Re: Identity

“The trouble with living sacrifices is that we tend to crawl off the altar.”
-Many friends


How often in my life have I done so… too many times to count. More so than this, how many times have I, having crawled off said altar, asked God to replace the flesh He’d just consumed? I look back and even look on, knowing that taking a step of submission to His will and declaring myself dead in my flesh and alive only to Him as He has so called and delivered me means having no rights at all. I look back on so many times when I put myself on that altar and asked God to do with me whatever He wanted, how often I was offended at what He chose to remove first, saying “No, God, not that! That is pleasing to You! I know that can stay…” As if I can tell God what pleases Him and what does not. That isn’t laying down any rights or expectations though… How many times have I checked the wound of what He’d just burned off and felt the sting and the pain of something long gone and asked Him to replace it with something similar! At those times I recognized those things as a part of me- yet now I know that was a lie. Those things were never a part of who I am, they were additions… mutations… even tumors, yet now as I see them through His eyes I see they were indeed chains. Chains I had so willingly grafted into my skin and let become a part of me, foreign though they were, I’d let them have control over different areas of a life intended for God’s use and purposes. Those are the first areas God moved and cleansed with fire and somehow I felt it necessary to ask Him to replace them? Then, when He wouldn’t- how often did I take it upon myself to find something to fill in that new gap? Somehow I felt incomplete without those things- I believed I needed them to be me- that was a lie. As God removes those additions/chains, we’re taken aback and shocked at our newfound mobility, the enemy tries to make us think such freedom is unholy and outside of God’s will when in fact it is captivity through such deception, the truest work of the devil, that is unholy! How the devil does work- such lies… such mockery of what God intended, and so often with our permission.

God is truth. In Him there is no falsehood. He does not deceive and He does not make mistakes. By in His infinite love He has placed within our capacity the ability to make for ourselves an identity or give up all rights and let Him make us what He wants and wills- the right to choose, the ability of free will. To choose the former means we rule our own lives- become “self-made” men and women. We take pride in who we’ve made ourselves to be and look back on our lives thinking, “I’ve done alright for myself.” That former option takes all in stride and adjusts as needed… the charisma and power, the beauty and success, the failure and the punishment- all are seen as part of the game of life; their identity is no surprise to them because it is they who formed it. However, to choose the latter means to lay down all expectations and desires, to forfeit all rights and options. They place themselves by faith in the hand of God declaring His will sovereign in their life and His ways pure and just. They don’t get a say in the design scheme or the logistical anythings regarding what that will look like- we merely know the model, Jesus Christ. When you turn your life over to God, you ought to know instantly what He is going to fashion you after- His Son. He is going to transform you from a son or daughter of Adam into a son or daughter of God. His glory is declared as we submit to being conformed to the image of perfect holiness, righteousness, blamelessness and purity. If you don’t like who Jesus was or what He did- you aren’t going to be a big fan of God’s will for you life. But as I’m discovering more and more by His grace, as I am amazed more and more by who my God is and who my Savior is- I can’t help but desire with everything in me to be more like Him, the hard part is that desiring to be more like Him means giving up more of who I think I should be.

I think I should be accepted- yet Jesus was rejected. I think I should be funny and easy to get a long with- yet Jesus often offended people at the core of who they were. I think I should be tolerant or someone won’t think I love them- yet Jesus’ love called us to a higher standard of living and demanded we let go of what was not declaring His glory. So many of the things I think I should be I find appealing to the world- yet the world HATED Jesus and killed Him. In the last two months I feel like I've lost more friends than made them... it seems like my life is becoming smaller instead of larger. Does that reflect the life of Jesus? I guess now I'm back to that altar… I can’t ask Him to replace anything He’s taken away… I know He’s forging someone I never knew was there and that I will be overjoyed at what He has done, yet I know that to look like Him and chase His presence is to become marked for suffering and pain and heartache and burdens and tears and storms and grief and distance and loneliness and death- can I turn away as He has already endured all such things before me? No. He is the pioneer of our faith, the One who for the sake of His glory and the Father’s will ought of His perfect love endured all things. Can I expect to be exempt from His experiences? No, the only expectation I have is that He will continue to be faithful and He will fulfill His promises for HE IS GOOD. I think more fire needs to fall- it’s probably going to hurt a lot for my flesh, yet for this spirit, as I see more and more of who HE is… the truest idea of who I am in Him is finally coming through. Praise God.

The Vision and the Vow

August 7- You must come out soon!

Dear you,

That shirt does not become you. Who told you that it did? They lied. Don’t you see it’s covered in stains and all dirty? I know you think it’s the newest trend- can’t you see you’re filthy? What happened? There is something so much better! Honestly, I’ve been trying to tell you, why don’t you believe me? You can let go of him. You can leave and never return, not for any reason. You can walk away.

I know he has you convinced that he’ll have a hold on you forever- but can’t you see that that’s not possible? He holds you with chains and accusations, both of which Jesus can destroy once and for all… He won’t just hold the chains high so you can walk around with semi-freedoml he destroyed them! Lucky won’t own you anymore! Why do you still believe him as if he can tell the truth anyway? He can’t. It’s against his nature and the very way he works. He can’t tell the truth- it’s impossible. So why are you still listening to what he has to say?

That shirt is ugly, those chains have been destroyed and yet you believe they’re still there. Why? Don’t you see that nothing can hold what is not there? Jesus died and rose again- follow Him into that death and be raised up free from the curses of the enemy! Don’t you see that what does not exist cannot touch you unless you believe it can, and even then what touches you is not reality, but a mirage… it is so hard to watch you live this way. It’s so hard to see you live in a lie. It’s so hard to watch you run away from shadows and cling to mirages… how have you become so convinced if not because you’ve shut the light out? When you’ve closed all the windows- shadows are everywhere. Let the light in and the truth will destroy the shadows, you will see what really is there and what is not. I promise you- but you must step into the light.

I promised you that we’re coming, but honestly, we can’t come any further than the door you’ve locked us out by. We’ll scream forever and ever through this door if you’ll let us. We’ll pound and bang and yell and plead for you to come out- but you must open the door. Please, please, please do. Don’t wait any longer, don’t let him hurt you anymore. Don’t be afraid anymore. Don’t live like this anymore. You don’t have to. I know you’re afraid that if you come out then you’ll be killed for what you’ve done and how you’ve lived- that’s a lie too! We love you and Jesus already died in your place; you have no reason to fear. He loves that much- but even He can’t come in after you, He already did that once and He sabotaged those chains you’re holding on to so that they’d break as soon as you tell them to in His name. He’s right here with us calling you out. He screams louder than we do most times. He’s ready to embrace you, but you must come out. You must let the truth set you free. You must let HIM set you free.

I have no choice but to share this with you. I don't want to scare you, I just want you to know how dire this is getting. Jesus said that He came to destroy the works of his enemy, the devil. The house you live in is a work of the devil. It is a trap and prison keeping you in bondage by lies and deceit. He built it around your life and you let him. We all did, we all had prisons to escape. The point is that You must get out of there! Jesus' glory is about to set it on fire and you need to come out NOW, don't waste any time- don't let lucky convince you it won't happen. I see the torches on their way. Don't let lucky lie to you and tell you it won't burn- it's made of wood and thorns for crying out loud! It'll all burn down and I can't bear the thought of you being trapped inside by your own will! COME OUT PLEASE!

Love,

Me

Quick Thought

God 'aced' me with this yesterday- I'll pass it on.

It is extremely difficult to have an understanding of or an expectation for the HOLY when you've filled your life with common things.

-Ezekiel 44, 2 Timothy 2:14-26, and 1 Corinthians 3

Dang.

Thoughts Regarding Glory

The glory of God cannot be added to or taken away from. The light is constant, burning all that is not holy, neither corruptible nor incomplete. It can either be recognized or ignored (though even ignorance is a recognition), though only ignored for a time and then it cannot be escaped; it is the same as ever- for our Lord is perfect from age to age. We cannot give Him glory or take glory from Him- it is our duty and purpose to declare it!

So know comes the question if God’s glory can be denied? NO- not by any creature, for even in the creature’s existence is there found the mystery of origin, and within mystery there is awe for the sake of the unknown. Can who is known declare the unknown/unknowable invalid? OF COURSE NOT! In the recognition of the unknown is found the wonder at depth and the fear of the what is not understood- in mysterious awe and curious fear is then the glory recognized. However, it has still ALWAYS been there, neither being taken away from nor added to, simply being only worshipped by those in hope of glory themselves or feared by the those seeking the glory of a different weight. Feared because the glory of God consumes all that is not of Him. Still, that fear declares HIS GLORY.

Learning

I recently had several conversations with friends regarding passions. We like to think of our passions as things that God has blessed us with a desire to pursue, that I agree with. Sometimes it's difficult to distinguish the difference between the passions of our flesh and the passions of HIS heart- but that is not the object of this note. I think the real question about passions is regarding the action we take in pursuit. It seems to me that the word, “passion” has become very split in its meanings. The world describes passion as one thing, God as another. I think a base understanding comes down to the notion of desire and what it is that we feel we cannot live without. That thing that spurs us or calls us forward. These we regard as passions. I believe the distinction is here- a worldy passion (verb) often times, at least in my life, is recognized in one’s recklessness in the pursuit of the desired- those possessing a passion of the world do anything to obtain the object of their affectation and desire. Recklessness often leads to rebellion or hastiness, impatience even- no duh, haha. This is not of God! A passion of God is recognized, at least in scripture, in one’s patient endurance on allowing God’s timing to bring about the desired (as long as the desire is of Him, if it is not then you’ll find yourself in rebellion anyway!)- that passion is marked with an understanding that suffering will ensue if this thing is to be pursued. Jesus illustrated that passion many times through His life. The time that comes to mind is as He said, “Oh Jerusalem, Jerusalem... how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings…(Luke 13:34)” Suffering produces patience. Patience is rooted in a word meaning, “longsuffering” the opposite of the worldly passion and a definition of love (1 Corinthians 13). Indeed, a passionate love is one that suffers for the desired.


On a personal note... I have a few desires in my life. The one I hope to be the most obvious is the desire for the presence of my Lord- seeing His fullness and glory! The ones He has placed on my heart is the desire to see my generation raised up in freedom and in power to storm the gates of hell and advance the Kingdom of God with force while setting other captives free in Truth, that they may make disciples that make disciples that make disciples, etc. Another is to remain unmentioned, yet I know it is of Him. Indeed as I look at these desires and how they begun passions in my life- I know I have not begun to suffer enough to rejoice with the blessing of their arrival. On one hand the revelation of this truth frustrates me at being so impatient so often, on the other hand it drives me forward to chase my Lord even more! Lord God, teach me suffering! Teach me patience and endurance and a love that demands I wait and suffer more for the fulfillment of what You have placed on my heart to seek. My generation calls out and wanders endlessly… they roam in hopelessness and curiosity… begging for redemption and to see the fullness of Your glory. Have Your way in my life and teach me to love with a suffering passion as You suffered to see us, Your people, brought into Your presence as well.

Warrior's Psalm

I scream, but no breath escapes my lips,
No noise shatters this silence,
No truth penetrates the darkness.

I lift my hands in battle, but no weapon is found,
No sword to cut my enemies down,
No shield to defend me from their onslaught.

My mouth is open wide- my heart cries out for war!
No soldiers run to aid this cause,
No archers rain down wrath today.

My heart is frail within my chest, yet warring on,
No strength to go with but Yours alone,
No hope for victory but in Your right arm.

I scream, but no sound falls from my lungs,
No words that any dare to hear,
No revelation brings any new fear.

I whisper, but no one wonders what was spoken,
No curiosity calls to the knowledgeable,
No mystery excites the learned men.

Oh God, You have given me a spirit for war,
No glory declared but Yours alone,
No captive remaining when all is done.

Oh God, in You is found all power and strength,
No name above Your glorious Son’s,
No war You have not already won.

I scream, to God on high Who hears this cry,
No word desired but Your, “Well done,”
No action considered but to press on.

Life

I’ve decided to be a little more personal with this blog now, don’t worry, the prophetic ranting will never cease, but I feel a compelling to simply write about life tonight.

So…

Last night was my farewell with Gamaliel’s Counsel… I am amazed and incredibly thankful that God has poured out His Spirit on them the way He has. I don’t know if I could have expected or imagined a group of my generation more godly or Spirit-led. A blessing was prayed over me and I am fully confident that God heard the prayer of that righteous man; there will be mighty work done through him. That group was my battalion this whole summer. The war we went into together was something none of us expected and yet God was preparing us all for individually. I cannot express with words how overwhelmed with joy I am at seeing their openness to the Holy Spirit and their love for one another- they are the firstfruits of my generation, the foundation and beginning of what God is doing with us here in America. I miss you.

I left Missouri and arrived home today. It seems as if my time spent in Missouri was far too short, yet I am very excited for the work God has in store for me here. Prairie Camp comes before everything else and I have been praying that at least one of my guys finds himself wrecked for the Holy Spirit by the end of the week (or the first day, to accurately reveal the prophetic impatience in my soul); you’re welcome to join me in praying for that as well! I don’t know what comes after that; God hasn’t allowed me to see anything concerning a job or school or the weeks between camp and anything else. It’s the time of limbo for a apostle I suppose, that time of knowing there’s something around the corner but you’re not quite sure what it is… you just have to wait until you’re there and then eventually look backwards shaking your head at God in amazement because you know He knew what it was the whole time.

In my seven hour car ride I discovered that every single (prophetic absolution) O.C. Supertones song corresponds to at least one distinct moment in my life. I recalled how “Grounded” was a battle cry in my life throughout my teenage years and how “Return of the Revolution” demanded I stand firm when faced with compromise and gave me a vision for my life. I reflected on the song “I Will Follow,” from the “Revenge…” album for quite awhile. This is the chorus:

And it was a sacrifice…
But there are those who give their lives.

Lord, I'll follow, if I have to leave all that I know
Where You go, I'll go, and I know that I don't go alone
Even if it's only me that goes
Even if it's only me that goes
Even if it's only me that goes
I will follow.

It blows me away to think that a few years ago I believed I understood that song and was ready to live out the proclamation, to say the least it has such a different meaning now! I know it is all that we have and can do, but there is something different about expecting to be ridiculed and tossed aside rather than saying you’re ready if indeed it does happen. I know that God is up to something in this Northern Indiana area. I believe there are a few of my generation who are ready for it and I pray God will direct me to them before it comes and things get shaken up.

My heart is still burdened for my generation. I call it a painful love because that is truly what it is. I was reading an older writing and discovered that this burden has been here for a long time; I simply didn’t know what it was at the time- the enemy had been trying to convince me that I couldn’t stand my generation in all of its darkness. My prophetic sister shared a life-changing observation with me and noted that it was not a loathing I feel towards it, but a true love. I feel as if God has given me a small notion of what He felt when dying for the world even when He knew many would reject Him, such a burden that cannot be shaken for anything- ice cream doesn’t even make it go away! My message cannot change; I have no right to change it… indeed I have no rights at all. I am a slave to His work. I know the status of sonship and I embrace it wholeheartedly, but even the Son could do nothing but the work of the Father, indeed I want to do nothing but the work of my Savior. Let us each press on.

-greg

July 20: I still hope

Dear you,

Sometimes I wonder where you are. I know you should be here by now, but when I look around, you’re not. Perhaps my hopes and expectations are unreasonable, but I don’t think so- Dad said you’d be back. You’ve found what it is you believed you were looking for, but I don’t believe that’s all there is to it. I know you long for more. He’s been calling you your whole life; I don’t know how you’ve managed to ignore Him. He just tried to call again a bit ago- I was here watching- you didn’t answer. What is it you’re waiting for? For what are you holding out? That is honestly the most perplexing thing about all this- what holds you back? I know you’re in bondage, yet you can still move or at least answer the call… can’t you? Maybe I’ve forgotten what’s it’s like over there… maybe I’ve forgotten who I used to be… I don’t think so. I think I’ve simply healed of that past, of those times with you in that place. I don’t care about that life anymore; freedom is far too precious to give up for one moment. Don’t you get homesick at all? I know that if you came back for just a moment you’d never leave- why don’t you? “The cost is too great,” you say, “I have to leave my friends and my life,” yeah, you know that will never change. I’m not sorry about it, either, even that price is a steal compared to what it cost Dad to bring us back! Did Lucky convince you that isn’t worth it? That no true love would ever demand so much? HE’S LYING.

Sometimes I wonder if you’re coming home at all. I know my hope is not unfounded; He’ll never stop calling so I know it’s on your end that the breakage has occurred. What keeps you back? Don’t be afraid, really, there’s nothing to fear at all. That fear is an enemy keeping you where you do not belong. The people you find your identity in- they’re fooling you. The lover you find your happiness in- he’s tricking you too. You know I heard him call you filthy things and lie about you; telling all his friends what he does to you and how you’re wrapped around his finger. Why don’t you believe me when I say he’s not at all what he seems? Sometimes I wonder how long it will be before it’s too late. He’s such a liar and I can’t stand to hear him say those things about you! I know we’ve got some time left, yet even that is fading so quickly. I heard you had some fun the other day- he took you out and showed you off to the others. Does that make it worth it? That he prized you for a day before reminding you of your worth in his eyes? You’re not even married to him- what keeps you there?

Dad keeps teaching me new things, showing me bigger pictures, and helping me understand what He intended- that that plan isn’t over and hasn’t failed; it’s not done and there is hope. He hasn’t given up; neither will I. I know you’ll be here eventually, that time seems so far away. There are gifts sitting in the room you left, every day a new treasure is added to the pile; it’ll take a long time for you to get through them all, but we’ll have time then. Right now I just miss you… again… a lot. Right now I’m getting ready to come and get you. I’m not fully prepared yet, but it’s the mission I must pursue. I’m getting weapons and others; we’re coming. I wonder where you are and how long it will be before you come home. You know where to find me because you know where I go to look for you. I’ll not stop believing you will be free someday. I’ll not stop believing you will be home someday.


Love,
Me

Doing VS Being

Recently I’ve had the opportunity to walk with a few good friends through some identity crises. In each case their life has seemed so much different than what it used to be and it’s confusing to them. Who are they now? They know for sure where they've come from and who they used to be; now Jesus is here and they're not sure if they're the same... who are they now? In each case it has more to do with their undoing themselves and letting God do His own work than anything else. Each case has more to do with being who God created them to be than doing what God created them to do. We are all created to do the same thing- DECLARE GOD’S GLORY, yet we somehow believe that we will all do this through different and unique actions. I disagree; I think it has more to do with declaring His glory in simply being. Jesus did not tell us that we are to shine the light of the world- that would be doing something; He told us that we are the light of the world. He didn’t tell us to spread salt on the earth- that would be doing something also; He told us we are the salt of the earth. He did not reveal Himself to Moses by saying “I do what I do,” He revealed Himself to Moses by declaring, “I AM THAT I AM.”


When we are who God created us to be, without the masks and the distortions, without the lies that hold us back in bondage and shape our actions and perspectives- we can’t help but “do” what will declare God’s glory- it is at the core of who we are! It runs out of our life and we can’t stop it! It is understandable that my friends were so confused at what God was doing to them; He is transforming their lives to the point that their lives and lifestyles has nothing to do with what they do or have done and everything to do with who Christ is in them! They were expecting God to give them something new to do- actually He was reforming who they will now BE- that His, the likeness of HIMSELF. That is transformation from dirt to spirit! That is being REBORN. That is what happens when we die to ourselves and let Christ live! When the husband is who God made him to be, declaring God’s glory is not about intentionally, actively making a choice to love his wife in a godly way- declaring God’s glory is done in the fact that he can’t NOT love his wife in a godly manner- HE MUST, it is part of the Holy Spirit indwelling him and living the life of Christ through him! Declaring God’s glory is about being filled with His Holy Spirit and thus living as Jesus would live and continuing HIS Kingdom here while loving in the way that compels us to obey all that He has commanded!


We miss the point when we ask the question “what would Jesus do?”(emphasis mine) His life wasn’t about displaying reproducible acts and manufacturing world change through robots or systematic, strategic actions- that’s religion- anyone can do that. It was about declaring the glory of God in every moment of life itself no matter what the circumstance and situation- that cannot be done without the Holy Spirit. Maybe we ought to ask “who would Jesus be?” That question will first of all demand that we revolutionize our lifestyles to the point of perplexity and fear of insanity for us in the lives of those in our life (Jesus' family, anyone?) and secondly convict us to the point that we must throw our hands up in frustration and DIE. That is the point- we must die. Living the life of Jesus cannot be done by our strength; we’ve already displayed that, look around. Living the life of Jesus can only be done by dying to ourselves and asking Him to declare His glory by living in us. It is by the Holy Spirit guiding and instructing every thought and action. It is about becoming a slave to righteousness and knowing that you are not your own. These things are the acts of God in our lives declaring His glory through the creation He gave His own image. It is about being, not doing. It is about who you are and not what you do. It is not about seeking forgiveness and then moving on without declaring yourself dead to that sin (rather than declaring that sin dead to you). Before you can be reborn- you must die.


We spend our lives looking for the next thing we need to do, all the while we ought be searching God’s will out and giving Him the right to do what He wants in us. This can only come through declaring ourselves dead to the flesh (rather than declaring the flesh dead to us- there’s a difference). It is only when we renounce and give up every right we ounce thought we had that we can truly find the purpose and identity we long for, because it has nothing to do with our lives and everything to do with Him living through us (Galatians 2:20). Have you declared yourself dead or do you still hold to expectations and “rights” of what your life is supposed to look like? The Holy Spirit is not about to destroy you to prove to you that you can’t hold on to anything. Look at your own life- if it looks anything like my own, you’ll see that you’re heading toward destruction of some sort anyway; we don’t need God’s help to see our lives wrecked, but we need His life to see them fulfilled. This is about the voluntary act, the submission of will and life itself to a Holy God that has intended a holy life for you to declare His glory through. It is not about struggling with sin while hoping for rapture. It is about running the earth declaring God’s glory before it’s too late.


Just like my friends; it is seems as if the church is in an identity crisis as well. It doesn’t know if it should be passive or active, political or disconnected, powerful or meek, set apart or involved. What question is it asking? Are we seeking out “what would Jesus do?” or are we seeking out His life itself. Has it declared itself dead? Has the church of America decided it has no rights? It doesn’t seem so, at least not when we’re fighting so hard to be to be seen on every television network and in every school as if we have a right to be heard. We fight to be relevant and fresh. What are we even saying? Does this declare God’s glory? Honestly, what are we even saying? There are no words worth hearing but those that come through the Holy Spirit’s whisper and leading. Is the church struggling to stay alive in itself? To remain above the water and decide it isn’t going down without a fight? Maybe that’s the point- we’ve believed for so long in our right to live that we’ve forgotten that we live to die. Not until the church of America (and our whole generation with it) decides and understands that its sole purpose is to declare the glory of God and dies to itself in order to live only as Jesus lives in it will it be what it is purposed to be and thus do what it was meant to do.


We’re spending too much time trying to figure out what to do. Who is it we were meant to be? Can you answer that question? If I asked, “Who are you?” how would you respond? Would you tell me what you do? Or would you tell me who you are?


Well, who are you?

Letters From War

To my generation:

Dear you,

We have cowered in fear of the darkness around us for too long. We have misunderstood our role and our calling for too long. We have seen the enemy work in our lives and the lives of those we love all around us. Some of us are captive, others are free, some of us are wandering, others are lost, some of us are frightened, others are simply misplaced, a few of us are in the war, but we are few and calling you out. It is time to rally and fight. It is not our time to sit and pretend the Sabbath has arrived; it has not. It is not time to make believe everything is okay or escape into some fantasy world where you’re not who you truly are. The draft is inescapable. You have been born, you exist, and therefore you are in this war. The question is- are you active or passive. Passivity is useless, it simply means that you’re lying down on the battlefield and getting the life beat out of you, wondering where it’s coming from and why the enemy is picking on you (don’t be surprised, the intentionally lame are some of his favorite targets!), to those active I must ask, “For whom do you fight?” To fight for yourself is useless; you have not even been set free! To fight for the earth is meaningless; it is cursed and destined to be replaced. To fight for the church is to miss the point; her Rescuer is on His way and you will not take His place. To fight for the King is your place- to take your stand advancing (not defending) His kingdom is your birth-purpose. Own it and come. There is nothing else to live for; nothing else to die for.

Love,
me


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To the wandering of my generation:

Dear you,

We are not fighting for ourselves, neither for our world; we are purposed to fight for our Redeemer King and Savior. There is no one else worth the calling or the price, He has rescued us from the slavery we once lived in and has done it so that we may remain free from it always. The calling is clear- your life, right now. The most painful idea and scariest time is the cost of joining- death to self, there is no other way. Recently I have seen the enemy and his tactics, they are fierce and they are divisive- still we must go, have no fear. We have no other choice. Our God has blessed us with spiritual weapons and understanding so that we do not enter this war blind and powerless. However, if you choose to fight with the weapons the world has given you- you will fall and fail. This is not a joke and it is not a scare, this war is raging around us and the best thing you can do is discover your purpose within it. You are being called to freedom so you can go and set others free. Free from pain, free from sin, free from worry and bondage that keeps them from entering this war and seeing the glory of their Maker. Bring them with you, train them in the Spirit; let’s go.

Love,
me


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To the hiding of my generation:

Dear you,

Come out of your caves of self-introspection and pointless pursuit of meaningless things. Come out of the places you hide in hoping the oppressor will not find you. Come out of the low areas. Come off of the mountain. You cannot escape; the war will come upon you soon. There is no way to hide. Come out and fight; come out and take your stand. Give up the obsessions you have been pleased to spend your time pursuing- take up your armor and your weapons. Come to the valley and take your place. The place you reside is not your home, it is where you have decided to escape, but beware- the enemy is coming for you soon, and where you are is not under the Lord’s protection. Withdrawing from the battle does not equal amnesty- it equals desertion.
Come out and come on.

Love,
me


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To the threshed of my generation:

Dear you,

I know that the Lord has produced fruit in your life, however, as long as you lie in the barn and attempt to scatter seed- you are not in the battle and your seed benefits no one. Come to the field. Come to the place where the ground has been tilled and we are ready for your work. You have been blessed to be taken in to the shelter, but your time there has expired and it is now time for you to join the fight. The rain is on the way, but we have no seed! You have been beaten and prepared- for what you did not know- now you must come and see for yourself what was happening around your place of protection. It is a lie that your place is in the barn with the other wheat- that time has not yet come. The truth is that your place is out here in the battle, using what training you have received to set other captives free indeed. Come and be put to use, you have died to yourself already- you simply haven’t left the threshing floor. It’s time to see the outside. Come.

Love,
me


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To the captives of my generation:

Dear you,

I still love and miss you and I’ve decided something… I don’t care if you don’t like it or what it means ultimately, I just know that I must do this.

I’m coming to get you. I’m coming and I’m bringing the army.

I’m tired of hearing of the beatings. I’m tired of hearing of the abuse and the pain in your life and how you think it’s all there is. That’s a lie. It’s false, there’s so much more. This is war now; I know what it means and I am ready. I’m bringing everyone you know, we’re coming to get you and we won’t stop till you either tell us to back off or you’re safe and free. Lucky takes captives to make them his own; they’re useless in this war as long as you’ve locked away in sand castles. You are the treasure we are out to pay everything for. You are the pearl we will take back from the earth. I can’t wait any longer for you to respond to my letters (you probably can’t anyway), it’s simply time to come get you. Your strong Deliverer is coming; we ride with Him too. Help is on the way.

Love,
us


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To the enemy of generations:

Dear you,

Your tactics are futile and your lies pathetic. You desire the glory you once had but you cannot know it ever again. You removed yourself from the glory of heaven long ago, no matter how you desire it back- it cannot be done. Your ways are known, therefore defensible and discernable. We come knowing your plans and your territory’s- they will be His soon enough. Look to the North, the South, the East, and the West- your demise is coming soon. This generation is one of impatience for your destruction. Though you have enslaved it in many areas, you will not hold your ground when this army comes. You hold many of those whom we love in your prisons- we will have them among us before you are aware they are gone. You hold many of those whom we love in high places- your authority will be removed and your destiny revealed once again. You will be chained and thrown into that dreadful place- the one made just for you. The free will set others free by the authority of the Name above all names- Jesus Christ. We come covered in His blood and reflecting His light. We come covered in His grace and filled with His truth. We come prepared to die; indeed dead already; there is no hope for you. We come with a battle cry of “Holy, Holy, Holy!” and firmly established on the Rock of ages! We come protected by a Shield you cannot see, one you cannot move or break. Shake as you know your fate! Your lies are old and undone. Your roar muffled in the ears of the holy. You have been defeated already- it is time for the routing. Do you remember the day of Calvary? It is our day of redemption- your day of destruction. Long live the King!

Your enemy,
The Redeemed

Great expecations and the act of surrender

Hebrews 12:28
Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe; 29for our God is a consuming fire.

Okay, so there are a few things I understand about fire… the most basic thing about it is that it does not exist without something to consume. Nothing to burn off of= no burning. Simple, eh? Without wood- no fire, without oxygen, no fire- SOMETHING must be consumed. This verse declares that our God is a consuming fire, and here my thought began- what is being consumed?

I’m not going to beat around the bush with all the different explanations I’ve heard about this idea, I’m simply going to throw out how I’ve been understanding it. It begins with the Old Testament and the sacrifices; something there is consumed as something precious is given up. Something is laid out and put on the altar to God. We often see a separation between the Old and New Testaments, but I don’t think we should. Anyway, in a different verse of the New Testament, I do think we’re given the answer to what exactly is being consumed:

Romans 12:1
Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship

You see, we must lie down on the altar willingly; it is an offering of ourselves to God so He can consume us. Our flesh must be done away with, the old nature, the old man- it must be destroyed… consumed. 1 Thessalonians 5 commands us to “NOT quench the spirit,” what can that mean if not that we can indeed end the fire in our lives by withdrawing what the fire consumes and burns off? Our God is a consuming fire and He has set a high standard of following Him- our very lives. It cost Him His own to even give us this chance; can we dare lower the bar of following? When Jesus called His disciples, He did not call them to a ten week trial experience, He called them to die. In my understanding, His commitment expectation was one of hatred towards family members and closest friends, abandonment of social positions or worldly statuses, giving up every possession they could claim, the possibility of ending up in a coffin, and disappearing from society altogether if necessary! His fire burns and consumes, we must present the fuel- it is our very lives. We must begin to realize that we have no rights anymore… to submit to Jesus everything is to say to Him, “I don’t care what it looks like in the end, I don’t care if I’m rich or poor, sick or healthy, weak or strong, smart or foolish, dead or alive, married or not, accepted or not, trusted or not, understood or not, or regarded or not- I’m going with you. I can’t do anything else.” We have no rights to will our own lives; we have no rights to expect anything at all.

I sometimes think that we forget what we truly deserve…

“For the wages of sin is death…”

I think that that we treat eternal life (the gift of God through Jesus Christ our Lord) as some sort of bonus feature for a life of expected prosperity, happy marriage, and fame. WE DON’T DESERVE ANYTHING OF THE SORT. It is by the grace of God alone that we do not get what we deserve, yet we gripe and whine about what we don’t have or about how we’re not being blessed in such and such way…

We don’t have rights anymore. Are you okay with that, or would you rather work out dig yourself out of hell on your own strength? To agree is to declare your sole allegiance to His name and to His will… to obey His commands because He’s your LORD. Do we know what that word really means? If it’s one thing we don’t think we have to do it’s obey- that won’t fly, check out Luke 6. John 15 says that the definition of love is obedience, hmm… so without obeying we can’t even claim to love Him. Seems fairly straight forward, His call to us is all or nothing- right now. We have no right to hold back any part of our lives from Him, not one relationship, not one moment of time in one week of our one life- it’s all His. To live in any other way is to tell God you know better than He does how to have an abundant life and that you don’t need His help, to disobey and declare your love for something else. 2 Peter says that whatever you obey is your master- Jesus says you can have only one master. Sooo… who’s it gonna be? Honestly, I’d rather He plan my life than me… I’m only twenty and I already screwed it up; He can have it and He can have it all. He gave me His life- I have given Him mine, that’s the trade, that’s His exchange offer, there’s no other way. He sets the bar because He paid the price. He’s the consuming fire and I’ll gladly be the fuel that His glory burns off of.

Submit.

Lay down on that altar.

Be consumed.

Die.

There’s no other way.

You can dress 'em up but....

SURPRISE!
So... yep, decided I was bored with the blue page and that in light of how God has been working in my life so much lately that I'd revamp the page to better represent both the boredom and the renewal. Don't forget to take your shoes off, the black stains easily- haha. Something new- there's a neat little poll to the right that will be featuring a new question every week (or on my whim), please leave your input. Wadda ya think? I hope you like it, though I probably won't change it even if you don't- this took a lot of work ;).

-G

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.
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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.

THERE IS NO TOMORROW...

There is no tomorrow. Literally. Something that has no existence cannot be, and not just from a materialistic standpoint, either. Tomorrow is not only something we cannot depend on, but something that isn’t even real! You know what we do have? This moment. But not anymore- now we have this one. Get it? We have right now, and that’s all. So why do we treat the call to discipleship, the call of Christ Himself, as an option meant for tomorrow, Spiritual Emphasis Week, or even “after I graduate…”?

The immediate problem with obedience is we can only do it right now, in this present. We cannot obey in the future… that future becomes the present. We can do things in this moment that affect that theoretic future, but we cannot act in that time- we have only now. So again, why do we continuously live as if we have forty years, thirty years, twenty years, ten years, five years, of even this coming week to walk with Christ in the way He has called- that is, in love with Him and with obedience flowing from that love? Jesus has said that they who come after Him MUST deny their self, take up their cross, and FOLLOW HIM. The call to discipleship begins and ends with obedience to the law of Christ Himself. It is about His WAY, His WILL, and His LIFE all for HIS GLORY (why? Because He is GOD and He DESERVES IT, therefore WE ARE NOT and DO NOT). Why do we ignore it as if tomorrow were a sure thing? He is okay with how you are living, you say? Sounds to me like we’re cheapening His death even more. I don’t believe my God died so I can do whatever I want at His expense. His grace is not a ceilingless credit line for sin; it is a payment on what I have done and thence a calling to live differently by His power. It is the unthinkable trade of my life for His.

Maybe you’re thinking that even though He has called us to blamelessness and perfection it is unreasonable because we’ll never escape sin? Is that really your decision to make- or is your decision to make one of obedience for right now? Truly your decision always involves the chains you’re shackled to, because you put yourself in them and He freed you- is it also your decision to make conerning His ability to keep you out of them? True enough, He’ll let you head right back for them once you don’t like the life He demands- is that His fault? Again I think it sounds like His death (and more so His life) didn’t mean that much. I must confess I don’t understand this… why do we babysit the unrepentant and disobedient as if Christ’s word is unauthoritative? Somehow we’re missing something, and I think it’s either the call itself or the fact that this is God we’re snubbing.

How then do we depend on tomorrow to repent and obey? How do we depend on tomorrow for the opportunity of another altar call or another collective prayer? If Jesus is Lord of my life and it is by HIS blood that I have been saved then it is not only my obligation by all logic but also my desire and purpose to LIVE HIS LIFE as a hope to nations, as salt to this carnal sphere, even as light to darkness- and it must be done RIGHT NOW. We are called to something beyond the crowd where people looked on and asked themselves “who is this man?” We are called to intimacy with Him, but the call is on His terms. Either we accept them or we do not, but can we please stop this charade of potential obedience? Can we please end this vomitous promise of repentance as if it were on OUR terms that we follow? We have been given a gift, one of grace.

The gift was more expensive than any of us can imagine paying- so why do we demand He pay it over and over and over and over again as if He were a genie? At the acceptance of the gift of grace and its incredible freedom, we are given the second gift of His glorious presence- to walk in, to cry in, to live in, and to grow in, yet again, the acceptance of this gift is on His terms. It is only by recklessly losing ourselves to see nothing but HIM in the mirror and living the unthinkable exchange out as one of His own that this world will begin to see HIM. As Dietrich Bonhoeffer says, “When Christ calls a man, He bids him ‘come and die.’” He lived it out once in front of the world. He died as it jeered and rose as it cried. He sent His disciples out to multiply themselves (not the crowds) among the world; to baptize them in the name of His Father, Himself, and the Holy Spirit; and to teach those who were being multplied to obey everthing HE had COMMANDED- all with the promise of His presence to the very end. What He did not do was promise tomorrow.

We obviously cannot pay the price of our own sin debt. Can we claim obedience for tomorrow? Can we claim repentance for next week? Can we claim discipleship for anyone but ourselves? Can we claim any other cross than HIS? Can we live for anyone but the one who gives life? Is tomorrow actually there… or is the only moment for action this one?

Fruit Check

“You know a tree by its fruit (Luke 6:44),” seems like a simple enough statement. Apple trees produce Apples, and Orange trees produce Oranges- it’s a fundamental law of science; things capable of reproduction only do so after their own kind. It doesn’t take much to see this in the life of the church as well, the question being, what kind of fruit does it bear?

Attempts have been made to categorize church fruits, whether they be Baptists or Methodists, these seem to me less denominational identities and more fruit descriptions. But what kind of fruit are we suggested, I mean, COMMANDED (John 15) to bear?

I think many of our churches have settled for second best. We have chosen the fruits of Galatians 5:22-23, the fruits of personal holiness, which are in no way bad or nondesireable, simply incomplete. It seems to me that the church has taken the fruits of the Spirit and emphasized them to the degree of ultimate pursuit, as if this fruit is the fruit Jesus commands us to bear. I do not believe it is and here is why: this fruit does not last. “I have appointed you to bear fruit, fruit that will last (John 15),” is the command my Savior proclaims, and in all honesty, the fruit of personal holiness will die at the death of the person- therefore it does not last. The effects of it will remain, I’m sure in some cases, but these are not the fruits themselves, merely the consequences.

However, if these fruits of walking in the Holy Spirit are taken and intentionally passed on to others, this form of reproduction is definitely lasting. Multi-generational reproduction with the intention of further reproduction is exactly that- lasting. It seems to me that we have gotten half-way; we have attempted to grasp the fruit, but have mistaken the seed for the fruit itself, which is disciples who make disciples by the power of the Holy Spirit. If we were to go the next level and intentionally pour the gifts that God has given us into those pursuing the Lord Himself, how much more lasting a fruit would we be bearing? I think this is where we missed it (or ignored it, either way). We have ignored the most important aspect of fruit, reproduction. Yes, nourishment is wonderful. Yes, visual appreciation is beautiful, but honestly, if it doesn’t reproduce what good is it but to one generation? Because the church has decided to emphasize first generation Spiritual fruit each generation succeeding it has been forced to relearn the path themselves- being told, “It’s your faith, find it for yourself,” or “You’re gonna have to discover what it means for you to follow Christ.”

They have been left at least one step behind because the fruit was not reproduced in them when they should be heading towards new steps the previous generation did not venture into. I believe this is what it means to bear lasting fruit, that the disciples we pour into by the Holy Spirit’s power possess the passion to also make disciples with the same passion. It seems endless, and that’s the point. Fruit was not intended to end with one generation- if so our faith would have died with the original twelve. The fruit is not intended to be simply holiness, for we have none of our own. Moreover, it is HIS holiness passed on to us by His Holy Spirit that is intended to be passed on to others by, once again, HIS Holy Spirit.

The trick now becomes, how can we pass on what we do not have? WE CAN’T. We’re back to that fundamental law again- we cannot produce spiritual fruit unless we ourselves are alive spiritually. It follows along these lines that we cannot make disciples by the Holy Spirit’s power (lasting fruit) unless we are being discipled by the Holy Spirit’s power.

The fruit of the Spirit are worth pursuing, but they are not things simply stumbled upon. They are grasped through discipline and submission- both elements of discipleship. In this it seems to me that the person intentionally seeking to reproduce the lasting fruit will naturally produce the Spiritual fruit because they are striving to walk in the Spirit daily, but the one pursuing the individual fruits will produce only that and thus fall short of lasting fruit and fulfilling the mandate of our Lord.

It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.

“The prophet/preacher, the administrator, the priest, the teacher, and the counselor… these are the differing roles of ministry one will most likely function in.” says the Professor.

Student: “Are these the differing roles one can be “called” into, or the roles that one person who is “called to ministry” will have to fill?”

Professor: “One person- the pastor of the local church.”

Different student: “It seems like that will force the pastor to step way outside of his giftings… I mean, if he is forced to do the things he isn’t gifted to do, doesn’t that provide a greater risk of burnout?”

Professor: “Yes, it does, and yes, many do have to work outside of their giftings. That is why the call to ministry is something so weighty, you have to be cut out for the job if you expect to make it, cause a lot of times you do have to do things you aren’t gifted to do.”

…

Need I say more? Yes, this actually happened. Yes, I was there. How can we project this as a good thing? Are you as horrified as I am? How can we expect this to keep on working when so many pastors are already leaving their churches presently? In all honesty, more so than any psychology class that I hardly understood and more so than any mathematics class that bored me to tears, that ministry class discouraged me. How can we healthy churches if we do not have healthy theology? The Pastor is not the center of the church- Jesus is. Not only that, but the pastor was never meant to be the answer man to every crisis and situation, he is supposed to provide direction. I am speaking of pastors in the sense of leaders, not in the sense of their giftings, for in that sense, it seems as if the pastoral gift is not even the leader of the church. Aside from semantics, what of the giftings?

4There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; 5one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all. 7But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ's gift. 8Therefore it says,

"WHEN HE ASCENDED ON HIGH, HE LED CAPTIVE A HOST OF CAPTIVES, AND HE GAVE GIFTS TO MEN."

9(Now this expression, "He ascended," what does it mean except that He also had descended into (the lower parts of the earth? 10He who descended is Himself also He who ascended far above all the heavens, so that He might fill all things.) 11And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; 13until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. 14As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; 15but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, 16from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.
Ephesians 4:4-15 (NASB)

If we expect one man to continuously pour out of himself to the number of his congregation, many of whom have not even committed loyalty to the vision the pastor is leading towards, we will continue to see a decline in ministry students, and those who do enter it will be either full of themselves as being “cut-out” or ignorant of the demands. The church must begin to realize that mere pew-sitters do not bear fruit, and the responsibility for that is in their own recognition of purpose. Why should they believe they ought to bear fruit when they are constantly reminded that the pastor can take care of things?

I have no doubt that many people sitting in our churches do indeed believe in spiritual gifts… but the question is, are they given opportunity to use them? When the pastor believes it to be his responsibility to fill in the gaps of all areas, how can he disciple those whose giftings more naturally and purposefully fill those gaps? When does he have time to disciple at all? Christ is the giver of all gifts… in order that in all things He is the first and last, the author and perfector. The church is not intended to rest on the strength, charisma, personality, or resolve and determination of one man unless that one man is Jesus Christ- the Prophet, Priest, and King. It is purposed to be filled with the Holy Spirit to be a Christ-centered, Christ-dependent living body that does ache sometimes, but by His incredible grace has been given the gift of healers to comfort, and yes it does run with passion sometimes and has been given the gift of visionaries to see where it should go, and therein it has been given teachers to pass on that vision and prophets to proclaim accountability to that vision- the vision being bearing fruit to the glory of the Son of God.

It seems as if it is time to lift the burden of the pastors and let the other gifts give themselves the way they were intended to, for spiritual gifts are in no way gifts to they that possess them indeed they are gifts to those being served- to the glory of Jesus Christ, the eternal living Savior.