Some fine stuff!

 

From Craig Glenn

If we are forgiven of our sins past, present, and future at the time of salvation won't that lead to a sinful lifestyle?

 

 "This is not a new question"…I love this…when we are preaching the gospel "properly" people WILL ask this question, why, because they asked Paul…and who preached he gospel better than Paul!!

 

From Brad Dearlove

Church Leaders don't want to preach ' too much' grace because they are afraid that the people will go out and sin. They want the people to be holy... Do we as leaders really think that we have the power to make people holy? They don't want to loose control of the people, God 'forbid' that we as leaders give Him back control of HIS church, the people HE bought with HIS SONS BLOOD.

 

The power for everything is in the gospel of Gods grace. Grace teaches people to say no to ungodliness and worldly passions, and Grace teaches us to live self controlled and upright lives. Why? because when believers grasp a true revelation of their amazing position, they begin to become more aware of the Holy Spirit dwelling in them, and HE will manifest the life of Jesus in their lives. We cant make people like Jesus, but the HOLY SPIRIT can.

 

If we want to see people changed, preach the gospel (of grace). If we want the people to live godly lives, preach the gospel (of grace), if we want people to be self controlled, preach the gospel (of grace).

 

If we want the people to struggle and not live victorious over those things that chain them down, or we don't want to give up control of 'our' church, then don't preach the gospel (of grace). Preach a watered down gospel and throw in a whole lot of charismatic laws, rules and principals; make sure you add in a whole lot of do's and don'ts.

 

Blessings,

 

From Ryan Rufus:

Guys this is excellent! You're prophetically putting your finger on something that is absolutely key and central at this very moment!

 

The religious spirit is raging thru the church at the moment and trying to put pressure on leaders to preach more holiness and righteousness and obedience and consecration. Sadly many are blindly participating with this nonsense and are becoming more religious and joyless! This whole thing on this new 'moral revolution' and a 'revival of righteousness' seriously concerns and troubles me. It's flesh, it's pharisaical and it's an Ishmael! It's not a moral revolution, it's a grace revolution! That's what God is doing! The byproduct of that will be holy living etc but don't make that the focus. I want to scream at people 'stop trying to be more holy! Stop trying to be sanctified! Stop trying to be more obedient! Stop trying to be more consecrated!!! Get your eyes off yourself and onto Him. See what He's already fully accomplished. See grace! See prophetically what God is releasing across the earth and that is a revelation of His righteousness in us and our absolute unchanging eternally perfect position in Him!

 

God reminded me yesterday that 'seeing your salvation' is key in this time. Many preach 'holiness and morality' because they haven't seen their salvation. They haven't seen the supernatural work that has taken place on the inside of a christian at the point of salvation. That God is not trying to put restraint on us because he's put it in us! Grace is the reason we could keep sinning because God has taken the external restraint of the law off us! Yet grace is the reason why we don't keep sinning because God has put the restraint of His nature inside our spirit! Any other kind of restraint christians put on each other is external, and no matter how subtle, it's law!!! IE fear of judgement, promise of blessing, fear of curse, promise of the Fathers pleasure, withdrawal of His pleasure etc, is all external manipulation to get a christian to 'move'. Stop trying to get Christians to move!!!! God moves Christians! Just present the glorious truths of the gospel and christians will come alive! Our spirits have been given fullness in Christ, are seated with Christ, blessed with every blessing in Christ. Our spirits love Jesus perfectly, have perfect faith, perfect love, perfect righteousness, perfect authority, perfect 100% passion to live for Him, perfect power over temptation, perfect health, perfect prosperity, perfect encounter with God etc etc. All we got to do is connect with that and live from that place. Grace reveals that and empowers us to live from that place because grace is spiritual and has it's faith in Him. Law is fleshly and has it's eyes on self. Your flesh, your mind. As long as your persuing that, you'll never live from your spirit thru your mind and flesh.

 

Anyway. You guys are getting me excited. Well done. Keep going for it. I feel like the religious spirit is mounting a final stand as he can see he's loosing the fight. Like Paul just before he got saved, his persecusion intensified, and then all of a sudden God smacked him off his horse and delivered him for that religious spirit and he became one of the greatest grace guys ever! I feel like the grace revolutionary's need to stand all the more in these times and not be intimidated but bold and courageous! Strong in the grace of God! Because great deliverence is coming world wide to the church. Our battle is not against flesh and blood (even though sometimes you just want to smack some people for the stupid things they say!!!) it's against the religious spirit that is ravaging precious people and churches who are blinded, but I can see the panic in his eyes, because he knows that we know that God knows- he's coming down!!!!!!!!!!! And incredible freedom is coming to multitudes world wide!!!! Praise God!

 

More strength, more grace, more boldness, more peace to all you guys.

 

 

 

 

 

Wayne's World...(10Nov08)

 

How to read your bible part 2

 

Wayne Duncan

 

John Piper:

"I have found my mind and heart moving towards Luther's estimation of the doctrine of justification, and particularly the imputation of Christ's righteousness as the precious foundation of our full acceptance and everlasting inheritance of life and joy."

(Counted Righteous in Christ, Crossway  pg 13)

 

Martin Luther

"[Justification] is the chief article of Christian doctrine. To him who understands how great its usefulness and majesty are, everything else will seem slight and turn to nothing. What is an angel from heaven? What are all creatures in comparison with the article of Justification? For if we know this article, we are in the clearest light; if we do not know it we dwell in the densest darkness"

 

John Piper

"Good counseling builds the "whole counsel of God" (Acts 20:27) into the head and heart of sinful wounded people. At the centre of it (the "whole counsel of God") is Christ our righteousness"

 

Understanding righteousness is so central to our precious faith that without a true revelation of the gift of righteousness, that Christ gives to us freely through faith, Christianity cannot be lived with "everlasting inheritance of life and joy".

 

Were doing a series on reading your bible. In order to know how to read your bible, you have to have the correct filter system in place. We have to "correctly divide the word of truth".

 

So were going to look at the out line for reading the bible correctly, and then look at some helpful definitions.

 

How to read the bible…3 questions, 3 filters.

 

Question 1

 

Who was it written to.

 

First you establish the context.

 

Question 2

 

What does it say to them?

 

Establish Content.

 

Question 3

 

How is it relevant to me?

 

Covenant.

 

The three filters are here under how is it relevant to me?

 

Filter 1

How is this scripture relevant to me through the filter of Christ's free gift of righteousness through faith.

 

Filter 2

How is this scripture relevant to me in the new covenant?

 

Filter 3

How is this scripture relevant to me through the birth, life(obedience), death (finished work of the cross), resurrection and return of Jesus.

 

Putting scripture through this filter will protect error, and put the scripture in pure light.

 

Now I know this sounds a bit technical, so for now, all you need to get is this…

 

Read the scripture through the filter of "Christ our righteousness".

 

Christ our Righteousness

 

What is righteousness?

 

The simple definition is "right standing with God"

 

Websters Dictionary:

 

The state of being right with God; justification; the work of Christ, which is the ground of justification.

 

Here in this definition we see that being righteous is a state. It's a permanent state of right standing with God.

 

We see that it is through the work of Christ, which meant that it is not through our work.

 

We see that it is the ground of justification. Justification is "just as if I'd never sinned". It's the removal of all sins past, present and future. It's the truth that God no longer counts our sins against us. It's our pardon and perfection.

 

How to obtain righteousness?

 

So how do we get right standing with God?

 

How do we enter this permanent state of being right with God, so he can treat us as justified?

 

We cannot create righteousness.

 

We need to understand that in order to be righteous; one would have to be perfectly righteous. You would have to perfectly obey every single law, and command ever written. Gods standard for righteousness is perfect obediance. Unfortunately no-one could do that, fortunately Jesus, did.

 

Jesus now offers that righteousness he earned to us, as our righteousness.

 

Righteousness comes to us therefore as a gift, without works, without the law, and through the life of Jesus.

 

Free gift of righteousness

 

Romans 5:17 If, because of one man's trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.

 

Here we see righteousness is a free gift.

 

Not by works

 

Romans 4:4Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. 5And to the one who does not work but trusts him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness

 

God cannot be manipulated into giving us righteousness; the reason is that we could never do enough to deserve righteousness. The standard to receive it is perfection, and as we know none of us are perfect.

 

So we cannot work for righteousness, as if to earn it like a wage, or through works of the law or obedience.

 

Ephesians 2:8For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

 

We cannot boast in our righteousness coz it comes to us through Jesus. It's not our own works that produce righteousness. It's the other way around; righteousness will produce good fruit in us. But this is of God and to his glory…that no-one can boast. This boasting is self righteousness.

 

The works of the Christian are to believe in Jesus.

 

John 6:28 Then they said to him, "What must we do, to be doing the works of God?" 29Jesus answered them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent

 

1 John 3:23 And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ

 

 

 

Righteousness apart from the law

 

Romans 3:21 But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law,

 

Romans 3:28 For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law.

 

Galatians 2:21 I do not nullify the grace of God, for if justification(Or righteousness)  were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose.

 

Very clear, righteousness apart from the law.

 

Justification apart from the law.

 

If it were through the law, Christ died for nothing.

 

Please friends settle this in your heart. There is still lots of stinking thinking in Christian circles today. Trying to be righteous and holy by keeping the law. Lots of weird stuff comes in here.

 

Mixing law and grace, please interpret the bible through, the law is fulfilled, I'm no longer under law but grace. If not you'll quickly be confused, soon be under condemnation and performance, soon be removed from Christ, and soon come under a curse. For that's what Galatians says. It warns that those who go back to the law, are separating themselves from Christ and coming under a curse. If you battle with being under the law, do a study of Galatians and let God set you free!

 

From God, not of ourselves

 

Romans 10:3 For, being ignorant of the righteousness that comes from God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God's righteousness.

 

True, effective righteousness come from God. We cannot produce it. It's from God, and is actually the very righteousness of God.

 

2 Cor 5:21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

 

How do you get righteousness?

 

Very simple by faith in Jesus.

 

Simply believe that Jesus lived a perfect life on your behalf. Take His free gift of righteousness, and it is yours. It's by faith and faith alone.

 

Philippians 3:9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith -

 

Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 17For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith,(Or beginning and ending in faith)  as it is written, "The righteous shall live by faith

 

It's simple friends. Jesus lived the perfect life. He was perfectly obedient. In the great exchange of the cross, he got what he did not deserve, and we got what we did not deserve.

 

He got the wrath, punishment, judgment and separation from God.

 

We got forgiveness of sins, wholeness and righteousness. When we believe in his perfect sacrifice by faith, we receive it all.

 

Much deception has crept into Christian theology, and belief, and tradition, by loosing sight of "Christ our righteousness".

 

If you read the bible and think, "I have to do this, of do that" in order to be righteousness, or right with God. Your incorrectly dividing the word of truth. In the new covenant God no longer deals with us that way. Our righteousness is a free gift through faith.

 

So what about works, the law, commandments? Well they all have a place, but that place is not to produce righteousness.

 

The law showed us no-one could be righteous.

 

Then Jesus did everything perfectly on our behalf, now he gives that righteousness to us. It's by His obedience on our behalf. There is no other way to receive righteousness.

 

Now that we are righteous, we will produce the fruit of the commandments and works. Righteousness is the root that produces fruit. No root no fruit, only self righteousness. We will produce fruit because of the righteousness in us. Were radically changed into a new creation at salvation and its impossible for "good works" and "commandments" to not manifest in and through us. We are filled with the Holy Spirit! It's impossible to be filled with God, and not "do good works".

 

Righteousness is the root that produces the fruit.

 

So righteousness is our inheritance through the cross.

 

We are in right standing with God, all our sins forgiven forever, through Jesus sacrifice on our behalf, not by the law, not by works, not by performance, but by christs perfect performance on my behalf.

 

When God looks at you, he sees Jesus perfect obedience and performance. He sees you through Jesus blood, he sees you as perfect, faultless and perfectly righteous.

 

You can not become more righteous that you are right now, coz you've been made perfectly righteous. Jesus was perfect…simply believe.

 

…Thank you Jesus.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wayne's World...(6Nov08)

Sin Cannot Stop God's Grace!   

Romans 5:20 Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more,
 
When a top executive is charged for corruption or a church minister is caught in the very act of adultery, you will probably hear the phrase "fallen from grace" being used of them. We have come to believe that when someone falls into sin, he falls from grace.

 

But God wants us to know that when someone falls into sin, he does not fall from grace — he actually falls into grace! Thank God His grace is there to put the person back on his feet.

 

The Bible tells of prostitutes and corrupt tax collectors — sinners — who fell into God's grace and got back on their feet. If the sin in their lives could stop God's grace, they would never have been able to receive His grace of healing, help and power to live right.

 

Now, it is important you understand that God hates sin because it destroys our lives, relationships and bodies. Sin is evil! But sin is not overcome by us talking about it and relying on our willpower to overcome it. It takes God's grace to destroy sin. In fact, it is when you are under His grace that sin has no dominion over you. (Romans 6:14) It is when you see His grace in providing His Son to put away your sins and make you eternally righteous that sin will not dominate you.

 

The devil will say to you, "You think that you can still expect God's blessings after what you did this morning?" That is when you must remind yourself that Christ alone is your perfection and righteousness. All of us have faults. None of us deserve God's blessings. That is why we plead the grace of God, which is His unearned, unmerited and undeserved favor toward us.

 

Sin does not and cannot stop God's grace. If His grace can be cut off by sin, Jesus would never have come to save us because we were all terrible sinners. But praise God, "where sin abounded, grace abounded much more"!

 

My friend, God's grace is bigger, deeper, wider and more powerful than all the world's sins put together. Receive His grace right now to walk in total victory over that weakness or evil habit in your life!

 

The One Thing - Daily Devotional From Joseph Prince Ministries

 

Building with Brad...(6Nov08)

Religion and control programmes us to shut down anything that might be our dreams, given us by God, and manipulates us through cleaver words, dangling carrots and empty promises to get us to serve its desires. Finally when we wake up we realize that we have lost our God given dreams and we feel unsatisfied with our lives. Religion will always leave us feeling unsatisfied. Religion itself is never satisfied and thus pressures people to perform in order to obtain that which can never be obtained, the cycle is ruthless and tragic.
Grace enables us to see the dreams God gives, fulfilled without effort. We are satisfied because God is satisfied yet we still hunger for more because God gives more. In our hunger for more we are not left feeling frustrated but rather we have a surety that we can see and will see the more.

 

Everything is obtained through our position, it can not be obtained through our effort, and it can not be obtained through our condition. The glory of God, signs, wonders, miracles, healings, deliverance etc. follows the right message, the gospel of Gods grace, which is bearing fruit all over the world.

God Bless,
Bradley Dearlove