The Big Pictuee

 

The Big Picture

     When I was at the university studying 2D Painting, I had an instructor that was highly educated in the field. He held degrees from his studies in China, Paris and New York City. His work was extraordinary on every level and his knowledge base was exceptional. During one of my early classes with him we were assigned to do a painting and bring it to class for a critique session with him and our peers. This particular day in the classroom was an eye-opener. I would learn something that was relevant far beyond the concepts and techniques of painting. 

     We all came to class and were told to place our work around the room for everyone to view. All of the students took some time to move from one painting to the other and form some opinions about such things as use of the medium, technique, color, composition, style, etc. One of my fellow students came to class with a still life that she had painted during the week. A large cross section of new students who were just starting out their schooling were quite smitten with her painting. She was also a new student and tt was apparent to everyone that she had painted for for years and taken great pains to put the last little element of information she could into the painting. Some of the students we expressing such great praise for the piece and were blown away by her ability to fine tune her subject matter. Eventually the professor asked her to talk about her work. It was obvious she was thrilled with all the praise from other students, and with a big smile, her first words were, "I just love painting the details!" To which the teacher fired out a startling response and said, "NO! It's not about the DETAILS! It's about the BIG PICTURE!" Then he took the time to explain how the student has unnecessarily spent all her time trying to capture every little detail and possible piece of visual information to make a good painting. He was adamant that every little detail with a mouse hair brush was not relevant to making good art and creating something exceptional. Her years of previous work had not helped her grow an inch in stature as a good artist in spite of such arduous and exacting efforts. 

    Recently I have come to think that, in general, much of the Church today has fallen into the same trap. We are lost in the details. Every little element of emphasis has become about all that we MUST DO to maintain right standing with God and man. It has become laborious and has forces people to look at much that is truthfully unnecessary. In error we have been taught the old adage "God is in the details." We assume that the old proverb applies to every little detail from scripture that we must give application to for maintaining solid footing in our spiritual journey. Not so actually. 

    The simple Gospel of what Christ came to accomplish, which we will call "The Big Picture" has been all but lost. Throughout the centuries the Gospel, which the scriptures calls "the power of God unto salvation" has been replaced, set aside, forgotten and even lost. That which has taken its place is much like the information that was delivered in the young girls painting. Just a lot of information, when put on canvas didn't have the ability to translate into Fine Art. It was pretty! It was clearly high definition and looked just like the elements she had chosen to represent in the finished picture. But it lacked the power that ultimately hits the mark of a great painting. The unlearned see the capacity to capture the essence of subject matter in high definition as the mark of a good painting or a great artist. That is not the case and never has been. The same with Christianity.  

    Listening to people who insist on being an umpire in our lives to determine by our hits and misses whether we are to be disqualified for the prize has been going on forever. The apostle Paul was adamant about not allowing this to happen in Colossians 2. Read for yourself about how it happens and why it's so important to avoid such situations and people. But the church today is full of it. Paul shares how such importance to the details is often mere man made notions that popularly passes for wisdom and serves us in no good way. Actually, only makes us proud. And, of course, we should be familiar with the Seven Deadly Sins of Proverbs. The first of which is Pride. But the church today is full of it. People, much like the Pharisees of Jesus' day, are praised, patted on the heard and placed in positions of leadership and honor because of the hoop jumping they exemplify in their lives and ruthlessly demand of others. As I mentioned, Paul was adamant about the outcome of such peoples influence of the lives of believers. Jesus was too. He spoke of the Pharisees by saying not to follow their example because "a little yeast is all it takes to leaven the whole  ball of dough." Paul pleaded with the church to ensure that those infiltrating the church with their doctrines of following the Mosaic Law would eventually cause the Grace of God to become void, worthless and ineffective. Such a thought should make our blood run cold.  But it doesn't. Since the beginning of time, it seems that humanity refuses to consider the truth that being in covenant with God is not about all the details we believe are necessary to interject into the relationship to try and ensure an outcome better than what God offers without it. 

    The Gospel is simple. 2 Corinthians 5:18-19 "But all things are from God, who through Jesus Christ reconciled us to Himself (received us into favor, brought un into harmony with Himself) and gave to us the ministry of reconciliation (that by word and deed we might aim to bring others into harmony with Him.) It was God (personally present) in Christ, reconciling and restoring the world to favor with Himself, NOT COUNTING UP and HOLDING AGAINST (men) their trespasses (but cancelling them), and committing us to the message of reconciliation (of the restoration to favor). (Amplified)  What was perfected and completed on our behalf in the finished work of Christ was sufficient and acceptable to God. When will it be acceptable and sufficient for us? 

    The result of coming into a covenant relationship with God is NOT to make us better followers of Laws, rules, regulations and DETAILS! Romans 5:1-2 "Therefore, since we are justified (acquitted, declared righteous, and given a right standing with God) through FAITH, let us (grasp the fact that we) have (the PEACE of reconciliation to hold and to enjoy)( peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2. Through Him also we have (our) access (entrance, introduction) by FAITH into this grace (state of God's FAVOR) in which we (FIRMLY AND SAFELY)  stand. And let us rejoice and exult in our hope of experiencing and enjoying the glory of God."

   Paul was clear that all the rule following, law abiding, hoop-jumping, etc. would not add one inch to your spiritual stature. But, doing what is stated above, holding fast in faith to the "Head" (who is Christ Jesus) will cause a growth that is from God alone. Leave the necessity of trying to gain favor with God by all your efforts and hard work. Learn to rest in the goodness of His love. Jesus has done for you what you could never have done for yourself. God honored it. God approved it. God said it was "ENOUGH". Seriously, if it was enough for God. Let it be enough for you. Cease with believing the necessity of going for unnecessary details that "churchianity" has insisted upon and learn to REST in the declaration of what God has promised to provide that sets us free from the anxiety, worry, and fear of not being exactly what He desires. Live in The Big Picture!

    

How To Make Prayer Effective

     Throughout the course of my life I have been taught about prayer. I have seen repetitive examples of its effectiveness and power in the lives of my family for generations on both sides. As an adult, I have graduated from several Bible schools and spent decades in full-time ministry where I've witnessed innumerable accounts of the positive outcome of prayer, yet much of it has remained somewhat of a mystery to many. Prayer was often "hit or miss." And I believe this is why. 

     Let me start with this. When reading anything about human religious history, even archaic civilizations religious history, we can easily grasp that humanity has shared in the same conflict of trying to get whatever "gods" they believed in to assist in the difficulties of life. Every kind of calamity, disaster, sickness, etc. was often met by people trying to appease the unknown gods and gain some kind of upper hand in the situation that would guarantee help, release, healing, or secure a positive outcome. Generally, the use of some kind of sacrificial offering was usually incorporated in hopes it would change their fear of wrath and judgment and secure blessing and favor. The problem remained that people were usually without any concept of what their gods might truly be angry about AND what prescribed sacrificial offering was necessary to secure the positive in their favor. So, religious systems were developed, priesthoods were established, and leaders appointed among those who seemingly had some sort of working knowledge about these matters. Any and every kind of method was embraced and utilized keeping people actively jumping through religious hoops, obeying religious laws, obliging people to follow systematic observations, holy days, and sacrificing their money, crops, cattle, and in some cases, even their children. Nothing was beyond the reach or out of bounds in making people bend to the necessities of what was required to move the hand of a god, or stay its wrath. People mutilated themselves before pagan altars in hopes of gaining the attention and winning favor from the gods. They sacrificed virgin maidens. Greek history has a literal story of thousands of men who castrated themselves before the altar of a goddess who demanded such action to appease her wrath. Some placed their own children on altars of fire to try and gain favor and keep the anger of the gods away from their lives. But surely we're way beyond such things today.

     When we look at these stories and take just a little time to consider the underlying motives of the people who went to such extremes, we usually shake our heads in disbelief and question how anyone, at any point in human history could subject themselves to such superstition and depravity in the name of religion. But when considering the deeper psychological and spiritual context of these things, we see that humanity is not much different today than then. In some societies and cultures, it's no different. There are religious groups in today's world who believe that their god requires them to throw homosexuals off of buildings, mutilate the genitals of young girls, stone people for particular "sins" as ascribed in their scriptures, kill infidels, and create terror and bloodshed in the name of their god. These horrifying and unjustifiable situations are pretty much happening on a daily basis without the interference of other nations disapproval. However, I digress, but it is a literal fact that such things are still happening in our world in the name of serious religious fervor and desire to please their god to the best of their understanding. 

     Where Christendom is concerned, I have also seen some unsettling things happen in the desire to try and appease the "angry God" of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. People who believe in the encroaching and ultimate judgment of an angry Judaeo/Christian God often take no different an approach than the people of ancient human history by trying to do whatever is necessary to appease wrath and stay judgment. For instance, Westboro Baptist members protest at the funerals of fallen US soldiers, and hold heartbreaking signs of offensive language in inappropriate places, believing that homosexuality plays a role in such matters. If they don't take their prescribed righteous stand and moral high-ground, they are allowing God's wrath to prevail. The same with zealots who have bombed abortion clinics in the name of all things holy. What we see is that, for the most part, human perception of keeping God's wrath at bay by our actions and religious zeal, though dramatic and attention getting (yet not required), still maintain a deeply rooted place in our conscious and sub-conscious minds. It's who we humans are. It's how we best respond.

     People want to be in charge. We want to control. We want to believe we possess a connection with a god who will work on our behalf to help us maintain sustainable equilibrium in an unpredictable and ever chaotic world. Prayer is one of the most commonly used means to try and make this an unshakable reality in our lives. We are taught that prayer is conversation with God. That prayer gives us the ability to approach God with our petitions and requests and be heard. Our utmost desire of practicing the discipline of prayer is that God will not only hear us, but respond to our requests and grant the outcomes we desire. To meet our expectations. To do what we ask. There are many Christian denominations and circles who maintain that prayer is for this purpose. To "move God's hand" in our circumstances of distress and discomfort. Many teach that God doesn't essentially have access into our world, or sphere of influence, unless we somehow "unleash" His ability and power through a prayer that correctly navigates His will in a given situation. Through my years in ministry and hearing every kind of perspective on the importance and power of prayer's effectiveness in our lives, not to mention all of the easy methods for "how to pray" for the most successful outcome, I've gained some understanding that has helped me. It has helped because it has taken all of the religious hoop-jumping, superstition, fear and anxiety of trying to be sufficient in bringing any bargaining chips into the mix. It has my need to offer vows of what I will do in exchange for the answers I am seeking. This is much different than how I was taught, and how I used to approach the necessity of prayer. And it has put my heart to rest. I am no longer anxiety ridden after time spent before God trying to figure out if I can uphold MY promises, keep MY vows, and maintain the sufficiency and consistency of MY faith in the equation so that answers will surely follow. 

     I would like to address some of these matters from a different perspective according to scriptural insights that might give us some fresh ideas about how prayer can be more effectively utilized by the seeker. In the meantime, be aware that my goal is not to tear down or come against anyone's understanding or belief system, but to offer uplifting and fresh insights into the way we approach what prayer is by definition, and how it can help to bring refreshing and peace into the lives of those who will use its amazing and simple availability. 

     

A Little Morning Reflection

     I lived most of my life not trusting that God loves me... even though it's the foundation of the good news found in the Bible. The church mostly reinforced that misguided perception and gave me religious prescriptives on how to better myself to earn and merit blessing and favor. "Do's and don'ts... Rules... Laws... Etc." A complete guide on how to earn and merit blessing and favor. THE most important day in my life was when I finally turned my back on these misguided and useless means of getting Gods attention and simply said to myself, "His promise is enough!" If God cannot make me and KEEP me in good standing with himself through faith alone... I have nothing else sufficient to accomplish that fact. No currency, no gift, no sacrifice, no offering, no work... nothing. It wasn't easy to come to that conclusive place, or to rest in that decision after years of depending on my own religious self-improvement (or self-righteousness). But, in time, it slowly began to sink in. I often feared when knowing I had done something wrong, out of character, or hurtful to others, as we all do from time to time, and would consider opportunities to take matters back into my own hands to try and fix things that I needed to trust God alone to accomplish. We've all found ourselves in that place. Left unchecked it can lead to becoming more deeply entrenched in every kind of irrelevant and destructive religious practice and pattern that, when applied, makes us feel better about ourselves through pride of accomplishment, but truly brings no greater position of right standing with God. What it DOES do is frustrates His goodness and grace in our lives, and cancels out the need to trust His love. There is no need to trust the promise or accomplishment of another when we depend on our own merit. And with God, you can't have a little of both!
      After all these years I'm still not without that urge to fall back into this practice. I'm human... But it's become much easier to trust Gods love than it used to be, even though I'm not perfect and often get it wrong. I no longer have to live with a self-inflated notion that I am such a "good Christian" and, as a result, I am much happier and at peace for having a more realistic outlook on myself and life in general, and how it all relates to a relationship with a God who has and always will love me. I'm no longer trying to follow all the religious prescriptions for being "holy" but living to know the heart of Him who did not come to condemn the world, but to save it. Romans 5:1 "Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through of Lord Jesus Christ..."

Seriously?

     I never gave it a thought. In fact, I was fully in line with the thought process validating the perspective that "Free Will" was a necessary part of the equation for salvation. Not so anymore. And not because some filthy Biblically stilted Calvinist got hold of my capacity to think for myself, and tied up my brain with a rigid set of doctrinal notions that I couldn't untangle myself from. But, for the first time in years, by the help of some Calvinist teachings, they DID allow me to process some things that I've never considered before. I wish there were time and space in this blog to fully dissect this topic and take it under the microscope, but there isn't. I'll hit a few points, hopefully give a response or two and leave it at that.
     Recently I started a home fellowship group on Sunday evenings that is addressing an array of topics for the entire church to study and help get everyone on the same page. Good idea. I like that. However, I hadn't considered how much my views have changed through the years, nor how strongly people are attached to the idea that "Free Will" is so very imperative in the grand scheme of things where a relationship with God is concerned. But it is...
     If we backed everything up to the first account of human interaction with God, we'd see how the story of Adam and Eve appears to have "free will" written all over it. After all, didn't they disobey God and eat of the forbidden fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil of their own "FREE WILL"? Most would emphatically respond, as I used to, with a hearty "YES!" No one forced their hands in the decision, or twisted their arms. Temptation was genuinely a considerable factor in the story, but doesn't that play into everyone's life situations? We get tempted... we choose the wrong response, at least one time or another? Always with regrettable consequences.
     Many teachers will give us an explanation of Adam and Eve's pre-sin condition as "perfect." Thereby justifying that the doctrine that "free-will" to sin within the context of this "perfection" is the reason that God was justifiably angered and judged the situation as sinful, and prescribed the corresponding punishment of broken relationship and loss of right-standing before Him. Not to mention exile from the paradise called Eden. However, I'm no longer in agreement with this perspective. First of all, God never proclaimed Adam and Eve to be "perfect" after creating them. He said his creation was "good." He liked it. But that's all.
     Jesus told the people who approached him and referred to him as, "Good Rabbi..." by saying, "Only One is good, the Father in heaven." It is a part of most Christian's fundamental doctrines that only God is truly "righteous." By being TRULY righteous, it seems to me that such a position of perfection in character produces that capacity for that which Jesus is best known for. Sinlessness. We would, not for a minute, consider that Jesus was without "free will" and we use that fact as a pillar for our reasoning to base our foundational beliefs that we are the same. You know, created in God's image. Possessing a "free will" to use and choose as we so independently desire, never once thinking that our wrong choices are a sign of something more seriously grave and tell-tale about OUR nature, as opposed to God's.
     Like God, Jesus lived his life fully righteous and without sin. His righteousness gave him the power to make ALL choices and decisions based upon the freedom that comes with such unflawed divine character. Divine holiness and perfection doesn't have the capacity for error. Therefore the WILL of God is ALWAYS perfect and without blemish in the choices he makes. To be any different would make us more... like us! However, that can never be implied of humanity for a moment. Though God referred to his creation as "good", Adam and Eve lived in a place of divine provision under God's purpose and jurisdiction in Eden, yet without capacity for perfection. Had they never sinned, THAT might have come as a surprise to God, because the Bible clearly states that Jesus is the "Lamb slain from the foundation of the world." God was already ahead of the game and aware of the "choice" that Adam would take with the "free will" given to him. It seems more like Adam was created WITHOUT the capacity to make all choices righteous, and that God was ahead of the game, making provision for Adam AND future humanity, who would suffer with the same dilemma. Being born without the ability to CHOOSE righteousness, because we are NOT inherently righteous. It seems by reading the stories of Biblical characters, that all were somewhat flawed and made poor choices at one time or another. Adam and Eve broke the ONE law that God gave. Although it didn't END their relationship with God, it only CHANGED it, the same fact has been humanity and their creator has been no different since.
     Later we see that God gave Moses ten commandments to deliver to that Hebrews, and before Moses could come down from Mt. Sinai to reveal them, Israel was already caught up in every kind of sin, idolatry and debauchery that broke each of the commandments God had given. What was Moses to do? A few years later, Moses also gave the Law of God to Israel as a means of bringing a social and religious order to the newly emerging nation. About six hundred and thirty or so... the likes of which probably no previous civilization had ever seen. The Law was used to measure and judge and order every aspect of life and worship. It demanded an adherence of PERFECTION from those it was issued to, also to which a punishment and condemnation were also firmly prescribed. People did their best to give application to the Laws demands. But NEVER, and may I reiterate, NEVER did anyone accomplish it with perfection. The Law even made it clear that when a person breaks ONE of its tenets, they were guilty of having broken ALL of it, and would bear the just consequences. Pretty stiff, I'd say.
     The New Testament makes it clear in Paul's writings that NO ONE has ever met the standard of righteousness required by the Law of God, and that it provides no ability to give righteousness to its adherents. All it is, at best, is a reflective mirror that attests to the fact that, those who look to it as a standard of uprightness, will only see their deficit. THAT should make ANYONE who takes it seriously either run for cover, or fall before God and beg for mercy. The latter is actually the reason it was given. God has gone to great lengths to make his mercy known and revealed, along with his desire to make it absolutely clear that we have no currency to afford right relationship with Him based on our best intentions and self-efforts. When I consider this, I have to ask myself... If we are given a "free will" from God, why does no one use it, except to do what comes naturally to humanity? To sin. It's not that human beings never make any admirable "choices" in their lives, but the dilemma seems to be that our nature, where "will" is concerned, is held captive by something greater than ourselves. If that's the case, how can it be truly "free."
     The Bible teaches fundamentally that ALL humanity from Adam forward are dead in trespasses and sins. Implying that we have no free will of our own to change that dilemma. Doesn't it seem plausible that, if given half a chance, if we had been given a legitimate "free will" that someone, somewhere, somehow would have made the "free choice" to do something about their predicament? But who ever did? As I mentioned earlier, because God is righteous, his will is FREE, allowing him to NOT make unrighteous choices. We don't have that luxury. Because we are unrighteous, we make unrighteous choices, we choose unrighteous deeds. We follow the path of least resistance and suffer the consequences. Romans 3 tells us this about our "will." "No one is righteous, not even one, there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless, there is no one who does good, no even one... there is no fear of God before their eyes."
No wonder verses before and after in these passages give light to the fact that we are not "free" but "slaves" to a will that is broken and incapable of responding to God, loving God, seeking God, taking God's side, or emulating Him. Adam and Eve couldn't keep ONE law. Israel broke ten, then on to break over six hundred. And so it goes for humanity in general. We are without the capacity to use this so-called "free will" for any means of self-help where God is concerned. If there had been a person born with a legitimate FREE WILL... don't you think that at some point in history they would have CHOSEN righteousness, holiness, peace, truth, mercy, grace and love? And though we know this to be true, we still insist that it's by our "FREE WILL" that we suddenly come from death to life, darkness to light, sinfulness to righteousness?
Seriously?
I just can't see it.
The kind of righteousness that it takes to make such decisions is nowhere to be found in humanity.
Not according to scriptures. No one possessed it in the Old Testament stories of our patriarchs.
If they had, Romans 3 would be a lie.
But it's not a lie. No one has the resources or currency of a "free will" that is capable of doing what is necessary to engage God in a right relationship. All were enslaved to a will of sin and disobedience.
Until Jesus.
But how does that change things from that point forward?
Maybe next time...

Drink deeply.
    

Effortless Christianity

Recently, I've been seeing articles and blogs and comments about those crazy "grace people" who believe in "effortless Christianity." It's always negative and rife with warnings about the slippery slopes we are teetering on as we place more and more of our confidence in Christ as the sole means of finishing the good work God began in us. Although I've never heard tell of "effortless" Christianity, and it is not the way things are believed among those I fellowship with,  I am WELL AWARE of denominations, groups and preachers that try and place everything written in the scriptures as "imperative" if we will be TRULY saved. This is what I lived under for so many years. Believing, or faith, itself, was never enough in such circles to accomplish anything of lasting or eternal value. Everything that was necessary to be accomplished was going to be as much by the sweat of our brow as the curse God placed on Adam after sending him out of the garden. The more recent enlightenment on grace has helped me to become free from such strangling notions, and rightfully divide that which is TRULY IMPERATIVE from what isn't.

So, I can fully understand why it may appear to some that I have declined into a more relaxed approach to the Christian faith, and why it threatens their vital need to be in control of ensuring that every step stays on target. I’m sure it seems to some I have formerly been in fellowship with that I’ve jumped off the deep end and am "doing nothing" by comparison to the way they saw my rigorous spiritual life and practice in previous days, but that's OK. I now see things through a different lens. Let's face it, the more I relinquish control and hand over to the Lord for doing and completing, the less work I have. I guess you could say, it's becoming more effortless. On the flipside, however, I see lots of fear, anxiety, instability, superstition and unbelief even in those that were regarded as "pillars" in the circles I once attended. Because I no longer subscribe to their ways and means of faith and practice, I'm the one who needs serious prayer. And so it goes...

I've changed... but that is what this life, this journey, is also about. Some people proudly lay claim that their doctrines and belief systems haven't changed in 40 years. Really? That's more frightening to me than people leaving a more legalist and works-driven approach to a more “effortless” one. At least people, like me, are ASKING QUESTIONS about what they have been taught and testing the ropes according to what's clearly written in the scriptures. If you want the truth, I have a greater admiration for people who are willing to take that risk than for those who try and live safely within the confines of trusting their traditions, unchallenged doctrines, and rigorous self-EFFORT, never even peeking to see what is thriving outside the doors of their four walls. Christianity has never been based upon our efforts for success, or maintaining grandma's "old-time religion." It is based upon faith. Faith alone in the solid foundation of Christ alone. I'll take another cup of the "effortless" Christianity, thanks! Goes down pretty smooth, and satisfies to the last drop. Yessir!

 

Drink deeply.

A Little Dab'll Do Ya... Till the Next Application. Only for Styling Gel!

God's love is not served out in increments based upon the good you have done, are doing, or will do. It is given to us UNDESERVINGLY, richly, lavishly and based solely upon the perfect good that Jesus accomplished by fulfilling God's purpose on our behalf. By simple faith ALONE in this fact, we become the recipients of every good and perfect gift, every inherited blessing and every promise for everlasting life that was given to... Jesus first. The worry is left behind, the fear is gone, and anxiety is over. Anything that unsettles us in this matter is brought to an end. God's promise of assurance to us is given (Hebrews 6) with an OATH which he makes with HIMSELF, therefore it cannot be broken because of a LACK or INSUFFICIENCY on our part to strike an everlasting deal with him. So, by giving us his PROMISE and his OATH, we can understand that it is IMPOSSIBLE for God to prove false and deceive us. He SWEARS to give us mighty indwelling strength and encouragement for the HOPE set before us. And this HOPE is a STEADFAST ANCHOR for our SOUL - IT CANNOT SLIP OR BREAKDOWN UNDER WHOEVER steps out upon it. This hope REACHES FURTHER AND ENTERS INTO THE VERY CERTAINTY OF THE PRESENCE where Jesus, himself, has entered before us... and remains our Mediator and High Priest forever. Faith in Christ ALONE makes us wholly and eternally HIS...
This IS the GOOD NEWS! You are LOVED. That simple...

Oh, Hell!

I am often saddened by Christians who are bent on preaching about "hell" as a method of bringing people into the "kingdom" or putting enough fear in their hearts and minds to "keep them there." There is NO "good news" in it. Jesus did speak of hell often, but until you thoughtfully consider the PEOPLE he was speaking to and the MOTIVE behind it... you will NEVER grasp the WHY of his references to this topic. Jesus was SENT, first and foremost, as the Messiah to the Jewish people to FULFILL the Law's requirements and free them from the condemnation of the covenant it established between them and God. While many in his day were well aware of the law and it's demands, they were also rather self-assured that their ability to KEEP the whole of the law was "do-able." Jesus made it clear that not committing the sins listed IN the law was insufficient in God's eyes for righteousness... because the HEART of mankind was what God could see and judge that we often can't see in ourselves, much less the hearts of others. The law offered only the mirror for the sins of man, and the Jews were chosen to represent that truth to the world. Jesus spoke much of "hell" to express the foolishness of believing that any man had the capacity and sufficiency to stand under the laws PROOF of our sinfulness, and therefore clearly established the fact that condemnation was the ONLY end for our USING the law as a means for righteousness. All have sinned and come short of the glory of God. The talk of hell was not meant as a threat, but as a way to enlighten those with eyes to see and ears to hear that our insufficiency should be glaring and DRIVE us toward the loving MERCY of God, which is the reason and purpose of his being given to the world... To maintain confidence in their own ability to uphold the law would cause them to miss the GREATEST gift of provision that God sent for their own demise according to the laws decrees. God did not send his Son into the world to condemn it, but to save it. Our confidence is in God's love and mercy and grace... not our ability to walk uprightly in hopes that we will be eternally rewarded for our own works. Christians... hell is not our home... the Holy Spirit IN YOU is the down payment that everything God has promised AND PAID FOR by the blood of the Messiah, will be faithfully completed. Believe it!

Drink deeply.

Walking With Jesus

     On the last leg of taking my dogs for a walk, I began to reflect on an idea that connects with my own spiritual journey. Something about harnessing up the pups, seeing their eager excitement about getting out of the house, observing their never ending sense of wonder about following the same path around the neighborhood that pretty much clocks a thirty minute brisk pace, well, it just does something to ya. It's also a great opportunity to clear my own head, and gives me the kind of time I like for meditation, reflection, and prayer.
     I love how Jesus used parables to teach his followers and disciples. Little analogies about everyday things that everyone understands, like how a mustard plant can grow from a tiny seed into a large tree, or telling his disciples things like, "I am the Vine, you are the branches." Just the simple things in life that we often take for granted have the greatest and most meaningful principles attached when given the appropriate comparison to how it corresponds with life in God's Kingdom.
     So, as I'm walking the two Dachshunds that I love and respectably care for, one a short hair, the other a miniature long hair, I begin to consider how they love to walk with me. All I have to say is, "Walk?" and they run to the door and wait for their harnesses. But the fact of the matter is that I am in FULL CONTROL of the outing in its entirety. As we walk through the neighborhood I keep a tight grip on each of their leads and know exactly how to provide a gentle "tug" to make them aware they are steering off the given path I CHOOSE for them to follow. There is never a harsh word or reprimand or scolding or threat. I make a simple tug on their lead and they are back, right in step with my direction. They are mine. I am in control. I am protecting, leading, guiding, and lovingly keeping them right in step with my direction and will.
     It's really just that simple. We are daily walking with Jesus in a relationship that has been crafted by his loving design and purpose to bring us into his family.  Traditional religion, philosophy and our own darkened misunderstandings about God has tripped us up on our path. These things have caused us to be fearful, shamed, confused, condemned, guilt and anxiety-ridden because of lack of understanding the Father's love. That's why Jesus spoke to people using illustrations that were so easy to grasp. After all, the scriptures teach us that he is "Light." It's no wonder our capacity to grasp simple, yet sustainable truth is triggered by the things spoken by the Holy Spirit.
     I'm learning to walk with Jesus as easily as my dogs walk with me. I'm trusting more, fearing less and not worrying about getting lost along the way. I believe I am tethered to him on some kind of spiritual "lead" that I cannot see or feel, but I am certain has me connected in such a way that I will not wander from his care and protection. This realization is making me happier than I've ever been prior to this understanding, because previously I was always trying to lead God. Not anymore. And I know this to be true. King David wrote about this same principle in application in the 23rd Psalm saying, "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside still waters, He restores my soul. He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your HARNESS AND LEAD, they comfort me..."  (My take on "rod and staff." Humor me.)
     Seriously, what have I to fear? Hopefully you, too, will learn the joy of walking with Jesus and all the while knowing that he is fully capable of being in charge. Don't stress. Just trust.

Drink deeply.

How The Imperfect Church Reveals The Perfect Christ

     Just reflecting on the fact that the church is an IMPERFECT representation of a PERFECT Christ in this world. Many people carry a mistaken view of this fact. Anything other than the above perspective causes us, by necessity, to maintain a harsh and impossible notion that our perfection through self-effort, personal behavior, and application of religious rigor in following rules and upholding laws is what gives us (or helps us maintain) favor with God and "sets us apart" from the rest of humanity. Paul said to the Colossians that this attitude "popularly passes for WISDOM." FAITH in the perfect and finished work of Christ allows for the ever evolving fruit of God's Spirit to flourish in our lives. Not being willing to admit the truth of our personal inability to be perfect flies in the face of such wonderfully assuring scriptures like Galatians 6:2,5 "Bear (endure, carry) one another's burdens and TROUBLESOME MORAL FAULTS, and in this way fulfill and observe perfectly the LAW OF CHRIST... for EVERY PERSON will have to bear (be equal to understanding and calmly receive) his OWN LITTLE LOAD OF OPRESSIVE FAULTS."
     Understanding our "perfection and holiness" in Christ that is given as an imparted gift (which is a grand reality), should never cause us to raise our expectations of ourselves and others beyond the boundaries that we all share as human beings. There are no options for God's favor other than what He gives freely by faith in Christ. Recognizing and accepting our insufficiency, frailty, neediness, and imperfection should not demean or condemn us, but rather, give us a sense of personal awareness that this condition is SHARED by all. Therefore, it gives us the power to release people from the impossible expectations of a religious perfection that only sets us up for failure, guilt, condemnation and fear of living openly and transparently among the family of God. As Peter said in Acts 15:10 to the Jewish believers in Jerusalem who wanted new converts to observe the law of Moses, "...why do you try to TEST God by putting a YOKE on the necks of the followers, such as neither our forefathers NOR WE OURSELVES were able to endure? But we believe that we are saved through the undeserved favor and mercy of the Lord Jesus, JUST AS WE ARE."
     By looking unto Jesus, we see clearly who we are, and receive all that we daily have need of by a simple gift of faith. In doing so, we find freedom from transgressions, sins, frailty, insufficiency, offenses and everything that would otherwise make us so merely human. Once we come to this awareness we can turn and freely offer the same mercy, love, forgiveness, forbearance and grace to others on this journey. And when we DO see people overtaken by a fault or sin, we can lovingly restore and reinstate them to the understanding of God's goodness and mercy. AND THAT is what separates us from the "world." Jesus said, "By THIS shall all men know that YOU are MY followers... that YOU HAVE LOVE ONE FOR ANOTHER."
     By looking to the Law and adhering to its standard, we can ONLY measure one another's sins. By choosing to love, forgive, be patient, forbearing and merciful... I can still be imperfect, yet by FAITH be reckoned by God as righteous. I can miss the mark, and still be holy before God by the same FAITH.  By grace, in spite of my lack, I can stand among those Jesus called "poor in spirit" and therein live to showcase the PERFECT law of Christ as a free man, who glories in all that God has conferred upon me, yet also as one who very humbly knows his own struggle with the flesh.

The Firm Ground of Truth

     I recently read this quote on a friend’s Facebook page: “I'd rather run alone on the Firm Ground of Truth than stumble along with the crowd in the muck and mire of men’s messages.” Although I understand where the person’s heart is on the matter, I wanted to respond with a presentation of what might be considered a “flip-side of the coin.” This is by no means meant to be disparaging of the person, or their relationship with God, or anyone else. Just a difference of opinion and why such a statement is exactly what holds people in a place of becoming spiritually stagnant, and even possibly fearful of what else might be worthwhile of learning.
     There are so MANY concepts of what a "Firm Ground of Truth" is. For years I held onto my own definition that was passed along by well-intending believers who lived by their given perception of it, and at that particular time were used by God to help further along my own fellowship and knowledge. Looking back from my present vantage point, I would say that much of what I was taught and held as “truth” to be error. Even though the Bible warns that we're not to be moved by "every wind of doctrine" I have seen the need in my life to EXAMINE EVERYTHING once embraced as "truth" with the underlying motive of discovering what is relevant, lasting, useful, inspiring and faith-producing, even with certain elements of common sense.

     In every denomination there are those whose PERCEPTION of "Firm Ground of Truth" is fully functional, scriptural, accurate and unshakable, and it will grossly conflict with the "Firm Ground of Truth" of another. So, keeping that in mind, I have decided it best for me to LISTEN to the MESSAGE of many teachers, because according to 1 Corinthians 3:22 (regarding various teachers) Paul says, "...all are YOURS." My understanding of doctrine and my "Firm Ground of Truth" have changed more than several times because of the MESSAGE that different teachers have brought forth in their time, and according to God's purposes, who I trust is at the helm of my life and direction. So... I'm good with the fact that I am not fully understanding of "truth" in its epic scale and proportion and detail. I pray I will never present myself as one who has a fully solid grasp of the knowledge of God to the point that I plant my feet doctrinally and become indifferent to the voice of what might well be the voice of the Holy Spirit.

     Too many people read the same book and disagree largely on the most simple and elementary issues, which proves to me that right now we ALL "see through a glass darkly."  If our "FIRM GROUND OF TRUTH" is based on the cringing fear of an angry God whose purpose and pleasure is extending punishment to a broken humanity, or forcing us to comply to rigid codes of appearance, religious behavior and regulation... then our foundation will produce the corresponding unfruitful works of judging, condemnation, anxiety, hopelessness and despair. And all this will be done in HIS Name. (Which I find excessive and rampant among church folk anyway.) IF our previous foundations were similar and we find our way by God's design into the light of the Good News of salvation by grace through faith... we have a better shot of living in the light of His wholeness and gaining a clearer understanding of what a foundation for a "Firm Ground of Truth" is all about. But, if we can then learn to walk in the LIGHT of what we DO understand, there is a chance that we can live as a reflection of the glorious TRUTH that is revealed by the LOVE of God as manifested in Christ. With that in mind, I will listen to the many teachers in hopes of learning something, because, as Paul said, "they're all mine" and I've got a long way to grow.

Drink deeply...

Wine Anyone?

Through the years, I have always been taught that Christ's sacrifice was given to quench the wrath of an angry God for all the sinfulness of mankind. Seemed sound and reasonable in that context alone without scratching much deeper under the surface. But, once I began to scratch, I couldn't help but think there is more, much more to consider. Like this... who made the FIRST sacrifice on behalf of Adam and Eve? They didn't. God did. Was it to appease HIS anger and wrath? Maybe, maybe not. It might have appeared to them that He was mad. Especially given the way we perceive our reality through the lens of a guilty conscience.
It makes sense to me that, since the guilty couple had already tried miserably to appease their conscience, or guilty soul, for the blatant sin they committed by sewing fig leaves together to "cover their nakedness" God took measures and did something that would become an ongoing reminder (type-shadow) that would ASSURE their guilty souls, and future generations, that the relationship had not been fully severed. Even though death was brought into the human picture by their sin, and would not be altered spiritually until Christ's provision could make fallen humanity "alive" again.
Jewish priesthood provided the same thing. A type and fore-shadowing only. The New Testament concurs that the blood of animals did NOT and does NOT pacify God or "settle the score" where human sinfulness/guilt is concerned. YET... Israel's priesthood continued to offer these emblems for whose sake? God's? Maybe, maybe not. For THEIR OWN CONSCIENCE? Quite possibly. EVEN IF THEY BELIEVED it was to appease God's wrath, the sacrifices ultimately were MORE suited to appease the guilt of their own souls from year to year, providing the assurance that God had not left or forsaken his people. Consider the day and culture and those surrounding Israel in its written history. Pagan. Heathen. Poly-theistic. Barbaric. Brutal spiritual darkness. Blood sacrifice was the norm... for EVERYONE. Cattle, goats, sheep, doves, even babies were laid upon fiery altars when  guilty souls were fear stricken, believing they had no other recourse with an ANGRY GOD. For the course of their sacrificing upon altars, in tents and Temples, Israel was looking to the future... Messiah... Jesus. Israel should have been able to READ EVERY SIGN that POINTED to what HE SACRIFICIALLY OFFERED WILLINGLY... BECAUSE OF LOVE... FOR THE JOY SET BEFORE HIM. Not to appease the anger of a relentless deity, but to provide ONCE AND FOR ALL THE REALITY, not mere powerless symbolism as in Old Testament sacrifices, but what SHOULD be the crushing blow to all human superstition, dread and fear. Yes, God has done for us what we could never have done for ourselves, and thereby, through accepting this provision, and believing its promise, efficiently clears our guilty conscience by understanding the offering of Himself on our behalf, ending the need of fallen, inadequate, broken human behavior to DO SOMETHING SACRIFICIAL TO APPEASE AN ANGRY GOD.
Now consider this. For the same reason... why do we celebrate communion and "drink the wine"? I know Jesus told us to do this in remembrance of him. But to what end? What purpose? Does it not provide the same REMINDER for our souls? How about when standing GUILTY of an offense before a Holy God? When we partake of the wine and allow our bodies to become infused with the symbolic liquid that penetrates and nourishes our being on a cellular level, how do we perceive what is taking place? When we drink... do we remember that HE has lovingly tended to the business at hand of providing a Lamb, whose shed blood offered on our behalf is an eternal banner that our relational position with Himself is on an unshakeable foundation? Does it prevent our guilty soul's fear from NOT TRUSTING the GRACE that made this gift of righteousness available by faith alone? Does it make us certain that HIS righteousness is infused to the core of our being? That no other sacrifice is now acceptable? God's love has become the solution for our greatest problem, the satisfaction for our greatest hunger, and the provision for our greatest need... and our guilty souls are purged. "For God so loved the world, that He GAVE His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

Wine anyone?

Drink deeply.

Jesus Loves Me, So I'm Told...

     As a child, I loved going to Sunday school. It was a weekly break from everyday life and activities that provided me a chance to sing fun and meaningful songs, hear stories that were wildly imaginative about a God who made the world and everything in it in seven days with his bare hands, or a guy named Jesus that turned water into wine so everyone at the wedding he was attending could continue drinking. Jesus was a favorite among the characters that I was told about. I sang songs mostly about him and how he loves me. The song, "Jesus Loves Me" became a standard in my mental repertoire. My grandfather used to take me along on Sunday afternoon drives to visit his parents, and other friends. I would always be called upon to sing for everyone and usually "Jesus Loves Me" was the selection of choice that caused the old folks to "oooh and ahhh" over my cherubic vocal styling. It was a good song. Affirming. Faith-filled and full of assurance that my position was Bible-based. Yes, I LOVED this song. And I loved Jesus, too! Who wouldn't? After all... "Jesus Loves the Little Children!" and "Jesus Loves Me!" I believed it with no wavering.
     However, at about the age of five I began to get a better grasp on the relational dynamics of my church, and the expectations and commitment to certain standards they firmly believed must be followed if I was to remain in good standing with them AND God... AND Jesus. It doesn't take a small child long by over-hearing adult conversations to fully grasp the context of all they are speaking about. It became clear that partaking in such things as smoking, drinking alcohol, dancing, movies, TV, card games, immodest clothing, too much make-up and other such classified "worldliness" would quickly find any participant on the slippery slope to hell and out of fellowship with those who were already too sanctified to be tempted. And, at age five, I found myself in a moral and spiritual and mental dilemma. Something was different. I was facing a new paradigm. "Jesus Loves Me, So I'm Told..." had become the unspoken mantra and the ending "...This I Know!" had lost its ability to remain unshakable in light of the unfolding understanding of all it takes to maintain good standing.
     So, here it goes. My maternal grandfather ran a small tavern in a little town about two miles from our home. There were times that my mother would take an afternoon and go to her dad's business and help out to allow him a rest. Grandma had passed away a little over four years prior and life was hard. Not only did grandpa own the business and work there, he lived in a small apartment in the back. I loved going there. It was a fun place. Not much to look at from the outside, just a small, flat-roofed building sided with wavy "tin roofing" and therefore called, "The Tin Building." But inside it housed a bar, stage, hardwood dance floor and a juke-box. When mom went to help grandpa, he would pour me a Coke in a glass of ice and give me a handful of nickels to plug the juke-box. This kept me out of trouble and from bothering him or my mom when she was tending bar. It was cool. All my favorite songs were on his juke-box. The ones I loved to dance to. So, I'd spend time drinking my Coke, playing the juke-box and dancing by myself in front of the lighted machine on a real hardwood dance floor. Heaven...
     The dilemma came when, by listening to the conversation of those given to my oversight at church, I discovered that much of the activity going on in "The Tin Building" was not merely questionable, or suspect, but bold-faced, blatant and willful SIN. I came to understand that virtually ALL of the above quoted "sins" except for movies and TV could be found being shamelessly committed within those four walls. I take that back, Grandpa DID have a TV in the apartment. What's a five year old to do when, after singing, "Oh Be Careful Little Feet Where You Go!" on Sunday, only to be told a few days later, "C'mon, get in the car! We're going to Grandpa's!"
Surely my mother was in some kind of misinformed darkness about it all. I never spoke to her about any of this. She went to church on Sunday and worked in grandpa's tavern during the week, there was a serious disconnect somewhere. Certainly she heard the same list of rules that I had. No, I couldn't take this matter up with her. Some other and more authoritative voice would have to be consulted. I decided to ask my beloved Sunday school teacher, Churchie, about it all. She'd be straight-forward about it all with me. That's what she was there for. (Her real name was Mrs. Church. But I thought it had something to do with her personal uprightness, thereby being bestowed the honorary name, "Churchie.")
     The next Sunday I gingerly approached the saintly old matriarch, tugged on her skirt and said, "Churchie!"
"Yes?" she replied.
"Will Jesus go with me to the grocery store?" I asked innocently.
"Why, of course he will!" she answered.
"Will Jesus go with me to school?" I further inquired.
"Yes he will, sweetheart." she cooed lovingly. But I think she could see something else was behind my searching. You know, the trick question. The stumper.
"Will Jesus go with me to a TAVERN?" I blurted out with emphasis on the last word.
Churchie recoiled in horror as the blood drained out of her face, along with all former expression of love and kindness toward my questions. Her backbone became rigid as righteous indignation caused her to stiffen before taking on a more serious and holy position.
"ABSOLUTELY NOT!!!!" she exclaimed with the best authoritarian sound she could muster without causing too much disturbance among the rest.
"Oh... OK..." I said sheepishly, as I spun around and proceeded into my designated classroom.
     Therein was my dilemma. What is a five year old to do when he loves singing about Jesus, hearing the lessons and coloring the pictures of Noah's Arc, and his mother tells him to we're going to a den of iniquity for the afternoon? I could feel the flames of hell licking at my feet while Satan laughed with glee over the possibility of securing a new victim. I worried for days. Then came the testing of my faith.
     Later that week, when mom called me to get in the car to go to Grandpa's, I was ready to face the situation head-on. I had a plan. Considered all the options. It had to work. We arrived at The Tin Building, parked the car and got out, mom walking ahead of me. As she opened the old screen door and went inside I gave her a minute before following. When I got both feet on the step, I stopped, turned around, looked up to the sky and pointed my little index finger toward heaven and said, "Jesus... you wait right here and I'll be back in just a little while!" Then I spun around and proceeded to walk through the door with assurance that everything would be just fine. He either really loved me or he didn't. Life went on.
     At the early age of five, I learned several things from this experience. First of all, if I was going to continue to be in fellowship with church people who disagreed or disapproved of things I would be doing, I would have to live a life of pretense and be one way in their presence and another elsewhere when necessary. Or simply lie about my activities. The second thing I came to understand instinctively is that I would have to TRUST that, in spite of my inability to live by all the church rules, Jesus would love me anyway.
     The song, "Jesus Loves Me" can be presented to little ones as a solid eternal reality, and yet adults unwittingly complicate and confuse the simple truth by adding conditions and prerequisites that steal the song's foundational message from their minds and hearts. It becomes more like "Jesus Loves Me... So I'm Told" leaving the matter of keeping Jesus' love secured is based solely on our behavior and the vices from which we abstain. The truth that so desperately needs to be proclaimed in this day to children of all ages is the Good News that embraces God's provision of unmerited favor and grace to whosoever will, leaving the hearer with no response other than to believe and proclaim with absolute assurance... "Jesus Loves Me, THIS I KNOW!"

Drink deeply...

That In Me You Might Have Peace

     I just woke up from a dream. A sweet dream. I was in a church service and began sensing the Holy Spirit telling me to stand up and address the group on the topic of "Peace." The person in charge gave me the floor and I began to address those in attendance about the serious need for peace in our lives. The crowd was receptive to my words and as we began to sing the old song, "Peace Give I To Thee" the power of the Holy Spirit began ministering to people on an individual basis and great joy was released in the hearts of the believers. It was a sweet dream. I woke up singing the song in my head and recalling the heart-warming sense of God's presence that I had experienced. Made for a good start to the morning. Then, as I proceeded to get on with the routine of feeding the dogs, letting them out, making coffee, etc. I couldn't shake the fact that maybe the content of this dream wasn't just for me, but relevant and vital for someone else to reflect upon.
     As I began to meditate on it a bit more, I thought about all the things that normally one would consider, remember from books, or heard in a sermon at church or Sunday school, when the idea of peace takes center stage of ones mind. Everyone need peace. There is no one on the planet without the need for peace in some capacity. We seek peace personally, politically, socially, financially, materially, and spiritually. That is very telling about who we are collectively as people, friends, communities, and nations. Peace also plays a part of a craftily developed marketing scheme used through multi-media to bombard the population at large to get us to buy products. Actors in commercials portray everyday people like ourselves experiencing the "peace" that comes through the assurance of buying, or buying into, a particular insurance company, investment brokerage, law firm, medical product, clothing line, car company, or baby food. We like the "peace" that comes with knowing things are "covered" and that we've done all we can on our part to ensure our stake in this material world. We also seek peace among races and religions and governments and are met daily with blaring TV and Radio news coverage that keeps us all too aware of the deepening chasm that is keeping peace at a distance between all of these groups. Plus, it continues feeding the fear that, unless we do something drastic, the prospect for peace will soon be fatally crushed and it will be all our fault. Intensifying the anxiety in our lives and adding to our search for something to soothe it.
     The fact of the matter is that nothing is new under the sun. The Bible tells us story after story in Old and New Testaments about people seeking peace individually, collectively as groups, and as a nation, all the while dealing with the same basic issues of relationships, economics, politics, religion and race. It's the same story today as it always has been. Only the characters have changed. Jesus spoke to this very issue in his life and ministry because he saw the conflict in those around him daily who lived in fear of the Roman government occupying Israel. People who had once ruled themselves as a great sovereign nation under God, via the greatest set of laws ever given to mankind, now lived in fear of total political captivity by a barbaric pagan government who worshipped Caesar, a mere man, as "god." It was not only horrific political and religious oppression, but economically a hardship as well, paying taxes to Caesar AND Israel. Jesus was not out of the loop of the fight the Israeli zealot's were waging, trying to break free of Roman occupation and political domination. One would think that he would have righteously picked up a sword and joined the fight. After all, he preached about God's kingdom all the time and spoke of freedom and love. Hardly realistic under the present circumstances. Many wondered why Jesus didn't jump on the political bandwagon. Believing he could be the promised Messiah, working the miracles they saw him do, why wasn't he fulfilling the promise of Israel's restoration? Wouldn't that finally bring "peace"?
     But Jesus was speaking of something different. In John 14:27 Jesus said, "I am leaving you with a gift - peace of mind and heart! And the peace I give isn't fragile like the peace the world gives. So don't be troubled or afraid."  Jesus wasn't getting on the bandwagon of something this world offers, like politics, religion, economics, law firms, banks, insurance, car manufacturers, or baby food. Jesus was offering the real deal. Peace that passes understanding that comes from one place and one place alone. A GIFT FROM GOD. Jesus knew that everything in this world fails. The old saying, "God is in the details." might be good for an element of mental security when trying to be resourceful and tying up loose ends, but the best attempts at securing our lives and futures can be met with a swift and immediate downturn, bringing the best plans to an end. I know a faithful minister of the Gospel whose retirement plan of nearly $1 million dollars was reduced overnight to $90 thousand dollars when the stock market fell after the 9/11 attacks on New York City. That kind of loss to ones collected savings as they were approaching retirement would need more than a new plan. Security was in place from years of hard work and saving and investing and then, in a split second, lost. Certainly a sense of "peace" would be in order. A different KIND of peace. The peace they had in place is exactly the "world peace" that Jesus was speaking of. Sometimes it helps, sometimes it fails. Jesus wanted to offer the kind that doesn't. We are all too familiar with the "peace" that falls short of meeting our expectations. Jesus wasn't condemning the wisdom of saving, investing, etc. The peace that DOESN'T fail will not come from our saving, buying, investing, procuring, hoarding, storing, sensible eating habits, vitamin taking, or hard work. It comes as a free gift from God that is invested into the core of your being for such times as when the "world peace" we have WORKED FOR fails us. Or when we get a doctors report that might crush our future expectations and ruin our savings. There IS a peace that "passes understanding" which allows us to know that we are, and always will remain, God's responsibility until everything that He has planned for us is finished. The promise doesn't imply that we are somehow exempt from the calamities that come from living in a broken world, or a body that is dying because of sin. It gives us the assurance that nothing can separate us from His love and keep Him from bringing us to Himself when all is said and done. No slip up, mistake, error, bad judgment call, offense or the worst of sins can change His everlasting love for us. The curse of the Law and its decrees that was written against us has been nailed to a cross and broken. By knowing that fact we remain in a place of understanding God's provision that gives us a better covenant with better promises.
    When it SEEMS that everything the world promises to bring us as a personal, material, social, religious and political security begins to lose its foundation beneath us, which we believed was stable, there is a gentle reminder that comes in the form of a still small voice speaking to the depths of our innermost being saying, "These things have I spoken to you, that you might have peace...."  (John 16:33) Be wise and do the things you need to do with your time and resources. No one thinks these are foolish. But don't be worse than foolish and refuse the GIFT of PEACE that only comes freely from God, who Himself is the only thing that doesn't change and remains stable, faithful, loving and present in this life. He knows what we need and has made something far more secure available simply for the asking. Receive His peace...

Drink deeply...

The Devil In Mr. Jones

     Consider the fact that the Law was GIVEN (according to Paul's writing in Romans) BECAUSE of TRANSGRESSION, providing full expression of human sinfulness in light of God's righteousness. It wasn't intended to be the "righteous standard" for us to try and live by, creating favor with God... because we can't. The law had no power to impart righteousness or favor with God, or the power to uphold its decrees, only to expose our sinfulness and the corresponding condemnation and punishment. Which is why the Old Testament is FULL of accounts that testify from God's perspective about the reality of how BAD the human heart actually is... Paul merely repeated what the Old Testament said in Romans 3 when he was setting up the story of WHY the Gospels' provision is so desperately needed by humanity in general. "There is NONE righteous... no not ONE... NO ONE IS GOOD... No one seeks God... not even ONE. “ It gets worse as you read on, but the truth of the matter is, if we don't grasp the reality of "how bad we are" we will never clearly see the need for mercy and grace as the antidote for our own self-destructive condition. Neither will we be able to fully appreciate the free gift and exchange of the perfect sinless Christ as the substitute. However, once we are IN THE FOLD, tables turn and we are to be ever reminded of the life and righteousness that has been eternally imparted into our being by God's provision. And, although I no longer see myself as a mere "sinner," I try to remain humble before God due to the fact that I still have a problem with sin in my life. We ALL do. Anyone who says they don't is essentially a LIAR. Until we cast off this body of flesh, we will have an ever-present reminder of our humanity being slaves to sin.

    When reading the Gospels in light of the question, "What offends Jesus?" one quickly comes to understand that religious zeal, prompted by a deep self-righteous mind-set pretty much tops the list. Self-righteousness is often founded upon the false notion that we are inherently "good" and only lacking in being educated enough to modify any behaviors that are standing in the way of moral superiority. And when we DO modify our behaviors in this light... we take pride in our actions, lifestyle, etc. and lose ALL touch with the fundamental need for God's love, mercy and grace. (More often than not we excuse our upsetting behaviors with self-justifying reasons that don't even soothe our own conscience.) We begin to assume that we can "bargain" or "cut deals" with God because of our “proven goodness" (which is never the case). In other words, WE believe we can determine and measure and judge the standard of our performance, and hold God accountable for corresponding rewards and blessings. This attitude and understanding proves our total blindness to the very condition that stands between God and us. HOWEVER... Rom 5:5 says, "But to one who not working (by Law) TRUSTS in Him Who JUSTIFIES THE WICKED, his faith is credited to him as righteousness-the standing acceptable to God." So I frequently remind myself not only of who I am trusting in, but of the fact that faith is vital in the equation, causing God to PASSOVER my wickedness and call me RIGHTEOUS!

     We have a tendency to "neuter" the Gospel by forgetting to make the point that "someone had to DIE on OUR behalf..." Coming to that realization is most difficult and often shocking. "Churched" people take it for granted, AND there is such a common lethargy in the church world today because the truth HAS been essentially "neutered." Social club mentality in today’s churches can't afford such negative language. There is a reason for that... I find that an "I'm OK, you're OK" presentation has become so very pervasive within the spiritual landscape, common to today’s pop theology. The presentation of the Gospel is serious business. People have died throughout the last several thousand years for being fearless to speak to individuals or large demographics about the reality of human depravity and spelling out scripturally WHY we need to be saved. I will stick to my guns on this matter... if we don't know why we need to be saved, or what we need to be saved from (always within ourselves)... we will never value grace, much less the penalty Christ paid to make it available. We have exchanged a Biblical "world view" for something trendy, cool, socially acceptable, politically-correct, comfortable, non-threatening and undemanding. All of this renders us neutered of spiritual power. And we wonder why? Considering that fact, does God still love us? You bet... enough to save us from the dangers of what dwells within every heart... even mine. I, for one, know fully well how bad I am... like the old hymn "Come Thou Fount" says... "Prone to wander, Lord I feel it!” But I'm also FULLY aware of the ONE IN WHOM I TRUST in spite of the wickedness I've laid at His feet. The devil in Mr. Jones doesn't scare God in the least. Actually, God is very familiar with that element in all of us and has sworn by an oath that it will never be held to our account... we walk free. No guilt, no shame, and no condemnation. Who could ask for anything more?

 

Drink deeply...

Balancing Grace?

    Just the concept of "balancing grace" brings an absurd image into my mind. Surely you have held your breath and watched in awe of someone walking a tightrope or high wire across a dangerously high place, between skyscrapers, or stretched across Niagara Falls. Well, some Christians insist their relationship with God is similar to walking such a tightrope. Everything about the success of crossing safely to the other side, or plunging to ones death, hinges on our capacity to maintain "BALANCE." We become solely dependent upon ourselves to make God sit up and take notice of our ability to juggle everything in life with the skill of a death-defying circus act. Our daily endeavor is to get God to bless these actions, and as long as we can keep everything in balance, and not go too far one way or the other, we can feel pretty secure about our performance.
     We cannot offer much in the way of faith in God's ability to do anything in our lives as we maintain this preposterous mentality, because WE have to KEEP the focus, WE KEEP the balance, WE KEEP on target, WE KEEP towing the line, WE KEEP steady to prevent falling to our death, and WE KEEP creeping little by little to the other side until we finally make our destination. THAT is how the concept of "balance" seems to play out in the definition of keeping "grace in check." In other words, DON'T trust the saving grace of God, it might let you fall! The sufficiency MUST be a two-way street. A little God... a little me. Better safe than sorry! When all is said and done, unlike all those other sorry suckers, we can proudly stand before Him and say, "Lord, Lord! Look at all I have done in your name!"

     I was raised all my life in legalistic churches that placed EVERY key element of vital importance upon self-effort, performance, rule-keeping, etc. as the insurance policy to keep me in good standing with the denomination, fellowship within the ranks, and entrance into heaven, although our best efforts was still not a guarantee. If an open failure to maintain even the unspoken rules of the church was recognized, and it was perceived as something less offensive than, let's say, having an alcoholic beverage, emphasis was always placed on public remorse for the offense with an exhortation to "pray more-try harder" as the key to righteous reinstatement. All this after a good dose of condemnation, shaming and guilt tactics, silent treatment and the like by those considered "mature" within the church. The definition of "mature" usually meant those more entrenched in pseudo-holiness than others, and the title mostly self-ordained. You never could be sure when and by whom you might next be targeted for merciless scrutiny. Great pride was taken by those who could find out something to disclose on others. Usually made known by being brought up as a "prayer request" in a home fellowship. Those who weren't quite as highly regarded as the ones having sex with the pastor would be mercilessly accused of some heinous sin, turned out of the congregation, and readily forgotten. An easy sacrificial offering to keep the general congregants in line with microscopic supervision and manipulative control. I use that horrifying example because I have seen it as a reality on multiple occasions within churches that demand "holiness" (defined as "something I demand you to DO!") from their members.

     When the topic of "grace" became something MORE than just the means by which God chose to FORGIVE me for all I had done up to the point of my acceptance of Christ, things began to change. I started to see the cracks in the theology and government of the churches I had affiliated myself with and had to make sensible, intelligent and wise choices about the findings. At first, my response was simply, "This can't be! It's too easy!" And everyone knew in the circles I came up in that if Christianity was anything, it WASN'T easy! Naturally, I had to contend for "balance" when speaking on this topic with most people I knew. First of all, I couldn't allow them to become suspect that I might jump ship to align myself with the "heretics." Eventually GRACE became truly defined as "unmerited" in my understanding and I started to see the error in how I was always working to earn God's favor. Something was wrong in my whole foundational understanding of Christianity and had to be addressed, changed, radically altered. Either GRACE was the heart of the Gospel according to Acts 20:24 when Paul said, "...that I might finish my course... and ministry... which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the GRACE OF GOD" or, it was merely a tool used to assist us with a leg-up as better servants to the harsh mistress of self-effort. It was one or the other. It couldn't be both. Not any longer.
     Some teachers blame pastors for the general lack of understanding this vital topic. Not to mention the fact that people don’t study the Bible enough on their own. I agree that such is most often the case, but it remains, what people are generally taught from the pulpits of their chosen denomination is what they accept as truth. I have been guilty of this in my own life. Needless to say, my own study was colored by the perspectives I had been trained to believe as essential, especially among those I was taught to trust, regardless of the DIFFERENT theological positions I saw in scripture. Like everyone else, I just force-fitted the contradictions into my preferred theological narrative. Truly, people are not easily given to going against the grain of whatever "group/denomination" they are established in, comfortable with, or have been raised in. Regardless of what they are taught, if it's embraced as believable, acceptable, and valued by the peers of their religious community and family, no matter how crazy it seems outside their ranks, they will accept it. How do millions of people in cults that embrace the most seemingly absurd teachings (according to our set belief systems), having no foundation in scripture whatsoever, or from a different book altogether, fall prey to it? Pretty easy when considering normal human behavior, I think.
     I recently read a post exhorting people not to assume that everyone hasn’t heard this “good news of God's grace" even though some may have only recently discovered its richness. And, that we should make it a point to keep it away from the forefront of our conversation. I couldn’t be less in agreement. I have been in fellowship with countless numbers throughout my years in ministry who, like myself, had no clue of what the Gospel of God’s grace meant. Therefore, I have become a minister of that marvelous truth, and proclaim it regardless of who has or who hasn’t heard it. Those who HAVE heard it… TRULY heard it… rejoice with me when I speak of the excellence of God's glorious provision of grace. Those who haven’t, don’t. Often they strongly downplay its significance, relevance, and importance to bring “BALANCE.” They are usually the ones who fight to the death to defend the right to be responsible for their ultimate outcome, including being saved. As Paul writes in Galatians 1:7 “…there be some that… would PERVERT the gospel of Christ” tells me an ongoing battle for genuine faith has been a struggle since the beginning. If the gospel can be “perverted” then to what extent, and by what means? Because of my own experience with multitudes of Christians of various backgrounds, I believe it HAS been perverted and is held unwittingly in that twisted perspective. Ten minutes of conversation with most will allow anyone who understands this pivotal doctrine to determine such a position of ignorant disregard accurately. What's more, listen a little more closely and you will see how they are walking the fearful "tightrope" in hopes of securing through this balancing-act what was meant to be received as a simple gift.

     So, if born-again, Spirit-filled believers are JUST coming to this knowledge of God’s grace after years of serving under the yoke of religious bondage… HALLELUJAH! We should be REJOICING in this fact and hitting the floor on our faces in gratitude that truth and light are being revealed where falsehood and darkness flourished! That people are learning what REAL faith is about, and how to rightly place it in the person and work of Christ should make us shout from the housetops.

     For me, my early understanding of "grace” was merely a rite of passage into the world of traditional Christendom. I was assured all that was taught would be “true, Biblical, and life-changing" IF I did my part and lived by the standards of holiness. Once in, I became twice the son of hell as those that were falsely leading me into this quagmire of religious deception. After years and years in that web of pseudo-spirituality, I stepped out of the box. At the condemnation and warning from the faithful around me, I began to take the teachings of the Bible that I had earlier over-looked and compartmentalized as false or heretical until  the “scales” fell from my eyes. It was clearly written by the Apostle Paul that righteousness was a gift of God's grace through faith and not of works. Not of anything I could offer or accomplish.  I could no longer hold to any religious equation or method or tactic for what I must do to acquire blessing and favor. Either faith is sufficient or it isn't. Sheer faith is the victory or it's the catastrophe. But it became clear that it would be all or nothing. God can be trusted or he can't. To give the smallest fraction of dependence upon my own self-effort was a breach of the whole gift of grace that God offers. I stepped off the tightrope into a total free-fall of trusting in the promises of God's ongoing goodness and mercy. That was one of the hardest decisions I ever made. And I haven't hit bottom and died.
     Now, as the old hymn says, “My faith has found a resting place.” Clearly aware of my mission, duties, responsibilities and work, I place no longer place any emphasis on them as a means of keeping my relationship with God on track and well-oiled. The tightrope is gone and all the anxiety of maintaining the right balance between grace and works to avoid consequences are gone with it. The Good News is all about God's GRACE and my lips will never cease to proclaim it. If anyone thinks that they have quite literally moved beyond it… to higher and greater and better truths… I seriously question their foundation. And I fully relate to the fear they are facing as they walk that tightrope of religious insecurity.  

Drink deeply...

Finding Approval: Like a Mother with a Son in Prison

Coming to a place of actually believing that God loves us is difficult. Many will say they believe it, but their conversation will betray what they claim to believe if you listen closely for a matter of minutes. There is always a catch, a stammering, a "but" or "however" injected somewhere, which promotes the notion that there is always a need for change or improvement before we can seriously find a resting place in the concept of God's love toward us. It essentially causes us to believe that "God loves us, but doesn't approve of us." This has been a problem all of my life. Most of us live with this attitude and are willing to allow that mindset to be the guiding force of our relationship with him. Kind of like the notion that a mother will always grievingly love her misguided son who is serving a life sentence in prison. God is the mother and we are the kid in the big house. He loves us, but we have to become something different and pay our dues before he will bestow approval. It just seems like common sense in most religious perceptions.

Arriving at the TRUTH that he APPROVES of us is altogether different than coming to the realization about his love, and where most have the greater difficulty, causing us to jump through never-ending hoops of religious self-denial, self-loathing and castigating behaviors. None of which promote the peace that simple faith in his unchanging love affords. So, when you go to bed, turn off the light, and lay in the darkness with nothing but your innermost thoughts, THAT is the person God knows perfectly. God is not in a different room or building curiously awaiting your return to see what you've been up to. God knows the person that you allow NO ONE ELSE to discover. You may even try to live in denial of who you really are because the truth doesn't fit the expectations and definitions of what meets your own standards for public display. That is why we have trouble with this notion of God's favor... his grace... his love... his approval. IF others knew what we know about our hidden selves, our darkest desires, our selfish ambitions and codependent needs, you know, the "real" us, they would unanimously agree on our unworthiness to meet the requirements of God's approval. Yet he gives it anyway.

He can do this because the covenant we possess is not based on sin and punishment as in the Mosaic covenant of the Law. The Law says, "If you will do THIS.. then I will do THAT..." For this reason, according to the the book of Hebrews, God found fault with this system, because people cannot keep their end of the bargain. Heb. 8:7 "For if that first covenant had been without defect, there would have been no room for another one or an atempt to institute another one." His love for us is so great that a new and better covenant was developed and ratified, setting aside the former one, so that God's love, favor and approval could be poured out richly upon us by faith in his promise, Heb. 8:12 "I will be merciful and gracious toward their sins and I will remember their deeds of unrighteousness no more." 

God has given his love, favor and approval. There is no need to fear. We are NOT likened to the son in prison who is somehow still loved by a poor grieving mother. This love and approval is real. It is eternal and unchanging. So much so that his own life within supplies us with the very things we need to make it in this world. He works within to will and do his own good pleasure. Take a breath, exhale and breathe again... This is not "to good to be true" as most religious traditions would have you believe. There are no catches, hitches, exceptions, "buts or howevers" attached. Can you allow yourself to embrace it? Can you let yourself be set free in the truth of this powerful reality? Can you live in the glorious lifestyle of acceptance that allows others to be released from religious bondage as well? It's time to see God in the light of his own definition of love. (1Cor. 13) And it's time to believe he gave himself that definition for our benefit. Believe it, trust it, depend upon it, fall upon it, and know there are no means of adding something by your own self-effort to make God's love more stable, secure, sufficient or trustworthy. It's a gift for the taking. So why not make it yours?

Drink deeply...

Pharisees Anonymous

     My name is Jerry Piper and I am a self-righteous Pharisee. I was taught from an early age to put on the robes of religious morality and proudly ride the high-horse of spiritual superiority. Therefore, my affiliated obsession has been to impress God and others with the glorious capacity to raise above the common everyday dilemmas that everyone faces in life and showcase that I have a better handle on living right than most. If I did stumble, I didn’t tell anyone, and pacified my guilty conscience with more Bible reading, church attendance, a larger financial gift, etc. until I felt worthy enough to get back in the saddle and once again ride with the belief that maybe it was my last time to be thrown. At least I had good intentions at riding on to becoming sinless.

     In recent years, I have discovered something called the Grace of God. I used the term frequently throughout my journey, yet never in the same context as I do now. Formerly, any reference to the grace of God merely allowed me to be forgiven just up to the point that I accepted Christ into my life. From there forward, everything was solely dependent upon the performance of my “living right” to determine whether or not I would go to heaven. Because I was so fully aware of my own frailty, how could I trust my own capacity to save myself? And what if I might do something sinful just before I die and not get to confess? I was in quite a dilemma. Even with such good intentions things just fell short of being stable. However, since I have found grace in a different dimension than the definition I understood in earlier years, like the Apostle Paul, I have been knocked off my spiritual high-horse by the blinding light of this glorious awareness. And, again like Paul, I have to answer for the fact that I have personally persecuted Christ and his church through my earlier insistence that we trust in something OTHER than the sufficiency this grace offers. I'm talking total sufficiency. Once and for all saved to the uttermost. All by Gods doing. That is NOT easy to accept if you were as steeped in religious tradition as I was.
     I still fall off the wagon now and then in fits of self-righteous dependence upon Mosaic Law, rules, regulations, and religious prescriptions for superstitious self-help and such, which makes me unloving, miserable, prideful, judgmental, aloof and holier-than-thou. Although I fall off the wagon a bit less than I used to, there still remains the fact that my mind is so filled up with all the religious trappings of gaining favor with God by "being good." I struggle with it constantly. Sometimes I win. Sometimes I lose. I still have a tendency that desires being perceived by others as upstanding, even when I have to admit the fact that I haven't been. Learning through years of experience that I can easily be rejected by those who call themselves my "brothers and sisters" for revealing my faults and failures, it has been easier to put on a mask and present a false identity that is far more acceptable to those who demand nothing short of "victory" (whatever that means) rather than “faith” as the acceptable standard of living. The fear and anxiety I have turned loose of since letting go of that need has been life-changing and enabled me to rest in a provision that comes simply from trusting God.

     Day by day I'm learning more how this thing called "Christianity" was never meant to be perceived as a self-help method of becoming a "better person" but an act of ongoing faith that God, who justifies the wicked, WILL do for me, through the frustration of failure, weakness, inability and brokenness, what I can never do for myself, by finishing the good work HE STARTED. Little by little, I'm LEARNING to trust that. So bear with me... the real me… the one that God loves… that Jesus died for… as I am learning to do with you. If there are no others who have something to say, todays “Pharisees Anonymous” meeting is now adjourned…

Drink Deeply...