All of Religion today - including Religious Christianity - must, in order to maintain itself, proclaim a watered down "gospel". Religion needs paying and returning customers to survive.
The reality is that Jesus finished the work on the cross and left NOTHING for you and me to do. He didnt (despite popular teaching) "do his part, now you must do yours". Friends, this is NOT the Gospel.
The Good News is that God was in Christ reconciling the WORLD (Cosmos) to himself, not counting their sins against them.
I enjoyed this excerpt from Johns Book, Mystical Union:
Entire Sanctification - John Crowder
There is only one scripture that could remotely indicate that man is a tripartite being, made up of three parts: spirit, soul and body.
May God Himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful and He will do it (1 Thess. 5:23,24 NIV).
Paul is not going into a big clinical dissection of the human composition here. It is simply a closing benediction at the very end of his letter. This term “spirit, soul and body” should be taken loosely as to indicate the entire being. In the same way, Christ spoke of loving God with all your soul, mind, heart and strength. Why didn’t we divide the anatomy of man into these four parts? Elsewhere, Christ mentions only three of these components – soul, heart and mind – but failing to include "strength." The inconsistency shows He didn’t intend to make a strict vivisection of the human into four unique parts. He just meant to love God with your entire being (Luke 10:27; Matt. 22:37).
Unfortunately, we have in this case a massive theological paradigm forming around a single verse of scripture. Whether we have three clinically delineated parts, I don’t really know. And guess what? I really don’t care! If the apostles thought this an important subject, why didn’t they ever talk about it? Paul does say the word is able to “divide spirit and soul,” but he says that in a poetic, allegorical sense, not a theological one (Heb. 4:12). We must be careful of eisegetical interpretation here (imposing one’s preconceived ideas into the text). The traditional Christian view held by the majority of lay people and theologians worldwide – both past and present – is that man is a bipartite creature made of two components: material (body/flesh) and spiritual (soul/spirit). The three-pronged theory wasn’t popular until the days of Watchman Nee and others.
The danger does not come so much from building a theology on one single verse (although that’s dangerous enough). The danger comes from building yet "another" theology on top of the theology that was built on the single verse: Now that I believe I am three parts, I will further believe that salvation only applies to only one of those parts. My spirit is the holy part, my soul is dirty and my body is way down the ladder!
Over time, we have built an entire system on this little verse that is like a crumbling, inverted pyramid. It is bound to fall over. What if the human personhood is far more complex than one, two, three or even a thousand parts? Just as the human body is made anatomically of innumerable parts, what if the unseen part of you is equally as intricate? Luke 17:21 says you have the entire Kingdom within you. The Bridegroom calls you as beautiful as Tirzah – saying you are like an entire City of Delight (Song of Sol. 6:4). Zechariah speaks typologically of you, the New Jerusalem, saying you are so expansive that you are like a city without walls (Zech. 2:2-4). What if the inside of you is far bigger than the outside? The unseen realm may be vastly different than we have supposed. Adam Clarke says that a believer is a “little world in himself.”
To say that one’s perfection applies only to the “spirit man” while attesting that the soul is still dirty and in need of purging, presents a number of problems. Foremost, is the quandary that the spirit and soul are still conjoined. Even a tripartite theologian would not utterly cut off the spirit from the soul – just as to split the bone from marrow would indisputably result in the death of a man. For a man to be alive, his soul and spirit must surely be intertwined just as the soul and body are intrinsically connected. A body without a spirit is a corpse. A soul without a body is a specter.
Assuming hypothetically then that our soul and spirit are two parts, but indeed interconnected, how then would light dwell within the confines of darkness? Is a spirit truly pure if it is still connected to a filthy soul? Is truth really truth when it is laced with error? How would sweet water be couched in a poisoned vessel?
The demarcation of spirit, soul and body does not seem to be the intent of the Apostle Paul, else he would have focused more thoroughly and coherently on the subject. Paul was a masterful logician and would not have left such an important subject veiled, if indeed it was so important to compartmentalize the inner man.
Completely Set Apart
I want to return to the aforementioned verse in question. I intentionally included what I consider to be a terrible translation of it – but I found it to be poorly translated in almost every Bible version I read. Therefore, I translated it myself. It is the primary verse used to suggest that the soul has to be progressively sanctified.
May God Himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful and He will do it (1 Thess. 5:23-24 NIV).
Sounds like a prayer for something that hasn’t happened yet, doesn’t it? Now here’s where theologians put Frankenstein together in the back rooms of their eisegetical laboratories.
For starters, translators added the word “may” to make this sound like a request. May God please clean you up. Also, the word for “sanctify” here is aorist, meaning you can’t honestly specify whether it is repeated, continuous, instantaneous, past or accomplished. In other words, this verse in no way indicates that your sanctification is an ongoing process. It could very well just say “God sanctifies.” In addition, Paul is not speaking to an individual “you” composed of three parts. He doesn’t suggest that each part of “you” needs to be saved. He is speaking corporately to “you all” (umas), the same Greek word Jesus used when He said, “Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men” (Matt. 4:19). Remember, he’s closing a letter to the corporate group.
Finally, Paul speaks of God preserving you. This is the real kicker that knocks the dirty soul idea out of the bucket. The word “be preserved” or tereo indicates that something has already taken place on this side of Christ’s return. Perfection is not coming, but has already been given. Therefore it is preserved. You do not preserve something that you don’t already have. Furthermore, Paul says it is God who guards over it until the end, not you.
After correcting all of these misconceptions, I feel that it actually says something along these lines:
"And Himself, the God of peace, is the one who sets all of you apart completely. Your whole spirit, soul and body is preserved blameless until the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful and He will preserve you."
This is a verse that affirms perfection not filthiness! It attests to your union with God. Some would argue that we are splitting ontological hairs. Why are you getting distracted with Greek syntax Crowder? Why focus on the jot and tittle? Tell us more miracle stories of levitation and stigmatas! Enough with the grammar lessons!
What I am telling you here is one of the most revolutionary principles in Christendom. I am preaching reformation clearer than it was preached 500 years ago. Martin Luther, you didn’t go far enough. God didn’t just cover your sins; He erased sinfulness from you. Jesus saved you. Not some invisible, hidden, intangible part of you. He saved you completely. A complete sacrifice for a complete salvation.
Miracles are pointless if I am working them to induct people into a do-it-yourself religion.
Adam Clarke says of this complete salvation, “But if man be not perfectly saved from all sin, sin does triumph, and satan exult, because they have done a mischief that Christ either cannot or will not remove.”
Much love!!
Andrew
Showing posts with label Cross. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cross. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
The Reconciliation of All Mankind
Some may accused Paul of having a special or exclusive revelation in an attempt to shame him by separating him from the acceptable norm regarding the traditional Jewish beliefs of his day. This "elite grace revelation" that Paul received from Jesus was cause for great trouble for him as well as great joy.
The same could be said for bold men like Martin Luther that stood up proclaiming a "new" revelation of grace in the face of the acceptable Churchianity of his day. I'm positive he was warned many times of the "dangerous path" he was treading down and I'm sure he may even have considered backing down and just keeping his revelation of grace to himself.... "don't rock the boat Martin.... your livelihood depends on it Martin.... What will all your contemporaries think of you Martin?
Thank God guys like Paul and Martin luther never hid the light they received!! It couldn't have been easy....
I am convinced that the Love of God is bigger than our traditions and the desperate need of men to control "their people" by living rules and regulations to be acceptable to God AND man. I believe that when we allow grace to reach its conclusion in every area of our lives and doctrines -not to take grace up till the giant door of tithes and offerings to simply state this far and No further! - we will then begin to see love more clearly than before. We cannot allow Grace to be monopolized in our lifetimes by "big named" leaders. We must let Him run free in our hearts, let Him ask questions with liberty that the answers may turn everything you've ever thought about Him upside down - even if your "leader" disagrees. Surely?
Of course there will be heart-ache if those who disagree with you hold theology above relationship... and "function before friendship".
But truly, these are light and momentary issues in the light of His compelling Love for all men.
I encourage you to embrace you reconciliation whole heartily. Do what HE leads you to do. You can trust Him.
Article written by C Pilkington:
"All things are of God, Who hath reconciled us to Himself by Jesus
Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; to wit
[know], that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself,
not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto
us the word of reconciliation (II Corinthians 5:18-19).
What absolutely amazing words from Paul, God’s apostle to the nations! What a
divine revelation was committed to his trust. Oh, for the faith to fully believe
the disclosure of the divine plan. Oh, for the courage to embrace God’s full
accomplishments in the reconciliatory work of the Lord Jesus Christ!
II Corinthians Chapter 5 is a glorious revelation of what God consummated in His Son. It is
an exceedingly rich presentation by God’s apostle of grace. Here we learn of the full scope of
reconciliation.
Worldwide Reconciliation!
Reconciling the world (cosmos) unto Himself (:19).What was the revelation given to Paul, about God’s work in Christ?
What did he reveal that God actually accomplished in Christ?
Reconciliation!
Hear that word. God procured “reconciliation” through His Son.
Just what is “reconciliation”?
It is the restoration to divine favor.1 The enmity, division and estrangement of man towards God have been removed by the Father Himself – “reconciling the world unto Himself.”
1. Strong’s Greek Lexicon #2643 “katallage,” meaning “restoration to (the divine) favor.”
Noah Webster defines the root of reconciliation (conciliate) as, “to unite.” (American Dictionary of the English
Language, 1828)
It was indeed true that, "When we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son" (Romans 5:10). ( Note that it was by the death of His Son, and NOT only when we believed it to be true.)
The same word that Paul uses for “reconciliation” (2 Cor 5:18-19), is translated in the very next verse
in the King James Version as “atonement” (the old English “at-one-ment”):
We also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by Whom we have now received the
atonement [at-one-ment] (Romans 5:11).2
(2. Or, as other translations have, “received the reconciliation” (American Standard Version, J.N. Darby’s Translation, Young’s Literal Translation).
What a work of reconciliation – atonement – restoration. Nothing stands between the Father and His creation.!!
For whom did God accomplish this work in Christ?
The World!
Reconciling the world (Cosmos) (:19).The reconciling of the world (Romans 11:15).
Reconcile all things unto Himself (Colossians 1:20).
Reconciliation was not just for a few – it was not just believers who were restored to God – the
scope of Christ’s atoning work was revealed by Paul to be worldwide!
The far-reaching, triumphant cross-work of Jesus Christ was not limited to those who currently
believe. He was not partial in His work and accomplishments. He was all-inclusive. Christ did
His wonderful work for the whole world.
Divine Reconciliation
Reconciling the world unto Himself (:19).Reconcile all things unto Himself (Colossians 1:20).
This reconciliation is not man’s work in any sense. Man is not restoring himself to God; man is
not coming to God; but God is coming to man, in Christ: “that God was in Christ, reconciling
the world unto Himself.”
The world did not reconcile itself to God. Instead, it was the Father Who reconciled the world
to Himself. He did so without any effort or merit on man’s part, for He did the work of reconciliation while the world was still His “enemy.” He reconciled the world to Himself by the death of His dear Son.
Reconciliation – the restoration to divine favor – is purely a divine work. It does not take place
by any effort whatsoever on man’s part. The Father “Himself” did the work through the at-one-ment of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. The world has now been made at-one with the Father.
Non Imputation of Sin
Not imputing their trespasses unto them (:19).
Just what does this worldwide reconciliation involve?
It involves the trespasses of the world against Him; and that He is not imputing them. This is an amazing revelation of truth committed to Paul; a revolutionary doctrine in contrast to record-keeping orthodoxy.
Most of Christendom today could not even fathom that the believer’s sins are not being “imputed”
(Romans 4:8); let alone that the work of Christ has obtained something on a far grander scale.
When Paul says, “Not imputing their trespasses unto them,” the “them” is a reference to the
“the world.” Paul taught that God was not imputing the world’s trespasses!
Just what is “imputation”?
It is record-keeping. It is the bookkeeping process of accounting, or numbering. 3
Paul is telling us that God does not tally man’s trespasses against him. He does not record
them. He does not keep an account of them. He does not charge them to one’s record. This
is because,
Christ died for our sins (I Corinthians 15:3);
Because … if One died for all, then were all dead (II Corinthians 5:14).4
3. Strong’s Greek Lexicon #3049, “logizomai,” meaning “to take an inventory.” Some of the other ways that it is translated in the King James Version are: count, account, number, and reckon.
Noah Webster defines “impute” as, “to charge; to attribute; to set to the account of … we impute crimes, sins, trespasses, faults, blame, &c., to the guilty persons.” (American Dictionary of the English Language, 1828)
4. Or, as other translations have:
“that One died for all, therefore all died” (The Holy Bible in Modern English, 1903, Ferrar Fenton)
“that if one for all died, then the whole died” (Young’s Literal Translation, 1863, Robert Young).
The Ministry and Word of Reconciliation
Hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation … Hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation (:18-19).
What a change of attitude reconciliation is from the religious mindset and worldview.
We, as first-trusters,5 have the privilege of enjoying this reconciliation, living in the realization
of divine favor, that nothing stands between us and the Father.
God has given the first-trusters a ministry. We are the Father’s “vessels of mercy” (Romans
9:23); we are to see all men in their relationship to this all-inclusive reconciliation of God. Our
ministry is not institutional, nor organizational; it is simply to share with those around us the
Father’s love and acceptance of them through the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. We only
entreat them,
in Christ’s stead, Be ye reconciled to God (II Corinthians 5:20).
We are not encouraging them to “do” anything; but to simply “be” what the Father has already made them: “reconciled to God.”
That which is committed to us is not the “ministry of condemnation,” nor the “ministry of retribution,” nor the “ministry of judgment” – rather, it is the “ministry of reconciliation.”
Ours is not the “word of wrath,” nor the “word of punishment,” nor the “word of damnation” – rather, it is the “word of reconciliation.”
Our very lives – even down to the nature and intent of what proceeds out of our mouths – are
to be the embodiment of the Father’s reconciliation work in Christ Jesus.
Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man (Colossians 4:6).6
5 That we should be to the praise of His glory, who first trusted in Christ (Ephesians 1:12).
Do not be discouraged as you look around you. What you see is not the end of God’s plan and purpose. Granted, the world is filled with sin and unbelief – that “the whole world lieth in wickedness” (I John 5:19) – but God is not yet done. Don’t judge the final outcome by the current state of things. This is not the finished product of God.
God has not saved us simply to abandon the rest of mankind in eternal torment. We are just the first-trusters, the firstfruits of Christ’s glorious redemptive work. Ultimately God’s plan includes all of His creation. None will be permanently lost. Divine love never fails to reach its goal.
Those of us who now trust the Lord Jesus Christ are but the beginning of God’s glorious work. We are but the first-trusters in His glorious design.
In every harvest there is that small portion of the crop that matures early, before the vast majority of the rest. The firstfruits are a token of that which is to come – the full harvest.
Under the Old Testament economy the firstfruits belonged to God, and were holy unto Him.
In every generation, and in every place, God has had His firstfruits; those that come to harvest earlier than the rest.
What a blessed privilege to be the firstfruits of the Lord, and just as God has brought us to faith, He too will bring the rest of His creation.
What a joy to be in on God’s early plans! As a part of the firstfruits of the harvest we have so much to be thankful for.
We are especially thrilled when we think how our Father has made us co-laborers with Him in His sovereign plan to include all of His creation in His full harvest.
6. Note that Paul does not say “what ye ought to answer” – but “how ye ought to answer.”
How? “always with grace!”
… “That it may minister grace unto the hearers” (Ephesians 4:29).
Ultimate Realization
The world has been unioned with the Father. He has removed all enmity, division, and estrangement. Through Christ the world has been brought into the fullness of divine favor.Not all the world has this knowledge at this time. They are still “alienated and enemies,” but this condition exists ONLY in their minds (Colossians 1:21).7 This is not how things really are now. The world only needs to be brought to the realization of their reconciliation, and this will come in due course.
The Father has already made all men reconciled to Himself. Now, men only need to “be” what He has made them – “reconciled to God.” In our Father’s own good course of time, all will indeed “be reconciled to God.”
Until that time, ours is truly a good news ministry; and we are privileged to live in the spirit of divine reconciliation – allowing it to permeate our attitudes, hearts and lives. In the spirit of our Father, we are free to live in personal reconciliation among ourselves and with others.
7. "And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath He
reconciled. "
Interestingly the word that is translated “reconciled” here is Strong’s Greek Lexicon #604 “apokatallasso” which is a compound word from #575 and #2644, meaning “to reconcile fully.”
This is the word that is used in Colossians 1:20:
"And, having made peace through the blood of His cross, by Him to reconcile all things unto Himself; by Him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven."
By Paul’s use of the word here, we can see that “all things” will indeed one day be “fully reconciled” unto Him. This “full reconciliation” takes place when the mental alienation is finally removed in all creation.
That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under
the earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father”
(Philippians 2:10-11)."
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Wrath!!!
In the light of the Gospel that we have come to know, believe and deeply love, one of the delights I have had is the continuous revelation that Father gives. As we journey with HIM into greater freedom and the more He shows us Who he really is, we are continually faced with new views of Him that He wants us to replace the old religious ones with.
The old traditional view of Wrath is a real stickler and I doubt (but deeply hope) that this one will leave without putting up a fight. But, as Ive come to discover, writings and authors that I would have rejected outright a few years ago, I now embrace. Seeing His love for me has made all the difference, and a lot of "confusing or so called truth in tension" scriptures have begun to make a lot more sense in the light of The Gospel (Im dont speak lightly when I say that during most of the previous decade, what I spent studying and learning about was a far cry from what I now see The Gospel as).
No Regrets - It could have been 2 decades!!
WRATH: Religion will tell you that this has to do with God pouring out His anger over sinners. I beg to differ and would (hopefully in a blog or two's time) like to show that Religion has created a god in its own image and likeness!!
Wrath....???
"Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them." - John 3:36
A few days before John had said these words, Jesus was teaching that God is Loving towards all men -("the entire world" - Cosmos) - BOTH believers AND non-believers, and will not condemn them. He said:
"Joh 3:16 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.
Joh 3:17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might (will) be saved."
"....but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them."
There are a few words used in Greek that translate into the word "life". In this instance John uses the word "Zoe". "Zoe" is the type of God-life that only comes from Him as a gift to all who trust in His Son. It is the very substance and essence of God's life. If one refuses to trust (or direct their faith towards) the work of the Son they can't experience this free gift of Zoe-Life(Salvation) - BUT their rejection DOES NOT make God angry* (as is commonly believed) , rather it stirs His passion and desire** for them even more - that they would yet taste and see His delight in doing only GOOD to them (Jer 32:40-41).
(*Isa 54:9 "This is like the days of Noah to me: as I swore that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth, so I have sworn that I will not be angry with you, and will not rebuke you. (ESV)
** The word "Wrath" by definition, properly, has NOTHING to do with Anger but Rather refers to Gods "Desire" and "Passion" resting on them (His desire and Passion is love flavoured - 3:16).
So, "....but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them.", can also read "But whoever rejects Jesus cant experience Gods intended life, nevertheless/ notwithstanding/ yet God's desire and extreme passion continues towards them" (!!!!!!!!!!!)
The implicated passionate indignation or vengeance side of "wrath" is NOT directed toward its object of desire!!! But, rather its directed towards that which would harm it - sin!
That's what HE ACCOMPLISHED in Himself on the Cross... against sin:
Rom 8:1 For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh,
His wrath (ie, His desire/passion for US, and His indignation/vengeance against sin) was shown for us all to see when "He made Him Who knew no sin to become sin (noun) for us..." (2 Cor 5:21)
John 3:18 "He that believeth in Him is not condemned (also:"Judged") ; but He that believeth not is condemned (also:"Judged") already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
Jesus then in the very next verse (vs 19) TELLS US what the condemnation/judgement is - AND he says that THEY ARE ALREADY under this Decision of His. It is not a future Decision, but a Past Decision!!
John 3:19 And this is the judgment (His decision): that the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light, because their deeds were evil. (sin was messing with mankind - the object of His affection)
God made a decision/judgement about them: They are truth rejecters because they are under the dominion of sin!! He saw that they prefer evil and darkness. He does not condemn them but intensely desires to win them over with His Love and Goodness (Rom 2:4).
He showed this Decision/Judgement throughout His life that He (God) was A "FRIEND OF SINNERS" (Luke 15:1), That He "came into the world to save sinners"(1 Tim 1:15)
In other words this Judgement of GOD that Unbelievers are under was TO BENEFIT THEM, NOT TO HARM THEM. To draw them back to Him.. to LOVE them back to their senses:
Rom 2:4 Don't you know that the reason God is good to you is because he wants you to turn to him? (CEV)
The big fear-inducing "God's wrath-stick" that Religion has been waving over Jesus' Bride has been grossly misunderstood and on-taught to millions over the years and all the while, instead of revealing to us just how awesome His love towards us is, has instead been a sickening cause of legalistic conformity and life-chocking bondage!!
As I have grown in my understanding of His amazing Love and Grace, even His "Wrath" has become for me a beautiful attraction to Him. How deep the Fathers Love for us, How vast beyond all measure, that He would give His only Son, to make a wretch His Treasure!!
Love
Andrew
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
A Glorious Church VS a Laborious Church
This article BY DARIN HUFFORD is very good and very true in a lot of cases. I really, really encourage you to read it all. Catch the heart of the author. Its NOT a call for rebellion to break out, but a pointing back to Jesus and the simple REALITY that our UNION with HIM affords every believer!!
Father wants us to be OURSELVES! This is where Kingdom adventures are found....
“My wife and I made a decision about two and a half years ago that we were going to stop going to the “Institutional church”. We did not come to this conclusion through bitterness caused by church, we simply made a decision based on things that we had seen and personally felt for years but were (until that time) unwilling to admit. When I say “church” I am not talking about the Church Universal. I’m talking about the institution of church that we know today.
For the most part I think “church” is a business. In fact, many churches readily and openly admit that. I have a difficult time believing that what we know of “church” today is at all what Christ had in mind. It’s become a play. Worse than that; it’s become a rerun of a play. And yet even worse, it’s become a rerun of a play, lead by hijackers.
Someone somewhere along the line got the idea of putting on a “play” for people and calling it church. The spectators sit quietly waiting for the performance to begin. Each week they start with colorful music and someone leads them in four or five songs. Then the spectators sit down and wait for the announcements. Once that’s finished, the spectators are encouraged to give money to the “playhouse”. Then the spectators sit quietly and listen to a guy stand up and tell them what God is saying.
When he finishes, all the spectators file out the door, pick up their children and head for home. On the way home they discuss the play. How the worship team did, how the Pastor preached and so on. Seven days later, they return and experience it all over again.
I call it a “rerun” of a play because if you have been to church for three years or more, that’s exactly what it is.
They basically quit filming new episodes, and are now playing the spectators reruns of old episodes. It’s the same thing every week. Perhaps this is why Christ’s ministry was only three years.
After that, He would only be repeating Himself. Other than a new song here and there, everything else is pretty much the same. The Pastor reminds you that “Christ took the nails for you”, and you need not to sin, and you need to read your Bible and pray, and (most importantly) you need to come to church every week and put money in the offering, and then it’s over.
Week in and week out, it’s the same thing.
I’m not blaming the Pastors of America for this. I honestly don’t think it’s their fault for not preaching something “new” every week. Truthfully, I don’t think they could even if they wanted to.
I do however; blame them for making people feel like they have to continue coming week after week or else God will be disappointed in them.
This is where the “business” of the playhouse comes in. People are encouraged to keep coming back because the organization needs their money. If people ever felt like they could graduate from the institution, and live their lives in the world with what they know, it would be a devastating blow that eventually would destroy the institution.
It is this way because “church” as you and I know it today has been built on the teaching that “once you are in, you are never allowed to leave”. There is no such thing as graduation or moving on. We are taught that we must attend every week for the rest of our lives regardless of whether we know the Gospel or not.
If you think rationally about it; it’s a ridiculous notion to think that anyone benefits much from sitting through a re-cap of something they already know week after week.
It’s even more ridiculous to believe that people “need” to be there every week in order to grow spiritually. My personal opinion is that it’s just not worth going after a certain amount of time. It’s not even set up for fellowship.
You come alone, you sit alone, you worship alone, you listen to the sermon alone and you leave alone.
Real fellowship happens at Starbucks with a friend or in your home over dinner with people you love.
Yes the Bible does say, “Do not forsake the gathering together” but that’s a far cry from “Do not forsake going to a building and singing songs that were selected by someone else and sitting quietly while a guy talks for forty five minutes about a bunch of stuff you have either already heard or you already knew, and then leaving”. That’s not church; that’s tradition.
All in all I think the institutional church is great for people who don’t have any Christian friends. It’s a great place to meet other believers. If you DO have Christian friends however, why would you continue to go?
My belief is that you ARE the church.
When people ask me where I go to church, it’s like asking me where I go to Darin.
I AM the church. Wherever I go, church is there because I am there. I am outreach, wherever I go there is an outreach because I am there. I think the problem with the modern day church is that people “GO TO IT”.
It shouldn’t be a place we go. Church should be something we become.
I say that the modern day church is a “rerun of a play” that is lead by “hijackers” because I feel that the modern day church has hijacked everything that flows naturally from people who know and love God. They have institutionalized “heart things” and forced them into a robotic and ritualistic set of traditions.
The problem with the Institution of Church as we know it today is that it almost always seeks to “take over” or “hijack” every living expression that results from authentic relationship. Then it tries to purchase a spiritual Patent on each individual experience and dictate when and where it will manifest again.
Over time we find that everything that would naturally flow from relationship with God is no longer allowed to flow naturally. It must now flow under the orders and instruction of those who run the Institution.
Beautiful things such as communion have now become cold and institutionalized. After all “church” now owns the Patent on communion. It was originally created so that people who love each other could have dinner together and in the midst of that time of fellowship, they would stop and remember Christ and what He accomplished on their behalf.
They would acknowledge their present freedom and give praise to the One who brought it to them. Today, however, communion has been reduced to anything BUT communion.
We now sit in neat little rows, and are handed a shot glass of grape juice and a tiny cracker. We partake of it like robot-clones on a massive assembly line.
There is no fellowship, no eating together, no enjoying the company of the person next to you, no interactive conversation about the work of Christ, and no freedom. You see-dinner with friends and discussions about Christ are things that naturally flow from a person who knows Christ and has freedom. The institution has hijacked that natural thing and taken away its life.
Another intimate thing that has been hijacked by the institution is Worship. Did you know that everywhere in the New Testament where worship is mentioned, it is described as something that transpires between the individual and God alone? New Testament worship is a lifestyle of intimacy between a person and their God.
Today it has been hijacked by the institution and worship begins at 7:00pm and ends at precisely 7:30pm on Sunday nights. We are told what to sing, how to sing it, when to raise our hands to God, when to clap our hands, when to stand up and when to sit down. It begins when they tell us it begins and it ends when they decide it ends.
The very life of worship has been strangled out of almost everyone’s personal walk.
Giving is one of the most beautiful “natural manifestations” of a person filled with the love of God. Unfortunately the institution has hijacked that as well.
A “giver” by today’s Christian standards is a person who gives to the institution. Almost all teachings on giving today are in reference to giving to the church. Even the very essence of giving has been turned upside down. The New Testament teaches “freely you have received, now freely give” and the institution has turned it around and convinced an entire generation that “If you freely give, you will freely receive”.
I personally believe that the day “true giving” was murdered was the day that the teaching of “Seed Faith Giving” was introduced to the church. “Giving” went from being something a person did out of love for another, to being something we are taught to do in order to get something in return. We are even told how much to give, where to give and when to give it.
The spontaneity of giving from a heart of love (2 Cor. 9:7) has been quenched and beaten into an exact mold to fit the institutions purposes. I have said many times that the world is unaffected by the giving of the church, because the church doesn’t give to the world, it gives to itself. The church stiffs the world.
Today’s church members cannot even have relationships unless they were formed and directed by the institution. People are told where to go to “cell group”, who to open up to, what to do when at the meeting and how to do it. Nothing is allowed to happen on its own.
Everything is pre-determined and laid out in the exact institutional order. Gone are the days where each person chooses their own friends based on who they “click” with and who they don’t. Today, friendship is determined and ordered by the leadership and who ever the church links you together with.
If you live on 5th street and Main, and Mr., and Mrs. Jones live close to your area; they become your “home fellowship” group. You must open up to them and have relationship with them. Every Thursday evening at 6:00 sharp-relationship begins and at approximately 7:45 it ends. You are encouraged to NOT have friends outside of the church. The institution dictates where you can and cannot go after work, who you can go there with and what you can and can’t do while you are there.
If you look closely all throughout the institution, you will find that almost every single area of a person’s life is “taken over” and hijacked by the institution. Even things like “hearing from God” have been taken away. People are taught that the way they hear from God is “through the pastor” or “through others in the institution”.
Even the most personal things of all are stripped away. The beauty and honor of being responsible for your children growing up with an understanding of the Heart of God, is hijacked away from you. Now the institution makes no bones about the fact that they believe it’s their responsibility to teach your children. If you don’t bring your kids to their classes, YOU are failing.
How has this happened? In the beginning, the institution of church served the people. Today it has been reversed. The people are taunted and manipulated into serving the institution.
I do believe it’s time for people to take a stand and yell “FREEDOM”!!!!!” We need to take back what was stolen from us.
Father wants us to be OURSELVES! This is where Kingdom adventures are found....
“My wife and I made a decision about two and a half years ago that we were going to stop going to the “Institutional church”. We did not come to this conclusion through bitterness caused by church, we simply made a decision based on things that we had seen and personally felt for years but were (until that time) unwilling to admit. When I say “church” I am not talking about the Church Universal. I’m talking about the institution of church that we know today.
For the most part I think “church” is a business. In fact, many churches readily and openly admit that. I have a difficult time believing that what we know of “church” today is at all what Christ had in mind. It’s become a play. Worse than that; it’s become a rerun of a play. And yet even worse, it’s become a rerun of a play, lead by hijackers.
Someone somewhere along the line got the idea of putting on a “play” for people and calling it church. The spectators sit quietly waiting for the performance to begin. Each week they start with colorful music and someone leads them in four or five songs. Then the spectators sit down and wait for the announcements. Once that’s finished, the spectators are encouraged to give money to the “playhouse”. Then the spectators sit quietly and listen to a guy stand up and tell them what God is saying.
When he finishes, all the spectators file out the door, pick up their children and head for home. On the way home they discuss the play. How the worship team did, how the Pastor preached and so on. Seven days later, they return and experience it all over again.
I call it a “rerun” of a play because if you have been to church for three years or more, that’s exactly what it is.
They basically quit filming new episodes, and are now playing the spectators reruns of old episodes. It’s the same thing every week. Perhaps this is why Christ’s ministry was only three years.
After that, He would only be repeating Himself. Other than a new song here and there, everything else is pretty much the same. The Pastor reminds you that “Christ took the nails for you”, and you need not to sin, and you need to read your Bible and pray, and (most importantly) you need to come to church every week and put money in the offering, and then it’s over.
Week in and week out, it’s the same thing.
I’m not blaming the Pastors of America for this. I honestly don’t think it’s their fault for not preaching something “new” every week. Truthfully, I don’t think they could even if they wanted to.
I do however; blame them for making people feel like they have to continue coming week after week or else God will be disappointed in them.
This is where the “business” of the playhouse comes in. People are encouraged to keep coming back because the organization needs their money. If people ever felt like they could graduate from the institution, and live their lives in the world with what they know, it would be a devastating blow that eventually would destroy the institution.
It is this way because “church” as you and I know it today has been built on the teaching that “once you are in, you are never allowed to leave”. There is no such thing as graduation or moving on. We are taught that we must attend every week for the rest of our lives regardless of whether we know the Gospel or not.
If you think rationally about it; it’s a ridiculous notion to think that anyone benefits much from sitting through a re-cap of something they already know week after week.
It’s even more ridiculous to believe that people “need” to be there every week in order to grow spiritually. My personal opinion is that it’s just not worth going after a certain amount of time. It’s not even set up for fellowship.
You come alone, you sit alone, you worship alone, you listen to the sermon alone and you leave alone.
Real fellowship happens at Starbucks with a friend or in your home over dinner with people you love.
Yes the Bible does say, “Do not forsake the gathering together” but that’s a far cry from “Do not forsake going to a building and singing songs that were selected by someone else and sitting quietly while a guy talks for forty five minutes about a bunch of stuff you have either already heard or you already knew, and then leaving”. That’s not church; that’s tradition.
All in all I think the institutional church is great for people who don’t have any Christian friends. It’s a great place to meet other believers. If you DO have Christian friends however, why would you continue to go?
My belief is that you ARE the church.
When people ask me where I go to church, it’s like asking me where I go to Darin.
I AM the church. Wherever I go, church is there because I am there. I am outreach, wherever I go there is an outreach because I am there. I think the problem with the modern day church is that people “GO TO IT”.
It shouldn’t be a place we go. Church should be something we become.
I say that the modern day church is a “rerun of a play” that is lead by “hijackers” because I feel that the modern day church has hijacked everything that flows naturally from people who know and love God. They have institutionalized “heart things” and forced them into a robotic and ritualistic set of traditions.
The problem with the Institution of Church as we know it today is that it almost always seeks to “take over” or “hijack” every living expression that results from authentic relationship. Then it tries to purchase a spiritual Patent on each individual experience and dictate when and where it will manifest again.
Over time we find that everything that would naturally flow from relationship with God is no longer allowed to flow naturally. It must now flow under the orders and instruction of those who run the Institution.
Beautiful things such as communion have now become cold and institutionalized. After all “church” now owns the Patent on communion. It was originally created so that people who love each other could have dinner together and in the midst of that time of fellowship, they would stop and remember Christ and what He accomplished on their behalf.
They would acknowledge their present freedom and give praise to the One who brought it to them. Today, however, communion has been reduced to anything BUT communion.
We now sit in neat little rows, and are handed a shot glass of grape juice and a tiny cracker. We partake of it like robot-clones on a massive assembly line.
There is no fellowship, no eating together, no enjoying the company of the person next to you, no interactive conversation about the work of Christ, and no freedom. You see-dinner with friends and discussions about Christ are things that naturally flow from a person who knows Christ and has freedom. The institution has hijacked that natural thing and taken away its life.
Another intimate thing that has been hijacked by the institution is Worship. Did you know that everywhere in the New Testament where worship is mentioned, it is described as something that transpires between the individual and God alone? New Testament worship is a lifestyle of intimacy between a person and their God.
Today it has been hijacked by the institution and worship begins at 7:00pm and ends at precisely 7:30pm on Sunday nights. We are told what to sing, how to sing it, when to raise our hands to God, when to clap our hands, when to stand up and when to sit down. It begins when they tell us it begins and it ends when they decide it ends.
The very life of worship has been strangled out of almost everyone’s personal walk.
Giving is one of the most beautiful “natural manifestations” of a person filled with the love of God. Unfortunately the institution has hijacked that as well.
A “giver” by today’s Christian standards is a person who gives to the institution. Almost all teachings on giving today are in reference to giving to the church. Even the very essence of giving has been turned upside down. The New Testament teaches “freely you have received, now freely give” and the institution has turned it around and convinced an entire generation that “If you freely give, you will freely receive”.
I personally believe that the day “true giving” was murdered was the day that the teaching of “Seed Faith Giving” was introduced to the church. “Giving” went from being something a person did out of love for another, to being something we are taught to do in order to get something in return. We are even told how much to give, where to give and when to give it.
The spontaneity of giving from a heart of love (2 Cor. 9:7) has been quenched and beaten into an exact mold to fit the institutions purposes. I have said many times that the world is unaffected by the giving of the church, because the church doesn’t give to the world, it gives to itself. The church stiffs the world.
Today’s church members cannot even have relationships unless they were formed and directed by the institution. People are told where to go to “cell group”, who to open up to, what to do when at the meeting and how to do it. Nothing is allowed to happen on its own.
Everything is pre-determined and laid out in the exact institutional order. Gone are the days where each person chooses their own friends based on who they “click” with and who they don’t. Today, friendship is determined and ordered by the leadership and who ever the church links you together with.
If you live on 5th street and Main, and Mr., and Mrs. Jones live close to your area; they become your “home fellowship” group. You must open up to them and have relationship with them. Every Thursday evening at 6:00 sharp-relationship begins and at approximately 7:45 it ends. You are encouraged to NOT have friends outside of the church. The institution dictates where you can and cannot go after work, who you can go there with and what you can and can’t do while you are there.
If you look closely all throughout the institution, you will find that almost every single area of a person’s life is “taken over” and hijacked by the institution. Even things like “hearing from God” have been taken away. People are taught that the way they hear from God is “through the pastor” or “through others in the institution”.
Even the most personal things of all are stripped away. The beauty and honor of being responsible for your children growing up with an understanding of the Heart of God, is hijacked away from you. Now the institution makes no bones about the fact that they believe it’s their responsibility to teach your children. If you don’t bring your kids to their classes, YOU are failing.
How has this happened? In the beginning, the institution of church served the people. Today it has been reversed. The people are taunted and manipulated into serving the institution.
I do believe it’s time for people to take a stand and yell “FREEDOM”!!!!!” We need to take back what was stolen from us.
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
The Cross is the Grand Finale!
Friends. "We need real meat and no longer just the simple Cross", must be the single most ridiculous thing anyone could ever say. Many believers have been hoodwinked by an unhealthy overflow of the "teachers movement" that has for years been dominating "Christian Television". The misunderstanding that "The Word of God" is the Bible and we need to be "firmly grounded in the Word" , meaning having a deep theology, instead of realizing that the "Word" is NOT THE BIBLE, but JESUS.
To get caught up with any theme other than Jesus and His finished work will lead you to eventually loose your Joy. And slowly but surely the Power of God that is attached to the Good News will dwindle in your life until you reach conclusions like: "Oh, those miracles we saw were just a move of God, and then He stopped." Friends!!!, if we are believing silly statements like that, its because we have drifted away from the feasting table of the Lamb.
One can argue all they like to defend a powerless "Gospel", but it wont change the fact that what they are believing is really "no Gospel at all".
If the cross doesn't make you happy, you have come to the wrong cross. We certainly need to continue to boast about what Jesus has done. There is nothing more convincing to the world than believers enjoying Him publicly.
Just how far has mainline orthodoxy and reformed theology led His church astray. So much so that in many "church services" it is unacceptable to be overcome with the revelation of His intoxicating love!!
God invites us to be "drunk on His love" (Song 5:1). Seriously, lets sober up and fast from bad theology by drinking down the truth of the simple Gospel!!
God bless you all and remember that its better to have communion with the Author of the Book instead of the book itself.
Love
Andrew
To get caught up with any theme other than Jesus and His finished work will lead you to eventually loose your Joy. And slowly but surely the Power of God that is attached to the Good News will dwindle in your life until you reach conclusions like: "Oh, those miracles we saw were just a move of God, and then He stopped." Friends!!!, if we are believing silly statements like that, its because we have drifted away from the feasting table of the Lamb.
One can argue all they like to defend a powerless "Gospel", but it wont change the fact that what they are believing is really "no Gospel at all".
If the cross doesn't make you happy, you have come to the wrong cross. We certainly need to continue to boast about what Jesus has done. There is nothing more convincing to the world than believers enjoying Him publicly.
Just how far has mainline orthodoxy and reformed theology led His church astray. So much so that in many "church services" it is unacceptable to be overcome with the revelation of His intoxicating love!!
God invites us to be "drunk on His love" (Song 5:1). Seriously, lets sober up and fast from bad theology by drinking down the truth of the simple Gospel!!
God bless you all and remember that its better to have communion with the Author of the Book instead of the book itself.
Love
Andrew
Sunday, January 24, 2010
The Means of Grace
There are many ways in which we may receive grace. It may come to us through the ministry of others who have received it. We may receive it through meditating on passages of the Bible, or through the worship and sacraments of the Christian fellowship. However, there is only one ultimate means of grace, the cross of Christ. This, of course, does not mean that before the cross God was not gracious. Grace is eternally one of the characteristics of God’s nature. In fact, Paul tells us that the grace that comes to us through the cross “was given to us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, but it has been revealed to us through the appearing of our Saviour, Jesus Christ…” (2 Timothy 1:9,10). It seems it was the grace of God back in eternity that set in motion the whole of creation, in order that God might have people like you and me to share it with.
There are many glimpses of grace through the Old Testament, but it was not until Christ was made known in his humanity, and particularly through his willing death for our sins, that it was fully revealed. In Titus 2:11 Paul says that the grace of God “appeared” with the coming of Christ. This is the same Greek word used in Luke 1:78, 79, “the rising sun will come to us from heaven to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace.” Grace had always been there in the nature of God, but it “shone forth” with the coming of Jesus, and especially through his cross. As Jerry Bridges put it, “Christ’s death was the result of God’s grace; grace is not the result of Christ’s death.” The cross was the means by which it was made possible for us to receive it. Maybe there is some significance in the fact that with the giving of the law at Mount Sinai 3,000 people perished, while at Pentecost 3,,000 people were saved (Exodus 32:28; Acts 2:41).
Alan E. Lewis, in his impressive volume Between Cross and Resurrection: A Theology of Holy Saturday, describes the consistency of God’s expression of grace with his eternal nature, like this:
Embodied for us in time by the eternal Son, grace is revealed as everlasting: the consistent, unambiguous expression of God’s nature. It remains, to be sure, God’s free choice to love us and adopt us, not some necessary principle of divine being; but this freely chosen grace confirms and corresponds to God’s true nature; and it is a freedom exercised eternally, not in accidental moments.
It was because God is a gracious God that the cross became a necessity, as there is no way in which we could be the recipients of grace without the offering of God’s Son for our sins. It is the cross that explains the significance of Paul’s statement in Romans 5:21, “just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness”. In offering us his grace, God is not being unrighteous in ignoring the fact of sin and evil. At the cross, sin received the full weight of his judgement. Through our identification with Christ in his death, grace can now reign “through righteousness”. Our forgiveness and continued access to his grace is fully consistent with God’s righteousness.
3 significant "BUT's"
In the first three chapters of Romans, Paul describes in some detail why all the human race, Jews and Gentiles, are guilty under God’s law and have no hope of proving themselves righteous before him. However, half way through chapter 3 he declares, “But [1] now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known…This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ … all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. … He did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus” (vv. 21-26).
[1] Italics mine.
In Ephesians 2, Paul describes how we were spiritually dead in our sins, subject to the ways of this world and the spirit of evil, slaves to our sinful nature and deserving God’s anger. He continues, “But [2] because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved” (vv. 4, 5). He goes on to explain that it was “by the blood of Christ” and “through the cross” that this was achieved (vv. 11-18).
[2] Italics mine.
In Paul’s letter to Titus he describes how “At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures” (3:3). Then comes the third “but”. “But [3] when the kindness and love of God our Saviour appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but … through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Saviour, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life” (vv. 4-7). Though the cross is not specifically mentioned here, it is certainly implied.
Another significant word that Paul used is the word “still”, in Romans 5. In verse 6 he says, “when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.” In verse 8 he says, “While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” In verse 10 he says, “while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son”. There you have grace! While we were still weak, sinners and enemies, we were reconciled.
Although grace is freely and undeservedly given to us, it is not without cost to God. It cost him the cross.
“A sin-soaked criminal is received by a blood-stained Saviour. That’s the pure definition of grace.” :
As someone has said, “At the cross, God gave the most precious thing he possessed for the most undeserving people he knew.” This truth is vividly illustrated by Christ’s acceptance of the repentant thief while hanging on the cross. “Today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43). As Henk Hamsteeg put it in an article in Challenge Weekly, “A sin-soaked criminal is received by a blood-stained Saviour. That’s the pure definition of grace.” And, as Paul declares in Romans 8, his great chapter on the blessings that come to us through the cross, “He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?” (v. 32). All things, that is, that are for our good, in time and in eternity (cf. v. 28). Paul argues here from the greater to the lesser. If God has graciously given his greatest gift, his Son to die for us, to meet our greatest need, our need for reconciliation, then this is the guarantee we have that his gracious meeting of our other needs will follow. “If God is for us, who can be against us?” (v. 31). Who indeed?
I found this article at: http://www.christianity.co.nz/grace-6.htm
God Blessed you!!
Andrew
There are many glimpses of grace through the Old Testament, but it was not until Christ was made known in his humanity, and particularly through his willing death for our sins, that it was fully revealed. In Titus 2:11 Paul says that the grace of God “appeared” with the coming of Christ. This is the same Greek word used in Luke 1:78, 79, “the rising sun will come to us from heaven to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace.” Grace had always been there in the nature of God, but it “shone forth” with the coming of Jesus, and especially through his cross. As Jerry Bridges put it, “Christ’s death was the result of God’s grace; grace is not the result of Christ’s death.” The cross was the means by which it was made possible for us to receive it. Maybe there is some significance in the fact that with the giving of the law at Mount Sinai 3,000 people perished, while at Pentecost 3,,000 people were saved (Exodus 32:28; Acts 2:41).
Alan E. Lewis, in his impressive volume Between Cross and Resurrection: A Theology of Holy Saturday, describes the consistency of God’s expression of grace with his eternal nature, like this:
Embodied for us in time by the eternal Son, grace is revealed as everlasting: the consistent, unambiguous expression of God’s nature. It remains, to be sure, God’s free choice to love us and adopt us, not some necessary principle of divine being; but this freely chosen grace confirms and corresponds to God’s true nature; and it is a freedom exercised eternally, not in accidental moments.
It was because God is a gracious God that the cross became a necessity, as there is no way in which we could be the recipients of grace without the offering of God’s Son for our sins. It is the cross that explains the significance of Paul’s statement in Romans 5:21, “just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness”. In offering us his grace, God is not being unrighteous in ignoring the fact of sin and evil. At the cross, sin received the full weight of his judgement. Through our identification with Christ in his death, grace can now reign “through righteousness”. Our forgiveness and continued access to his grace is fully consistent with God’s righteousness.
3 significant "BUT's"
In the first three chapters of Romans, Paul describes in some detail why all the human race, Jews and Gentiles, are guilty under God’s law and have no hope of proving themselves righteous before him. However, half way through chapter 3 he declares, “But [1] now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known…This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ … all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. … He did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus” (vv. 21-26).
[1] Italics mine.
In Ephesians 2, Paul describes how we were spiritually dead in our sins, subject to the ways of this world and the spirit of evil, slaves to our sinful nature and deserving God’s anger. He continues, “But [2] because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved” (vv. 4, 5). He goes on to explain that it was “by the blood of Christ” and “through the cross” that this was achieved (vv. 11-18).
[2] Italics mine.
In Paul’s letter to Titus he describes how “At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures” (3:3). Then comes the third “but”. “But [3] when the kindness and love of God our Saviour appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but … through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Saviour, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life” (vv. 4-7). Though the cross is not specifically mentioned here, it is certainly implied.
Another significant word that Paul used is the word “still”, in Romans 5. In verse 6 he says, “when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.” In verse 8 he says, “While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” In verse 10 he says, “while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son”. There you have grace! While we were still weak, sinners and enemies, we were reconciled.
Although grace is freely and undeservedly given to us, it is not without cost to God. It cost him the cross.
“A sin-soaked criminal is received by a blood-stained Saviour. That’s the pure definition of grace.” :
As someone has said, “At the cross, God gave the most precious thing he possessed for the most undeserving people he knew.” This truth is vividly illustrated by Christ’s acceptance of the repentant thief while hanging on the cross. “Today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43). As Henk Hamsteeg put it in an article in Challenge Weekly, “A sin-soaked criminal is received by a blood-stained Saviour. That’s the pure definition of grace.” And, as Paul declares in Romans 8, his great chapter on the blessings that come to us through the cross, “He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?” (v. 32). All things, that is, that are for our good, in time and in eternity (cf. v. 28). Paul argues here from the greater to the lesser. If God has graciously given his greatest gift, his Son to die for us, to meet our greatest need, our need for reconciliation, then this is the guarantee we have that his gracious meeting of our other needs will follow. “If God is for us, who can be against us?” (v. 31). Who indeed?
I found this article at: http://www.christianity.co.nz/grace-6.htm
God Blessed you!!
Andrew
Friday, January 8, 2010
Living in His Promises
So many believers today know that Jesus died for them to save them, but are very much unaware of the full implication of this. A huge step in the right direction towards victory in absolutely every area of our lives is when we really begin to believe what we know:
1Jo 4:16 And we have known and believed the love that God has in us.
The more we rest in what He has done for us on the Cross, the less we will strive in our own attempts to achieve a victorious life. This is an amazing truth!!
Rom 4:16 says that the way we receive the promises of God is NOT by self-effort and obedience to the Law (:a list of right and wrong behavior to inherit or loose out blessings).
Us, receiving the promises of God in our lives is dependent on us having Faith in the Grace (Unmerited/undeserved Favor) of God towards us.
But Andrew, how does simply believing that help my marriage?
God tells us that His Promises are received by Faith in His Grace. Now, one of God's promises' is that He brought life and life abundantly -that you would experience His Goodness towards you in every area of life.
Your marriage that may not be in an "ideal" place more reflects the work of Satan "to rob, kill and destroy" and is NOT reflecting "life abundantly" therefore still needs to line up to Gods word.
God says that if you are trying in your own strength to fix it, you cant receive Gods Promises, because His promises are not received by mans effort but by Faith in Gods Grace towards you because of Jesus' finished work.
"You mean to say I must just sit back and do nothing, and it will all "just work out"!
No, just make sure that what you do do, has the Love of God (the Good News) fueling it, and for that to happen.... you need to believe (not just know) the full extent of Jesus on Calvary.
This is why:
Scripture says:
1Jo 4:19 We love, because he first loved us.
We must see the "hugeness" of Gods love directed towards you by sending Jesus to take your place of Judgment based on Gods Holy wrath towards all of your sin, and in so doing, completely and forever removing it from Gods sight (Psalm 103) and memory (Jer 31, Heb 8) because of His Righteous acquittal of you.
He would now be UNRIGHTEOUS if He was still holding your sins against you.
When we see this amazingly Good News of His great love towards us, it causes us to love Him, and others.
We love, BECAUSE we know and believe His love for us, even while we were still in sin (unbelievers). It is COMPLETELY unconditional of you! Its ONLY CONDITIONAL of your perfect sacrifice - Jesus!
When you Just Believe the Gospel, the result is Love for others..... included your husband or wife. Even when they "dont deserve it", once you "know AND UNDERSTAND" His love for you - the fruit is Love for others.
Love for others is NOT a work of the flesh (self effort)..... it is a FRUIT that is borne by the Holy spirit living in you,(Gal 5)
His promise is that if we have Faith in His Grace, we will walk in His Promises.
Lets Trust that Sarah (Grace) is able to raise up Isaac (Children of the Promise) (Gal 4:21-31)
Keep living Blessed!!
Andrew
1Jo 4:16 And we have known and believed the love that God has in us.
The more we rest in what He has done for us on the Cross, the less we will strive in our own attempts to achieve a victorious life. This is an amazing truth!!
Rom 4:16 says that the way we receive the promises of God is NOT by self-effort and obedience to the Law (:a list of right and wrong behavior to inherit or loose out blessings).
Us, receiving the promises of God in our lives is dependent on us having Faith in the Grace (Unmerited/undeserved Favor) of God towards us.
But Andrew, how does simply believing that help my marriage?
God tells us that His Promises are received by Faith in His Grace. Now, one of God's promises' is that He brought life and life abundantly -that you would experience His Goodness towards you in every area of life.
Your marriage that may not be in an "ideal" place more reflects the work of Satan "to rob, kill and destroy" and is NOT reflecting "life abundantly" therefore still needs to line up to Gods word.
God says that if you are trying in your own strength to fix it, you cant receive Gods Promises, because His promises are not received by mans effort but by Faith in Gods Grace towards you because of Jesus' finished work.
"You mean to say I must just sit back and do nothing, and it will all "just work out"!
No, just make sure that what you do do, has the Love of God (the Good News) fueling it, and for that to happen.... you need to believe (not just know) the full extent of Jesus on Calvary.
This is why:
Scripture says:
1Jo 4:19 We love, because he first loved us.
We must see the "hugeness" of Gods love directed towards you by sending Jesus to take your place of Judgment based on Gods Holy wrath towards all of your sin, and in so doing, completely and forever removing it from Gods sight (Psalm 103) and memory (Jer 31, Heb 8) because of His Righteous acquittal of you.
He would now be UNRIGHTEOUS if He was still holding your sins against you.
When we see this amazingly Good News of His great love towards us, it causes us to love Him, and others.
We love, BECAUSE we know and believe His love for us, even while we were still in sin (unbelievers). It is COMPLETELY unconditional of you! Its ONLY CONDITIONAL of your perfect sacrifice - Jesus!
When you Just Believe the Gospel, the result is Love for others..... included your husband or wife. Even when they "dont deserve it", once you "know AND UNDERSTAND" His love for you - the fruit is Love for others.
Love for others is NOT a work of the flesh (self effort)..... it is a FRUIT that is borne by the Holy spirit living in you,(Gal 5)
His promise is that if we have Faith in His Grace, we will walk in His Promises.
Lets Trust that Sarah (Grace) is able to raise up Isaac (Children of the Promise) (Gal 4:21-31)
Keep living Blessed!!
Andrew
Monday, January 4, 2010
God Remembers Your Sins No More
Most of the Body of Christ believe that God is powerfull and can do the things He says. But how often we doubt this truth when it applies directly to our own sin and short falls. About our sins God said, "I will remember them NO MORE".
And then, when we begin to walk in the understanding of the NEW COVENANT that God himself has made an oath to not count our sins against us or be angry with us (Isa 54:9-10), he (the devil) condemns us for not being condemned!!
But when we realise that we have been given the "Gift of NO CONDEMNATION", we get to use the efforts of the devil to condemn us, as a reminder and turn it around and remind him that he is already condemned.
Hebrews 10:17
17… “Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.”
"I don’t know about you, but I would say that Hebrews 10:17 is good news. God sees all our sins — past, present and future — and says, “Your sins I remember no more!” The words “no more” are a strong double negative in the original Greek text. In other words, God is saying, “Your sins I will by no means ever remember!”
Has God lowered His standards? No, He is still perfectly holy. He did remember all our sins — 2,000 years ago at the cross. Every sin which we have committed or will commit has been punished to the full in the body of Jesus Christ at the cross. That is why today, God remembers our sins no more. We should, therefore, not be sin-conscious.
Each time we fall into sin, God wants us to remember the cross and say, “Lord Jesus, you were sentenced for this sin I committed. You bore the judgment, so God will not judge me for this sin. You were condemned for this sin, so God will not condemn me for it.”
If you don’t look to the cross, you will become sin-conscious and you will walk around with a certain expectation of judgment. And that expectation of judgment will give the devil a chance to get you thinking that God has something against you because of your sin.
You must come to the place where you know and believe that all your sins are forgiven, that there is no sin that will ever disqualify you from God’s blessings, that there is no sin that will ever send you to hell, because you are forgiven and saved eternally.
Hebrews 10:12, 14 says, “But this Man [Jesus], after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God… For by one offering He has perfected forever those that are sanctified…”
You and I are perfected forever because of Jesus’ perfect work on the cross. We are perfected by God’s full acceptance and perfect delight in His Son’s work that has so glorified His holiness. Beloved, hear God say to you, “I will be merciful. Your sins and lawless deeds I will remember no more.”
But Andrew, Gods word that MUST be fulfilled also says in Rom 6:23 "For the wages of sin is death,"
God is Righteous and His word MUST be accomplished.... right?
So the penalty for sin - even just one, is death and it MUST be Punished!!
Well, In absolute Righteous fulfillment of Gods word, Jesus died for all of our sin. Jesus takes our place in this fulfilment 2000 years ago.
Thats why the next half of that verse that is often left out of the quotation by people who preach "the wrath of God" to get people saved says:
"but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."
Praise God for His amazing Love. He came NOT to condemn, but to Save.
God Blessed You!!
Andrew
And then, when we begin to walk in the understanding of the NEW COVENANT that God himself has made an oath to not count our sins against us or be angry with us (Isa 54:9-10), he (the devil) condemns us for not being condemned!!
But when we realise that we have been given the "Gift of NO CONDEMNATION", we get to use the efforts of the devil to condemn us, as a reminder and turn it around and remind him that he is already condemned.
Hebrews 10:17
17… “Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.”
"I don’t know about you, but I would say that Hebrews 10:17 is good news. God sees all our sins — past, present and future — and says, “Your sins I remember no more!” The words “no more” are a strong double negative in the original Greek text. In other words, God is saying, “Your sins I will by no means ever remember!”
Has God lowered His standards? No, He is still perfectly holy. He did remember all our sins — 2,000 years ago at the cross. Every sin which we have committed or will commit has been punished to the full in the body of Jesus Christ at the cross. That is why today, God remembers our sins no more. We should, therefore, not be sin-conscious.
Each time we fall into sin, God wants us to remember the cross and say, “Lord Jesus, you were sentenced for this sin I committed. You bore the judgment, so God will not judge me for this sin. You were condemned for this sin, so God will not condemn me for it.”
If you don’t look to the cross, you will become sin-conscious and you will walk around with a certain expectation of judgment. And that expectation of judgment will give the devil a chance to get you thinking that God has something against you because of your sin.
You must come to the place where you know and believe that all your sins are forgiven, that there is no sin that will ever disqualify you from God’s blessings, that there is no sin that will ever send you to hell, because you are forgiven and saved eternally.
Hebrews 10:12, 14 says, “But this Man [Jesus], after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God… For by one offering He has perfected forever those that are sanctified…”
You and I are perfected forever because of Jesus’ perfect work on the cross. We are perfected by God’s full acceptance and perfect delight in His Son’s work that has so glorified His holiness. Beloved, hear God say to you, “I will be merciful. Your sins and lawless deeds I will remember no more.”
But Andrew, Gods word that MUST be fulfilled also says in Rom 6:23 "For the wages of sin is death,"
God is Righteous and His word MUST be accomplished.... right?
So the penalty for sin - even just one, is death and it MUST be Punished!!
Well, In absolute Righteous fulfillment of Gods word, Jesus died for all of our sin. Jesus takes our place in this fulfilment 2000 years ago.
Thats why the next half of that verse that is often left out of the quotation by people who preach "the wrath of God" to get people saved says:
"but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."
Praise God for His amazing Love. He came NOT to condemn, but to Save.
God Blessed You!!
Andrew
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Ministers of Righteousness...... self righteousness!!
Much preaching and teaching happening today around the world has to do with ministers getting listeners to "live right" in order to recieve Gods blessing, and "live right" in order to avoid Gods jugement. This is contrary to the Good News of the Gospel which says that we are "made right" by simply believing the gospel.
The effortless glory in of believing the Gospel is that Right Believing = Right living.
When we get revelation of this amazing truth of what was accomplished by God through Jesus on the cross, we will automatically/accidentally begin to live right and overcome the things that we previously struggled with.
Whatever we give our attention to, to that will our hearts become receptive towards. If we give our attention to God and His Word, we will renew our minds to the exesting reality of who we are in Christ: A new creature, the righteousness of God, a co-heir with Jesus, a son.....
So, the more we focus on the Goodness of God, the more God concious we become.
On the other hand, when we incesantly focus on our shortfalls and sin issues, our hearts loose focus on God. This is the reason why preaching that focuses on behavioural modification instead of on the finished work of Jesus that earned for us as a free Gift, Gods righteousness for all who believe, is actually anti the Gospel.
Some would say that that is too harsh, well this is what Paul had to say:
2Co 11:13 For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.
2Co 11:14 And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.
2Co 11:15 Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.
Here Paul says that there are ministers (even apostles), who, just as Satan appears as an angle of light - not TRUE light! - they too, are ministers that are preaching righteousness!! But its not a true righteousness. Its a self righteousness.
Outwardly, these ministers appear "holy" and are preaching a message that says "live Right", but that is NOT the Gospel! The Gospel has not: "live right" as its primary focus, it has: "Believe right" at its centre. Thats Grace!
If our righteousness had to do with our right living then it is no longer by Grace, its by self effort.
Salvation is a free Gift for all who believe. Paul ends that off by saying that their end will be according to their works!
Now, a good question to ask is, would we want our end to be according to our own works, or rather according to Jesus' work on our behalf.....
We'll take Jesus any day, right? Then lets be keenly aware to avoid a "gospel" of false righteousness that appears good but doesnt have Jesus at the centre.
For God so Loved the world...... When we realise that God loved us First, before we ever became aware of Him, then we'll see that all our own efforts to please God by living right are meaningless.
Stay focussed on the Gospel and our behaviour will soon follow suit - trust God!
God Blessed you!!
The effortless glory in of believing the Gospel is that Right Believing = Right living.
When we get revelation of this amazing truth of what was accomplished by God through Jesus on the cross, we will automatically/accidentally begin to live right and overcome the things that we previously struggled with.
Whatever we give our attention to, to that will our hearts become receptive towards. If we give our attention to God and His Word, we will renew our minds to the exesting reality of who we are in Christ: A new creature, the righteousness of God, a co-heir with Jesus, a son.....
So, the more we focus on the Goodness of God, the more God concious we become.
On the other hand, when we incesantly focus on our shortfalls and sin issues, our hearts loose focus on God. This is the reason why preaching that focuses on behavioural modification instead of on the finished work of Jesus that earned for us as a free Gift, Gods righteousness for all who believe, is actually anti the Gospel.
Some would say that that is too harsh, well this is what Paul had to say:
2Co 11:13 For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.
2Co 11:14 And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.
2Co 11:15 Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.
Here Paul says that there are ministers (even apostles), who, just as Satan appears as an angle of light - not TRUE light! - they too, are ministers that are preaching righteousness!! But its not a true righteousness. Its a self righteousness.
Outwardly, these ministers appear "holy" and are preaching a message that says "live Right", but that is NOT the Gospel! The Gospel has not: "live right" as its primary focus, it has: "Believe right" at its centre. Thats Grace!
If our righteousness had to do with our right living then it is no longer by Grace, its by self effort.
Salvation is a free Gift for all who believe. Paul ends that off by saying that their end will be according to their works!
Now, a good question to ask is, would we want our end to be according to our own works, or rather according to Jesus' work on our behalf.....
We'll take Jesus any day, right? Then lets be keenly aware to avoid a "gospel" of false righteousness that appears good but doesnt have Jesus at the centre.
For God so Loved the world...... When we realise that God loved us First, before we ever became aware of Him, then we'll see that all our own efforts to please God by living right are meaningless.
Stay focussed on the Gospel and our behaviour will soon follow suit - trust God!
God Blessed you!!
Songs of Confusion
In our journey away from dead religion into the revelation of Gods Goodness
revealed in the Gospel, some things have become alot clearer about what was
really accomplished at the cross.
Many songs that are sung out in praise around the planet actually deny what
Jesus accomplished on the Cross and at Pentecost on our behalf, and are instead confusing songs that do not lead its singers into New Testament freedom - even though many sound nice and humble to sing! Many of those "humble" songs and are rooted in Old Covenant thinking.
One of the AWESOME truths of the New covenant is that HE will NEVER LEAVE OR FORSAKE US!! So to sing a song asking, "here I am waiting, abide in me I pray" and "come live in me" is either saying that you are not yet saved, or to deny the gospel if you are, because he has been living in you from the second you believed the Good News!
To not sing certain songs is not to be a nit-picker or a stick-in-the-mud, but its to line up with the New Testament and to bring honour to Jesus and to ACKNOWLEDGE that we believe what He did is true.
The vail IS already torn, there is no more separation between heaven and
earth that we need to still beg God to remove.
"As we lift up our hands, will you meet us here?" - He certainly will, but even if we didn't lift up our hands he will still because if you are a Christian He lives in you and meets with you even "while you sleep." (Ps139) In fact, "what can separate us from his love- nothing in all creation!" -(certainly not, not lifting up our hands!) "Where could I flee from your presence... wherever I go, you are there with me"- David, speaking of this Glorious New covenant"
The point is that when we beg God to do what he has already done, we certainly are breeding confusion in the singers hearts (subconsciously or consciously, because these types of songs are contrary to the New Covenant.)
The Gospel is freedom, we don't have to beg or urge God by our humble actions, we need to simply believe the "almost to good to be true news" (Gospel).
"We have been given every spiritual blessing IN Christ Jesus"- Eph 1.
Why would we now sing.. "We don't want blessings we want you.” That's not humility, that's actually pride! Its saying that we can get by in our own efforts, denying all that Jesus died to give us - Gods children!
And, we must see that this is not "semantics" as some might say.... because if its just a matter of "being fussy" over words or phrases that make no difference anyway (as some might say), then (if it makes no difference) lets rather use the language of the New Testament and not the Old.
In the Old Testament they didn't have the Holy Spirit permanently with them
and there certainly needed to be a humble consecration process (or sanctification- setting apart/making holy) before meeting with God, but in the New Covenant we are the very Righteousness of God if you are IN Christ (saved), you are already perfectly sanctified/holy by virtue of the indwelling Holy spirit.... Co heir... Adopted sons/daughters.
To sing songs primarily based on the Old Testament lack of Gods presence is
not honouring to God, its simply not worship.
The primary revelation that Jesus brought us of God - which is foreign to the Old Testament- is that of God as our Father. Any father who's children need to be "desperate for him" and "hungry for him" and grovel before him, before he will give them attention and be with them has missed the mark! And we "being evil" fathers even know this.
Yet we sometimes sing songs that imply that our Perfect Father in heaven misses that mark, to the point of us being as "thirsty as a dear is for water, that's how thirsty we are for God" - implying that He hasn't been around much to quench our thirst! Or "my soul thirsts for you"- Ps 63- That's because the Holy Spirit who is the ever flowing river of life had not yet come to reside in us. That’s Old Testament.... a fading covenant.
Jesus said "All who drink of me will never thirst again" - That's New Testament..... an everlasting covenant.
In saying all this, I know that the authors of these songs are sincere and probably love God, but WE must be true to and steward well the truth that we up to now understand.
"The Gospel (almost-to-good-to be-true-good-news-that-God-is-now-with-us-because-He-is-not-counting-the-sins-of-man-against-him-any-more!) is the power of God unto "Forgiveness of sins, healing, deliverance and wholeness" for All who BELIEVE." -Rom 1:16.
Therefore.... the problem with singing songs that are Not New Testament (gospel), is that they confuse the Good news of 'free mercy' with the Bad news of 'performance to avoid lack', which cant lead to the full measure of power available to each believer through the "Good News", because its not the Gospel. In other words, proclaiming/singing a mixed and confused "gospel" will lead to mixed and confused results (power) in those believers lives.
The essence of worship is from an overflow of the revelation of who God is and what He has done, not who we are and what we will do to convince God to be good to us..... It’s too late for that!!
God blessed you
revealed in the Gospel, some things have become alot clearer about what was
really accomplished at the cross.
Many songs that are sung out in praise around the planet actually deny what
Jesus accomplished on the Cross and at Pentecost on our behalf, and are instead confusing songs that do not lead its singers into New Testament freedom - even though many sound nice and humble to sing! Many of those "humble" songs and are rooted in Old Covenant thinking.
One of the AWESOME truths of the New covenant is that HE will NEVER LEAVE OR FORSAKE US!! So to sing a song asking, "here I am waiting, abide in me I pray" and "come live in me" is either saying that you are not yet saved, or to deny the gospel if you are, because he has been living in you from the second you believed the Good News!
To not sing certain songs is not to be a nit-picker or a stick-in-the-mud, but its to line up with the New Testament and to bring honour to Jesus and to ACKNOWLEDGE that we believe what He did is true.
The vail IS already torn, there is no more separation between heaven and
earth that we need to still beg God to remove.
"As we lift up our hands, will you meet us here?" - He certainly will, but even if we didn't lift up our hands he will still because if you are a Christian He lives in you and meets with you even "while you sleep." (Ps139) In fact, "what can separate us from his love- nothing in all creation!" -(certainly not, not lifting up our hands!) "Where could I flee from your presence... wherever I go, you are there with me"- David, speaking of this Glorious New covenant"
The point is that when we beg God to do what he has already done, we certainly are breeding confusion in the singers hearts (subconsciously or consciously, because these types of songs are contrary to the New Covenant.)
The Gospel is freedom, we don't have to beg or urge God by our humble actions, we need to simply believe the "almost to good to be true news" (Gospel).
"We have been given every spiritual blessing IN Christ Jesus"- Eph 1.
Why would we now sing.. "We don't want blessings we want you.” That's not humility, that's actually pride! Its saying that we can get by in our own efforts, denying all that Jesus died to give us - Gods children!
And, we must see that this is not "semantics" as some might say.... because if its just a matter of "being fussy" over words or phrases that make no difference anyway (as some might say), then (if it makes no difference) lets rather use the language of the New Testament and not the Old.
In the Old Testament they didn't have the Holy Spirit permanently with them
and there certainly needed to be a humble consecration process (or sanctification- setting apart/making holy) before meeting with God, but in the New Covenant we are the very Righteousness of God if you are IN Christ (saved), you are already perfectly sanctified/holy by virtue of the indwelling Holy spirit.... Co heir... Adopted sons/daughters.
To sing songs primarily based on the Old Testament lack of Gods presence is
not honouring to God, its simply not worship.
The primary revelation that Jesus brought us of God - which is foreign to the Old Testament- is that of God as our Father. Any father who's children need to be "desperate for him" and "hungry for him" and grovel before him, before he will give them attention and be with them has missed the mark! And we "being evil" fathers even know this.
Yet we sometimes sing songs that imply that our Perfect Father in heaven misses that mark, to the point of us being as "thirsty as a dear is for water, that's how thirsty we are for God" - implying that He hasn't been around much to quench our thirst! Or "my soul thirsts for you"- Ps 63- That's because the Holy Spirit who is the ever flowing river of life had not yet come to reside in us. That’s Old Testament.... a fading covenant.
Jesus said "All who drink of me will never thirst again" - That's New Testament..... an everlasting covenant.
In saying all this, I know that the authors of these songs are sincere and probably love God, but WE must be true to and steward well the truth that we up to now understand.
"The Gospel (almost-to-good-to be-true-good-news-that-God-is-now-with-us-because-He-is-not-counting-the-sins-of-man-against-him-any-more!) is the power of God unto "Forgiveness of sins, healing, deliverance and wholeness" for All who BELIEVE." -Rom 1:16.
Therefore.... the problem with singing songs that are Not New Testament (gospel), is that they confuse the Good news of 'free mercy' with the Bad news of 'performance to avoid lack', which cant lead to the full measure of power available to each believer through the "Good News", because its not the Gospel. In other words, proclaiming/singing a mixed and confused "gospel" will lead to mixed and confused results (power) in those believers lives.
The essence of worship is from an overflow of the revelation of who God is and what He has done, not who we are and what we will do to convince God to be good to us..... It’s too late for that!!
God blessed you
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