fear/condemnation/guilt-driven preaching begets converts or the churchians, who subscribes to a religious doctrine.

Love (God Himself) begets children.

Little children do not strive to please their parents. They are intuitively aware of their parents' love towards them. They take their parents for granted, not in a negative way, but because they know that their parents are for them and not against them. They cannot comprehend the thought that their parents would desire to give them a cancer so that they would be bright kids in school; the very thought is ludicrous! They are secure in who they are. They are content with what they currently have. If given a gift, of course they would gladly grab it, instead of acting "spiritual" and pretending that they do not need more toys. They neither worry about the future nor do they give thought to past hurts. They live in the present moment and give their full attention to the task at hand. They don't know how to define love or grace, but they are in love and it is the dominant force that automatically emanates from them.

The fear-filled convert on the other hand, is driven by the a deep sense of insecurity. It is this insecurity that leads him to the treadmill of trying to pleasing God. What if He gets mad? Did I pray, fast, give, evangelize, stand in the gap, volunteer enough? The churchian has a full length mirror affixed to his whole body, at all times. His outer part, his performance is what he sees daily and for sure, he sees nothing, but flaws. He can't be blamed for jumping on the treadmill. Little does he realize that, change is something that happens within and not the behavior modification that he is so sincerely trying to accomplish, with zero success. This change within has a name - Jesus. He became wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and redemption for us. He is love. This change is not dependent on one's works. The change is instantaneous when one says Yes to Jesus. We are made righteous. This is why grace is known as nearly too good to be true news. Grace is not a doctrine to debate with the non-conformists. Grace is love. Love is what Jesus did for us. Love is Jesus.

Evangelism is not something we do. It was God who went through the torture and died for all of us and it is God who does not want any one person to perish and therefore evangelism should be a Spirit-led activity and not a formula based one. Only the Holy Spirit knows why a particular person is hardened. Only the Holy Spirit can reach the root of the problem. The Holy Spirit does that through the gifts of the Spirit, through the yielded vessel. Only the Holy Spirit can give us the divine guidance. God just needs our body and mind. Even though on the outside it might seem like 'we' are doing it, it is His life in and through us that does His fruit-bearing (for sure, one can do a lot of things from his or her flesh, but that only glorifies the self) work - whether it is reaching 1 million or just 1 person.

Some people know that they need a Savior. To them, a condemning message would only hurt them deeply and scare them away. They might already be living a living hell; and the last thing they need is the "good news" of hell. They'll flee like Lot did, without turning back. However, this crowd will be thrilled at the invitation of Jesus, just like Zacchaeus, the tax collector was. He was ostracized by his own community, because he worked for the Romans. But when the Gospel invited Himself to Zacchaeus' home, he could hardly believe his ears (which is exactly what grace does, because it is an unmerited, unearned, undeserved gift of God). And change happened in an instant.

Contrast that with the self-righteous rich young ruler who thought he could earn eternal life with his effort. "What shall I do" was his query. To this dude, Jesus (lovingly) gave the righteous standard - the law. When he boasted that he has kept all the commandments, Jesus said (paraphrased), "Bravo, that's cute! Now go sell and distribute your wealth amongst the poor". As a side note, I should add that, this was not a lesson on charitable giving (Zacchaeus was very wealthy too, but Jesus did not ask him to go distribute his wealth or even to follow Him), but to prove that the rich young ruler broke the very first commandment by putting his trust in his wealth than God who gave it to him. As we know, he went away dejected. There are many who thinks they are perfect because they put their trust in their good works, instead of Jesus Christ. Only the Law can show them that their so called good works cannot match the perfection that God requires (because you have to keep 'em all or you break 'em all) and lead them to put their trust in the Savior, who fulfilled the law and paid the price for their sins.

Jesus gives mercy to the 'sinner' and His righteous standard to the wannabe perfectionist. He spoke regarding hellfire to the religionists, who trusted in their law-keeping, but dined with the 'sinners' that the religionists looked down on.

Lord I Lift Your Name on High

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