The War Within

Matthew 11:12, “From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and violent men take it by force.

At a recent meeting of Iwo Jima one of our beloved members was confronted about a perceived attitude which in fact turned out to be nothing more than apathy. Perhaps the apathy was created in part by seeing the hypocrisy of self and men, perhaps a flight from the fight that rages inside of each of us. But whatever the reason, the discussion charged Jim Spivey who asked with red face, “Don’t you know you are in a war?”

I for one know that I am in a war. But I asked Jim, what is the war?

His response was, “Jeff you of all people I expect to know what the war is.”

For me the war is with myself. For me the war is the violent way the kingdom expands inside me forcing out all that is self, demanding I crucify those things, those thoughts, that character that is not Christ, or to be crushed under the weight and storm of the expanding kingdom. Some days I war against apathy like our friend. Some days I war against greed, or lust, or power, or control. Some days I war against the war itself. But the truth is the war within is a battle we must all fight, all of the time for it is this violence; it is violently fighting for surrender that we experience and take the kingdom of God.

Of the experience Jim wrote, “I battled yesterday, again, in a battle that couldn't be won, unless, of course, I could choose to lose.  The battle was not external.  This is an inner revolution.  The battle was and is to be ALL of me - as He made me, which ultimately is His Son at the very core - in the face of the world’s required and relentless resistance.  It is a losing proposition, either until victory (through choosing defeat) or death (through avoiding it).  Through “pushing against the rock,” as we’ve been told (because we all have our immovable rocks), we grow and mature.”

We have another friend that feels like he is supposed to sell everything, buy some sort of RV and spend a year traveling the country with his wife and two children. The caveat is that selling everything probably means having enough money for the RV, and a tank of gas, not the money to travel worry free. He shared the fear he has in obeying this godly compulsion.

The first thing that popped into my mind was, “what will he do for God as He travels?” And then as suddenly as my flesh asked the question the Spirit says, “what does that matter if I have told him to go?” If he does nothing but travel nothing matters if it is in obedience to God. Because the journey is the point. The battle is inside him, there is nothing “out there” to go and do. There is no more important fight for God than our own daily fight to bring our soul in alignment with the Spirit of God. So to our friend I say, “God Bless you.” Even to have the thought is more faith than I have.

All of which gives new meaning to what Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 10:5, “We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ,” Where is your knowledge of God? Where are your thoughts? That is where the war is. Won’t you join us in the battle?

Forgiven Much = Love Much

Luke 7:47, “For this reason I say to you, her sins, which are many, have been forgiven, for she loved much; but he who is forgiven little, loves little.”

I think this is a pretty simple truth, and paradoxically the reason God is not completely repulsed by mankind. He knows that the more of His forgiveness we taste, the more we love Him.

Take this same thought another direction and those who realize and understand just how much of their past, present, and ongoing sin has, is, and will be forgiven… those folks love God much. Perhaps this is why Paul set the world on fire, while enduring fire for Christ. Perhaps Paul’s love for Jesus was fueled in this understanding of forgiveness, and that is why he wrote to Timothy, “It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all.”

Paul, the founder of the church for gentiles, beaten, shipwrecked, snake bit for Jesus is the foremost of sinners? It is his recognition that he is a sinner, it is his honesty with himself, it is his acceptance of God’s love and forgiveness in spite of it all that allowed him to love so much that he laid down his life for Christ. Not the opposite.

Christ did not say those who have overcome the most love the most. He did not say those that can keep the law the best love the most. He did not say that those who can be the holiest on their own love the most. Those that have been forgiven much love much.

I dare say that if you do not love God much, then you are unaware of how much you have been forgiven and how sinful you really are. 

I am adding this after publishing the original, but we love as a result of being forgiven and we also show mercy where we have been shown mercy. In what you condemn, you admit there is no mercy for in your life. In what you judge you say that you are willing to be judged for it as well. How often is the loudest critic just as guilty of the sin. "You who is without sin cast the first stone." Christ said. For the rest of us He said, "Love your neighbor as yourself."

There Is No Condemnation In Christ

Romans 7:22- 8:6  ,”For I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man, but I see a different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, on  the one hand I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh the law of sin. Therefore there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin of death… (v6)… but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace…”

This is such a wonderful passage of scripture. Here the apostle Paul at the end of his ministry is getting honest and in shameless surrender talking about how he continues to struggle with sin, but that even as his flesh struggles he still is able to practice the presence of God. He is still able to be aware of God’s presence when he ‘sets his mind on the Spirit.’

I have someone in my life that is really struggling right now with the schizophrenic life we all live as Christians. We are all so capable on a moment’s notice of great sin even though we love God. For me, I think the bi-polar-ness of a sinful life in a Christian is exacerbated by teachings that speak of a need for repentance, or sinlessness, or holiness, or whatever man-made righteousness can be concocted in order to experience the presence of God.

This is poppycock in the sense that it is putting the cart before the horse. If we will set our mind on the Spirit, if we will practice His presence, if we will stop and quite our minds so that our spirit/soul can be aware of the presence of God, aware of Christ in us, aware of His kingdom in us… then all the other stuff will take care of itself. Sin will disappear in God's timing. Holiness will only be because of the increasing awareness of Christ and His kingdom in us. Focusing on Christ, coming to Him even in our sin and guilt will cause knew vision and understanding of how we are both sinner, and the temple of the Holy Spirit simultaneously.

THERE IS NO CONDEMNATION IN CHRIST! Go to Him in your greatest struggle. Go to Him in your greatest sin, and understand that He is going to be there when you do. The sin, the anger, the lust, the greed all of it can’t separate you from God. Nothing "will separate us from the love of God." (Rom 8:39) God cannot look upon sin, and that is why when He sees the Christian He does not see the sin, but He sees the atoning blood of Christ.

It is very true that when you set your mind on the Spirit that there may very well be conviction. And if so then the response is repentance. But there will also be love. There will also be peace, there will be joy, there will be patience, even if it is only with yourself.

Jesus said, “The kingdom of God is at hand.” He said, “the kingdom of God is inside you.” (Luke 17:21) It does not come and go with your sin. It is safely protected inside you from the sin because it is housed in a reborn spirit. The schizophrenia, the bi-polar struggle of sin and Spirit is the spirit and flesh struggle for the soul. Stop and allow your soul to be aware of the Spirit, of Christ in you. When you do, you will have the experience Paul shamelessly wrote for us all. You will discover a great truth about the kingdom of God, and you will overcome, and overcome, and overcome. 

Overcoming Self In Christ

Romans 6:5, “For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.”

I have this murmuration occurring around me at the moment. On the one hand Pastor Chris Saye of Ecclesia Church posted on Facebook, “’(You) shall know them by their fruits’ (Matt 7:20) isn’t permission to slip to judge sincerity of others faith – it’s a warning about false prophets. Context Matters.” On the other hand Jim Spivey reposts the pendulum photo of this post.

What do these have to do with one another you might ask?

They have to do with one another because I think where we are in the pendulum swing of our flesh reflects into our spiritual beliefs or excuses.  

Let me expound. Why would we judge when Jesus clearly said do not judge?

The ego centered self causes us to justify ourselves with this scripture. We justify our position by quoting this scripture as proof we are “fruit inspectors,” when reality is we are only to use it as a tool in who influences us, versus going around condemning anyone.

Likewise the wounded self would use the scripture to justify the pain in their life. They might take on the judgment of themselves because there is no perceived fruit in their life, or because they continue to struggle in their sins.

Spiritual reality is the truth lies in the arms of Christ. But the only way to get to truth is to crucify both the wounded self, and the ego centered self.

Do you want to know what the cross Christ spoke of is about… this is it. This is the death of self. It is a spiritual exercise not a physical one. For that matter being a spiritual exercise it is not even a mental one, but one of the soul and character.

Think about other areas of our spiritual relationship to Christ that are similarly affected.

Do you see the devil around every turn trying to destroy you? This is the wounded self.

Do you see yourself as this powerful overcomer of the devil? That you wealth, or fame, or power is because you have in some way earned it? This is your ego self.

If you are in Christ you see that Satan is already defeated. You see that he is not omnipotent and not on a personal vendetta against you though he is real and at work starting many many chain reactions around the world.

Here is another classic scripture. In Matthew 8:24-26 Jesus is asleep when the boat encounters a storm. The disciples wake up Jesus and He first rebukes them, then calms the storm. How would you respond? Why do you think Christ rebuked them? Why do you think Christ calmed the storm?

If you think the devil was out to kill them then you are interpreting out of ego. If you would be scared (and who wouldn’t) in the situation you are operating out of wounded self. If you think Christ rebuked them because they themselves couldn’t calm the storm then you are in ego. If you think their “little faith” was their own inadequacies then you are wounded. If you think Christ calmed the storm to prove Himself, this is ego. If you think His calming the storm highlights the disciples and your inability then you are in wounded self.

I believe that those who are in Christ see it something like this. First they would not even know the storm was there because they would be asleep like Jesus (united in His death), trusting their Father to seem the to the very end of their mission. I think the rebuke of little faith was for not sleeping, and the calming of the storm was to quiet their little faith. Oh there would be more storms on the horizon for them to sleep through, but from this one they got relief.

Jesus was showing us all just how so absolutely other He is from ourselves. How we have to crucify the swings of self from ego and wounded self and throw ourselves into the arms of Christ. 

I will leave you with a couple more examples.

If you think God needs you or wants you to save the world. - ego

If you think God can't use you at all. - wounded self

If you just want to be with Jesus doing whatever He wants. - In Christ. 

Grace

Hebrews 10:26, “For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins,”

1 John 3:8, “the one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil.”

Grace is one of those spiritual truths that, like all spiritual truths swings out of the middle of God’s will, plan, and purpose to the left as justification for all manner of behavior, and to the right as bearing too little importance as it relates to sin. But grace as the unmerited, undeserved favor of God is an essential component in Christian salvation. As well, this grace does not end at the moment of salvation. Grace is there from before our existence into eternity allowing Christ's blood to atone for ALL of our sins past, present, and future.

Yet even though we are already forgiven of future sins, it does not allow us to go about “willfully” sinning. Grace is not an entitlement to “practice” greed, lust, gluttony, laziness, anger, pride, or envy. That does not mean that when we as Christians, when we are on a path pursuing Christ stumble and fall that we fall under condemnation. Because there is no condemnation in Christ. Grace is what allows us to fall into sin, to pick ourselves up, and to once again approach the throne of God.

Let’s face it. We are sinners. Every human being ever born sins, and it is impossible for us to stop sinning in some facet. If it were possible for a human to stop sinning, then God would have no need to send Christ. Instead stop sinning would be the standard, but it is not. Christ is the standard, and that is grace. I believe what God is saying is that there is a difference between the Christian who pursues Christ and falls from time to time, even daily; and the person who is a Christian in name only. A person that in their heart uses their faith as a stepping stool perhaps, or club membership, but that continues in the life and lifestyle they had prior to encountering and choosing to follow Christ. The Christian must struggle, must strive against the world in their heart, and if there is this struggle then there is also the assurance of grace.

Why must men make lists of sin? Jesus when questioned about the commandments and which is greatest said, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all you mind. This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Hello? Who is not guilty of violating this every day of their life. You say you love God with all your heart, soul, and mind but I promise you that if you will become aware of His presence, that and that alone will show you how incompletely you are loving Him and what is your heart stands between you and God. Love you neighbor as yourself? Just drive in Houston traffic for a few minutes and see if that’s true. And yet men make lists of sins to condemn others with. List and doctrine like drinking, music, movies, tv. Folks there is a much bigger sin we are all guilty of… failing to love as Christ loved. This is no something learned in church, this is experienced in relationship to Him. This understanding of your own sin is a consequence of being aware of His presence. Of practicing His presence. 

So we depend on this grace, knowing we are going to sin, but all the while striving to know Christ, and to allow Him to move in us. And this is the key between sin and grace… the key is Jesus.

We have got to be aware of His presence. In this awareness the sin falls to the side. If we will not focus on sin, and focus on Christ the sin will take care of itself through the Holy Spirit. Relationship with Jesus will change your character inch by inch. Struggles of yesterday will fade painlessly, and today’s struggles will be as new as the image He presents of Himself today. We come to Christ and discover what today’s, this week's, this year’s surrender is to be. And patiently He accompanies us on the path. But we must rely on grace to keep coming to Him even in our failures.

If you are in Christ, walking the path of surrender to perfect love, then you are not of the devil.  You are not “practicing” sin when you stumble. You are simply being human. Stop thinking in terms of tomorrow, and start thinking in terms of today. Christ came to destroy the works of the devil, and that is done, complete, finished, not tomorrow, not after Armageddon, but right here, right now. Armageddon is the beginning of Satan’s judgment as the battle is already won. Sin and death were defeated when Christ rose from the dead. The kingdom of God is not to come… it is here inside of you for those who are in Christ. Allow grace to allow you to be aware of it. Stop condemning yourselves and others and go to God.

Jesus did not come condemning the sinner. He dined with the sinner, He forgave the sinner, He had compassion for the sinner, He healed the sinner. But Jesus did condemn the religious, the Pharisees. He condemned the group that held everyone accountable to a list, yet in their heart had no relationship with God. Their god was the list of sins. Will we be like the Pharisees and join the choruses calling for the adulterer to be stoned, or will we join Jesus and draw in the sand waiting for the judges, the jury, and the executioners to walk away in their own judgment of themselves. 

The Presence of God

Rembrandt - Head of Christ

Matthew 23:25, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside they are full of robbery and self-indulgence.”

1 Corinthians 6:19, “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?”

Luke 17:21, “nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is! Or, ‘There it is! For behold, the kingdom of God is in your midst.” (Literally inside you.)

Randy Clark whom I have had the pleasure of spending a day with, and whom I believe is a genuine Christian and godly man, and who happens to have a globally recognized healing ministry posted on his Facebook wall the other day the following:

He wrote, “It's the hardness of men's hearts and not the sovereignty of God that stops revival.”

Now to me “revival” is when there is a significant presence of God in a corporate environment, often accompanied by signs and wonders. But where my opinion differs from Randy’s and many other charismatic, full gospel, evangelical ministers is that I believe the famous revivals like Azusa Street, Pensacola, Welsh revival and so many more were absolutely 100% the sovereign move of God. I do not think the piety nor prayers of the revivalists like Booth, Hill, Wesley, Whitefield or any other commanded the presence and move of God. Likewise I do not believe the hardness of heart ended them.

Rather the “revival”-- that uncontrolled, unorchestrated manifestation of the presence of God -- is simply a casting of the net into the sea. It is a picking of the crops of the harvest and as such must come to an end. Think of the story of Peter’s calling. It was prophetic of Christ’ ministry on earth. They fished all night and caught nothing, then Jesus comes along, they cast on the other side of the boat and the nets are full to overflowing. Did they keep fishing?

Think of Pentecost, the original revival. They waited and waited, then for one night the presence of God manifest. It did not become some long lived service complete with music and preaching. In fact the preaching was “this is that the prophet Isaiah spoke of.” Nothing more.

How about the feeding of the 5000? This was a revival as the masses gathered to hear Christ, and after a couple of days He feed them miraculously. But Jesus didn't say, ‘let’s camp here, and have service eternally, and let me feed you constantly.’ To the contrary when they followed Him He sent them away.

So what is the purpose of this manifested sovereign presence of God?

It is a taste of what every moment of every day can be like. It is a taste of what Christ lived with and by while on the earth.  

We taste the presence of God in the corporate worship of our churches because there is a style of music or a flavor of teaching that allows us to put down the rest of life and focus in on God. The presence of God is there because Christ said, “For where two or three have gathered in My name, I am there in their midst (the middle of them)” So the corporate enables our awareness of Christ presence… it is there whether we are aware or not. It is not a song, it is not a leader, it is spiritual fact. The songs, the leaders, the preaching just enables us to be aware. But the design is so that we will seek Him at all times. The design is that we begin to and grow in the awareness that His presence and His kingdom is inside us.

Look at the three passages above. Jesus criticizes the religious leaders for using an external system of church as spiritual justification without cleaning up their own heart, without acknowledging the evil that is in them.

In the second passage Paul is asking, ‘don’t you know the presence of God is inside you?’ It was not the condemnation of outwardly acts, but an astonishment that they didn’t get it, and their outwardly acts showed they did not understand or experience that presence.

Finally the third passage is Christ saying to not go from place to place, service to service, conference to conference looking for the presence of God. His kingdom is inside you and anything you can “do” or any place you can “go” is not going to compare to becoming aware of this fact, and living in it daily. Nor will it compare to what follows this awareness, which is growing in it daily.

None of which is saying stop going to church. But it is to say that when you connect with this presence through awareness, then life will become suddenly clearer. The peace that passes all understanding will manifest. Joy in unfortunately circumstance will appear. And so very much more.

Listen to what Jesus said as pointed out to me by T Austin-Sparks, “Christ is the new dispensation. ‘I am here,’ He said. You go through that Gospel of John. He is centering everything in Himself. ‘I am the Way (not church); I am the Truth (not doctrine); I am the Life (not money, fame, power, or position); I am the Shepherd (not spouse, pastor, counselor, or parent); I am the Vine (your source); I am the Resurrection (the truth that follows surrender).’ It is a Person. It is that which lies behind everything. (and in everything). Christianity is Christ. Christ is Christianity. That is where it all begins and it never departs from HIM.”

I will add that He is in you if you are in Him. There is a place in this awareness of His presence that you have beheld enough of His magnificence that you give up trying to understand because He is incomprehensible. You stop trying to explain, because He is unexplained  You have no advice for others because you see you own insignificance next to Him. And yet in it all you feel His love, and His love begins to flow out of you because it is the only thing that is right and good. Life becomes about surrender and obedience, not because you fear hell, but because you have tasted heaven. No one can take you to a place in the Presence of God because you can live there anytime you choose to be aware.

I have to wonder what would happen to church if all of Christianity became aware of and started to grow in this presence of God. I dare say those built on a human model of business would fail rapidly, and those built on Christ would see some truly glorious revival.

If you do not truly understand what I am talking about then I encourage you to taste and see that the Lord is good. Stop, close your eyes, quite your mind. When you can stare into the back of your eyelids and see only the dark, when you can contemplate only that it is dark, then in that place cry out to God. Ask Him, where are You? Ask Him to reveal His presence?

With time you awareness will be as simple as closing your eyes. With more time you won’t need to close your eyes at all, just stop. With more time you will abide in the awareness of His presence. (at least that is what I believe and hope though not there yet).

There is no longing for Christ to come, He is here. There is not waiting for the next service, or next anointed song... His presence has never left. 

Masturbation

Leviticus 15: 16 & 18, “Now if a man has a seminal emission, he shall bathe all his body in water and be unclean until evening. If a man lies with a woman so that there is a seminal emission, they shall both bathe in water and be unclean until evening.”

I have noticed something very different about the 20 something generation from mine. That is they have forthrightness about their propensities to masturbate. Not that every generation has not, and does not continue to do it… masturbate that is… not forthrightness. Just that this younger generation is honest about it.

For me I encounter this honesty in my travels as men much younger than myself suffer with the moral issues of masturbation and pornography, and beautifully express this struggle. And why not? Recently Montreal University tried to study porn’s effects on young adults but according to the article http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1232787/Pornography-study-doomed-fail-scientists-single-man-hadnt-viewed-x-rated-material.html “Scientists studying... fell at the first hurdle – after failing to find a man who had not viewed X-rated material.”

Yet no one talks about it. Masturbation… masturbation… masturbation… say it with me. Ministers don’t address it, even though the bible clearly did. And if it is address by the “church” it is condemned as evil, sinful, lustful, and even classified by some as fornication. But in my opinion, and as Paul would say, I have the Holy Spirit… it is not sin, nor evil, nor any different that actually having intercourse with your spouse. Isn’t that what Moses’ law says? If you have intercourse with a woman (lie) and an organism… then you are unclean until you have washed and evening has come. And if you are a man alone and have an orgasm, then you too are unclean until you have washed and evening has come.

You do not know this, but I have debated this very scripture in a public forum. One gentleman tried to argue that Lev 15:16 was only there to cover wet dreams. This is ridiculousness. Other’s argued that masturbation as it involves fantasy was a sin because of what Jesus said in Matt 5:28, “… that EVERYONE who looks at a woman with lust for her has ALREADY committed adultery with her in his heart.” And we are all sinners without Christ. And we will always be a sinner, never achieving any time without sin while alive on earth. That to me is the point of what Jesus said… that perfection is in Him and only Him. He was not making a commentary on masturbation.

Certainly without argument porn is evil. But for me and in my opinion, masturbation is not in any way evil, and I do not think we as Christians, or a society should condemn men and women for its practice.

I saw a recent map of the STD epidemic in the United States. Red marked the highest areas of outbreaks. Did you know the red on the map also marked what is commonly known as the Bible Belt? Why is that?

Does the church putting masturbation on the same level as adultery or fornication make the first less appealing? Do people reason with themselves that if having sex and masturbation are sins, then why not have sex? If so the results of rampantly spreading STD’s is not surprising.

And what of the stories of your palms turning hairy. I can find 100 articles of health benefits derived from the practice for every hairy palm myth claiming negativity. Benefits like improved sperm quality, prostate health, less STD’s… and on and on and on.

Point is that I just don’t see where my God condemns masturbation. We are required to “bring all thoughts into subjection to Christ.” But having the thoughts, having the natural desires in and of themselves are not sin, and masturbation in its purest form is not a sin either. At least that’s how I read God’s word in Leviticus. Forgetting God’s grace and the forgiving power of the blood of Jesus. 

To those young men who feel the need to share with me your struggles. I do not believe it is a struggle at all. I just think it's part of being human. I don't need to hear your perceived problems. Porn... not that's a whole other issue. For that focus on Christ, starring at the sin, avoiding the sin, is never the answer, it just leads to more. But then again, if you need to talk about it... do... I will try not to be embarrassed, to giggle, or succumb to socio-religious beliefs imposed by others. But rather being as un-condemning as Christ. 

Spiritual Goals

Before you scroll down to today’s post I would like you to ask yourself some serious questions.

What are your spiritual goals?

Why are you following the faith you are, even if no faith at all?

What is God’s goal for you?

Is your spirituality based on wanting or needing to change something in your life?

How does life relate to your spiritual goals, what role is it playing?

Is your life a reflection of succeeding or failing in achieving these spiritual goals?

Philippians 3:10, “that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death;”

Did any of you answer the questions above with answers like, ‘My goal is to have a better marriage, or to receive the blessings of God.’ How about a more noble answer like, ‘To preach the gospel, or be a minister?’ Is your faith because it was your parent’s faith? Is your goal to just make it to heaven, or even simply avoid hell? Perhaps you have a goal of learning about Christ so that you can teach about Him to others? Is your goal to live a sinless life? Is God’s goal for you to perhaps fulfill the great commission, to lead thousands to salvation?

I have some news for you. If your spiritual goal is anything other than knowing Christ and being in relationship with Him then you have set your goals far too low.

I first studied in depth Philippians 3:10 in reading T Austin-Sparks’ School of Christ while attending Ministry School. I thought that I understood it then. Some 17 years later I am just beginning to understand it. Regardless of what your spiritual goals are, God’s spiritual goal is that we would know Him. Not to know Him in some distant far off way. Not to only have an intellectual picture of Him, but to walk moment by moment in the awareness of His presence. To see Him clearer and clearer every day. “That I may know Him” Paul wrote.

Life is completely about knowing Him more. He comes into our life, walking to the very edge of His kingdom, the boundary between wholly His and utterly not and calls us. “Come,” He says. And if we lean in there is often the spiritual and sometime emotional euphoria that will always fade. Some flounder here looking to recreate the magic of His presence. Other dismiss it, but again and again He is constantly moving saying, “Come.” In a game that seems like hide and seek God is constantly at work moving away from that kingdom boarder where there is the violence (Matt 11:12), and He calls us to go deeper and deeper into the kingdom so that He can reveal more and more of Himself, that we may know Him. Not in some objective distant way, but subjectively first as slaves, then as friends, and finally as children. All the while using life to teach us when we are not in this pursuit of His face.

The fellowship of His sufferings is such a mischaracterization of the relationship. Because what the world calls suffering, what our bodies and emotions call suffering is not suffering at all. It really is nothing more than God helping us to overcome all of life’s distractions to discover Him, to be aware of Him in storm or in feasting. Our relationship conflicts are us, not them, being out of fellowship with God. They are us not knowing Him in the situation. Struggles of life are nothing; they are just life and an opportunity to know the fullness of Christ in His resurrection.

Feeding off the same inspiration Jim Spivey wrote, “One of my most important roles in life, a role that Jesus plays for me every day, is that of ‘purveyor of empowering new perspective,’ vs. that of ‘con-artist changer of conditions.’  Here me on this, my friends, whenever you are clamoring for improved circumstances or better performance by yourself or others (when your spiritual goal is to improve your life):  ‘your conditions are NEVER the problem, no matter how compelling they are; your RESISTANCE to them, while disconnected from Him, when they are here primarily for Him to use to help you see a bigger Truth, is the only problem, ever.’”

If your spiritual goal involves conditions, circumstances, saving the world, anything other than you and you alone knowing Christ in full living relationship then you are missing the glorious and wonderful truth of the gospel. The kingdom of God is a hand. It is inside you. It is calling out saying come in and meet Jesus face to face, and live in relationship. This is the perspective, the goal we must have. This is our individual journey, and in walking our individual journey of life with Christ we collectively murmurate and the will of God is accomplished on earth as in heaven. 

Positive Reinforcement

Luke 19:17, “And he said to him, ‘Well done, good slave, because you have been faithful in a very little thing, you are to be in authority over ten cities.”

I have a dog that I have been trying to run field trials with, and in the process I have learned that I can’t rely on a trainer to do all the work, but that I have to be constantly training and reinforcing what the professionals have taught him. So as I learn to be a trainer I have discovered a spiritual truth about positive reinforcement.

Seems that somewhere along the way I learned, or perhaps decided that success was expected. If someone around me did a good job, then they had simply done what they should have, and no reward is necessary. But if they fail, then correction is always at the ready. In fact, to my older children I say sorry for such an attitude, and I should have been more complimentary of the successes instead of demanding them.

My youngest of course reaps the benefits of Christ having worked on my character these 47 years as I find genuine joy in his successes and failures.

All of which is beside the point. My dog has been trained to find game, point game, and wait for the handler to instruct on his next move whether it be to heal, continue to hunt, or retrieve. He has been trained to wow, turn, run forward, and here. But invariably as we work together I discover time and time again that he is first and foremost a dog, and lastly and never to be a machine. As a result, the first rule of training is to create a situation where the dog will succeed. But my dog… he’s like his owner… is hard-headed, independent, and smart. He pushes the boundaries every chance he gets, and correction comes.

Oh to the dog… but more often to me. You see I have help from a couple that has owned multiple field champions, and they are constantly having to remind me to praise my dog when he does something right. In fact, I think they said, “Correction only works when praise is used to let him know when he has done it right.”

Stupid that I am learning this so late in the game, but think about it. There are plenty of times Christ corrected, but how many see the times He praised? Peter was corrected with “get behind me Satan” but only after being praised as a rock that Christ would found His church on. What other examples are there besides this and the scripture above? Honestly I am having a difficult time remembering them because my mindset has been so unlike Christ’s for so long.

Good is always deserving of a reward. Even when that good is what we should have been doing all along. How much more effective is correction when right is rewarded?

Father help me to see the positive, to reward the positive, to rejoice in the positive, to praise the good that is all around me… to be like Christ.

The Otherness of Christ

Matthew 10:34-37, “Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I came to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and a man’s enemies will be the members of his household. He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me.”

Forty-seven years of attending church, eleven years of Christian based private education, two years of ministry school, multiple time of having read the bible cover to cover, and I have never seen this passage of scripture in the light I see it today.

Up to this point I interpreted this scripture to mean that within a household there would be saved and unsaved people who would argue against one another, and that one side would have to take a stand for Christ. I saw this scripture being used for the justification of the conflict of doctrine among denominations.

‘You are going to hell because you drink.’

‘Well you are going to hell for playing music and dancing.’

‘You both are going to hell for judging.’

Ridiculousness… all of it.

For me today this scripture is Christ was saying, ‘I am nothing like ANY of you.’ Christ was saying that I am so different, so other than anything you can think of being that I cause a divide, even within one’s own household. (Or church denomination). Christ is NOT on the side of the Man. Christ is NOT on the side of the father. Christ IS the Sword. Do you see it? If we cling to a side then we have not clung to the Sword. If we cling to mother or father, then we have loved them more than the Sword, the complete otherness of Christ.

Think about this in context with what happened to Joshua. Joshua was preparing for battle and a type and shadow of Christ shows up in foretelling of Matthew’s account. Joshua 5:13-14, says “Now it came about when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, a man was standing opposite him with his sword drawn in his hand, and Joshua went to him and said to him, ‘Are you for us or for our adversaries?’ He said, ‘No; rather I indeed come now as captain of the host of the Lord.’ And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and bowed down, and said to him, ‘What has my lord to say to his servant?’”

Joshua asks the angel, ‘whose side are you on? Are you for them or us?’ The answer “no” was to be very clear that the captain of the host of the Lord was only on the side of God and God’s side is neither Joshua’s or Joshua’s adversary, but his own.

So as Christians we have got to apply this line of thinking to our life. That God is other than black and white, Republican or Democrat, male or female, Catholic or protestant. He is not on our side, nor is He on the side of our adversary. He is on His side, and that side is not only, not in the box, it is not part of the box.

Think about how many times Christ acted completely contrary to reason, or even interpretation of scripture. He dined with sinners and tax gathers and rebuked the religious leaders of the day. He allowed Lazarus whom He loved to die. He slept in storms. He walked on water. He fasted 40 days. He willingly went to the cross. He went to Lazarus grave, but told the dead to bury the dead. To the adulteress He said, “Go and sin nor more.” Yet to the religious said, “You are of your father the devil.” He was a carpenter that picked a handful of fisherman to be His disciples. How about being born of a virgin? Can you be like that?

You cannot.

How will this change your life? Knowing that you are wrong, your adversary is wrong, and there is a third and completely other truth named Christ.

Heaven for Billionaires

Revelation 21:21, “And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; each one of the gates was a single pearl. And the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass.”

     

I know many people who are multimillionaires. I know a few people that are worth in excess of one hundred million. I have even met personally 2 billionaires. One billionaire had a collection of jets. Among the many he owned he had a MIG from Russian and an F18 as well. The other had warehouses full of cars worth millions upon millions of dollars. But I never had any real or meaningful interaction with the billionaires. But recently I have had the opportunity to interact with a billionaire in a common passion we share. I won’t say their names or how I know them, but I can tell you there is nothing out of their reach financially. They have the finest in equipment and literally hundreds of ranches scattered from Mexico to the Canadian border. One of their many Texas ranches is in excess of 140,000 acres.

Now I don’t know if you understand how big 140,000 acres is, but that is in excess of 218 square miles. To put it in perspective, Austin, Texas is only 297 square miles. Jamaica is only 166 square miles. But this story is not about the billionaires as they are very nice, very humble people, and even generous. But as I have been interacting with them I thought, “I wonder what heaven is like for billionaires?” I asked this because as I look at their life I think that if my afterlife looked like what I have seen with them today… to me that would be heaven. To be a steward of God’s creation on a mass scale with all the resources to accomplish His commands and my will upon it. Wow, that would be heaven. And so I wondered, if they go to heaven will they be disappointed?

Will they receive even more of whatever God has for us in heaven because they have so much here? After all, didn’t Jesus say that to those who have more will be given? (Mk 4:25) Will the lowest reward in heaven be less than what the billionaires experience today? Paul talked about the judgment seat of Christ in 1 Corinthians 3 and how our effort here on earth will be judged and those efforts that pass the judgment will be given a reward, while the others will be burned up by fire. And so what if the billionaires had all their works burned up in judgment yet make heaven? Will their experience of heaven be less than their experience of earth having had no limitations of doing anything?

We understand that the saints go to heaven and the sinners to hell, but if there is no one but saints in heaven who or what are we to reign over? When the bible speaks of reigning with Christ (Rev 5, 2 Tim 2, 1 Cor); do we reign with Him over mankind in some hierarchical, governmental manner, and will the billionaires still be above the common? And if they are not distinguished as above, how then can heaven be heaven to them having enjoyed so much in life?

All of which is rhetorical, and simply designed to make you think as it has made me think.

I am reminded of what I first heard from Pastor Dusty Kemp. He said, “For those that our perishing this life is the only heaven that they will know. For those that are saved, this life is the only hell we will know.”

For me heaven will be coming face to face with my God and Savior. Removing the mystery, the questions without answers, the wondering of what is Him and what is not. Heaven is the access, the face to face interaction with God. In light of spending the first few billions years in awe of that, who really cares who has what in heaven? I dare say that not a one of us who makes it will be disappointed

Mission Field - Me

Matthew 23:15, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you travel around on sea and land to make one proselyte; and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves.”

One of my daughters was telling me the other day about her experience in what she labeled as gaining spiritual sight. It excites me to see her penetrating the kingdom of God a little deeper, but in this spiritual sight she made a leap from seeing to “this must be my mission field.” She sees a need, a weakness, a depravity, and like so many of us began to think that she is somehow there to fix or minister to it, and maybe she is. More likely though it is there to minister to and grow her through challenges, and to show her every place she is not wholly dependent upon Christ.

And so the mission field we are called to is Mission Field Me.

If we preach, then we preach out of obedience with the understanding that this is what God wants so He can be closer to us, not necessarily closer to them. If we minister, we minister in obedience to experience the closeness with Christ, not to meet an individual need, though they often are. It is our needs that are being met. Otherwise we are no different than the scribes and Pharisees. When we think we have it together, when we think we are God’s gift to someone else, or that we know something they do not, then we are as deceived as the scribes and Pharisees.

Do we promote a doctrine that we ourselves only keep in public view? Do we interpret our life as “blessed” and therefore in need of being shared and duplicated in others? As I will assure you there is only One who truly lived a blessed life, and only His life is worth sharing to the decree that we can truly, at the very depths of our soul and character, become like Him.

It is true that Jesus said, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.” (Mark 16:15) It is also true that He said, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations…” (Matt 28:19) But I think giving new consideration to “preaching” and the “gospel” is in order. A new consideration of what it is to “make disciples” perhaps should be considered far outside the confines of the institution of church and the limits of men’s doctrines. Can’t we read everything Jesus preached in a matter of a few hours, if not minutes? Can’t we see something far different in His training the original twelve disciples than what a weekly service offers?

As I look at the life of Christ I see a Savior that did a lot more living than He ever did speaking. His life was a public proclamation (preaching) with or without the words, or organization, or doctrine. Isn’t being a light preaching? Isn’t it a public proclamation to live in such a way people see Him instead of hear us?

God does not “need” you or me to accomplish His will. Helping with the harvest, shepherding the sheep is not done on an intellectual basis by conveying and teaching what “we know.” Helping with the harvest, shepherding sheep, making disciples is done by BEING a reflection of Christ in our very character, and by constantly pointing others to Him and to an individual relationship with Him. This is done on a practical basis. Perhaps there needs to be a new focus. I am my own mission field. I am the one who still contains a gigantic log in my own eye. Perhaps as I work with Christ to see clearly others will benefit, but my spiritual focus is me.

And then in murmuration to what the Holy Spirit is telling me I read this from New Life Church Houston on Facebook. They wrote, “(Is the church, and Christianity) merely a group of individual organizations & bureaucracies, divided not united, that flutter and sputter… Do you think we need the rise of a Real Organism (Body of Christ), not another Organization?... How do we accomplish this?... Be the Christian we know Jesus has made us. We are not called to ACT like Him. Rather, He has called us to KNOW Him, then in our love for Him, do what He says…”

I have a mission field that needs Christ to work in miraculously. That mission field is ME. Then perhaps I will be like Him in reflection rather than simply act like what I think He is.

Full of The Holy Spirit

Galatians 5:22-23, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”

Have you ever perused church websites? Most have a section called “Our Beliefs.” The Pentecostals and other “full gospel” faiths are famous for making a doctrine out of speaking in tongues. The Magnolia Apostolic Tabernacle’s website says, “… and the receiving of the Holy Spirit with the initial sign of speaking with other tongues…”

While I do believe in speaking in other tongues is a real manifestation of God in some instances because of what Christ said in Mark 16:17, I also think that to make it a doctrine of the infilling of the Holy Spirit is a complete contradiction to the word of God, and a focus on something completely insignificant when compared to Galatians 5 above.

Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 12:30, “All do not have gifts of healing do they? All do not speak with tongues do they?...” Why does man, or church, or denomination have to create a rule for their membership?

What would happen if we used Galatians 5 as the standard for what “being filled with the Holy Spirit” truly means? I dare say we would find all of ourselves short of being filled.

I watched a program the other day where some Westboro Baptists were calling the host of the show a “fag lover.” They went on to explain that it was love for them to point out another person’s sin. Really? They also said Billy Graham was a profiteer of Gandi's saying, "Love the sinner and hate the sin." So go figure that one.  Has the log been removed completely from their eye? Did Christ in his condemn and call the adulteress names in John 8? On the contrary Christ’ showed love by showing grace to the sinner and pointing out to the religious their judgment which is hypocrisy.

All of us fall short of this example of love, but what of joy? Is prosperity, power, influence, pleasure the same as joy? Is happiness joy? Does the joy that comes from the Holy Spirit only come from our earthly pleasures that so many mis-name “blessings” from God? Do any of us have the joy of Christ? Joy that was so complete and powerful that it allowed Him to endure the cross? (Hebrew 12:2) Oh wait, I dare say only a few would see any joy in such suffering.

And what of peace? Do any of us have the peace to sleep in the storm as Christ did more than once?

My point is that life is a path, and not a destination. Beware of those who speak as if they have arrived. Beware of majoring on the minor, when our ultimate goal as Christians should be to walk in love over any other gift of manifestation of the Holy Spirit. And I preach this to myself. I pray this to heaven.

I pray for me that 2013 be a year of discovering joy & peace as it comes from the Holy Spirit. Not for the world to change around me, but that I would have it in spite of the world around me. A joy and peace that come from being in relationship with Christ, and not from an adherence to doctrine or some man’s definition of what it is to live a holy or godly life.