To My Generation: from one prodigal to all

Dear You,

I love you. It’s one thirty in the morning, and I’m thinking about you. I really don’t know why, most often I find myself stressing out about how I can help you, but trying to convince myself that I can’t stand you. Even now the pain and burden I feel for you is as strong as ever and I love you more than words can say. We’re the same person, you and I. We’ve lived the same life and saw the same problems all around us. We’ve been given the same opportunities to screw up, laugh, and dream of love. We've saw more heartache and been given more opportunities to implode than anyone before us. You’re the best friend that I can’t stand, the one that breaks my heart every time you reject my words of advice, yet when your heart is broken afterwards I’ll hold you without a moment’s hesitation. I’ve said behind your back that you drive me crazy and I can’t stand you, but in my heart I know I could love you no more and in no other way than to keep bugging you and asking you if you want to come back home. We hang out whenever we can and when I go home I tell Dad all about you, He cries and says He loves you too, He’s sad that you left; He wants to be your Dad again. I know you go home to that place you fixed up so well, trying to let everyone know you’re gonna make it just fine. The paint does look good and the lawn is gorgeous, but I know it’s about to fall down inside if one more storm comes through. That sand you picked for your foundation really didn’t cut it, did it? That salesman at the life building store, Lucky, wasn’t it? Yeah, he lied to you. He lied to you and you believed him, I was there. When did he move in? I’m sorry he lied to you, it doesn’t have to be this way. We both know it.

I know you go home and lay in a bed of iron, though you’ve covered it with soft things and Lucky told you it looked great. Did you put the mirror I gave you for your birthday up yet? I didn’t think so… I wish you would. It was meant to show you what I see underneath your designer clothes and enhanced skin. You carry something so much more valuable than I can say, Dad says you’ll be beautiful when you let Him take care of you. I know you don’t believe me; you say I don’t have any fun and that I’m always locked in a box. You say you’re free and that Lucky is taking care of everything. I hear you’re going to never cry again and really make something of yourself. I hear many things, but we’ve talked too many times for you to bluff me. I know the truth.You know we lived the same life until a little while ago. You remember when we ran away together and decided we’d see the world? You remember when Dad let us? When He said He’d always be there and He’d always love us? He wasn’t lying. It broke His heart but we didn’t care- we were free. Did you know that He sent Joshua out to find us… He found me not long ago, that’s why I didn’t come back that night. I’ve been home a little while now. It’s why I won’t come be coming back. Lucky had some men kill Joshua, they killed Him for trying to find us. I think that’s what he always wanted, but I know you won’t believe me until you talk to Him. He’s lying to you- I know you don’t believe me.

Why won’t you come back?

I love you. I cry for you often, but you know I can’t come back to you- when we left, I thought it was for good too, but I couldn’t stand to lose any more blood. You saw what they did to us- why did we let them? I was tired of living in a shell. I was tired of feeling like I had to prove something. I can’t do that anymore. You must understand, it doesn’t have to be this way. Lucky doesn’t love you. Not like Dad and Joshua do. I know he buys you nice things now… but I’ve also seen the bruises. Does he give you a blanket to cuddle in after he beats you? Does he give you a cup of water and then hold you, trying to help you forget that he’s the one who did this? Do you know what Dad would do to him if you’d let Him? Why do you keep protecting him as if he's your husband or something? I don’t understand… why don’t you come home? I miss you. I love you- more than words can say. Dad loves you too, but it’ll always be your call- that’s the way He made things. Please come home.

Love,
Me

Question

I have become more and more amazed at the problem so many Christians have with this passage of scripture:

John 8

In the first parts of it, we see a woman brought to Jesus in a lot of bondage and a lot of pain. Forget the crowds at this point, they're of no concern, the real beauty here is Jesus. He frees her. He frees her from impending death and future death, calms her, and sends her on her way to do it all over again- right? No. He sends her on her way with the marked command "Go and sin no more." What are we to do with that? We're so content to be freed and then make our way right back into bondage... but that isn't the expectation of Christ. The question is, is Jesus expectation unreasonable? Did He demand something impossible? Did He set this woman up for failure? Can you answer this question- could the woman fulfill Jesus command to her or was it impossible?

You see, if it was impossible- then the woman would be disobeying Jesus and thus be not in Him, retreating back into death and hell and it would be all Jesus' fault for telling her to do something impossible. If it is not impossible- then why have we disregarded it from cost of following Christ? I find it beautiful that the remaining portion of this chapter deals specifically with the freedom found only in Jesus. Are you the woman? I was- not literally, but you could easily place me in that situation, has Jesus demanded something impossible of me as well? Nope- He's empowered me to walk by His strength and do precisely what might be deemed "impossible," except that through Him, all things are possible. That's the catch- it's always all about Him. I'd like to keep it that way if you don't mind. Keep your programs and seminars, the outreach and the income- just give me Jesus.

The Gospel

Dear YOU,

You ask “what is freedom.” I want to answer you, truly I do. But perhaps the more reasonable thing to do is take this back to Genesis, where we encounter the identity of bondage. This remains a black and white issue for me (though it has not always been that way). In the garden we find two people living in freedom. Their bodies are not cursed and they walk with God in a perfect relationship. We could study this for awhile, but I’d rather get to the point. Satan introduces something new to Eve, the idea of truth outside of God. He lies to her and deceives her. By getting her to believe Him, Satan used God’s beautiful creation to deny His glory- the task Satan has had since His own fall- and thus exalt himself. Bondage came when Even believed this lie and declared glory for God’s enemy. She became a captive to what she obeyed. Adam was also deceived and thus fell also. His bondage was twofold, first, he became captivated by Satan through being a tool, second, he became captivated by Eve, enslaving himself to her as well. The fall was twofold also, for humanity exists in two realms, the physical and the spiritual. Because God is perfect in every way, justice must be served. The first wrath of God brought curses on His own creation. The physical realm is cursed to die, and the spiritual realm was cursed to be separate from God (death and hades). Humanity was enslaved through deceit. It’s very simple. All born since that time carry the curses due us. You and I were born into sin, just as our parents were and our children will be also.

Now, God’s love is too great to let it all go that easily. He revealed Himself to obedient people, giving them intimate knowledge of Himself just as He desired for all people at creation. Sacrifices were instituted to bring a hope of redemption and salvation, yet God’s plan was greater. The Son chose to become human Himself, stripped of glory and separate from the Father, bearing both curses. He redeemed woman through His birth, and kept a perfect life. His mission was redemption and restoration for the entire world. His place of purpose was the cross. Jesus entire life was bent on getting to the cross, though along the way He revealed truth to people and set them free from deceit. He spoke truth concerning the spiritual realm, truth only God could know, and displayed power and miracles to display His glory and power over the curses. There was no result of the fall He could not reverse, including death, His power over which was displayed many times. Jesus message was one of belief in Him as the Son of the only God, for the curse had been brought about by believing Satan, to be reversed it must be done by they who fell- US. In turning people from the lies of Satan, Jesus was declaring the glory of God through humanity- restoring to us our purpose as creation and giving us the ability to live free from sin. But His eyes were still towards the cross. The moment of justice came, and Jesus declared victory. He was killed for us, bled and died in our own place. This moment of justice and grace is the salvation of the world. The pure and simple Gospel. Once dead, Jesus was free to work in the spirit realm unhindered, He stole the keys to Hell and thus took total authority over both curses. In rising from the dead- Jesus Christ brought redemption to His creation. All know His name, and one day all will bow before Him, seeing Him in glory and recognizing He is Lord of all. All things rest in His hands alone now and Satan’s time is marked.

To those who believed and loved Him by obeying His commands, Jesus poured His Spirit onto, that they would continue to walk in Truth, not being deceived, and live with authority and power over those things which once enslaved them- whatever they may be. He commissioned them to go and make disciples just as they were to Him, promising them (just as He had to Israel in their dangerous journey) that He would be with them forever. The Holy Spirit continues to guide and speak Truth into their lives daily. The presence of Christ is always near. This is the real freedom of those who are in the Son, that though the flesh is cursed to die, it will be resurrected in glory- Christ being the firstborn of all. The redemption of our bodies is the final moment of restoration and declaration of the glory of God. We live in the physical and spiritual still, but the spiritual is now in our power to live with freedom through Jesus. Sin is spiritual, so I do declare that through Jesus Christ it is possible to live blamelessly and with holiness, just as He said. I take my Lord at His Word, knowing that through the power of the Holy Spirit, demons are renounced and cast out, that lies and deceit are overcome- I have seen these things and know it is real and true. The mission of Christ was not to bring half freedom, that we would still remain in bondage to sin. We live in the physical, that means the flesh will continue to have a say, but it is not the true authority- deny it!

I do not claim to have no sin, that would be a lie. What I claim is that through Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the King of kings and Lord of lords, I have authority to deny sin and the devil, to live in holiness and blamelessly. I haven’t noticed it before- this makes me ache for you to see. The thing that gives you any impression of malice in my voice as you read right now is wrong- there could be no more love in my words. You claim that you become more and more free everyday, my friend, that tells me that yesterday you were in bondage to something. If you expect to be free tomorrow, you are in bondage today. Can you deny that? The love of Christ compels us to live for Him, He traded His life for ours. We die to ourselves to live through Christ, flooded with power and gifts of the Spirit to continue to declare the glory of God to powers and authorities in the spiritual places. Jesus will always take us as we are, but He wants us to live as He is. That means transformation, that requires freedom from everything that holds us back. Any and everything that isn’t of Him. I struggled with incredibly low self esteem- that had to go, for I am new in Christ. I struggled with thoughts of lust, the captivity of women- that had to go, I am new in Christ and claim authority over that temptation. Whatever your struggle is- He wants it to go, so you can be new in Christ and live in complete freedom, with His authority ruling you. That is true freedom, the freedom of Truth, and that is the purest Gospel I know. I love you enough to share this and pray the Holy Spirit would stir in you as never before.

In Him,

Greg

Freedom

I really want to open this with a clever quote of some kind, something that will get your attention and reel you in. However, more and more I’m discovering God hasn’t dealt with me that way, why should I you? I want to ask a question, one that will require complete honesty on your part. Moreover, I’m really not talking to anyone but you, just you. Not the other people tagged in this note- YOU. I want to have this conversation face to face, but at this moment, that’s quite impossible, so this will have to do…

Are you free?

I mean, really free?

You see, I’ve found in recent conversations that we have somehow bought into a fabrication, an illusion, a mirage, a LIE. We’ve somehow believed that we can be more free than someone else, or that the bondage we have in our lives is somehow so much less terrible than that bondage we see so and so in. The problem is- it’s a lie. Let me put it this way:

You’re chained to a wall. A wall of brick, stone, granite, you name it- a wall. The extension of your chains gives you quite a bit of room to walk around and meet the other prisoners in your cell. As you talk with a friend, someone who’s been there so much longer than you have, you notice that their chains are all over them- ankles, wrists, waist, even their neck is bound by this strong fetter. You pity the man, feel sorry for your friend and long to see him free. Others around you- so many are bound. You think to yourself that the one chain holding you to the wall is nothing and you are much better off than the others. The problem is- you’re still chained. You are not free. You see, there is not a middle ground in this land. There is no gray area of freedom as if you are more free than someone else. You are either free or you are captive. Period. Jesus Christ came to set the captives free. REALLY FREE. Not half free, not down to one ankle of captivity, completely free. The freedom that comes only through His taking your place. The freedom that comes only through trading your life for His. The freedom that comes through becoming a slave and giving up any rights you thought you had.

Are you living in that freedom? The freedom that lives in a way that nothing other than the Holy Spirit directs your way. No one other than Jesus Christ leads you anywhere? That’s the thing- somehow we’ve believed that we are allowed to waver and stray and flip flop back and forth between master Jesus and master __________. That’s not what scripture says- if you don’t believe me- read 1 John, it’ll blow your mind. The deal is pretty simple- if the Holy Spirit tells you to do something and you need to check “real quick” with something else if you can do it, you’re asking permission to act from that thing and placing your obedience in its hands; that is bondage.

Do you even know that you’re in bondage? I didn’t. The devil is sneaky that way. He’s cunning, clever, and very practiced. He lies when speaking every time. So there’s the litmus test- if you have to make anything that Jesus said relative to any situation in order to excuse any action you’re taking in any way towards anyone- you’re in bondage. When the Truth that is Jesus Christ becomes relative in His commands and word, you’re being deceived into thinking that something else is just as important as He is; you’ve taken the yoke of a different master. Peter told us that the thing which you obey is your master; you are a slave to it. That is supposed to be Jesus. He claims the absolute role, but reserved you the ability to disobey. I don’t know what that is if it’s not pure love.

I’m not going to finish this with a joke or a song. This is serious business. We have denied God’s glory as sovereign too often and allow Him to be mocked too often. I’m serious, read 1 John, if you find yourself writing anything off as “one way to look at it” or “well things have changed for us now” or “that was meant for those specific readers” or even “I’m not sure that’s quite a literal statement” you can be sure that you’re not where Jesus wants you. Period. One chain is enough to keep you from being free, but it costs the right to lead and decide your own steps in life to lose them all for good. That’s what Jesus said. Period.

Spiritual Novacain

I’ve become ever more convinced in observation of America and her inhabitants that pain is understood as an incredible inconvenience and unrealistic expectation that we go through. Sure, we’ll take it- with all the Tylenol, booze, coke, weed, or music we can find to soothe us. More and more people are treated for depression every year, more and more people choose to end their own lives, more and more end the life of someone else. We can’t handle pain, we can’t handle being fallen.

So what is the church doing about it?
It has become another manufacturer of pain killers, only this time- we put the relative expectation of use and expiration date slightly more manageable and riding on hope. It has become manufacturers of spiritual Novocain and slave traders of hope.

Prescription:

One dose a week (“Choose from our Wednesday evening service, Thursday Contemporary service, our Friday Healing service, our Saturday Morning convenient service, Saturday Evening family service, Sunday Morning First service, Sunday Morning Second service, or Sunday Evening Prayer service, or just come to our Car Show/Motorcycle Race next weekend for good fellowship without any conviction”).

Continue for the rest of your life.

You’ll find the real thing in heaven, persevere, and know that God is taking care of it.

Look around you and tell me if what you see is different? Look at the banner hanging from the four churches on your block and see what they’re selling. Listen to the pitch of your pastor on (insert chosen dose day here) and listen for clear instructions on how the pain in your life is to be remedied in this place. Is it kid’s ministry? Is it service? Is it exciting? Is it fresh? Is it new? Is it relevant? Is it community? Or is it Jesus, who is none of these things? The message of the cross is one of complete and total surrender to Christ.

Here is a picture for you:

Your skin scarred and marred with wounds. Wounds from others, wounds from yourself, wounds from the past, wounds from your fear of the future, wounds and more wounds.

All OPEN and BLEEDING. EVERY ONE OF THEM.

Crud! What are we going to do about this? We’re getting blood everywhere. We’d better cover up. Let’s wear this colored shirt and hope no one will notice! Let’s surround ourselves with other people and things that we can hide behind, just in case someone glimpses the blood coming through our clothes.

I’ll use this shirt, it only looks like every girl in school has used him, but I’m sure he’ll cover my wounds for a little while. Maybe I’ll use this “medicine” to fix some of these… weed makes everything feel better. Maybe I’ll use this lifestyle to make my wounds popular, then I won’t feel so conspicuous. Maybe I’ll use something else entirely, maybe I’ll use studying to create some merit to my wounds, give me some valor.

Sorry, but these wounds will not be mistaken for badges of courage.

Or maybe… What?! I can get newer clothes at your church? You’ll show me how to put them on? All different colors too!? Sweet! I’ll come to your church then and get new clothes to cover up all these wounds so no one will know I’m bleeding. It takes one week for these clothes to wear out you say? Okay, I’ll come back next week for a different set- this is awesome! I can pay for these… that’s what you’re expecting? I should tell my friends where they can get new clothes too? OKAY!

But the wounds are still there.

Moreover, they still bleed. A lot.
……………………………………………………………………....………………………………………………

You see, no matter what bandage or covering we want to put on our pain and open wounds, they’re still there. Hiding for just the right moment when we come across the person who gave them to us and they get deeper and bleed more.

No one is telling the wounded that Jesus didn’t come to cover their wounds up and make it so they aren’t there.

HE CAME TO HEAL AND RESTORE THEM ALL.

Whoever is in Christ is a new creation. The old has gone, the new has come.

That’s a promise.

We must end this shopping mart of family value red shirts, financial management blue shirts, Christian counseling black shirts, community made striped shirts, and youth group centered tie dye shirts and bring ourselves and our world to the God of all who will restore and place on our backs the white shirts of His righteousness and holiness through all the blood spilled by His Son, Jesus. That’s it. There’s nothing else. The blood Jesus spilt at Golgotha was enough for the entire world for all of eternity- that’s a lot of blood. How many people is yours for? One, and it’s not even healing you, it’s killing you. He wants to give your life back to you and heal you completely. But will you let Him?

That’s the deal, letting Him means some pain. Because all the sharp things that sliced you open are still in your skin and He wants them all so He can destroy them. He offers complete and unmatched freedom from sin and the works the devil has done in your life, but will you let Him clean your wounds and make is so that nothing in the world matters any more than He does? It’s a high price to be given a new body. It’s a high price to know you can’t go getting yourself all battered and broken again. It’s a high price to be healed and hear the words “Go and sin no more” after it. Can you manufacture freedom? The answer is simply NO. It is the Son Who sets free and restores all things and it’s on His terms that any restoration happens. I’m not satisfied with spiritual Novocain any more. Is it good enough for you? Or are you truly unafraid to look in the mirror when you’re undressed?

I pray that you find no condemnation in this note, moreover, I pray the Lord shows you if you still live with open wounds. Wounds that He wishes to heal so that you can live in freedom and be fully able to declare His glory as intended. I have found this to be so true of my life, that I may have found forgiveness in Christ, but lived with open doors through which Satan had access to deceive and deny the glory I was purposed to proclaim. If you are like me, you know of wounds that plague and hurt, crush and condemn, deny and bind you in so many ways. This does not have to be so. I plead with you not to meditate on them more, not to seek the guidance of friends or look for advice on which counselor is the best, not to cover them up any longer, but to seek true freedom, freedom only found in abandoning everything you hold dear to gain the life Christ holds for you. The one He exchanged His life for. Give Him your life- the past included- and let Him redeem it so that you may declare glory from freedom you were not aware was possible for YOU.

Must He "Cut in?"

Bonhoeffer: Human love has little regard for the truth. It makes the truth relative, since nothing, not even the truth, must come between it and the beloved person.

If this is true, the identity of Christ as THE TRUTH becomes much more powerful AND important; for when human love chooses the very identity of truth as its beloved, nothing should have the remote possibility of cutting in. When Jesus is the Beloved, the truth does not need to be relative, nor can it come between, it affirms and solidifies the relationship and forges a total bond of love. However, the converse is true, for if the beloved is not Jesus, then His identity as the TRUTH becomes relative and pushed aside. This is the definition of idolatry and He is by nature a jealous God. His identity as the truth is what convicts us of these things and presents us with the fact that we have chosen another as our beloved... and I can testify to this truth... it is subtle and yet understood, unless Jesus is the One Beloved that we are clinging to and He as the Truth pulls us closer to Him, we will find that we relativize His identity and strip Him of His due... our lives. Let us press on with nothing between us and our God.

Look Around Por Favor...

Question: Where does freedom come from?

Will you do me a favor really quickly?

Look around you.

Wherever you are.

Look around.

Is there anyone else nearby? Don’t stare, just glance and make a mental account. Now muse to yourself…

…are they free?

What’s your best guess?
How can you know?

Say something.

I must say, I am pretty tired of something that I still see around me…
…gimmicks.

The more I learn about Christianity and the more I look at the church of America the more I wonder if we’ve completely forgotten Who this is about. Well, I’ve got a secret for you: It’s not about US. It’s about HIM. The point is, the Kingdom is not advanced and the world is not saved by a great “community”, children’s church, tracts, rock ‘n’ roll worship, “relevance,” tolerant love, contemporary “Christian” music, family
values, stewardship, money, short term mission trips, etc. It has been saved once and
for all by a God who loved so much He died and then rose again. How about we stop
pointing people to small good intentions and point them straight to a HUGE God
named Jesus Christ? Better yet…

How about we actually live out our responsibility and (while pointing)

SAY SOMETHING.

Alert: If we do not wake up and realize that the gospel is a verbal message (meaning
you need to speak spiritual truth into another person’s life) we will be in the midst of
watching our generation walk right into hell.

So…
Where does freedom come from?

Well… where does bondage come from?

It comes from believing lies.

It comes from mistaking falsity for fact.

What combats falsity on the most raw level?

Truth (see John 8:32)

Where does Truth come from? (see John 14:6)

See my point?

Say something.

Don’t you know what to say?

Start with this: God loves you.

Do you believe that?

It’s true.

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

You have a mouth for a reason, that is, to give glory to God.
You have an ability to speak spiritual truth because it does not originate with you, but
with Jesus,(however, you cannot speak spiritual truth that you yourself do not know,
you can’t give what you don’t have).Let your personal account of who He is be what
comes off your tongue into the spirit of your listener. They’ll listen.

Want to know why?

They know they’re not free.

So say something.

Forget gimmicks.

Point to Him, not community or cool music or any other product of freedom…

…point to Him Who truly frees.

Honestly, let’s stop trying to invent a new way to save the world. What Jesus did 2,000 years ago was enough for eternity…

…say something.