"Created in Christ"

Paul repeats this phrase or idea several times in his letters, and frankly, it's an idea I often think and talk and write about, and just as often puzzle over in times of prayer and meditation. I understand it, but it baffles me at the same time.

Recently I was asking the Lord again about this. "What does it mean...created in Christ?" I had this answer from Him, "When does this imply your creation took place?" The obvious answer thrills and puzzles me even more, as do many truths of scripture.

If we were created in Christ, it necessarily puts our creation at the time of His creation. It means that in creating Jesus, or at least Jesus the man, the Father was also creating us. When He made Jesus, He made us.

This is clarified in Romans, as Paul explains how sin passed to us through Adam and righteousness through Christ. How did we inherit sin? We inherited it in the basis of genetics. Genetically, all of us were actually, physically "in" Adam when he fell.

It is the same with righteousness. When Jesus lived, preached, healed, worked miracles, suffered, died, conquered hell and death, rose and ascended, we were there. This is not physical genetics, but Paul says it works the same way.

Our spiritual genetic material was already in Jesus from the moment of at least His human creation, although we may have to put it before the foundation of the world to consider the rest of scripture. Why is our inner self righteous, powerful, holy, loving, unchanging, wise, and always victorious? Because we were there every moment of Jesus' life, ministry, death, burial, resurrection, and ascension.

I guess this is why Paul calls the gospel a revealed mystery. I get it...but I don't. God is good.

More on the Myth of "the Ministry"

Why is it that many of those we see as the most mature Christians are the most isolated from the world? Should we not honor the calling of the faithful car salesman, plumber, teacher, or public school student as much or more than the Christian singer or Evangelist? Who actually has the greater impact on the world?

Citizens of heaven

This is not our home. We are citizens of heaven...how often do we consider this? We are not from here, so in one respect, that could mean that we are out of place, even disadvantaged, and there may be an element of that. However, the place of our citizenship is the place to which this world owes its existence and by which it is ultimately ruled.

We are not just tourists from some insignificant foreign state. We are visiting dignitaries from the power of powers, ambassadors for the Ultimate Sovereign. Therefore, our citizenship in heaven should not be held with vague sentimentalism, as weary travelers longing for home, or worse, with tortured cries, as prisoners longing for freedom.

Rather, we should see this world and its flawed and broken systems as a daughter nation under oppressive enemy control, and ourselves as its governors, sent to put things back under the reign of our infinitely benevolent King. We are from a higher place, literally sent from heaven, not for a test, as to whether we will survive this life, but for God's purpose and pleasure, that we might reflect Him and bring about, in our spheres of influence, His kingdom, on earth as it is...at home.

The Myth of "The Ministry."

Interesting that we say that someone who chooses full-time Christian work as a vocation, particularly in the local Church, has entered "the ministry," when the Biblical reality is that he or she has actually left the ministry to engage in the equipping of ministers. (Ephesians 4:12)

Influence-a tribute to Dr. Bernard Holmes

My father-in-law, Dr. Bernard Holmes, passed away at about 6:15 this morning in Bolivar, Mo. I'll be joining my wife and kids there tomorrow for the visitation Thursday and funeral on Friday. Those of us who know him will miss him dearly, but though he is absent from us now, he will live on in us forever.

He was a great man who touched many, many people both directly, as a professor, pastor, seminar teacher, missionary, and discipler, and indirectly, as his heart for discipleship was: "to teach others who will teach others also." He deposited his life into thousands and thousands of people, and he is still a part of them all.

He traveled all over the world teaching Christians the principles of prayer and discipleship in Korea, Russia, India, Africa, and many other places. Pastors, missionaries, and thousands of church members in those places as well as in the United States have been changed, instructed, and encouraged by his life and ministry.

He taught thousands of students at Southwest Baptist University and Columbia International University in the areas of prayer and discipleship. Before he was my father-in-law, he was my New Testament professor. We (his students) would not be what we are without him.

I know of many young men in ministry today who spent early mornings in prayer and Bible study with Dr. Holmes, followed by breakfasts made with love by his wife, Joyce. Those men will never lose the personal and spiritual impact he and Joyce had on them, preparing them for ministry, but more importantly, for life in Jesus.

A few days ago, sensing, I think, that his time might be coming to an end, he expressed regret about not getting to spend as much time as he wanted with his grandchildren, and in particular my two boys. I wanted to jump up and scream "What!?," but he was very tired, and I would never have done that anyway. I sat rather stunned that he would think his impact on my sons might lack anything at all.

My sons are, and will continue to be, two of the greatest, godliest young men you could ever hope to meet, and my daughter in turn a great and godly little girl. Why? Well, do the math. They're being brought up (and home schooled) by the daughter of the guy in the above paragraphs. They are an extension of not only their mother and I, but in an infinitely significant way, their grandfather.

Dad Holmes, I wish you could have stayed longer, and I wish we had lived closer so you and they could have known one another better. However, you have no regrets. What you have deposited in them directly is great, but what you continue to give them indirectly through their mom is immeasurable. My three children stand in testimony to you, saying, "Well done, well done, well done."

Archimedes said, "Give me a place to stand, and I will move the earth." My father-in-law found a place to stand, and through his family, his life, and his ministry, he will continue to move the earth in more ways than we can measure or chronicle. Countless people all over the globe can offer a word of thanks to God for the invaluable gift of his influence in the past, and in the future.

You are already approved by God

In order to do what God intends for us to do, we need fearlessness, freedom, even recklessness at times, attributes seldom associated with people concerned with failure. Have you ever worn one of those giant inflatable Sumo suits? They’re tough to move around in, but the great thing is…it just doesn’t matter. Inside that suit, you’ll try anything because you’re not afraid of getting hurt…maybe stuck, but not hurt.

God’s approval of us based on Jesus is like a Sumo suit. We can try anything in God, because even if we fall, we just bounce right back up. Failures don’t count anymore. All that counts is Jesus in us, and He never fails.

Read More...

As a believer in Jesus, you are approved by God right now, not based on your performance or merit, but based the merit and performance of Jesus. The book of Ephesians, KJV, says that we are “accepted in the beloved.”

What does that mean? The operative phrase is “in the beloved.” It could read, “you are accepted because you are in Jesus, God’s beloved Son.” The truth behind what Paul is saying is that because salvation places us in Jesus, God literally looks at us and sees only the perfection of His Son.

2 Corinthians 1:30 says that Jesus has become three things for us: righteousness, holiness, and redemption, which simply means your righteousness, holiness, and redemption (salvation) no longer depend on you, but on Jesus.

God sees you as perfect. God approves of you. Jesus took the test and gave you His grade…and by the way, He aced it. You are approved by God based on Jesus’ ability to gain God’s approval.

Why is that important? One of our greatest temptations in reading the scriptures is to disqualify ourselves based on regret for past failures, or fear of future ones. Guaranteed approval invalidates all regret and takes away all fear. God wants us free to live

In order to do what God intends for us to do, we need fearlessness, freedom, even recklessness at times, attributes seldom associated with people concerned with failure. Have you ever worn one of those giant inflatable Sumo suits? They’re tough to move around in, but the great thing is…it just doesn’t matter. Inside that suit, you’ll try anything because you’re not afraid of getting hurt…maybe stuck, but not hurt.

God’s approval of us based on Jesus is like a giant inflatable suit. We can try anything in God, because even if we fall, we just bounce right back up. Failures don’t count anymore. All that counts is Jesus in us, and He never fails.

Verses for meditation:
1 Corinthians 1:30
Ephesians 1:6-KJV
2 Corinthians 5:21

A thought...

Churches today occupy themselves either trying to get God to do something or trying to make Him seem attractive to the world. Few, however, seem to grasp or enjoy the infinite significance of what God has already done by indwelling people, and just how attractive that can be all on its own.

Easy and Light

"Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."
Matthew 11:29-30 NIV

That’s how I believe the Christian life should be. We were born to do this. It’s in all our genetic makeup, spiritually speaking, and I believe God’s specific call for each of us is a perfect fit for our personalities, passions, and gifts. If we get it right, changing the world should be the most natural thing we ever do.

Read More...

Since high school, I’ve always used my musical abilities in ministry, either as a singer, songwriter, part of a Christian band, or a worship leader. Particularly as a young adult, I took it very, very seriously.

I don’t know when it happened, but at some point, my Dad, noticing that I wasn’t enjoying myself nearly as much as I should be, pulled me aside and said, “Son, it’s an awful lot of pressure thinking you have to change the world every time you open your mouth.”

I didn’t listen to him at the time…I thought he was being shallow. Years later, however, the wisdom contained in that little comment has literally saved me from ministry burn-out and taught me to have fun with my life. My Dad made me think, “Hey, it’s God’s job to change people…I’m just here to make the connection.”

Now I realize that my entire life is ministry. Imagine the pressure I could be putting myself under if I didn’t understand that the call of God comes without pressure. As you begin to process the idea that you are in this world to impact it the same way Jesus did, you need to be very certain of something: the pressure is not on you.

Easy and light

Jesus said, “Take my yoke upon you…” which means He wants us to do what He did. But He also said, “…my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Not only do I believe God has called us to do much more than most of us do, but I also believe He intended for it to be much easier for us than most of us make it. In fact, I suspect that the more we do, the easier it should get.

Take a look at those two statements—first, the call to do what He did. What a monumental call! How many of us actually have the courage to see the Christian life this way? I believe that most of us reject this call, either consciously or unconsciously, because it just seems like too difficult a job. However, Jesus did not only issue a call; He made sure we knew the pressure would not be on us.

First, He promised it would be easy. That word “easy” doesn’t mean there will be no effort involved, but rather that the work will be a perfect fit for us. He’s telling us that fulfilling His call on our lives will be natural—that it will feel right. Jesus’ call, though it may seem overwhelmingly grand, is guaranteed to be something we feel like we were born to do.

Second, He says it’s light. Very simply, it just means that when you’re fulfilling your call, it won’t really seem like work. We may get very tired, and you may appear to make great sacrifices, but to you, it will be a joy. There is an old saying: “Find a job you love and you’ll never work a day in your life.”

I remember spending countless hours perfecting music with friends in high school, or spending entire days alone in a practice room in college writing songs on the piano. Some might call that hard work, and in a sense it was. I would emerge from some of those sessions blurry-eyed, half-witted and much in need of food and rest. However, I was invariably much more exhilarated and energized than exhausted. That work was not really work at all.

That’s how I believe the Christian life should be. We were born to do this. It’s in all our genetic makeup, spiritually speaking, and I believe God’s specific call for each of us is a perfect fit for our personalities, passions, and gifts. If we get it right, changing the world should be the most natural thing we ever do.

Matthew 11:29-30
Philippians 2:13
1 Thessalonians 5:23-24

My thoughts on revival

I get very uncomfortable when I hear people talk about "revival." The honest truth is, I don't think I believe in it...at least not the way most people think. I also believe more and more that our mistaken ideas about revival are at least part of the reason we see so little of it.

Most of those who speak of or pray for revival use phrases from the Old Testament such as, "Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down." The more clearly I see what Jesus accomplished through His death, burial, resurrection, ascension, and pentecostal return, the less that prayer makes sense to me. In my view, God has rent the heavens and come down.

I believe that when believers, in whom, according to Colossians 2:9-10, the fullness of the Godhead lives in bodily form, begin to fully recognize the extent to which God has come to them personally, they will cease to pray for Him to come to us corporately, and will rather ask, "Oh that You would rend my flesh and come out!"

Now, when that happens, it may look like "revival," but it won't be. God will reveal Himself through individuals in daily situations as they acknowledge His power and presence in them. My belief is that if God has to "fall on" us like He has in the past, it will be because once again, another generation has failed to realize He has already "fallen" into us and has never left.

Chambers' voice on being revealed.

I don't often quote Oswald Chambers, since for all his passion and insight, I constantly feel as I read his writings that he cannot let go of the idea that the Christian life must be difficult in order to be genuine. I assume it's a cultural lens through which he viewed life, and therefore God and the Bible. However, what a poignant statement he makes here about this process of sanctification, or "being revealed." It's definitely worth a read.

"The mystery of sanctification is that the perfect qualities of Jesus Christ are imparted as a gift to me, not gradually, but instantly once I enter by faith into the realization that He "became for [me] . . . sanctification . . . ." Sanctification means nothing less than the holiness of Jesus becoming mine and being exhibited in my life.

The most wonderful secret of living a holy life does not lie in imitating Jesus, but in letting the perfect qualities of Jesus exhibit themselves in my human flesh. Sanctification is "Christ in you . . ." ( Colossians 1:27 ). It is His wonderful life that is imparted to me in sanctification— imparted by faith as a sovereign gift of God’s grace. Am I willing for God to make sanctification as real in me as it is in His Word?

Sanctification means the impartation of the holy qualities of Jesus Christ to me. It is the gift of His patience, love, holiness, faith, purity, and godliness that is exhibited in and through every sanctified soul. Sanctification is not drawing from Jesus the power to be holy— it is drawing from Jesus the very holiness that was exhibited in Him, and that He now exhibits in me. Sanctification is an impartation, not an imitation. Imitation is something altogether different. The perfection of everything is in Jesus Christ, and the mystery of sanctification is that all the perfect qualities of Jesus are at my disposal. Consequently, I slowly but surely begin to live a life of inexpressible order, soundness, and holiness— ". . . kept by the power of God . . ." ( 1 Peter 1:5 )."

Being revealed

"The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed."
Romans 8:19 NIV

The Bible does not teach us how to become like Jesus. The Bible teaches that Jesus lives in us so that He can be revealed in us. There is a huge difference between the two, and unless you understand that Christlikeness is not a goal to be achieved, but a gift to be experienced, you will miss genuine Christianity.

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For much of my life, I was taught that my goal should be “Christlikeness.” The process, as I was taught, went something like this: I get a picture of Jesus through His word, measure myself against it, and find “areas I need to work on.” Interestingly enough, I was assured that I would never actually reach this goal, but that this was the way it was intended to be.

As ludicrous as that seems to me now, like many people I know, I bought into that system for many years of my Christian life. I worked to be more Christlike through Bible study, prayer, Church involvement, ministry projects, etc. I even chose full-time ministry as a means to keep myself focused on becoming more Christlike, but in the end, I was no more Christlike than when I began.

In fact, as an adult, I have often looked back on my High School years as being the most effective time in my Christian life…the time when I was most Christlike was the few years immediately following a re-dedication of my life to God as a ninth grader. The truth is, the time in my life during which Christianity worked best for me was before I had any opportunity to “become Christlike.” Why? Because that’s the way it works.

The Bible does not teach us how to become like Jesus. The Bible teaches that Jesus lives in us so that He can be revealed in us. There is a huge difference between the two, and unless you understand that Christlikeness is not a goal to be achieved, but a gift to be experienced, you will miss genuine Christianity.

True Christianity is a bit like being a superhero. The process of Christian maturity is not about becoming something we are not, but being revealed for who we actually are. Like Peter Parker, Clark Kent, or one of my new favorites, David Dunn in M Night Shyamalan’s “Unbreakable,” the difficulty is not in acquiring anything; these things are gifts. Peter Parker was bitten by the spider; Clark Kent and David Dunn were just born with their powers. Becoming wasn’t the issue. The issue was being revealed for who and what they were.

As believers in Jesus, we are the same way. God re-made us into who we are. He gave us gifts we could never develop on our own, and power we could never acquire by merit or effort. The challenge for us is to acknowledge the incredible gifts we have been given, allow them to be manifested in our lives, and then perhaps learn to use them better. Becoming Christlike is a false goal. We don't need to become anything. We need to be revealed.

What is 565?

Some of you have noticed the numbers "565" in the graphics on my blog header. I've had more than one inquiry as to the significance of those particular digits. No, it's not my birthday, although it's only a couple years off, ironically. I was born in May of '63.

A couple of possibilities have been suggested: The 5th book of the Bible, 6th chapter, 5th verse, which would be Deuteronomy 6:5, one of my favorite verses. Another plausible suggestion is the fifth book of the New Testament, 6th chapter, 5th verse, Acts 6:5. This is the introduction of Stephen, one of my favorite heroes of the Bible.

Neither of these is correct. However, either is equally acceptable, since the numbers appear in the template provided by blogspot, and have no significance whatsoever to my blog...sorry.

Home from Brasil

Thanks to all of you who prayed and gave financially for the Brasil mission trip. God did great things through our team and through the churches in the state of Espirito Santo. I'm not big on numbers, but I need to share one number with you to help you continue to pray.

I estimate that about 500 people prayed prayers of salvation with members of our team this past two weeks in the five towns where we ministered. The church members laid a solid foundation of prayer and relationship with all these contacts, making our work seem very easy at times. It was a joy and a pleasure.

Pray for these believers as they undertake the work of loving and discipling so many new believers. I know they were very encouraged by the results and by our presence, but as I encouraged them in our final outdoor meeting on Saturday night, the work is just beginning. Pray that they will do the work of the ministry in the power of the Spirit so that it energizes and refreshes them.

Pray especially for the pastors of the five churches. Many victories have been won, but the enemy has attacked in many obvious ways since the work began. Satan is defeated. Pray that these pastors, their families and church members will walk in Jesus' victory.

Brazil day 10

The work is finally finished here in Brazil. My interpreter, Renata (pronounced Heh-nah-tah) breathed an enormous sigh of relief. I have never preached with an interpreter, and while that makes it tough for me, I'm certain she's the one suffering most from my lack of experience.

Tonight in particular was a difficult message, I'm sure. I wanted so badly to encourage the church here, and the way I know to do that is to teach them who they are in Christ and show them what God has given them. I have tried to keep the number of scripture passages in a message down to three or four, but tonight I think I at least doubled that. Sorry, Renata.

Of the seven interpreters on our team, I think she was on stage the most, since at every service, no matter who was preaching, I was singing, and she had to come up with me. These seven ladies have done tremendous work this week. They not only interpret, but in homes and other ministry situations, they often minister from their own hearts as the Spirit leads.

I should also mention the sacrifices these young women have made to be a part of this ministry. All of them are giving up vacation time from their regular jobs in the Rio area. I can't remember if they're paid, but it's not much if anything. They do it because they love Jesus. Renata was married just three months ago, and has been away from her husband now for nine days...if you've ever been a newlywed, you know that's an eternity.

Our interpreters are women of God and they are heroes to all of us on the team. There's no way we will ever be able to thank them enough, but I thought it would be appropriate to mention them here at least. Thank God for servants who don't care who gets the credit!

Brazil Day 7

Today was a beautiful day of ministry. Many people heard my simple, uneventful testimony and again, almost every single one prayed to receive Jesus. It's almost overwhelming...distracting at times to look into their eyes as I speak, because I see their hearts yearning and being filled with the joy of the Holy Spirit.

My favorite visit, however, did not end in any salvations. The lady at one house had scheduled a visit with us for today, but had gone to the church on Sunday and received Jesus that night. I told her she destroyed my plans by getting saved too quickly!

We usually refuse to visit Christians. The reason we decided to visit her, however, is that this lady had complained often of depression, and they decided we should go and pray for her. We walked in and I thought, well, she seems ok right now, but depression is sometimes below the surface a little. It didn't take more than a minute or two for me to see there was no depression in sight.

Over and over during our visit, she just kept saying, "I'm so happy, I'm so happy!" She said she used to feel something terrible inside, but now only joy! I counseled her briefly about depression and prayed, but I doubt she will ever struggle with it again.

She told us how a few months ago her son had met a young man from the Baptist Church, the son of one of the ladies accompanying me on the visit. She said that all the other boys his age are involved in drugs and trouble, but that since he met these new friends and subsequently accepted Jesus, life in her home began to radically change.

Her husband is away all week working as a truck driver, and she used to always want her son to be home so she would not have to be alone. However, when he accepted Jesus, she began to let him spend much more time with this Christian family because she loved how he made her feel when he came home. Now she tells her son to go and be with his new family, but just to spend a couple of nights at home with her each week!

Listening to her rejoicing in how Jesus had changed her life, I felt tears of joy welling up in my eyes. My interpreter said, wiping her eyes, "Everyone is crying!" What a miracle to see! I will remember that woman and her joy for the rest of my life. If you're ever in Brazil, and you have any doubt that Jesus changes lives, you should look her up.

Tonight I preached at First Baptist Church, Sao Marcos. It was an amazing service. God's presence was so powerful and sweet. One of the most exciting times of ministry I've had. God is good.

Brazil Reports

Day 4:

Saturday night's crusade was a great start to the trip. I had the priviledge of opening the service with a few worship songs with the Brazillian praise team from our host church. They are a wonderful group of mostly teenagers with lots of talent and an inspiring amount of passion for Jesus.After the service, the other praise team for the night, a group from a local Indian Reservation, played an incredible mix of...Hillsong United and...Salsa! There were drums and percussion instruments EVERYWHERE! If you know me, you know I love drums, and I like them loud!

We danced and jumped and sang for at least an hour after the service. The praise team I played with and the other youth from the host church had a great time getting all us old people to do their latin dance steps with them. You may get an opportunity to see some pretty humiliating pictures of that soon...we'll see.

I preached today at two churches and saw great evidence of God's Spirit flowing out and encouraging His people. One lady in particular spoke in tears after tonight's service about what a blessing it was to feel the presence of God and to be reminded that we are one spirit with Him. That's big.

Thanks for praying.

Day 5:

It's only 5pm, but I have finished all my home visits and have a break before our evaluation time. Then it is off to our evening service, where I will preach in an outdoor evangelistic gathering. This is miles outside my comfort zone. It's something I've just never done, but I know the One who is in me has absolutely no problem making it a home run...so no worries.

The home visits today were great...Brazillians are very open and courteous, so almost everyone agreed to pray the prayer of salvation after I shared my story through an ingerpretor. That might have bothered me, but I could tell in the Spirit that many of them were truly being touched by God and meeting Him. Probably 25-30 people received Jesus today in homes and in a daycare where I spoke to the staff. Good stuff, Maynard.

Please pray for my wife and kids...they're the ones really making the sacrifice for me to be here and have all the fun.

Day 6:

I preached last night at an outdoor gathering in one of the nearby towns. At the end of my message, I had one of our team members share her story...magnificent. It's one of those stories that makes you wish you could get saved again. I'm trying hard not to be frustrated that no one came forward, but they say that while people here worship freely and respond verbally, they don't come forward easily. I know God's presence was strong and moving.

Many more people received Jesus in homes today. It's a cool process. All these visits are set up by friends or family members who are believers and they all know a missionary is coming to talk about their need to be saved. Sometimes it seems too easy, and once or twice I think people have prayed just to get us out of the house, but almost without exception, when we finish the prayer, I look into moist eyes and see that they feel the presence and love of God.

Please pray for my church, as they are without their worship leader for two more services while I'm here.

From Brazil Day 1-3

The first two days of the trip were spent in transit, one by air, and the other by bus...uneventful, except to say I'm glad it's over...that road seemed as if it would never end! We are in a Hotel across the street from first Baptist church of Barra do Sahy, our host church.

The pastor's name is Fabio...yes, Fabio, and no, he's not blonde and muscle-bound. He's extremely organized, whic is a blessing to us, and also extremely passionate about seeing his community and nation come to Jesus. Pray for him as you lift up our team as well.

It's saturday evening now and we are preparing for our first evening outdoor service in which I will have the priviledge of leading worship with the praise team from the church. We had a great time worshiping during our rehearsal, and it should be fantastic tonight.

Thanks to all of you who gave and thanks for those who will pray. Most of all thanks to God for the opportunity to be a colaborer with Him.

The Next Food Network Star

Yes, I watch the show. It's clean...and there's food. Last night something really stuck out with me and has been stuck in my mind all day.

One of the contestants commented that he loved the French people and how they live their lives and therefore had begun to define himself as a French chef. The judge asked, "Have you ever been to France?" His response was what you might expect..."No, but I've read...and studied..."

He's basing his life on something he's only read about! He's defining himself by something he's never actually seen or experienced! The judges were not impressed, and I'm pretty sure that's why last night was his...well...last night.

Honestly, this guy is barely more than a teenager, so I give him a break. He hasn't been alive long enough to have had very many defining moments, so he substitutes the best he has...something he's read and studied. That's fine for a kid, but eventually you have to get your teeth into something real, right?

All day today I keep having this thought: how much of my faith is like that? How much of what I talk about have I really seen and experienced? Thankfully, I've seen a lot more in the last few years than I ever thought I would, but I want to see and do much more.

I want my words to be thick with reality and infused with life, born out of relationship and experience. May God deliver me from my dependence on the stale suppositions of my own intellect, the sick sweetness of human cleverness and the well-disguised distraction that is religious knowledge! (alliteration is fun!)

May we all deliver ourselves from a faith without works, from a story without stories. We need to get our teeth into something real, don't you think? That now-former food-network-star-hopeful needs to go to Paris. Where do you need to go?

My Fixation

Why am I so fixated on our identity in Christ? Because our identity in Christ is Christ in us.

Some would say it is self-centered to focus on our Identity in Christ, but it is actually the best way I know to keep us from focusing on ourselves.

The truest way to live a crucified life is to identify completely with the resurrected Christ as our only life.

The surest way to set our minds on the Spirit is to come to terms with the fact that we are not natural beings engaging in spiritual pursuits, but are spiritual beings engaging in spiritual life.

The purest way to abide in Him is to commune with Him as He abides in us.

Yes, I'm fixated on my identity in Christ...or at least I try to be.

Untitled

I followed an electrical storm for about 30 minutes tonight. What a show! Impressive does not begin to describe it. It’s no wonder, really, that the predominant mindset in Christianity is the same as in pagan and religious cultures worldwide…that God is infinitely big and therefore infinitely distant.

In reality, however, this infinite God has gone to infinite lengths in Jesus to bridge this distance. Jesus was a man indwelt by God, meant to be the first among many (Rom 8:29). God, whose power and holiness can never be compromised, chose instead to lay it down and demonstrate His desire for connection with His most prized creation.

Our philosophies cheat us today as they did in Paul’s day. We see the Majesty of God and we feel small, insignificant, and powerless, while God seems great, omnipotent, and distant. Though that may seem a noble and spiritually enlightened thought, it is anything but noble, and full of darkness. In fact, the problem with it is that it’s not a spiritual thought at all, but a natural one.

To have a mind that is set on the spirit, as Paul instructed us, is to reject the notion that things are as they appear, feel, or reason out. The spiritually enlightened thought at the sight of a great storm, the oceans, canyons, or mountains, is that these things are but a sampling, a glimpse, a hint, if you will, of what power and holiness has literally taken up residence--in us.

Selah.

Chocolate Milk or Tea?

So, which are you, a chocolate milk thinker or a tea thinker? It's more important than it sounds. Think about it, do you believe you're one spirit with Him or do you see Him as just an additive to your old self?

Throw some Hershey's syrup in a glass of milk and the name we give what you just made suggests that one thing has been added to another--an obvious improvement, but still an additive. However, take a teabag and steep it in water for a few minutes, and no one calls the result "tea-water." We call it tea.

Why? Because we didn't just improve a cup of water, we made something completely different. In fact, the tea didn't simply alter the water, it took over. The water is no longer called what it was, but is now defined solely by what has transformed it. We just call it "tea."

The Holy Spirit is not an additive. He didn't improve you, He re-created you. You're not a better person, you're something completely different. You are not a combination of the old and new, either. You are defined solely by Him who has re-made and transformed you.

At some point I hope to develop a theology of sweet tea, but that will take further study. For now, try to see yourself as something re-made, not just improved. Think tea, not chocolate milk.

What the World is Waiting For

"For those He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brothers." Romans 8:29

To me, this is the real meaning and purpose of Christianity. God sent His Son to give birth to many sons. God chose to reveal Himself to a generation through His Son, a man infused with the life of God. Now His purpose is the same, multiplied. He infuses His life into people who believe in Him, and reveals Himself through those God-soaked people.

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The world is definitely waiting for something. The world is missing something, needing something, yearning for something. You’ve seen the pictures of war-torn or poverty-stricken countries around the world. You’ve heard the stories of violence and hatred and poverty in our own country, and perhaps even experienced some of it yourself. Yes, the world is in need. Something just isn’t right.

Considering the exponential growth in human knowledge, the advances in medicine and technology, it may be logical to assume that the human community would be living in Utopian bliss by now; but it seems like the opposite is true. Even the super-rich, who actually have access to all these gifts brought to us by the triumphs of human creativity, seem to be floundering…perhaps more than anyone. The world needs something.

Romans 8:19 says, “The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed.” In other words, the missing element in the human formula is not greater ingenuity or effort; it’s not in technology or medicine or knowledge or achievement of any kind. The missing puzzle piece is a personal encounter.

What might surprise you most, however, especially if you’re an evangelical, is that it’s not a single person that the world needs...specifically, it’s not Jesus. If it were Jesus, Paul would have written that the “Son,” not “sons” of God needed to be revealed. God already revealed His Son to the world. What the world hasn’t seen, at least not with much frequency, are “sons” of God.

The beauty, richness, power and authenticity that the world yearns for will not be found in an encounter with God’s Son, although that’s the goal and the eventual result. Again, this may be tough to swallow if you were raised in Church, but the creation is not waiting for an encounter with Jesus; they’re waiting for an encounter with you and me.

This floundering system of unhealthy relationships, dysfunctional families, greed-driven institutions and market-driven churches has been confronted with the truth of Jesus and has rejected it, but that’s not God’s whole plan. The second phase of His plan, the one most of us have missed, is to reveal sons and daughters just like Jesus who live and work and move through this natural system in a supernatural way.

What this world needs is an encounter with people of flesh and bone whose lives and love prove that God is real and that Jesus is alive. That’s the prize they deeply long for, but do not even know to seek. What the world is waiting for, what the world is missing, what the world needs in order to finally be made right, is you.

To me, this is the real meaning and purpose of Christianity. God sent His Son to give birth to many sons. God chose to reveal Himself to a generation through His Son, a man infused with the life of God. Now His purpose is the same, multiplied. He infuses His life into people who believe in Him, and reveals Himself through those God-soaked people.

So am I saying the world doesn’t need Jesus? No, of course the world needs Jesus, but Jesus is in us. Look at it this way. What you need is Jesus—what the world needs is you. God put you where you are so that He could use you to show Himself and His love to your little corner of the world. God has heard the world’s cry for help, and He has responded by giving them His next greatest gift…you and me.

What if?

What if we really believed God lived in us?

What if we really believed Jesus was alive now...in us?

What if we really believed what Jesus said?

What if we were only allowed to claim as beliefs those things we clearly put into practice?

Righteousness is Christianity 101

"Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness." Heb 5:13 NIV

Remember, I said this is Christianity 101. You've got to get this, or nothing else in the Bible will be clear to you. Everything you think you know will be tainted if you don't have the mentality that your right standing with God depends completely on Jesus and nothing else. To use the analogy from Hebrews, lots of the meat in the word will be awfully tough to chew if you think you have to earn or maintain good standing with God at any point.

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I used to have a recurring dream, alternately about college or high school, probably brought on by residual stress associated with the terrifying pressure of finding all my classes at the beginning of each semester. I’m a bit directionally challenged, so it was a big deal for me. In the dream, which spanned an entire semester, I never found the right class at all, but spent 5 months wandering in and out of rooms full of people who somehow, miraculously, mystifyingly, always knew exactly where they were supposed to be.

Freshman year of college, we were all supposed to have a big brother or sister to show us where all our classes were, but I don’t think mine did that. He showed me where to get pizza and meet girls and some other stuff I’m sure, but as for classes, I’m pretty certain I was on my own…again.

Well, I’m about to be your spiritual big brother, and I’m going to show you where you all need to go first. Before you do anything else, before you learn anything at all about the Bible, you have to get a hold on what Hebrews 5 tells us is “Christianity 101.” Ok, that term isn’t in the Bible per se, but the idea is. This is what you absolutely must know in order to survive in the Christian life. This is the most basic of all the basics: righteousness.

Why is righteousness called Christianity 101? Hebrews 5:11-14 talks about some people who had tried to get by without learning "the teaching about righteousness," and were therefore not maturing at all. In fact, the writer calls them overgrown babies. It's quite a slam if you really look at what these verses say.

What is the Bible’s "teaching about righteousness?" It’s three-fold as I see it. First, the New Testament is clear about the fact that human righteousness is worthless. In fact, I'm relatively sure you have to come to terms with that fact at some point to experience genuine conversion. You need to know you're hopeless before a Holy God if judged on your own merit.

Second, righteousness is a gift from God through faith in what Jesus did for us on the cross. He became sin for us, took on the dark ugliness of all that is twisted, perverse and evil in this world, so that He could pay its full penalty in hell on our behalf and rightfully bestow on us the life He earned by His own sinlessness. In this, He literally remade us out of the pure substance of His own righteousness.

Third, the righteousness we have been given and have become is God's righteousness. Therefore, it is perfect, unchangeable, immutable, incorruptible, inexorable, and eternal, and is completely unaffected by our behavior. That means that at no point in the life of a believer is it even remotely possible for him or her to become even one iota less righteous than God is. For that to happen, God's righteousness would have to be decreased or compromised, and that's not possible.

I think most of us have a handle on number one, and many of us probably get number two. However, the third part is the one that often causes our natural and religious minds to short-circuit. I encourage you to look at some earlier posts on righteousness, and get acquainted with this powerful teaching that is all through the New Testament.

Remember, I said this is Christianity 101. You've got to get this, or nothing else in the Bible will be clear to you. Everything you think you know will be tainted if you don't have the mentality that your right standing with God depends completely on Jesus and nothing else. To use the analogy from Hebrews, lots of the meat in the word will be awfully tough to chew if you think you have to earn or maintain good standing with God at any point.

Many Christians experience life much like my recurring dream, wandering from room to room wondering why they feel so lost and why everyone else seems to know where they are. I was there for a long time, and was often like a wave tossed by the wind. Now, by contrast, a deep sense of security, clarity, direction, and confidence reigns in my mind, even in times of outward uncertainty. I can point to one thing that has made the difference: I know I am righteous. I finally made it to my first class, and now it all makes sense.

The Confidence of our Call: "Follow Me."

Think about it. Jesus says to us, "Follow Me." That means He intends for us to do exactly what He did. Then Peter asserts that God has already given us everything we need to live and be "godly," or, literally, like God.

Do the math: Jesus calls us to be like Him, and God, in the person of the Holy Spirit, deposits everything we need into our spirits the moment we step into faith in Jesus. The truth is, when Jesus spoke those supernaturally pregnant words, "follow me," He knew God was backing Him up. He wouldn't have said them otherwise.

In the Jewish culture of Bible times, when a Rabbi said those words, "Follow me" to a pupil, it was the most powerful thing any of them could hope to hear. The clear implication of these words is this: "You recognize that I am a great teacher. Now I am affirming that I see in you the potential to be at least as great as I have been. I fully expect you to do everything I do and more. I will invest everything I am in your training, and I expect nothing less than for you to outdo me before you are finished."

When Jesus called the disciples, that's what they heard--an expression of unlimited confidence in their value, character, and talent. That's an amazing thing for the twelve, and for the seventy, but even more amazing for us. The confidence He has placed in us as New Covenant believers is even greater.

Jesus' call to us says this: "Follow me, and you'll do greater things than I have done. How will you accomplish this? Well, it won't be without me. I have given you my Spirit, and because I am constantly before the Father in heaven praying for you, pulling for you, your potential is unlimited--unthinkable--unimaginable. My confidence in you is not only based on the talent and character I have placed in you as my creation, but even more so on my own limitless life inside you. So come, follow me."

You are Supernatural

We are not of this world. We are citizens of heaven. To those who believe in Jesus, God gives His own life, His divine nature. John says we are "from God." We are supernatural.

Paul scolds the Corinthians for acting like "mere men." Most of us do the same. How do we avoid that mistake? Acting like normal, everyday human beings just seems to come...well, naturally. How do we learn to live like the supernatural beings we are?

"Be transformed by the renewing of your minds." Step one...heck, maybe all the steps are just this: change your mind. Eradicate every trace of belief that you are "only human." Practice seeing yourself as God's offspring, a new creation, a heavenly being in an earthly disguise.

My suspicion is, the more you identify yourself with the divine, the more you will allow God's nature and the character of Jesus to ooze and gush and pour out of its hiding place in your spirit. Forget trying to change your behavior; devote yourself to a radical change of mind. Simple, really: see yourself as supernatural, and supernatural actions will follow.

Jesus Took the Test and Gave You His Grade!

"Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, [2] because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. [3] For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man, [4] in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit." Romans 8:1-4.

Since we get our life from God's Spirit in us, and not from our old sinful nature, we exist as those who have met every requirement of God perfectly. Why? Because Jesus passed the test for us--with flying colors I might add. He never sinned. He made an A+, a perfect score. Then, in the wake of total success, He allowed Himself to receive the punishment for all the failures of mankind.

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I'm stealing this illustration because I never had a teacher this dishonest, but a friend of mine was lucky enough to play small college football and take a course under one of his assistant coaches. I don't know what the course was, but it doesn't matter, really. My friend hated school in all ways, except that it gave him the opportunity to play football, so whatever the class was, it was sure to be stressful for him...at least that's how he thought it would be.

However, as the professor/coach brought the first day of class to its conclusion, he asked all the football players to stay after class. I'm sure most of them expected him to give them some sort of speech about "no preferential treatment and they'd better take his class seriously or they'd suffer on the practice field for it" or something of the like. What they got was quite the opposite.

Here's the gist of what he said, "I don't want you guys worrying about this class. I want you thinking about football. Therefore, I'm marking your final grade right now. All of you will receive an A for this class, no matter how you actually perform. I don't want to see you in class; get your sleep. Simply show up on test days--I'll let you know at practice when they are scheduled. Come in for the test, sit down, and write something in every blank. It doesn't matter what you write, just don't be the first to finish so no one gets suspicious."

My friend normally hated taking tests, but this was a new world! He showed up every test day with complete freedom and confidence! He had never experienced this kind of feeling before in an academic situation! On test days, he had always been worried, stressed, frustrated, or even depressed, but not any more! He knew he would be successful, so he felt no pressure at all.

As unethical as it was, that teacher's system for his players is a pretty good illustration of what Jesus did for us, with one drastic exception: Jesus didn't cheat for us. What Jesus did was even better. He took all our tests for us and gave us His grades!

You see, the commands of the Old Testament are like a school curriculum for us, but we don't actually have to pass. This is a curriculum meant to show us that we could never pass on our own and therefore need help, big time.

"Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, [2] because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. [3] For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man, [4] in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit." Romans 8:1-4.

Since we get our life from God's Spirit in us, and not from our old sinful nature, we exist as those who have met every requirement of God perfectly. Why? Because Jesus passed the test for us--with flying colors I might add. He never sinned. He made an A+, a perfect score. Then, in the wake of total success, He allowed Himself to receive the punishment for all the failures of mankind.

That's what it means to be a sin offering, and that's how we got His grade instead of ours. He exchanged our dead, sinful spirits for His living, perfect one. He gave us His life in exchange for death, and therefore all His success in exchange for our failures.

You see, like that coach/professor, God doesn't want you worrying about being good enough. He wants you keeping your head in the game. There's a lot for us to do here on earth. He doesn't want us wasting our time with religion, so He took it out of the way. He has taken all the pressure off.

Therefore, we can walk into every test of life with total confidence, knowing that God always sees us as A+ students, always celebrates our success even when we fail, because He judges us by Jesus' performance, not our own.

(By the way, if that makes you want to go live a sinful life because you know God won't judge you, there's a good chance none of this applies to you...you need to become an actual believer in Jesus.)

For those of you, however, who sincerely long to please God in all you do, this should be the best news you have ever heard. Psalm 119:32 says it this way: "I run in the path of your commands, for you have set my heart free!" When we truly understand the grace and goodness of God and His complete and utterly free gift of complete and utterly irrevocable righteousness in Jesus, we are free to live like the A+ students we most deeply desire to be.

Here is your grade card for life and godliness and Christianity and righteousness and holiness: Jesus took the tests and gave you His grade.

God's gift of intimacy

"He who has joined themselves to the Lord is one in spirit with Him." 1 Corinthians 6:17

I'm glad I'm going to heaven, but I'm much more glad that I know that every day, no matter what I do or say or think or go through, God Almighty is always with me, closer to me than my own breath. I never need to fear anything or worry about anything. I never have to wonder if He hears me pray, or if He knows my heart. I also never have to worry that He might get fed up with me and bail out. Jesus' blood shed on the cross makes sure that can never happen.

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As a believer in Jesus, the Bible says you're one spirit with Him. What an incredible gift! Why is it that we spend so much time thanking Him for eternal life in Heaven, and most of us never even think of this unbelievable gift of intimacy with Him? We are one in spirit with Almighty God!

Think of it! We can never be separated from Him, not even for an instant. How ridiculous that sometimes we think we're not "close to God." Sure, sometimes we don't feel Him like we do at other times, but that is only because our minds have strayed. In our spirits, we are always completely joined to Him, regardless of how we feel. The key to keeping a sense of His presence is really simple: just remember that He's always there, right inside you, and that you can never be apart!

I'm glad I'm going to heaven, but I'm much more glad that I know that every day, no matter what I do or say or think or go through, God Almighty is always with me, closer to me than my own breath. I never need to fear anything or worry about anything. I never have to wonder if He hears me pray, or if He knows my heart. I also never have to worry that He might get fed up with me and bail out. Jesus' blood shed on the cross makes sure that can never happen.

Think of the price God paid to regain intimacy with us. Jesus suffered shame, humiliation, pain and death, not to get us to where God is (heaven), but rather to get God to where we are. His ultimate desire is oneness with us. That was Jesus' final prayer to the Father before His death..."that they may be one in us, just as I am in You and You are in me."

God made it happen, now we need to take advantage of it. Remember that you are one spirit with Him. Enjoy His presence everywhere you go. Talk to Him, listen to Him, get to know Him intimately. It's really not as hard as you might think. You don't have to earn it, and you can't screw it up. The elements are already in place. He's in you and promises to never leave, so set your mind to learn how to enjoy this incredible gift of intimacy with God.

It's not about us...but it is. Part 3: Self redefined

I suppose, then, if you define self as the "flesh," then it's somewhat accurate to say "it's not about us," but please, please, please, in view of the price paid to rid you of that old identity, stop gaining your sense of self from the dead shell of your former life. Remember Who is now your Life, your All in All, and the One in whom you live, move and have your being. Knowing this, that your life is Him in you, there is no need to distinguish between yourself and the One who lives in you.

Again, as believers in Jesus, we are joined into one spirit with God. There is no place to deny self any longer except to recognize the finished work of the cross in regards to that old, sinful nature and to deny it power and place in our life and identity, and choose to walk in the new life of Spirit. The true self is the new creation, created, as Ephesians 4 says, "after the pattern of God, in true righteousness and holiness."

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I find that one of the toughest obstacles to teaching believers who they are is a fear of becoming self-centered, especially for those raised in church. After all, Jesus said to deny yourself, right? The truth is, however, that as we learn more about the new creation God made us to be, the need to look out for number one fades further and further into insignificance.

Sure, my flesh is still idiotically selfish, but that's not who I am anymore, and I don't have to live according to its pattern. Walking in the Spirit is key to all of this, and the spirit, joined with God's Spirit as one, (1 Cor 6:17) is completely convinced of its security, and therefore completely free of selfishness. When walking in the Spirit, good stuff just happens automatically, just as sin happens automatically when walking in the flesh.

Most Christians seem to define self as the flesh, the natural part of us, the one measured by behavior, evaluated on the basis of its obedience and conformity to the demands of Scripture. That is the self Jesus meant for us to deny--the old self. However, for a believer in Jesus to define self as flesh is to take a false identity, one that Jesus paid dearly to free us from.

Jesus’ statement in Luke 9:23 was not about discipline, but about death. He was speaking of the new covenant in His own blood that was to come, in which He would exchange His life for ours. The death He spoke of was His to experience in the physical realm, but ours to participate in by faith.

Our death by faith, however, is no less real. Paul said, "I have been crucified with Christ," signifying the death of the old self, and, "I no longer live, but Christ lives in me," making it unquestionably clear that participation in this death by faith is both radical and permanent—a literal exchange of life. The self most of us still cling to for our identity is in fact dead.

Taking up our cross daily is not about discipline, either, but about remembrance. Paul said in Romans 6 to "count" ourselves dead to sin. That word "count" is an accounting term that means to keep proper records so that you don't spend money you don't have. In other words, there's no money in your flesh account--it's dead and broke, a clue as to why it performs so poorly.

I suppose, then, if you define self as the "flesh," then it's somewhat accurate to say "it's not about us," but please, please, please, in view of the price paid to rid you of that old identity, stop gaining your sense of self from the dead shell of your former life. Remember Who is now your Life, your All in All, and the One in whom you live, move and have your being. Knowing this, that your life is Him in you, there is no need to distinguish between yourself and the One who lives in you.

Again, as believers in Jesus, we are joined into one spirit with God. There is no place to deny self any longer except to recognize the finished work of the cross in regards to that old, sinful nature and to deny it power and place in our life and identity, and choose to walk in the new life of Spirit. The true self is the new creation, created, as Ephesians 4 says, "after the pattern of God, in true righteousness and holiness."

The issue is not choosing God over self, but choosing the new self over the old. This is the high calling in Christ Jesus, to live in concert with God, breathing and moving in Him, and casting off the religious idea of separation from Him. Remember, you are a new creation, so don't tolerate terminology or teaching that causes you to see yourself as who you used to be.

It's Not About us...but it is. Part 2 The Cross

"For God demonstrates His love for us in this: that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8

how can we say it’s not about us? Of course, selfishness is the opposite of the cross, and the archenemy of love, but what is that to us? Look at this gift given for you. Your selfishness will die with Jesus, and all that will live on is gratitude. The paradoxical truth is, you’ll never be done with selfishness until you finally accept the truth that as far as God is concerned, it is about you.

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It is a sad thing that an event as monumental and manifold in significance as the death of Christ has become so familiar as to be trivial, or even presumed understood. Therefore, I want to combat the former without participating in the latter. Look closely at the gift of the death of Jesus, but do not be fooled into thinking you will have ever looked enough.

Look again now. What is God saying through the torn flesh, cruel exposure, shame and pain of the cross? It would be trivial to try to contain it with a phrase like "I love you.” So don't try to hear what God is saying, rather, look at what He is doing.

God is demonstrating something. He is demonstrating with actions what cannot be expressed in words, or understood in ideas or concepts. The cross is a picture that reveals to the heart what is impossible to grasp with the intellect. It is a picture of God's love for us.

Look at it. The picture says a lot, and I don't presume here to exhaust it or even capture its essence. However, I will say, as one shouting from rooftops, what it proves. The cross proves at least this thing: that God is about mankind, and nothing else.

We are His obsession, His occupation, His center--not the center of His being--He is because He is. However, we are the center of His activity, His intention, His plans and purposes, His creation; and most obviously, as we stare at this picture of unthinkable investment, we are the center of His love.

The cross contains meaning so multi-faceted our minds may never grasp it with any certainty, but our hearts must grasp the evidence it gives us about God's love. This is proof that God's love is more than benevolence or pity for some found race of outcasts who somehow inspired His divine attention for a moment.

God's love for us (and forgive me for trying to represent it in words again) is passion for the very crown of His creation who, soiled and ruined by our own rebellion, were still found worthy to be purchased at the price of the All in All. Look at the picture. That priceless jewel hanging there is the representation not only of heaven's eternal riches, but, more poignantly, of the infinite, eternal value God placed on you.

How can we say it’s not about us? Of course, selfishness is the opposite of the cross, and the archenemy of love, but what is that to us? Look at this gift given for you. Your selfishness will die with Jesus, and all that will live on is gratitude. The paradoxical truth is, you’ll never be done with selfishness until you finally accept the truth that as far as God is concerned, it is about you.

It's Not About Us...but it is.

We must not allow false humility to cause us to shrink back from our calling as light, salt, and glory. We must take our place as the conductor of the brilliance of God to the darkness of the world. We must see ourselves as more like God than like the lost world, and therefore fit ambassadors, citizens of heaven and not of earth.

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"Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to Your name be the glory, because of Your love and faithfulness.” Ps 115:1

As a worship leader, I suppose I'm especially sensitive to the things worship leaders say and sing. It is in our worship that I hear the most confusion and ignorance. It is in the words to our songs and the axioms of our corporate prayers that I sense the greatest darkness in the body of Christ today.

The verse above is certainly true, but shamefully abused in today's Christian culture. There is a pervading attitude in the worship movement that rejects the glory of God in an attempt to preserve humility, but the humility it preserves is false and ungodly. Of course, the glory is to God. That is not in question. The question is how God receives glory. The scriptures say it is from, or through, us.

We are the temples of the living God, the dwelling place of the Almighty, the carriers of His glory. He said He created us for His glory. Why do we believe the lie that reduces that truth to nothing more than a statement of God's sovereignty, and miss the power of its pronouncement over us as the centerpiece of all creation and the final key to His plan for the ultimate revelation of His glory?

Jesus said it was our light shining that would glorify the Father in heaven, that we are the light of the world and the salt of the earth. He predicted that our miracles would be even greater than His own would, and that the very gates of Hell would not withstand our power. Then, in His prayer for us, He proudly announced to the Father, "the same glory you gave to me, I have given them."

What was the warning with which Paul warned every man? It was that they take heed to the ancient mystery finally revealed, which is "Christ in you, the hope of glory.” We are the hope...the only hope for God's glory in the earth. He has chosen that it will be through us, and He will not do it independently of us. We will bear, display, demonstrate, and distribute the Glory of God to the world before Jesus returns.

How dare we stand cowering in the shade of our own malformed piety, fearing ourselves not worthy to move out into the glorious light that already shines from within us by God's perfect gift of righteousness? No, it is not about us, but it depends on us, and as long as we hold to our precious self-debasing, self-rejecting, self-excusing so-called humility, we will remain neutralized as carriers of God's glory.

Parenthetically, do not fear that word, "self" or confuse it with "flesh.” Self is no longer flesh for us. The new self is holy, complete, and ready. "If you walk in the Spirit, you will not carry out the desires of the flesh.” Self is now Spirit, temple, new creature, holy, righteous, participant in the divine nature.

Know who you are and you will not be confused. You see yourself as flesh, and your religion makes sense to you, but when you see that you are new, these weak and elemental doctrines will fall from you like the pseudo-spiritual fluff that they are. You will be free.

We must not allow false humility to cause us to shrink back from our calling as light, salt, and glory. We must take our place as the conductor of the brilliance of God to the darkness of the world. We must see ourselves as more like God than like the lost world, and therefore fit ambassadors, citizens of heaven and not of earth.

We must accept the gift of God's glory in given to us in Jesus, as well as the reality that we ourselves have been made glorious (thank you, David Crowder...I think you get it.). No, God did not make us glorious to glorify ourselves, but that is the unbelieving man's conflict, not ours. Our issue is not to whom the glory will go, but how much of the glory we now share with Him we will display and distribute to the world. It's not about us...but it is.

Just Like Jesus-part 1

What does it mean to be Christlike? To me, it's a rather silly term, so likely to be misunderstood as to be nearly meaningless. Almost no one who preaches Christ-likeness as a pursuit actually allows for the achievement of it, and those who do generally have reduced its meaning to matters of character only.

However, I believe not only is it possible to be like Jesus in every way, but it should be considered normal. John wrote that anyone who claimed to live in Jesus should walk exactly like Him. That's simple language. There's no room for interpretation--just like Jesus.

When you combine that statement with Jesus' prediction that anyone who believed in Him would do the same miracles He did and even bigger and better ones, the picture becomes clear--this is a standard of normality far above what most of us have heard. While it is clear, it also seems an impossible goal, and one from which I usually feel quite distant--just like Jesus

There's a lot to say on this subject, so it will take several posts to cover it. I will begin with this thought as a foundation: God has set a standard for us in Jesus that only Jesus in us can meet. I hear people talk about training for Christ-likeness, and I cringe at the terminology, because it makes it sound so humanly dependent.

The standard of life in Jesus is Jesus Himself...and more. Therefore, something supernatural, something super-human, something mystical or magical must occur in order for the standard to be met. Granted, renewing the mind plays a central role in that supernatural process, and that could be called a sort of training.

Nevertheless, let us not reduce the goal to a manageable one in order to try and reason a way to achieve it with human effort. To me, it's even more exciting to realize that all this is utterly insurmountable without divine interaction. The sheer impossibility of it is proof that another reality exists, and that this other reality is for me to experience now, on a daily basis, in the process of this earthly life.

God has set a standard for us in Jesus that only Jesus in us can meet. This should be normal: a supernatural, God-revealing life--Just like Jesus.

Christianity is an Eastern Religion

A friend of mine was talking with a devout Muslim about the claims of Jesus. The man expressed that he had no need for my friend's "Western God." Primarily for the sake of argument, my friend said, "Christianity is not Western, it's Eastern!" Later, he began to realize he was on to something.

Food for thought tonight: truth is, as a westerner, you're at a disadvantage to understand Jesus, Paul, Peter, John, and the rest. These men, like Moses and the prophets, came from cultures much more like what exists today in Iran, Turkey, Palestine, or Iraq than in the good ol' US of A.

Of course, understanding the Old Testament helps somewhat. My suspicion is, however, that most American or European Christians have understood the Hebrew culture revealed in the Old Testament with a severe western slant. Honestly, when I mentioned Moses, didn't you picture Charleton Heston?

Christianity is Eastern, and we need to take heed to that. I believe part of the necessary reformation of at least the American Church is the infusion of elements of eastern thought into the understanding and practice of the Bible. Please reserve judgment here. I am zealously opposed to goofiness. That is not what I mean.

I will give you one example, and I'd love to hear others. (shameless fishing for more comments!) The Jews did not study the scriptures in the analytical way we do. That is a western idea. The Jews memorized the scriptures, meditated on them, and did them. To them, that was study--to hide it in their hearts so that it would become reality in their lives.

Our methods of study are so analytical as to become critical. In other words, we tend to study to decide whether we believe what the scriptures say, or worse, to try and dismiss what they say. In our analytical approach, we also miss the precious intimacy of scripture, and the fact that primarily they reveal a person, rather than merely the answers to our questions.

What other western tendencies cloud our experience of Jesus? Hmmm...

New every day...

On the outside, we're wasting, waning, failing, faltering, falling to bits and pieces if you will, but not so on the inside. Inwardly, we are renewed day by day.

I have a lot of opportunities to think about this these days. I'm definitely not a health-nut, not a bastion of self-control, so here in my forties, I'm having my share of struggles...outwardly. Sure, aches and pains, can wear on you mentally, too, but for the most part, I'm just doing better and better day after day, month after month, year after year...inwardly. I'm actually getting younger all the time.

My conviction is, so are you, whether you realize it or not. That's why Paul said the mind set on the outward reality of life is death. However, life and peace come to you when you set your mind on who you are on the inside, more specifically, on Jesus in you.

In the Old Testament, we found out His mercies were new every morning. Now that we're partakers of the divine nature, we find that we ourselves are new every morning. Just like Adam woke up in the garden one day a full grown man without a past, you and I wake up brand new every day.

I think, and my experience bears out, that the more we realize that, the better we feel, the clearer we think, and the less we ache and gripe and worry. So try to forget the gut, the knees, the condition or the circumstance, the guilt, regret or anger, the fear, worry or dread, and remember, not only is every day new, but inwardly, you also are new every day.

God Likes People

Most people seem to live with the idea that it really all comes down to behavior with God. He’s primarily irritated by people, but one day He’ll fix us so we’ll be acceptable companions for Heaven. After all, eternity would be a long time to put up with people like us.

That’s not my Dad. My Dad likes me, a lot. How is it that we can let ourselves believe that God, whom we claim is infinitely wise would also be so stupid as to create and sacrifice His Son’s life for beings that annoy Him? That, however, is the general feeling most of us seem to have about God.

Consequently, if we’re honest, we don’t like Him either, and just let me say, if you don’t like God, you don’t know Him. Truth is, however, God does like us. Think about it: He made us in His own image. Fallen or not, there’s no way we could ever not be His favorite.

What a monumental thing it has been to realize God doesn’t just tolerate me out of some virtuous pity, but that He actually likes me. He celebrates who He made me to be, who I am in every aspect. He enjoys my company immensely. He doesn’t require that I say or do anything in particular, either. He just wants to hang out with me. God likes people.

If you believe that, you’ll like God. In case you haven’t had this self-realization, I’ll go ahead and give it to you: the people you like the most are generally the ones who like you the most. We love to be liked.

Internal-God Thinking

I owe my good friend Danny a thanks for this term and for teaching me this concept. You may see a book by him on the subject before too long, but I at least want to give you my understanding of this simple and obvious, but often overlooked truth.

How much would our prayer change if we remembered that the God we pray to inhabits us? After all, we are His temples.

What would become of begging Him to change us if we recognized that in order to move into us, He had to completely re-make us? After all, He calls us new creations.

Could we pray, "Lord, come and fill our hearts today," if we truly believed that when we were joined to Him, our spirits became one with His? After all, Jesus prayed for it, and the Father listened.

What would happen to all the songs crying out for God's presence if we actually took stock of what it means to be the Temples of the Living God? After all, He said He'd never leave.

Why do we continue to see God as outside ourselves? After all, Jesus died to make a way for Him to come and live in us. Why do we keep pretending He's so far away? Are we just more comfortable with external-God thinking? I believe one of the greatest revelations we can have is often overlooked or forgotten or rejected. That is this: God lives in us.

True Humility

As for humility, that's a word of which I'm afraid Christians have skewed the definition. It actually means to be pliable in God's hands, teachable, movable, and to put others first, not to think oneself in a lowly manner. In Philippians 2, Jesus' attitude of humility is not to think of others as better, but rather to place them at a higher priority than self, an example of true humility.

Jesus knew He was equal with God, and it did not interfere with His humility. Therefore, we do not need to see ourselves as lowly sinners in order to practice true humility. Actually, the opposite is true. The more I realize the extent to which God has endowed me with His righteousness, nature, and power, the more I am able to put others first, in light of the depth of care the Father has for me.

This may seem like a paradox, but only to the mind unfamiliar with spiritual truth. Death brings life, slavery brings freedom, losing means winning--these apparent paradoxes are philosophical pillars of our faith. The same is true with humility. Humility is power and greatness dispensed with love, grace, and selflessness.

You are Not a Sinner, Part Two

There's nothing wrong with remembering the price that was paid. In fact, I think if you rightly assess the price paid for your sin, you'll see there can be none left out of that transaction, especially since that transaction resulted not only in Jesus' death, but yours.

What many believers miss in the phrase "Jesus died for my sins," is the truth that in order for your sins to die with Jesus, you had to die as well. Since we know the essence of Christianity is new life, how do we miss the need for prerequisite death? Someone had to die for you to be reborn, and it was the old sinner inside you.

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This summer, I went to Mexico on a mission trip. To make things smoother, I learned to speak just a little Espanol. It became a bit of a habit. I often think, "what's the Spanish word for that?" More often than I probably should, I actually say things in Spanish...not that well. I love Mexican food, and eat it as often as I can. I guess what I'm trying to say is...I am now a natural born Mexican Citizen.

That's ridiculous, isn't it? Participating occasionally in the language or culture of Mexico does not make me a Mexican. I'd have to be born there to say that. Well, it's just as ridiculous for a believer in Jesus to call himself a sinner. You might say, "I was born a sinner," and I'd have to answer, "No, you weren't...not the real you."

You see, even though all of us were born into sin, we no longer have a right to claim that title. We've been crucified and reborn, raised with Jesus in our inner person. That inner person, the hidden, new self, is our true identity. The one born into sin is no longer who we are. In fact, it's dead.

Paul goes into great detail in his letter to the Roman Christians to tell them that the person they were before they met Jesus had died, and that they had been resurrected with Jesus. The Romans, like us, were dealing with powerful cultural influences from their past lives every day, and Paul gave them an iron-clad legal case to prove that sin was not in charge anymore.

That legal case centered on one piece of evidence: the death of the old self. It's as if he's saying to them, "Look, I know the temptations are powerful, but you don't have to put up with it...that's not who you are anymore!" The early Christians were not in the habit of calling themselves sinners, or I'm certain He would have chided them for it. However, he did tell them very clearly to look at themselves as dead to sin.

How can someone dead to sin be a sinner? It's not possible. Therefore, Paul's instructions to the Romans are clear: calling yourself a sinner is not allowed. Why not? Isn't it good to be grateful for Jesus' death in our place? Didn't Paul call himself the worst of sinners?

As for Paul's statement in Timothy, it was past tense, and it's also a good lesson for us in gratitude. There's nothing wrong with remembering the price that was paid. In fact, I think if you rightly assess the price paid for your sin, you'll see there can be none left out of that transaction, especially since that transaction resulted not only in Jesus' death, but yours.

What many believers miss in the phrase "Jesus died for my sins," is the truth that in order for your sins to die with Jesus, you had to die as well. Since we know the essence of Christianity is new life, how do we miss the need for prerequisite death? Someone had to die for you to be reborn, and it was the old sinner inside you.

You are not a sinner. You may feel like one--sometimes I do, too. You may act like one on occasion--and so do I. You may remember what it was like to be one, but that does not change the fact that the sinner in you is dead. That's just not who you are anymore. As I said before, you've been changed...enjoy it.

You Are Not a Sinner

A “sinner” is someone who habitually sins--as a lifestyle--with no ability to repent. A sinner is a slave to sin. The Greek word literally means "one not freed from sin." If that’s you, then you’re not a Christian at all. That’s why Romans 5:8 says that Jesus died for us “while we were still sinners.” Yes, we were all sinners. That’s past tense. The “were still” clearly indicates that there is a “not anymore.”

Why does the New Testament call us saints forty-five times and sinners maybe once? Salvation changed us from sinners to saints. If you call yourself a “sinner saved by grace,” here’s the truth of what you’re saying. “God’s grace is powerful enough to make me live forever in heaven, but it’s not powerful enough to change me here on earth.” If you believe that, you just don’t know anything about God’s grace.

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Why does that statement make some people angry? That's not an entirely rhetorical question...I really don't know the answer. I suppose I have some ideas, but ultimately, the thought that someone would be angered by the news that they are permanently approved by God and changed into a new kind of person...just baffles me.

You are not a sinner. I challenge all readers to find a place in scripture that calls believers in Jesus sinners. There are two in the New Testament that seem to, but only if taken out of context. By contrast, however, there are forty-five places in the New Testament alone that refer to believers as saints, or "holy ones."

As for the two instances where it seems we may be labeled sinners, in the most quoted, first Timothy 1:16, Paul is obviously referring to his past life, before He believed. That one is easy. The second, in James, is a little bit more difficult. In short, James is referring to their behavior, not their identity, but if you want to keep that one on the sinner side, feel free.

Consider this, however, before you use the one-to-forty-eight ratio to label yourself a sinner rather than a saint: God declared you righteous by Jesus' blood—to declare yourself a sinner is to directly contradict God’s declaration about you, at the cost of His Son. Are you willing to put yourself in that position? You’re a brave one, aren’t you?

Next, God not only declared you righteous, but He gave you His righteousness. Calling yourself a sinner is to say that you are not righteous, and since your righteousness is God’s righteousness, to say that you are not righteous is to say that God is not righteous. Again, very brave.

Additionally, a “sinner” is someone who habitually sins--as a lifestyle--with no ability to repent. A sinner is a slave to sin. The Greek word literally means "one not freed from sin." If that’s you, then you’re not a Christian at all. That’s why Romans 5:8 says that Jesus died for us “while we were still sinners.” Yes, we were all sinners. That’s past tense. The “were still” clearly indicates that there is a “not anymore.”

Why does the New Testament call us saints forty-five times and sinners maybe once? Salvation changed us from sinners to saints. If you call yourself a “sinner saved by grace,” here’s the truth of what you’re saying. “God’s grace is powerful enough to make me live forever in heaven, but it’s not powerful enough to change me here on earth.” If you believe that, you just don’t know anything about God’s grace.

Finally, to think that God would inhabit "saved sinners" is to cheapen His holiness. God’s grace doesn’t cause Him to overlook our sinfulness. He’s too holy for that. He can’t leave sin unpunished and He can’t be in the presence of sinful people without involuntarily vaporizing them. (See Exodus 19:20-22) God had to change you to have a relationship with you. If the Holy Spirit came into a sinner, he'd just dissolve like Nadab and Abihu when they sinned in front of the altar.

God’s grace is so powerful that it changed who you are, at the core of your being. I was a sinner, and I'm reminded of that daily by some of my tendencies, but that's just not me anymore. I've been changed, and if you believe in Jesus, so have you. You are no longer a sinner, but a saint. Enjoy it.

Why I Write

I am a writer, but not on the basis of training or skill or even natural ability. I'm a writer because I have to write. I tend to only write what burns in me and must be expressed. I write music as well, and though I have written out of the need for a certain type of song, the songs I feel strongly about are usually those that burst, or at least emerge, from somewhere in my life or heart.

Therefore, I write what I can't keep from writing. I may or may not know you, but I have an overwhelming desire to give you what God has, through some great teachers and friends, given to me. That great gift is simply a clear picture of our identity as believers in Jesus.

I lived as a Christian from childhood through my thirties in varying levels of frustration. (At seven, I was not terribly introspective.) I discovered grace in my twenties, and finally, in my early forties, I have discovered who I am. I don't know how I survived, but I know that largely, that's what I did.

My wife and I often say to each other how angry it makes us to think that we lived so long without a clear picture of our identity in Christ. "Why didn't someone tell me this before?" is the cry I hear over and over again as I teach these ideas to people. Well, I don't know why so few people have taught this over the last twenty or so years, but I'm teaching it now through writing.

That's why I write.

Why I Walk With Jesus

I don't walk with Jesus because I determined His lifestyle was to my liking.

I don't worship Jesus because I believe He is Creator God and I must revere Him.

I don't serve Jesus because I am grateful for His sacrifice for me on the cross.

I don't love Jesus because of His long list of admirable attributes.

Jesus has captured my heart. Though I recognize on a daily basis that I do have a choice to turn away from Him, it seems less and less like any choice at all. What would I do...breathe some other air, walk in some strange light; borrow a personality, beliefs and ideas from TV or YouTube?

I walk with Jesus, worship Him, serve and love Him because that is who I am. He has, by His demonstrated character and manifest presence, revealed to me the substance of life. He defines me, and, by the way, the expression of my personality is ever more free and celebrated in Him. I have not lost myself in Him. I have found myself. I am, literally, in Him.

When Jesus asked His disciples if they would leave Him as did the fickle crowds, their response was, "Where would we go?" I get it now.