Another Gospel

What parent would be happy with someone of influence coming to their child and saying they did not legitimately belong to the parents?

Do you know a parent who would enjoy someone attempting to sow into their child’s mind and heart the idea that they were unloved and unappreciated by their parents?

Can you grasp the profound sense of betrayal a parent feels when someone attempts to turn their child against them? This is often done by promising better care and casting doubt on the parent’s intentions.

These are all examples of someone declaring a report other than the one the original parent declared to attract a child to themselves and away from the legitimate parent.

This is what was happening to the church in Galatia. Paul, as an apostle, had proclaimed the gospel to these believers regarding the work of Christ and what it meant for their lives, but men devoted to the law and the Jewish ways had come to them and began to call into question the good things Paul had taught them.  It was no small matter to Paul, nor was it a nonissue to the Holy Spirit.

Galatians 1:6 I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, 7 which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. 9 As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed.

Getting the gospel right is not a small matter with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is always faithful to Christ’s reputation and the truth that makes Jesus known for who He truly is. The Holy Spirit is committed to accurate communication regarding Jesus’s work. That is why the Holy Spirit moved Paul to write this to the church at Galatia and have this same communication shared with the churches in that region.

Paul reveals here that someone has come sharing news of a different sort than what he first shared with these Galatians. The things these imposters are teaching them are contrary to what Paul taught them concerning Jesus. These men are shifting their faith and confidence from Jesus’ finished work to looking to themselves and what they can do in the sense of devotion to merit a relationship and favor with God.  These men were devoted to the law, and it led to another gospel being preached than the one Paul had originally preached to these Gentile people.  Paul said it was perverting the gospel!

A mixture of law and grace is a perversion of the gospel.  It spawns confusion and a lack of confidence. It creates another gospel that really is no gospel at all. Such preaching appeals to the flesh and seems to have a high level of devotion to it.  It is another gospel!  Do not be taken by such a gospel as were these Galatians.  Paul’s warning still stands firm today.  His bold rebuke is still just as powerful, too.  This matter of getting the gospel right is so important to Paul that he decrees a curse against any who would preach another gospel other than the one he had preached to these Galatians.  You get the sense that righteous indignation arose in Paul, the same as a loving parent’s anger would be aroused if someone were trying to deceive and lead away their child.  I never want to be found preaching another gospel, and I seek to equip those whom God has committed to my care and influence with the gospel Paul preached.  Getting the gospel right matters!

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Blessing Or Cursing

We make choices every day of our lives on some level.  Some may be small, seemingly insignificant choices, while others are major and life-altering.

There’s no way anyone can deny the fact that our choices impact our lives.

Scripture speaks of a curse that can result from a wrong choice.

Galatians 3:13 Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”), 14 that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

Being under the law means being under a curse.  Choosing to look to the law for how to live as if it could lead to our being right with God in any way is a curse.  It is a curse because such thinking is wrong to start with, and being attached to the law in this way cannot do anything for us.  No one has kept the law, and Jesus did not die to make us able to keep it in our flesh.

To make the law the central issue is a wrong premise to start with.  The promise of Christ was the central issue way before the law was ever given.  Christ Jesus is meant always to be the central matter of importance and the object of our faith.

Galatians 3:15 Brethren, I speak in the manner of men: Though it is only a man’s covenant, yet if it is confirmed, no one annuls or adds to it. 16 Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, “And to seeds,” as of many, but as of one, “And to your Seed,” who is Christ. 17 And this I say, that the law, which was four hundred and thirty years later, cannot annul the covenant that was confirmed before by God in Christ, that it should make the promise of no effect. 18 For if the inheritance is of the law, it is no longer of promise; but God gave it to Abraham by promise.

The promise of God was to Abraham and his Seed singular.  It was a messianic promise!  It was a promise of a redeemer to come.  This promise was made 430 years before the law ever came into existence.  The idea of the New Covenant existed well before the law, and the law cannot make it of no effect.  The law cannot replace this promise, nor can it fulfill it.

Galatians 3:19 What purpose then does the law serve? It was added because of transgressions, till the Seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was appointed through angels by the hand of a mediator. 20 Now, a mediator does not mediate for one only, but God is one.

When it says God is one, it is talking about the fact that the New Covenant is mediated between God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.  The law was mediated between God and man, and man has never kept up his end of that bargain.  That is why the law brings a curse.  Unless a person keeps it perfectly at every point, they are guilty of violating it at every point—that minister’s condemnation and death.

Galatians 3:21   Is the law then against the promises of God? Certainly not! For if there had been a law given which could have given life, truly righteousness would have been by the law. 22 But the Scripture has confined all under sin, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. 23 But before faith came, we were kept under guard by the law, kept for the faith which would afterward be revealed. 24 Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. 25 But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.

To live under blessing, one must live in Christ alone and have faith in Christ alone for a relationship with God.  Thinking there is another way to have and experience a relationship with God is deceptive thinking and practice, and it cannot bring blessing.  It can only bring you under a curse.

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The Blessing Of Abraham

Abraham, revered as the Father of Faith, holds a pivotal role in the history of the New Covenant despite living centuries before its establishment in Christ.

When the Lord asked Abraham to let go of the most important promise He had ever given to him, Abraham obeyed and was ready to go all the way with it.  But the Lord stopped him at the very last second and then declared another promise to Abraham, a promise of which we are all partakers.

Genesis 22:16 .. “By Myself I have sworn, says the LORD, because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son— 17 blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies. 18 In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.”

Notice what it says here, “In your seed,” singular, not plural.  This is speaking of Jesus, in whom we have been made alive and hidden.  Notice also what it says will happen through this seed.  The nations of the earth shall be blessed!  Not cursed!

Believers in Jesus are blessed! You don’t have to take my word for it; you can read it for yourselves.

Galatians 3:7 Therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham. 8 And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, “In you all the nations shall be blessed.” 9 So then those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham.

True sons of Abraham are those who are of faith in Jesus!  The promise accompanying this is a promise of blessing.  Abraham is a picture of a life of blessing.  God was with him and called Abraham His friend.

A close relationship with God is the greatest blessing there is.  Being made one with God just as Jesus was and is one with God is a great blessing!  It accords with the prayer of Jesus in John 17.

John 17:20 “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; 21 that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. 22 And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: 23 I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.

Jesus has shared His glory with us. What glory? The glory of an unbroken, unfettered, and deep relationship with the Father!  Being made one with Him through Christ!

We are now hidden in God with Christ. We get to live every day in His favor, and we expect to be blessed as we go through this life.  We are His beloved because we are in the beloved Son.  It is our position in Christ that affords us this great honor and glory!   It is not based on what we have done or will do.  It is based on who we have been placed in.  It is our identity in Christ that gifts us with such privilege and blessing.  This is why it says, “If God be for us, who can be against us?”

There is no greater honor and no greater glory than knowing Jesus and being known by Him.  I live in the blessing promised to Abraham because the Seed promised is my Lord and Savior!

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As He Is

I remember when my sons were very young, probably around 5 and 8 years of age, and they behaved badly while I was away at work. Their mother had tried to reel them in with no success, so she told them their father would deal with them whenever he got home and spent the day embellishing just how much trouble they were in and how seriously they would be punished for it. She embellished it in such a way as to increase their dread of my arrival home. Ordinarily, they would be excited at my arrival home as it meant a loving greeting, a time of fun and play full of smiles and laughter.  But this day was going to be different.

After arriving home, they did not greet me as normal. They were in their room, hoping not to see me.  So, after being briefed by my wife as to how the day went and how, even after they had been warned about what might happen if they did not stop, they continued.  I made my way to their room to address the matter.  When I arrived in their room, I found them sullen and afraid.  My youngest son, standing next to a toy bin, had a look of dread on his face.   When I explained why he must be punished and told him to come near, he frantically took hold of a toy lightsaber from the bin and began waving it in the air.  I asked him what he was doing, and he blurted out, “I must protect myself.” I could not help but bust out laughing, but I had to follow through on helping him understand the importance of obeying his mother when I was away at work.  There was no denying that his fear of punishment led him to act out in an uncharacteristic way towards me.  His mother had so effectively sown a fear of punishment into him that he behaved erratically at that moment.  He definitely did not exhibit any confidence in my love for him at that moment.

I shared that story to set up the point that there is an undeniable power in an unwavering revelation of Christ’s love.  It’s a power that transcends any other form of love we may experience in life. Consider the following passages of Scripture.

1John 4:17 Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world. 18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. 19 We love Him because He first loved us.

This phrase, “As He is, so are we in this world,” has been used in different ways for different reasons.

I desire to take it as it is presented in its context here and share what my takeaway is from it.

The context deals with the expectations of a day of judgment and how we are forever changed when we understand and embrace Christ’s love. The terminology “As He is, so are we” speaks of His right, unbroken, and perfect relationship with the Father. There’s no separation between Christ and the Father; they are seated together in oneness of fellowship in heaven.

I wonder if John had Jesus’ prayer in John 17 in mind as he wrote this. In it, Jesus prayed that we would be one with the Father and the Holy Spirit just as He was one with them.

I believe that John is saying that the Father’s love is perfected among us so that we can walk in an uncommon boldness in this world—the kind of relationship boldness Jesus has with the Father right now in heaven.  We get to live free from a sense of pending judgment and separation based on the merit of Christ on our behalf.  We get to walk in the revelation knowledge of our oneness with God and are therefore we are confident and assured in this life that we will never be separated from His love, just as Christ is confident and assured of His relationship right now with the Father.  We can walk assured of our relationship with God!

It’s powerful when someone lives no longer afraid of being cast aside and forgotten because they are so convinced of being loved with everlasting love.   They do not live every day worrying about whether or not they have done something that will bring them to such a final judgment that it will result in their being punished and cast away forever.  They do not live life looking over their shoulder, worried a punisher is pursuing them.  Those without Christ should know such a fear, but those in Christ should not.

Hebrews 2:14 Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, 15 and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.

“As He is” involves walking in relationship confidence, being totally aware of my union with the Father in Christ, being assured of His love, and being free from fear of separation. How well do you know God’s love for you?  Is it with an “As He is” level of revelation?

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Greater Things

Jesus spoke some interesting things that have garnered much speculation throughout the generations.  Just because what He spoke generated speculations does not mean it wasn’t true.  Jesus never lied. He only spoke the truth. One such saying is found in,

John 14:9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works. 11 Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves.  12 “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. 13 And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.

I have heard some speculate that what Jesus is talking about here is a time when advances will be made, and more people will be reached because of them.  Technologies such as Radio, Television, Social Media, Medical and Scientific advances, and so on.  They are so grounded in natural solutions that the idea of anything supernatural escapes their thinking.  They actually prefer manmade solutions over supernatural ones.

However, the Scriptures show that this word from Jesus was fulfilled already after His death, resurrection, and ascension.  What it reveals is very supernatural indeed.

Did Jesus ever heal anyone with just His shadow?  Peter did.

Acts 5:12 And through the hands of the apostles many signs and wonders were done among the people. And they were all with one accord in Solomon’s Porch. 13 Yet none of the rest dared join them, but the people esteemed them highly. 14 And believers were increasingly added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women, 15 so that they brought the sick out into the streets and laid them on beds and couches, that at least the shadow of Peter passing by might fall on some of them. 16 Also, a multitude gathered from the surrounding cities to Jerusalem, bringing sick people and those who were tormented by unclean spirits, and they were all healed.

Did Jesus ever heal anyone or cast out demons by sending handkerchiefs or aprons from His body to them?  Paul did.

Acts 19:11 Now God worked unusual miracles by the hands of Paul, 12 so that even handkerchiefs or aprons were brought from his body to the sick, and the diseases left them and the evil spirits went out of them.

I can personally testify to having sent a handkerchief to someone sick and having them be healed instantly. I’ve only done it once, but it was miraculous nonetheless.

Acts 1:8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

The gift of the Holy Spirit comes with power, not in some abstract, weak way that is difficult to discern.  When the Holy Spirit comes on a believer with power, it transforms them into witnesses.

A church without the power of the Spirit has lost its witness and will miss out on doing the things Jesus did and even greater things.  As believers in Jesus, in these last days, we need the Holy Spirit more than ever.  Greater things await those who will believe and receive all that He has to offer them.  What might He have in store for you?  The only way to ever find out is to surrender to the Holy Spirit and allow Him to use you the way He desires.  Ask Him to fill you to overflowing and use you as a witness for Christ, and then enjoy the adventure He will take you on as a result.

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Strong Faith

I remember a time when I went to my prayer room to spend time alone with my Father, and a strong sense of the enemy entered the atmosphere. This presence that wasn’t supposed to be there was interrupting my time. At that moment, I also sensed that my Father was not happy with what was transpiring.

Now, some may find my experience unusual, but I am undeterred by such thoughts. I know what I experienced. In the moment of my Father’s disapproval, I boldly declared, “Devil, if I were you, I would flee from here because you’ve made my Father angry.”

Immediately, the atmosphere was clear, and I continued with my fellowship time. It was sweet and powerful, and answers to prayer came out of that time.

It is the place of an intimate, active relationship where strong faith happens.  For instance, we read:

Hebrews 11:17 By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, 18 of whom it was said, “In Isaac, your seed shall be called,” 19 concluding that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead, from which he also received him in a figurative sense.

Interestingly, this is speaking of the greatest challenge Abraham ever had to face in his life.  Abraham needed a strong faith to press through this challenge.  We see how this describes the faith Abraham had, but we need to inquire about where such a faith sprang forth from.

Abraham had been in fellowship with God, and much of that fellowship centered around the promise of Isaac as the promised child. Destiny and the future hinged on this boy, and yet this very strange request from God came to Abraham. Abraham knew how to hear God because Abraham was in a real relationship with God.

We discover that Abraham could follow through in obedience to God with this request because he had faith rooted in a certain type of reasoning based on what he had come to know about God.

Abraham concluded that God could raise Isaac up, even from the dead.  Abraham was so convinced that God would keep His word of promise to him that he could follow through with whatever God asked of him, even if it looked like it might bring an end to the promise he had received from God.  It was not so much merely resurrection itself that Abraham believed.  It was that God would bring about a resurrection in order to keep His word of promise.

Abraham’s faith was grounded in who God is to him.  Abraham knew God, and as a result, Abraham was able to bring forth an obedience to God that exceeded the rational of most people.  Abraham walked in a strong faith because he had a strong relationship with God and had come to know God on a deep level. Abraham’s relationship with God was not based on ideas about God that he could not argue against.  Abraham was truly convinced of the things God had revealed to Abraham about Himself.  For this reason, when something that would not make sense in the natural came up, Abraham was still able to push forward in a strong faith, knowing God would be true to who He was, and all would come out according to the first promise that was made.

Knowing God personally beyond a mere cerebral approach matters.  Merely knowing things about Him based on what others have said does not empower strong faith.  Knowing Him based on Him intimately revealing Himself is what it takes to have strong faith.  This is His invitation to taste and see that He is good and to spend time with Him with the purpose of getting to know Him even better.

If you desire a strong faith, then I would encourage you to invest in the call to taste and see that He is good and make spending time with Him your highest priority in this life.  This world needs to see a strong faith alive in the church, and it begins with each of us as believers.

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Real Faith

Real Faith

In Genesis 15 of the Bible, we see that Abram believed in God, and God accredited this belief to him as righteousness.

Abram’s faith was not just ignited; it was a transformative force, a beacon of hope, when God revealed Himself to him in a vision as Abram’s shield and exceedingly great reward.

In that exchange, we find Abram’s faith in God regarding how God has declared Himself to be to Abram sparks the ability for Abram to bring a very important and pressing need to God.

Abram had no heir! Abram brought this very important matter up to God, who did what He is so good at. God tells Abram an heir will come from his own body; it will not be Eleiezer, your servant.

But God doesn’t stop at an heir with Abram.  God does what Paul described in Ephesians when he said; God is able to do exceedingly abundantly above and beyond anything we could ask or think.

God takes Abram outside his tent during the night and tells him to look up at the stars and see if he can number them.  Of course, we know there’s no way.  Then God tells Abram that will be what his descendants are like; they will outnumber the stars of the heavens.

At first, Abram’s imagination went as far as a single heir. God got involved because of the relationship and went way beyond Abram’s thoughts and imagination. But because Abram was in an exchange of relationship with God at that moment, he believed what God was showing him.

A real healthy relationship is filled with trust that is rooted in knowing the character of the party one is expected to trust.  Abram had come to know God in such a way that he was able to conclude that God would not lie to him.  He was able to even believe something outside the realm of what seemed possible in the natural so long as it was God saying it to him.

This very intimate and personal interaction with God is what fueled Abram’s faith in God.

Abram’s faith was not merely in what God said to him but in God himself.

Genesis 15:6   And he believed in the LORD, and He accounted it to him for righteousness.

Abram believed in the Lord!  This terminology, Lord, implies the handing over of one’s life purpose and future to someone greater.  Abram was aware of the greatness of God and that God’s character and nature were good.

After all, Abram started out being afraid until God said for him not to be.  After telling Abram not to be afraid, God revealed His intentions toward Abram.  I am your shield.  Protector!  And exceedingly great reward!  Father, Friend, and Provider!

My ability to believe in God for protection and provision is rooted in what I know to be true concerning His character and nature and the availability of fellowship he has made possible.  It is not rooted in things that I most desire that real faith is forged.  The more my faith is in Him based on my knowing Him, the more I am able to trust Him and seek Him with regard to my needs and allow Him to speak into them and expand my imagination and faith to go further and higher than I ever thought possible.  His desire will always be more than enough to meet my needs and beyond.  If anyone wants real faith, they should endeavor to get to know Him better and take Him at His word regarding His disposition towards us now that we are in Christ.  I know that he is able to do exceedingly, abundantly above and beyond anything I could ask or think, but I must also believe He desires to do just that if I am to posture myself to receive the good He desires to be and to bring into my life.  Real faith knows how to enjoy Him and rejoice in being brought into union with Him.  real faith knows Him!

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Prepared

Were you aware that studies have shown that a significant number of lottery winners experience financial difficulties? For example, a study conducted by the National Endowment for Financial Education found that nearly 70% of lottery winners end up bankrupt within a few years.

These were people who were blessed with an inordinate amount of money at one moment in time. They went from a lower economic standing to one of the wealthiest.  Sadly, they were not prepared for such a blessing.

There is a reason that sometimes an amazing, bountiful promise from God intended to bless a child of God takes time to appear. Take King David in the Bible as an example. His story teaches us the value of patience in waiting for God’s promises to manifest.

From the moment Samuel anointed David king to the moment David actually became king, there was a period of about 14 years. David was a teen when Samuel anointed him, but he was 30 years old when he actually became recognized as the king.

Things needed to be developed in David’s character to prepare him to be the king God knew he could be.  These things would involve time, experiences, mistakes, and successes, all meant to shape David into the man he needed to be in order to rule and reign as king.

In other words, David needed to mature even though his heart was good before God and his motives were approved of by God; David needed to mature in order to rule and reign effectively as God desired him to.

Another great example of this is Ahimaaz in the Bible.  Ahimaaz was a fast runner and was assigned along with another runner as someone who would take information from the battlefield to King David when ordered to do so.  But this time, the King’s beloved son Absalom had been killed because of his rebellion, and such news required diplomacy and tact and needed to come from a different source than that of Ahimaaz.

Joab, the commander of the troops, dispatched a trusted Cushite to take the news to the king. But Ahimaaz kept coming to Joab, asking to run to the king.  In other words, Ahimaaz was eager to do what he thought he was assigned to do, but he had no discernment regarding his level of understanding of it.  Eventually, Joab gave in to his request to get him out of his hair.

Ahimaaz took off like a streak of lightning and actually outran the Cushite to get to David.  When they announced that a runner was approaching, David commanded that they allow him entry before the throne.  This was a big moment for Ahimaaz. It was what he had desired all this time.  So they brought him in quickly before King David, and David asked him, “What news do you have of my son Absalom?”  Ahimaaz spoke of how there was a great battle with much fighting, and the enemies of the king were killed, but Ahimaaz had no specific news of Absalom.  Just then, they announced another runner arriving, and David had them bring him before him.  When David asked of his son Absalom from this runner, he answered, “Oh King, may it be of all your enemies as it is of your son Absalom who has fallen on this day.”  Scripture tells us that David was moved in his heart and wept bitterly.

Preparation and timing matter, especially when it comes to entering into God’s promises concerning our calling, our present, and our future. If all of His promises were to manifest immediately, we would not be prepared to embrace them and steward them well. Are you preparing to receive and walk in what He has promised you?

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Receive

I recently shared how having a word from God means having all that you need and how a word from God activates faith.  Seeing the manifestation of faith involves receiving.

I can buy my wife a gift, but if she does not take hold of it, open it, and then utilize it according to its purpose for her benefit, it cannot do her the good I intended it to do.

Someone’s refusal to take advantage of a gift does not mean the gift was not given to start with.

God can make amazing promises in your life. However, if you do not know how to receive and use them, they will not benefit you, and you risk missing out on the blessings God has in store for you.

Let’s look at this in the Word.

Genesis 18:16 Then the men rose from there and looked toward Sodom, and Abraham went with them to send them on the way. 17 And the LORD said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am doing, 18 since Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? 19 For I have known him, in order that he may command his children and his household after him, that they keep the way of the LORD, to do righteousness and justice, that the LORD may bring to Abraham what He has spoken to him.”

The first thing I notice is the friendship between God and Abraham, which is expressed in these Scriptures.  God has just spoken a wonderful promise to Abraham regarding his heir and the generations to follow.  It is a marvelous, long-sought-after promise intended to bless Abraham tremendously.

God’s intentions are clear in the promise of a good future and the longevity of Abraham’s family on earth.

Verse 19 stands out to me. “I have known him,” God says. God reveals an intimacy between Himself and Abraham and then goes on to reveal why this intimacy exists and what is at stake in it.

God is intimate with Abraham so that Abraham may command his children and his household after him with purpose. What purpose?

“That they keep the way of the LORD, to do righteousness and justice.”  Why does this matter?

“That the LORD may bring to Abraham what He has spoken to him.”

The promise is made, and the gift is prepared, but for it to benefit the recipient, there must be an act of receiving the gift.  This case involves how Abraham leads his family.

Sometimes, people want to claim they have faith in God about something and expect it to be fulfilled without any thought of what such a promise might set them up for in order to be prepared for it.  They want something that is outside of God’s ways and out of step with His character as if He were some kind of great cosmic genie that exists to do whatever they wish so long as they believe it.

They want things based on their own brand of faith, which is divorced from any kind of intimacy with God. It is a faith devoid of knowing who He is to them and what He is truly like. In so doing, they claim they are believing God for something but lack any wisdom or ability to properly prepare for what God actually wishes to do to bless them.  As a result, they fail to see the promise come to fruition in their lives, and sadly, this can often result in an accusation that God did not come through for them.  The reality is that they never learned how to receive according to God’s way and God’s timing.  The giver of a promise determines the manner by which that promise will be realized, so it is important to get to know the giver.  The first step to being a good receiver begins with a desire to really know the Giver.  Knowing the character of the Giver strengthens one’s faith in the Giver’s ability to follow through on the promise made and be made aware of how to posture oneself to receive it when it arrives.

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If You Have

Whenever we gather on the Lord’s Day at Harvest Church Knoxville, my wife Sheila welcomes everyone and always encourages them by saying, “If you have a word from God, you have all that you need.”

That statement contains a lot. The word (Logos) of God says that Faith comes by hearing, and hearing comes by the word (Rhema) of God.  Logos is that which is written, and Rhema is that which is alive in the moment and spoken to us.

The Logos word can be a step towards receiving a Rhema word from God. When we see it in the written word and meditate upon it, seeking God’s voice in the matter, our spirit hears that word, and faith comes alive in us, activating the kingdom on our behalf.

Jesus’ words echo with the transformative power of faith. ‘If you have faith the grain of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain be removed and cast into the sea, and it will obey you.’ This is not just a promise but a testament to the potential of our faith.

It’s not about ‘naming and claiming’ here. It’s about having unwavering faith in a matter because we have heard from God concerning it. This is the essence of our belief, the cornerstone of our faith.

Too often, believers know all too well what others say about a matter that concerns their lives.  They know the opinion of the “Experts,” whether it be about their sense of well-being.

For instance, someone might be keenly aware of what a popular “motivational speaker” says about having a positive attitude to gain momentum in pursuing a purpose in life.  They may be equally aware of what a politician promises to give them a sense that all will be okay in their day-to-day lives because of shifts in direction within a nation.  They may have amassed knowledge regarding their physical health from healthcare professionals or emotional health from listening to or reading information from psychologists.  It is amazing how easily people are able to run to these sources for insight to make their choices in these areas of life without even a single hint of shame or embarrassment for doing so. However, true enlightenment and empowerment come when we contrast this with seeking God’s word. That is when we truly discern and make sound choices, empowered by His Spirit.

Why is it that when a man or woman of God stands to encourage believers to go to God’s word regarding these matters so that they can hear from Him about it and stand in real faith regarding it, it is often seen as strange?

Do you know what God says about the things happening in your life right now? You need to because if you have a word from Him about it, you have all you need to become activated according to His kingdom.  Learning how to go into His word in specific areas of life day to day to get His wisdom and desires for you concerning it empowers you to walk according to faith regarding it.

It might not yet be seen in the natural, but it can be seen according to the spiritual as being done already.

Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. 2 This is what the ancients were commended for.

When we speak according to faith because we know God has spoken, it sets into motion things unseen in the natural realm, bringing about the fulfillment of what He has spoken to us in His timing in the natural realm.  Abraham believed God, and it was accredited to him as righteousness. If you have a word from God, you have all you need.

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Foolishness

There is an idea afloat in some circles that righteousness by faith is like an initiation into being a disciple of Jesus.  It is how one gets started, but then………..

Such an idea is utter foolishness.  Faith is not merely how righteousness is obtained initially; it is how it is kept and experienced for the whole of one’s journey in Christ.  Not only that, but the consistent experience of the Holy Spirit is also by faith!

How else would anyone explain the defense of the gospel that is presented in,

Galatians 3:1 O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you that you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed among you as crucified? 2 This only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? 3 Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh? 4 Have you suffered so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain?  5 Therefore, He who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you, does He do it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?— 6 just as Abraham “believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” 7 Therefore, know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham. 8 And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, “In you all the nations shall be blessed.” 9 So then those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham.

Performance does not initiate, nor does it increase one’s chances of seeing the move of the Holy Spirit in one’s life.

It could not be clearer than it is here regarding how the Holy Spirit is to be experienced by believers.

“Therefore, He who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you, does He do it by the works of the law or by the hearing of faith?”

In other words, is the Holy Spirit experienced because you have your act together in accordance with the law, or is it because you have faith?

These Galatians had started in the Spirit according to faith, but now some men had come to them, teaching them that law observance was necessary if they desired to go further spiritually and keep experiencing the move of the Spirit.

There is a problem with such an idea.  It shifts reliance and hope from being centered on Christ and His completed work at the cross and puts the focus on the strength of the flesh to earn the right to have the Spirit.  Such thinking provoked the Holy Spirit in the Apostle Paul to say,

“Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh?”

If you wish to walk in a blessed life with God, then look to Jesus and all that He did to make you right with God and engage in the relationship that freely offers you according to faith.  Follow the advice and counsel of,

Colossians 2:6 As you, therefore, have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, 7 rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving.

Jesus did everything that was needed to secure our place in Him, our relationship with the Father, and the promise of the Holy Spirit in our lives for all our lives.  Faith in Him is the way!  Any other idea for obtaining or maintaining it is foolishness.

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Real Relationship

Having been married to the love of my life for decades, I find that what matters most to me is not that she performs perfectly at fulfilling a checklist of expectations but rather that she delights in knowing me and being known by me.  The adventure of discovery as we both do life together is part of the process.

She has matured beyond the young woman she was when I first met her because her knowledge of God has increased over the years, and her experience of Him has grown as well.  The same holds true for me.  If we had a checklist from the start that we were unyielding about, it would have ended our relationship many years ago, or it would have put us in such bondage as to not allow for growth and maturity.

Whenever a checklist of to-dos is allowed to become involved, the idea of closeness is pushed to the side. If items on the checklist are incomplete, a sense of disapproval sets in, and the idea of closeness is put on hold.  The checklist becomes the barometer for approval or disapproval.  That means the relationship is based on performing certain tasks as opposed to an interest in discovering each other and appreciating what is discovered. When delightful discovery is the quest, even odd quirks can become delightful and intriguing things because they are what makes a person an individual and unique.  I know I have quirks that my wife has to look past.

I do not want my wife to be me, and I’m pretty sure she isn’t hoping I will be her.  Real relationships at the human level involve knowing how to overcome the nuances of differences and come out on the other side of experiencing the differences with greater depth and stronger respect and appreciation.

I see things about my wife that I respect and appreciate, even if they differ from my preferences. These things make her stand out as an individual and help me trust her even more when I let her just be her.   The Lord did not put us together to fix each other.  He put us together to love each other.  The more this is understood and appreciated, the stronger our relationship will grow.

When it comes to God and who He is, there are no quirks about Him, as He is absolutely perfect.  The fact that He is perfect should be a plus to us.  That means He makes no mistakes.  Everything He does is the right thing, and it is always perfectly timed because He is able to see the end from the beginning.  He is not bound to time as we are and thus can know just what to say and how to lead based on knowing forward and backward what is going on presently and what is just around the corner.  Add to that the fact that He cannot lie, and you have a recipe for trust on a whole other level.

Abram trusted God when God appeared to him in a vision and told him that He was his shield and exceedingly great reward. Abram believed this about God, and it led him to ask boldly for something he deeply desired.  God then promised Abram he would not only have an heir from his own body but that his descendants would outnumber the stars of the heavens.  Abram believed in God, and it was accredited to him for righteousness.  In other words, Abram entered into a deep, unmerited relationship with God based purely on faith in God.  Abram believed God was as good as He had declared Himself to be to Abram, and it led Abram to be able to boldly ask for favor from God in an area of deep concern.

Real relationships trust and rely on the other party to be who they claim to be. They then ask for things, make decisions, and move forward on the basis of such trust without fearing it will bring an end to the relationship but instead lead to further discovery and bring hope into it.

This is why Scripture says, come boldly before the throne of grace to find mercy to help in your time of need.   It describes what a real relationship looks like.  Religion says to get it together before you even think about approaching.  God is good, and He has invited us to come to Him, trust Him, and ask of Him.  Our approaching and asking says a lot about the depth of our relationship with Him.

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Be Patient

Throughout my 61 years, I’ve learned that rushing often leads to undesirable outcomes. This lesson, however, is not unique to me. Even the patriarch of faith had to learn it. It’s fascinating how the Holy Spirit unveils the triumphs and tribulations of the men of God in the Bible, serving as a guide for us all.

In Genesis 15, God gives Abram a promise of an heir and descendants to follow that outnumber the stars.  That’s a great promise, and Abram believed God.  The promise spoke of Abram having an heir, but it did not give specifics on how that would happen except that this heir would come from Abram’s own body.

In Genesis 16, time has passed, and Sarai has not become pregnant. So, Sarai’s impatience sets in, and the suggestion of how to fulfill the promise without involving her comes into play.  A solution according to the flesh is offered by Sarai to Abram, and he accepts it.

The problem is that this solution after the flesh creates a false heir.  The child named Ishmael, born by Sarai’s maidservant Hagar, is not according to God’s plan of an heir for Abram.  The result is tension and conflict in the camp.  Hagar begins to hold Sarai in contempt, and then Sarai blames Abram for it. Abram gives Sarai permission to treat Hagar however she wishes, and Sarai treats her harshly, and Hagar flees.  That’s when God gives Hagar a promise of how the child she carries in her womb will be a wild man, and his hand will be against every man.  God sends her back to Sarai in submission.  Abram was eighty-six years of age when Ishmael was born.

Four years later, when Abram turns ninety, the Lord appears to him. God establishes a covenant of circumcision with Abram as it pertains to all the men and the male children. After this, God interacts with Abraham again and changes both Sarai’s name and Abram’s name to Sarah and Abraham. He tells Abraham he will give him a son born of Sarah. Abraham asks if a son should be born to a man one hundred years old with a wife who is ninety and asks that Ishmael be his heir.  God refuses to accept Ishmael as the heir and insists that Sarah will bear the promised child, who is to be called Isaac.  God reveals what type of covenant He will make with Isaac: an everlasting covenant.

A year later, Isaac was born. At the time of Isaac’s weaning, it was evident that Hagar and her son Ishmael disdained Isaac, the promised son, and Sarah was displeased and asked that they be sent away.  God promises Abraham that he will make a nation of Ishmael but that Abraham’s seed is tome through Sarah’s son Isaac.  So Abraham sends Hagar and Ishmael away.

Sarai and Abram’s impatience led to this moment of heartache and pain. Abraham had to send a son whom he deeply loved and wished could be his heir away, never to be seen again. Can you imagine how hard this must have been for Abraham?

The greater revelation in all this is how it speaks of the New Covenant in Christ and the Law Covenant of Moses.

Galatians 4:21 Tell me, you who desire to be under the law, do you not hear the law? 22 For it is written that Abraham had two sons: the one by a bondwoman, the other by a freewoman. 23 But he who was of the bondwoman was born according to the flesh, and he of the freewoman through promise, 24 which things are symbolic. For these are the two covenants: the one from Mount Sinai which gives birth to bondage, which is Hagar— 25 for this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia, and corresponds to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children— 26 but the Jerusalem above is free, which is the mother of us all.

Galatians 4:28   Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are children of promise. 29 But, as he who was born according to the flesh then persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, even so it is now. 30 Nevertheless, what does the Scripture say? “Cast out the bondwoman and her son, for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman.” 31 So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman but of the free.

God was able to take the impatient mistake made and preach the gospel through it generations before the gospel was to be fulfilled in Christ.  But let’s learn the lesson impatience reveals here and the heartache it can produce.  Beauty came out of all this, and a prophetic picture of how the law is to be sent away once one is born again into promise.  Trying to have both dwell together creates conflict and tension.  So, I want to learn to be patient about the promise God gives me, and I want to make sure I am allowing myself to tolerate the Law covenant as a way of attaining anything from God. To experience the promise we have in Christ now, we must put away the bondwoman and her son from us.  Everything good that God has is ours in the promised son!

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Thirty One Years Ago

On September 12th, 1993, my family and I left the comfort of our larger fellowship of which we had been a part for so many years and ventured out with their blessing to plant a new church in another part of our city.  It was a huge step of faith for us at the time.

Some years later, we were challenged to believe God again and take Him at His word of promise.  With only a $100.00 surplus in the church budget at the time, I felt the Lord challenging me to leave my employment where I had benefits, stock, and insurance and enter the ministry full time.

This was not a decision I could just make and drag my family into.  As part of my training in leadership, the Holy Spirit moved me to go to my family and present this matter to them and ask them to pray and see what God would speak to them.  They took it seriously and prayed, and came back with a unanimous determination to do it.

With no apparent supply in the natural to do such a thing and with four young children and a wife to care for, I left a secure job and entered full-time ministry purely on faith.  From that moment until today, God has supplied our needs.  I have never missed a paycheck.

There is something about pioneering and stepping out in faith that brings an increase of revelation and understanding in one’s relationship with God.  There’s something about standing on a promise spoken to you by Him, holding fast to believing even when it seems delayed, that causes a closeness to take place in one’s heart and soul.

I had a vision of standing before thousands and preaching the gospel shortly after I came to Christ.  That vision was like a fire in my soul.  But it would take decades before it came to fruition.  I never gave up on it.  Somehow, I knew it would come.  I did not try to self-fulfill it either.  I had been involved with crusade ministry through a friend and mentor who has done them for decades and invited me to participate by traveling with him and ministering to pastors and leaders in conferences held during the days of the crusade.  I am forever grateful to him for his willingness to include me and allow me such an opportunity.

In May of 2024, I conducted my first major crusade as Tim Atchley Global Ministries and was able to include respected friends in ministry to go with me to serve pastors and leaders in conferences held during the days of the crusade, and we were witness to a mighty outpouring of the Holy Spirit during our time there.  Jesus was magnified greatly, and many came to know Him, were filled with the Holy Spirit, water baptized, and many received deliverance from demon possession and were miraculously healed and set free.

By faith, I am planning now to return to a different area in that same nation in September of 2025.  A walk with Jesus calls us into the activity of faith in what seems impossible in the natural, but because of His amazing love and faithfulness, it is made possible for us supernaturally simply because He desires to include us in His plans and bless our lives with His presence.

You may not be asked to conduct major crusades in the nations. You may be asked to simply share your faith with others you encounter in the workplace, school, or the marketplace.  Maybe you will be moved to pray for your neighbor or family member and stand strong and firm in your belief in His desire to touch them unmistakably.  We are all called to walk in His love and make Him known to our generation in whatever way He leads us to do so.  I am simply testifying today that there is nothing that can compare to taking a step of faith in Him according to His leading and letting Him show up and show out in your life.  Some big things take time, but there are daily things He wishes to do in your life so that you know He is with you and cares for you.  There are many more things I could reveal here, but it would make this post too large.  I pray you will step out in faith today and experience Him in a fresh new way.  He is with you today and always!

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Shall I Hide?

It’s interesting what favor can do in a relationship.  When a relationship is healthy and alive, openness is a fruit of it.

In Genesis 15, Abram believed God, and it was accredited to him for righteousness.  In other words, a real relationship with depth and trust was established with God for Abram.

Abraham was in God’s favor!  This time, the Lord has come to visit with Abraham and revisits the promise of a son for Abraham.  But the visit has a two-fold purpose.

When we arrive at Genesis 18, God is about to do something on the earth, in fact, not that far away from Abraham.  I find it intriguing to look closely at how God acted and, in doing so, unveils His thinking and reasoning.

Genesis 18:16 Then the men rose from there and looked toward Sodom, and Abraham went with them to send them on the way. 17 And the LORD said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am doing, 18 since Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? 19 For I have known him, in order that he may command his children and his household after him, that they keep the way of the LORD, to do righteousness and justice, that the LORD may bring to Abraham what He has spoken to him.” 20 And the LORD said, “Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grave, 21 I will go down now and see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry against it that has come to Me; and if not, I will know.”

Because of the relationship with Abraham and the favor resulting from it on Abraham’s life, the Lord lets Abraham know what He is up to nearby.

We all know how this information leads Abraham to intercede for the city based on the fact that his nephew lives there with his family.  You can read these passages and get all caught up in how Abraham became an intercessor and why and how Sodom was destroyed, but Lot was spared.  Or you can pay close attention to the beauty of the relationship between the Lord and Abraham and observe how favor with God due to being made righteous by God behaves itself.

There is a dynamic in this relationship with God that is very powerful and can ignite a believer’s imagination and spark a renewed desire to interact with God on an intimate level.  Dead religion behaves as though God is distant and only getting to heaven is the goal.  All close intimacy with God will really occur once in heaven for the merely religious.  But here we have evidence of a mere man who has found favor with God and been made righteous by God according to believing God, enjoying an intimate relationship with God to such a depth and degree that God is unwilling to keep what He is up to on the earth from this man.  We should let that truth sink in.  “Shall I hide this thing I am about to do from Abraham?”  Those words shall I hide are filled with hope and promise for any and every believer when it comes to being in a relationship with the One who created all things and is still at work on this earth.  We are more than just in the favor of God now. We are joint heirs with Jesus, new creations in Christ!  We are called sons, given an inheritance along with Jesus, and are hidden with God in Christ!  He’s not hiding from us!  He is willing to discuss His plans with us!  Abraham met with Him and extended hospitality to Him with the desire to sit with Him and listen to Him.

I look forward to hearing from Him every day.  I hope you do as well.  He loves you and wants to talk with you.

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Being A Light

For a believer in Christ, what exactly does it mean to be a light to your generation?

Matthew 5:14 “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”

Is Jesus saying that up till this moment, these people He is speaking to have never done anything good?

What are the good works Jesus is talking about?

John 6:29 Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.”

If what Jesus was talking about was merely a moral lifestyle, then how would that set a believer apart from other moralistic religious people in the world?

Millions of people do not know Jesus but do good works on par with what Christians do as good works.  So, is it a good work in the most common understanding that Jesus was referring to?

I believe Jesus was referring to walking in the life that He gives. I believe this being a light has to do with being made alive in Him and living out from that place of faith in Him that animates our very being.  I think it involves walking in such faith that our lives exude joy, peace, and confidence in what it means to be loved by God.  I think this is the light that shines so that others can see.

While even those in the world might do good works, they cannot live out the kind of animated life and light that a true believer in Jesus can.  They cannot exude confidence in the love of God and the kind of joy that only the Holy Ghost can produce.

1Peter 1:6 In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, 8 whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, 9 receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of your souls.

For me, this is that light!  That ability to live in the experience of Him and the joy that it brings no matter what might be happening to me in life.   Like others in this world, believers in Jesus will also experience hardships, trials, and challenges.  But the way they handle them and the attitude they bring to the moment is a real game changer.  They come to that moment equipped with His life and power in the Spirit.

Believers exude joy and peace in the midst of storms.  They walk in something those of this world cannot walk in.  They have eternal life flowing in them.  They have Jesus!  Jesus is the light of the world!  He is the light that shines in the darkness!  Being a light on our part is simply letting His light shine through us towards others.  Let others see the joy and peace that we have because of Him, and give the credit for having such to Him!  This is being a light.

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Relationship 101

Imagine with me, if you will, that someone you desire to have a relationship with is discovered to be a liar.  I mean, you are endeavoring to get to know them only to discover that all they have been telling you about themselves and their intentions is a lie.

Would you think you have a good relationship with that person?

Do you really believe you can have a good, healthy relationship with someone without any ability to take them at their word and trust that they are honest with you?

Has anyone ever heard of a deep and meaningful relationship being established with a lack of trust?

The truth is that in order to have a really rewarding relationship, belief and trust are needed.

That is what Scripture reveals to us with regard to Abraham when it says,

Romans 4:3 For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.”

Righteousness is a right relationship. It is a relationship where everything is as it should be.  It is a relationship with no hindrances, obstacles, or issues.  It is a relationship based on belief and trust.

Abraham believed God!  Abraham took God at his word!  What word?

Genesis 15:1 After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision, saying, “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.”  2 But Abram said, “Lord GOD, what will You give me, seeing I go childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” 3 Then Abram said, “Look, You have given me no offspring; indeed one born in my house is my heir!”

4   And behold, the word of the LORD came to him, saying, “This one shall not be your heir, but one who will come from your own body shall be your heir.” 5 Then He brought him outside and said, “Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.” 6 And he believed in the LORD, and He accounted it to him for righteousness.

Abraham is having a vision where God comes to him and speaks to him.  This encounter makes Abraham afraid at first, but God tells him not to be afraid because of whom God wants to be to Abraham.  God is Abraham’s shield and exceedingly great reward.  Because Abraham takes God at His word on this, he feels he can ask for something.  Abraham asks for an heir!

God promises Abraham that he will have an heir from his own body even though Abrhama is past his prime, as is his wife.  That would be a stretch to believe already, but then God invites Abraham outside of his tent at night in a place and time where the night would be crystal clear and the night sky filled with stars.  God then promises Abraham that his descendants will outnumber the stars, and Abraham believes God is being honest with him and will follow through on His promise.

Religion cannot offer this to anyone.  It offers a set of conditions and rules that must be kept in order to earn any measure of right standing.  Relationship with God is based on believing what He has promised through His Son Jesus Christ.  When someone feels the need to perform a certain way in order to get close to God, they have moved away from believing the gospel into a merit-based mindset that is contrary to how God has established a relationship with Him.  It will always and forever be by grace through faith in Jesus.  Believing and receiving His generous offer of love and goodness revealed in the giving of His Son will always be the bedrock of a real relationship with Him.

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Is God Angry?

You will find today’s devotional to be slightly longer than my usual offer.  I am addressing a very important and timely issue today, and I hope you will read this in its entirety.  Naturally, you are free to do as you please with no condemnation from me about it.  But I do hope it will pique your interest and curiosity enough to take it all in.

It is becoming increasingly popular today for some to dismiss the idea of God being angry for any reason.  They say that since Jesus went to the cross, the wrath of God has been satisfied, and He is no longer angry.

I wholeheartedly agree with that statement when it is applied to those who put their faith in Jesus.  But to declare it to the lost who have yet to come to Jesus for life and hope such a statement is misplaced although well-intentioned.

Such an idea seems to come from a place of struggling with the concept that God is able to be loving, forgiving, and a merciful Savior and yet at the same time capable of being holy, righteously angered, and a just judge.  I could be mistaken, but it seems that it also comes from those who sat under judgment preaching in the church Sunday after Sunday and thus were made to feel that they will never measure up and that God is continually angry with them because they fail to measure up under the law.

This is why a mixture of preaching of law and grace in the church is a spiritually unhealthy practice to undertake.  It sows confusion and discouragement because it feeds a performance mindset that is contrary to the true work of grace made available in Christ.  No one will ever measure up to the righteous standards of the law in the flesh.  It must be met by faith in Christ, who is the only One who perfectly kept the law and fulfilled it on our behalf and now imputes His own righteousness to us according to faith in Him.

Galatians 5:4 You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace.

I fulfill the law only in Christ.  It does not exonerate me from good works that are rooted in my life in Christ. It simply sets me free from the condemnation and death that the law ministered to me in order to bring me to Christ so that I might have life in Him.

Using the law regularly on believers in churches is akin to a parent regularly using a belt or paddle on their child just to remind them of what will happen if they get out of line in the hopes that they will never misbehave.  This has fueled the anti-fear of punishment movement that is growing in popularity.

Church history would reveal to us that whenever the church predominantly operates in applying the law and an over-emphasis on moralistic performance, universalism arises and grows in popularity as a backlash to believers feeling abused by the church.  It enhances the appeal of such teachings.

An overly focused, moralistic church consumed with policing behavior that might embarrass its reputation produces the fruit of extreme positions being taken on by those who flee from it. Being overly focused on performance for a relationship with God as opposed to faith in Christ produces such backlashes.

It is what I believe has produced the increasing popularity of the “God is not angry” mantra.

Although I understand how many arrived at such a position and declaration, it does not mean I agree with such a position when presented in extremes.  I do agree that God is not angry with His children who are hidden with Him in Christ.  However, I’m not at all convinced that this statement applies to the lost without Christ or to the merely religious who abuse and bring harm to those who desire to be in Christ and seek to know Him according to His goodness and enjoy a real relationship with God through Christ.

We should always turn to Scripture with the aid of the Holy Spirit to help us navigate these conflicting ideas with wisdom.  Here are some examples.

Jesus demonstrated anger with the religious leaders who had no compassion for those in great need and thus set out to resist Him in His desire and effort to heal and deliver.

Mark 3:5 And when He had looked around at them with anger, being grieved by the hardness of their hearts, He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored as whole as the other.

Luke 3:7 Then he said to the multitudes that came out to be baptized by him, “Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?

The words anger and wrath in Greek are orge. It is the same Greek word translated as anger in Mark 3:5 and as wrath in John 3:36 as well as many other Scriptures, and this Greek word orge deals with a violent passion, by implication - punishment: anger, indignation, vengeance, wrath.  It is at times translated as anger and at other times as wrath.

John 3:36 He who believes in the Son has everlasting life, and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”

Some would say that this application of wrath was diminished once Jesus went to the cross.  If that is true, we should not be able to find any idea of it in the New Covenant letters to the churches.

Romans 2:5 But in accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, 6 who “will render to each one according to his deeds”: 7 eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory, honor, and immortality; 8 but to those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness—indignation and wrath, 9 tribulation and anguish, on every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek; 10 but glory, honor, and peace to everyone who works what is good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 11 For there is no partiality with God.

Romans 3:5   But if our unrighteousness demonstrates the righteousness of God, what shall we say? Is God unjust who inflicts wrath? (I speak as a man.)

Romans 12:19 Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord.

Ephesians 2:1 And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, 2 in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, 3 among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.

Colossians 3:6 Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience,

I would agree that once someone comes to Christ, the wrath that was once upon them in their unbelief is removed.  I think sometimes the difficulty those promoting this idea have is that they struggle with the idea of God loving the world and being angry at the same time.  They somehow deduce that He cannot be love and anger simultaneously.  But this is rooted in human reasoning and a single idea of what love has to be.  Anytime we adopt a doctrinal position, we should be able to confirm it with much Scripture.

Revelation 6:16 and said to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! 17 For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?”

Revelation 14:19 So the angel thrust his sickle into the earth and gathered the vine of the earth, and threw it into the great winepress of the wrath of God.

Revelation 15:1 Then I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous: seven angels having the seven last plagues, for in them the wrath of God is complete.

Revelation 15:7 Then one of the four living creatures gave to the seven angels seven golden bowls full of the wrath of God who lives forever and ever.

It is still true that some are storing up wrath against the day of wrath.  I am not sharing this to put fear on anyone, nor am I sharing it to promote the idea of mainly preaching the wrath of God to the lost.  I am sharing it to say that yes, God can be angry even though He is love, just as He can be just and yet forgive.  The idea of a coming judgment and the means to escape it is still part of the gospel message.  The good news is that God’s justice is only satisfied in Christ Jesus, and those who are hidden with God in Christ have escaped that justice that will still inevitably require satisfaction.  It can be satisfied in Christ, and when a person comes to Christ in faith, the wrath it calls for is done away with.  But to refuse such a gracious offer is to accept to remain under wrath, and there is only the expectation of pending judgment in that case.  Is God angry?  It depends on the context.

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Cheated?

Have you ever launched out to purchase something of great importance only to find that the more you got into the process, it seemed, the more came out that you had to do in order to have what seemed to be promised so simply at the start?

If you have ever purchased a streaming service or internet-based service, you may know what I am talking about.  The advertisement said you would get ….. but what they didn’t tell you is that the …… would cost you extra to have…..

This is how some in the church are made to feel at the hands of some ministers.  They are given an overview of wonderful things, but then when they say yes, they are then told the reason some are lacking is that……….

It’s a yes you received Jesus, but to experience all that He has to offer you, you must……….

When this is done to people, it makes the claim of abundant life and the promises of God that are supposed to be yes and amen, a hoax or a cult-like trick to draw you in at first and then put you on the hook for more.

It’s like being told that what you signed up for was actually the bronze plan. To get the silver, you must….. and then if you wish to go all the way to the gold, you must…. Only the elite among us can experience the platinum offer…..

It is as if all the wonderful things offered in Jesus have levels of membership involved.  So some of the preachers make sure to tell the ones listening to them that they’re missing out, but if they will give more, and ……  then they will walk in………..

This kind of instruction causes passages such as 2 Peter 1:2-4 to be like some sort of fairytale.

2Peter 1:2 Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, 3 as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, 4 by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

The promises of salvation, deliverance, healing, and abundant life by being filled with the Spirit are true!  They are true for every believer in Christ.  They are true based on what Christ did to secure them for us.  They are ours by simply believing.  The repentance needed today is not that of sins in particular but rather of the sin of not believing the truth that all has been purchased, paid in full, and made available to us in Christ. Believe is all we’ve asked to do.

1Corinthians 3:21 Therefore, let no one boast in men. For all things are yours:

The Corinthians were all caught up in who had the best teacher.  Competition and comparison ruled their existence.  Meanwhile, they did not realize that all was theirs and there was no need for all the competition and comparison to start with.  They had been given by God a rich supply of all that was needed in Christ, and Jesus had given these gifts to them to enrich their lives, but by picking and choosing, they were cheating themselves of the full blessing of the buffet set before them.

Things were being presented in a way that suggested they were missing out, and it led them to think that if they just……  If they did ……….  It also led to promoting one gift over another just to feel better.

I’ve not been cheated, and there are no things withheld from me simply because I haven’t reached level 14 and become part of the more spiritual “in crowd.”  All is mine in Christ!  Everything God promised is mine in Christ.  It is all withdrawn by faith in Him.  None of it is based on my performance to get it.  There is no “But wait!”  There is believe.  Believe in His completed work at the cross, believe in His goodness, believe in His integrity, believe in His faithfulness, and believe that what He has said is as true for you as much as it is for anyone else.  You have not been cheated, and there is not something else that you must do in order to experience all that He has promised you.  Jesus can be trusted!  Only believe.

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Not Offended

Have you ever had someone you highly respected and trusted and defended do something out of the ordinary?

Did their out-of-the-ordinary action cause you to waver just a little?  Did it lead you to question something about them?

Have you ever been made to suffer in some way, great or small, for your defense of someone else and then discovered others were questioning their validity?

John the Baptist was the forerunner prophet for the Messiah and a cousin to Jesus, who was the Messiah—because of his righteous stances against Herod, John had been put into prison.  Up till that time, John had been pointing others to Jesus.  But he was in prison awaiting a death sentence to be carried out.

Matthew 11:2 And when John had heard in prison about the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples 3 and said to Him, “Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?”  4 Jesus answered and said to them, “Go and tell John the things which you hear and see: 5 The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised and the poor have the gospel preached to them. 6 And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.”

John was in the press of trial.  His faith was undergoing incredible testing.  I cannot imagine what he must have been going through and the battle he faced in his soul.  I’ve never been unjustly imprisoned for taking a stand on righteousness.  So, I cannot say I can equally identify with John in that sense.  But I do know what it is like to be ostracized, misunderstood, and kept at bay, so to speak, because of one’s views concerning who Jesus is and what Jesus accomplished.

In such moments, the test comes to be offended with Jesus as though it is somehow His fault this inconvenience, distance in a relationship, or rejection from someone you care about has come into your life.  When John sent his two disciples to Jesus, you would have thought Jesus would have spoken way more compassionately than it seems He spoke here.  But John’s greater need is not identification with his weakness in the moment but a reminder of who he is by calling him back to the real core of what his ministry was to start with.  Jesus does not want John to lose sight of the wonderful calling he has and the significance of what his ministry has been.  For that to be real, Jesus had to lovingly but factually point John’s attention to the things that truly matter.

The blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have the good news preached to them.  Oh, the love Jesus has for his cousin, who is the greatest of all the prophets.  A man who is now suffering in a prison awaiting his moment of death.

Then Jesus says those famous words, “Blessed is he who is not offended because of me.”

Jesus was who He was and is who He is now.  He shocked the apostle John when He appeared to him in a different way on the Isle of Patmos.  So much so John fell as one dead before Jesus.  It was a Jesus, unlike the one whom John had walked with.  It was a glorious Jesus so different that He had to lift John up after falling and tell him not to be afraid.

There are many facets to who Jesus is.  He desires to reveal Himself as He is so we can be who we are on this earth.  I never want to be offended by Him because others do not like what I’ve come to know about Him and speak concerning Him.  Rejection from others due to representing Jesus is going to happen.  But it does not have to result in my allowing an offense to come into my heart toward Him because of it.  It also should never be allowed to silence me with others concerning Him so that the rejection is somehow avoided.  By His grace and in the power of the Holy Spirit, I desire to live outspoken, bold, and free of offense.

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