Talked Into And Out Of

Have you ever been talked into something? Surely, you know what I am referring to. Someone presented such a convincing argument that you gave in to what they were saying and either did something or bought something you shouldn’t have.

Intellectual arguments and debates are not powerful enough to hold the ground that is meant to belong to a believer. There will always be an enemy who is far more skilled at debate than we are.

Whatever you are merely talked into, you can be talked out of. Believing and experiencing, however, are different.

Three men had strong opinions on how to solve a problem. However, each one’s opinion contradicted the others. A fourth man was asked to listen to each one and judge which was the right one. He listened to the first man’s opinion and stated, “That’s a good point.” After hearing the second man, he said, “That’s a good point.” After hearing the third man, he declared, “That’s a good point.” One of the men angrily responded, “Everyone can’t have a good point. To which the man replied, “That’s a good point.” Apparently, that fourth man wasn’t truly convinced in his heart by any of the opinions.  He was just unable to argue against any of them.

Anything I am intellectually talked into agreeing with, I can be intellectually talked out of agreeing with. That’s why intellectualism can be a source of doublemindedness. I am not coming against renewing one’s mind; I am focusing on the importance of believing in the heart and how the power of the Holy Spirit plays such an important role in that area. It is why Paul said what he did to the Corinthians.

1 Corinthians 2:4 And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5 that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.

You need to think about that word demonstration. The dictionary defines it this way: the action or process of showing the existence or truth of something by giving proof or evidence or a practical exhibition and explanation of how something works or is performed.

Another word that describes what Paul is talking about is Manifestation. The power Paul is manifesting or demonstrating is the Greek word Dunamis, which means special miraculous power, which usually manifests as a miracle.

Why was this so important to Paul? It had to do with what they based their faith on: a convincing, eloquent argument or the power of God that made God real to them through tangibly experiencing Him. We should ask why anyone would wish to do away with evidence of God’s power to establish the faith of the saints in what God can do rather than only having confidence in a reasoned argument.

When the Holy Spirit authentically ministers to a person in a real, tangible way, that is something an intellectual argument can’t take from that person. It is like the blind man who received his sight and then was questioned by the religious leaders. They sought to discredit Jesus because the man was healed on the Sabbath. But the blind man could not be convinced that Jesus was not of God or that He was some sort of sinner. The man received something supernatural in his body, and he reasoned effectively that no man could do such a thing lest God sent him. He even invited the religious leaders to become disciples of Jesus. I have faith that is real and based on His power, and no one can talk me out of what I have experienced and seen with my own eyes of His power at work.

Be aware that whatever you are talked into, you can be talked out of. Like the fourth man said, that’s a good point.

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Unfading Glory

Around 16 to 20 years after Pentecost, we find a second-generation apostle of Jesus doing unusual things. He was not of the original 12 but came in afterward.

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.

This is most interesting because it is a fulfillment of something Jesus spoke.

John 14:12 “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.

Who will do these works?

Mark 16:15 And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. 17 And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; 18 they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

Who will do these works?

Some have sought to apply the argument that these passages are meant only for apostles and that now there are no more apostles, so all these things associated with the work of the Spirit have gone away. This seems pretty weak to me.

These sayings of Jesus are attached to something else Jesus told them.

John 16:7 Nevertheless, I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you.

The glory of the New Covenant is revealed in the Promise of the Father, the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit does not weaken with time. He is eternally who He is, and His power never diminishes. It would be like the enemy of God to sow a doctrine that eliminates the work of the Spirit and leaves believers exposed and vulnerable to his schemes. A doctrine that gets rid of the supernatural empowerment of the Spirit to deal with situations beyond human ability and control. A doctrine that argues against any type of tangible experience of the Spirit and thus inadvertently dismisses the truth concerning the unfading glory of the New Covenant we are now partakers of in Jesus Christ.

It is the ministry of the enemy to steal, kill, and destroy.  He would like nothing more than to promote doctrines that produce a powerless church on this earth so he can execute his plans and purposes without hindrance. Just as the serpent deceived Eve into forfeiting the glory for her best effort, he now seeks to get believers to forfeit the glory for their best intellectual argument against supernatural obstacles and devices. The unfading glory is the person of the Holy Spirit and the help He gives according to the working of His mighty power. Have you been baptized in the Holy Spirit?

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Don’t Be Fooled

One of the most subtle yet dangerous ideas that circulates among Christians is that which says, “I can be good all by myself.”

I have heard people declare, “Jesus said that if you keep the two greatest commands, you will fulfill the whole law.” What they are referring to is where Jesus said,

Matthew 22:37 Jesus said to him, “ ‘You shall love the LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.’ 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like it: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”

All the rest of what is in the law and spoken by the prophets is attached to these two great commandments. But let’s just take the statement I gave earlier into consideration for a moment—the idea of fulfilling all the laws by loving God and loving your neighbor.

Is there anyone who can truly testify that they have loved God with all their heart, soul, and mind and loved their neighbor as themself? I mean, 24/7, 365 days a year, without missing a beat, they have complied with these two great commandments, both in thought and practice.

You see, someone making such a statement does so in ignorance from a vantage point of thinking they can do good all by themselves. They imagine Jesus came to make it possible for them to be perfect in their flesh now. They imagine that they can now keep the law perfectly in their flesh.

Remember how Eve stood at the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and fell prey to the deceptive lie of the serpent? The temptation had to do with the idea that “I can be good all by myself.” That is what the temptation was that she could be good like God all by herself. It was the idea that if she, too, knew the difference between good and evil, she could always, with perfection, choose to be and to do good. This subtle temptation is what brought the fall of all mankind into play once Adam willfully ate the fruit.

When they ate, they saw themselves. Introspection came into play, and condemnation found a home. Their newfound awareness of themselves made them ashamed and self-aware in a very unhealthy way. Paul’s words to the Galatians ring so powerfully true.

Galatians 3:3 Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh?

That is essentially what happened in the garden: “I can be good all by myself.” In other words, in my flesh, I can be and do good on par with God’s goodness. That is the subtle deception that sin uses regarding the law. It seeks to make someone think they might attain righteousness through the law, and nothing could be further from the truth. Today, people are still being fooled by this subtle deception that started in the garden. This mixture of thinking is still very prevalent in churches today. Only a true New Covenant Gospel can instruct someone in such a way that they can avoid being fooled by this age-old position. It is why we need to hear the truth of the gospel all the time so we can stand on the truth concerning Christ Jesus, get our eyes off ourselves, and be freed from being fooled into thinking we are the captains of our salvation as opposed to Jesus. I encourage you today; “don’t be fooled.”

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Old Or New

It’s amazing how much people tend to prefer something old over something new. Many of us are so ingrained in rejecting new things that it can often take time for them to grow on us.

Some make it their hobby to collect vintage items. There’s a certain nostalgia to it.

But this is not something that is relegated to just old things in the form of antiquities. Our affinity towards clinging to something old that we are familiar and comfortable with is nothing new. This phenomenon can also be true about spiritual things. Jesus said something profound,

Luke 5:39 “And no one, having drunk old wine, immediately desires new; for he says, “The old is better.”

Jesus had just answered some of the Scribes and Pharisees who had questioned Him about why His disciples did not fast like they and the disciples of John. Jesus explained why and then spoke of old cloth patched with new cloth and an old wineskin versus a new one before he stated what we just read from Luke 5:39.

This phenomenon of preferring the old over the new existed during Jesus’s time and has persisted throughout the ages. It is one of the greatest hindrances to believers experiencing all that is available to them.

The time of Moses was glorious, but it was a fading glory. When Jesus came, He knew He had been sent on a mission to establish the New Covenant with a greater glory that would never fade.

The example Jesus gave was His way of explaining that the Old had to go and be completely replaced by the New.  Only a new wineskin would be able to contain the immeasurable glory of the New Covenant glory. The essence of that glory would be the Promised Holy Spirit. But, alas, those who drink the old wine have a tendency to say it is better, and thus, it can be a struggle to accept the new.

There is a tangible nature to the Holy Spirit. He can be felt in many ways. His power works in very diverse ways. I liken it to air. I can’t see the air, but I know it is there. Here in the South, we have a saying: you can wear the air.  That’s our way of referencing how humid it might be. On a still calm day with no breeze, the air cannot be seen or felt if there is little to no humidity. However, if I get on my bike and begin to ride or if I were to run, I would feel the air. Sometimes, when a front is moving through, the winds pick up, and the air demonstrates its power over natural objects it moves them.

The Holy Spirit is like that. The New Covenant came like a strong front to blow out what had been and to bring in something New! Believers have to decide which covenant they wish to be in, but know this. God is only accepting the New Covenant now. He is not operating through the Old one. To enjoy true intimacy in a relationship with the Father and walk according to the Spirit, one must approach Him in the New Covenant way. Sadly, there are many who are clueless regarding the differences between that which is Old and that which is New. Unfortunately, the Old is predominantly taught in many churches.

I encourage you today to know the difference and decide which you prefer, Old or New.

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In The Book

I remember when I was a young boy, we had a family Bible. It was a very large, leather-bound, antique-looking Bible. When you opened that Bible, each member of our family’s name was written in it, going back to great-grandparents. Our full name, where and when we were born, was recorded in it. Just seeing that gave me a sense of belonging. That was a very tangible indication I was part of a family.

As meaningful as that was, there’s another place my name is written. It is more important that it be there than anywhere else. You see, there are books in heaven. Very important books!

Revelation 20:11 Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And no place was found for them. 12 And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. Another book, the Book of Life, was opened. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. 13 The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. 14 Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 15 And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.

Heaven keeps a record of what those who are lost have done in books. The lost will give an account before God for their unbelief and then be offered proof from the books of their manifestation of that unbelief. There will never be an unjust judgment proceeding from the throne. However, notice that those found in the Book of Life are good to go!

The New Jerusalem will only be occupied by those found in a specific book as well.

Revelation 20:27 But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.

It appears there is a special privilege given to anyone found written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.

Only those with the heavenly DNA of new birth in Christ Jesus will be found in that book.

John 3:6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not marvel that I said to you, “You must be born again.’

Going to church can’t save a person; good deeds don’t save someone, and keeping the law can’t save anyone because none of these things, as good as they may seem to be, have the power to make a new creation in Jesus Christ. Dogooders look okay to other people seeing them, but God is looking for the seal of inheritance that is the proof their name has been written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.

2 Timothy 2:19 Nevertheless, God’s solid foundation stands with this seal: “The Lord knows those who are His,” and “Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity.”

Those who belong to Christ Jesus and have been made new creations in Him experience an ongoing transformation in life. They enjoy knowing Jesus and find that their old life can no longer satisfy them. I am glad that my name is in the Lamb’s Book of Life. Just as that old family Bible made me confident of my earthly heritage, that special book in heaven makes me confident of my position in Christ! I’m in the book!

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Supernatural DNA

There’s no denying one’s DNA code. It will always tell the truth about us. Families sometimes pass down incorrect stories about their lineage because, down the line, someone made something up. But if one family member takes a DNA test, it can reveal the truth about one’s heritage in the natural.

Did you know that this is also true in spiritual matters?

Had it not been for the Holy Spirit coming upon a Gentile household with evidence of tongues, the apostles and elders of the early church may never have believed the gospel was for the Gentiles.

The Gentile household already practiced Jewish faith matters. However, despite that practice, they were not considered part of what Jesus Christ had done. Peter, being led by the Holy Spirit, went to that household and preached the gospel to them, and as he did, they were baptized in the Holy Spirit. Peter knew they had received the Holy Spirit because they all spoke with new tongues. Acts 10

2Corinthians 1:22 who also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.

Ephesians 1:13   In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise,

Ephesians 4:30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

2 Timothy 2:19 Nevertheless, the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: “The Lord knows those who are His,” and “Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity.”

These passages reveal two key things about how we are sealed. Sealed is another word for being marked, identified, or labeled. It literally means to stamp or attest to something. The Holy Spirit is the stamp that says we belong to Jesus. It is our undeniable DNA code.

Merely being religious and doing one’s best to be morally astute is not the DNA God is looking for. However, we should never imagine that having real DNA will dismiss us from living morally and doing good.  It simply means we live life out of who we are now in Christ as opposed to trying to merit Christ. We live according to the Spirit.

Galatians 5:16 I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.

The lust of the flesh involves more than just living immorally. It also includes living in the pride that says I can be good all by myself. Just tell me what you want me to do. It is that attitude that thinks that by knowing the difference between good and evil, one could live perfectly good all on their own. It is the same arrogance that argues for law observance to obtain or to maintain righteousness and dismisses the need and the role of the Holy Spirit, which can only be possessed by a new creation in Christ.

Someone with true spiritual DNA does not labor to prove anything. They simply live according to how the Spirit leads them, which supplies more than enough proof that they have been with Jesus. Making up a story about one’s lineage does not result in possession of the Holy Spirit’s stamp. The Holy Spirit is the proof of the supernatural DNA God knows and identifies with.

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Adam or Jesus

I was born in 1963 on a spring day to my father and mother, Tom and Janice Atchley. I was given birth at the Baptist Hospital on the bank of the Tennessee River in Knoxville, Tennessee.  How do I know this? First, I was told, and later, I was given my birth certificate.

I grew up knowing I was an Atchley. It was part of my inheritance to be an Atchley. There were certain things expected of an Atchley based on the family history. Specific attitudes and motivations that were characteristic of being an Atchley.

If I had a grade in school that fell behind my capability, I would be told, “You’re an Atchley, and we do not settle for this kind of grade.” This pushed me to be an honor student in my early grades. Growing up in those early years, there were five of us, known as Tom Atchley’s boys.

Others identified us, according to our father. We carried his DNA.

Were you aware that there is spiritual DNA that is far more powerful and authoritative than that of our earthly DNA?

Every human being born after Adam has Adam’s DNA.  That DNA is the DNA of sin.

Romans 5:12 Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men because all sinned.

This describes the effect of DNA. Jesus was the only human being born of a woman without the sin DNA. Every other person born throughout all of history was born with the same DNA. It is called the sin nature. No baby has ever had to be taught to pitch a fit to get their way, to be selfish, to act out, to lie as they get older to protect their interests, or to be mean towards other kids or even their parents. It is natural, and as a result, parents seek to teach them to behave differently and reject those temptations. There’s no denying the fact that it is Adam’s nature at work.

God sees humanity according to their true nature.  He is not looking at them as much based on their behavior as He is their nature.  The behavior is merely proof of what nature they are walking in. God is interested in whose nature a person has.

When someone becomes born again through faith in Jesus, they become a new creation! They experience a DNA change. Their sinful nature is put to death; it is buried with Jesus in His death, but then they are raised in new life with Jesus just as He was raised from the dead.  They become known by God as having the DNA of Jesus. God is looking for the new nature in Christ to know those who are truly His. He knows this very accurately, too. Devoted religious practices meant to earn His attention and acceptance cannot fool him. Just as my brothers and I were known as Tom Atchley’s boys, the true children of God are known as followers of Jesus.

Roamsn 5:17 For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.)

Those with Jesus’ DNA reign in life. They are not victims. They aren’t dead men walking. They’re alive with the vibrance of life that only Jesus can give. They have a passion and zeal for life according to the will of God as their Father. They are made confident when they know who they are and Whose they are.

The question at the judgment will not be about the sins committed.  It will be about the DNA one possesses.  God is looking for His DNA! His DNA is not sin-natured. It is not the DNA of death and destruction. It is the DNA of life and victory! Who’s DNA are you identified with? Adam or Jesus?

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Heirs

I assume that we all know what an heir is. Some of us may have experienced this when we lost someone and took possession of something that was once theirs.

The concept is that whatever belonged to the person who named us their heir will now belong to us. To be an heir is to inherit.  The inheritance is always based on what is set forth by the one who made you an heir to begin with. When a person becomes an heir, there is a certain sense of being someone special that comes with it.

Sometimes, being an heir involves a title, great wealth, or an unearned improved status. As a result, becoming an heir is perceived as a privilege, and people often carry themselves differently around others because of it.

Were you aware that every believer in Jesus has been made an heir?  Not the only heir, mind you, but a joint heir with Jesus.  What is most amazing is what we have become heirs of. Our inheritance is out of this world.

Galatians 4:4 But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. 6 And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!” 7 Therefore, you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.

We have inherited God. You need to pause, think about this, and ask the Holy Spirit to give you revelation on it. I would also encourage you to read the prayer Jesus prayed in John 17 and think of it in the light of being an heir with Him.

You see, for a multitude of professing Christians, the inheritance is merely about going to heaven when you die or when Jesus returns.  But here, it is made abundantly clear that we inherit something far greater than Heaven. We inherit the One who is the reason there is a heaven to start with. We inherit the One Whom all of heaven worships and adores. We inherit God. God (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) is the prize!

Romans 8:16 The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.

When Scripture speaks of suffering with Him, Jesus speaks of the rejections we will encounter as heirs of God while on this earth. It is not saying that God makes us sick or diseased or assigns us to torture and despair so we can somehow prove our loyalty to Him. It is speaking of the things Jesus endured simply because He was the Son of God and lived according to who He was, fulfilling His destiny.

When a believer lives in the confidence of being made a son, the merely religious community struggles with it.  They struggle because they are hard at work doing all they know to do in order to earn the right to be considered worthy by God.  Those who know their sonship in Christ have already obtained such a prized gift by faith in Christ. They did nothing to earn it. They simply believed and accepted the truth of the gospel and became heirs. They’re not working to become sons; they already are sons! They are not trying to measure up to be heirs of God. They are already enjoying Him here and now. In Christ, we are Heirs!

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The Promise Stands

I remember being a kid and making promises that had a saying associated with them if they were more serious than others. We’d say something like, “Cross my heart and hope to die.”  Others might say, “I swear on my mother’s grave.”  These add-ons meant someone was very serious about keeping a promise; however, even with such a serious statement, we all learned that keeping proved difficult at times.

Thankfully, God isn’t like us about a promise. He keeps what He promises and fulfills it.

Galatians 3:16 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 being made the very righteousness of God in Christ, of being made a joint heir with Christ, of being able to receive the promise of the Holy Spirit, of becoming one of many sons brought into glory, and enjoying the privilege of knowing God based on faith in Christ alone cannot be taken away. We who have put our trust in Christ have been brought into the glory of the New Covenant!

This was a promise made concerning a covenant 430 years before the law and without the law influencing it in any way.

It was made to Abraham based on Christ! It can only be received in Christ. The law could never bring it to anyone, and no one will ever use the law to keep it as theirs.  The law was not part of the promise. The law has nothing to do with this promise just because the law came into play with Israel before this covenant finally arrived.

God confirmed this covenant before the law and spoke of it as coming after the law. It would be a covenant brought to us by the Messiah, who would sit on the throne and end the rule and reign of sin for all who believed in and received Him.  He would do for us what we could never do for ourselves.

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.

Anyone who tries to go under the law for righteousness, which is another way of saying to be made right or kept right with God, comes under a curse.

Galatians 3:10 For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse; for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the law, to do them.” 11 But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for “the just shall live by faith.” 12 Yet the law is not of faith, but “the man who does them shall live by them.”

God is keeping His promise!  The promise He made in Christ! It is not according to the law; it is according to faith.  Being a recipient of that promise means letting go of the law for any means of being justified or remaining justified in the sight of God.  It is putting all one’s hope and faith in Christ alone!

The only way to measure up in the sight of God is to be in Christ, and that is by grace through faith in Christ Jesus alone.  It is not according to my performance.  The promise stands!

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Complete

When we say something is complete, it generally means it is done, finished, and meets the standard set for it.

As a noun in the dictionary, it means having all the necessary or appropriate parts.

When used in Scripture, the Greek word interpreted as complete is pleroo, which means complete, perfect, full, or furnished.

If you’ve ever worked in construction and built a home, you know that there is such a thing as a punch list. In fact, until the punch list is satisfied, the home, although it looks done, is not yet complete.

When it comes to spiritual things and how we are to be presented to God in Christ, the punch list has been fulfilled.

Colossians 2:9 For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; 10 and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.

In Christ is all the fullness of the Godhead!  I have been placed in Christ, where all the fullness of the Godhead dwells bodily.  I have His spirit in me!  I am not trying to present myself to God as being one who has it all together and demonstrates better willpower than most.  I am totally dependent on what Christ Jesus did for me at the cross when He spoiled the powers and principalities!

Colossians 2:11 In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, 12 buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. 13 And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, 14 having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. 15 Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.

My boast is not in things I have accomplished in my flesh.  My boast is in what He accomplished and how it has become mine through faith in Him.  I stand on His merits before God, not my own.  Jesus completed the punch list on my behalf.  The only way I am presentable to the Father is by being hidden with God in Christ!  I am accepted in the Beloved.  If I try to present myself according to my own deeds as a means of being acceptable, then I am like a thief or a robber climbing over the wall to get in.

Jesus said very clearly that He was the door, the gate. No one can legitimately enter without going through Him.  This is why Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life!  No one can come to the Fathe except through Him, and there are no exceptions for this.  Any report, regardless of how convincing it might seem, that tries to say there’s another way of being complete and accessing God is a total lie.

I am complete and accepted only because I am in Christ!

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Wonderful Jesus

On this day, I found myself pondering something regarding Jesus that led me to appreciate Him even more.   It says the following concerning Jesus in the Bible in,

Philippians 2:5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. 9 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

I am invited, as are you, to allow this way of thinking, this mind that Jesus possessed, to be in me.

Jesus dwelt in the glory of heaven with God as God, equal to God because He was God.  Now, the idea of His mind is not an invitation for me to think of myself in that way.  I am never to think of myself as equal to God or as God.  That is the Holy Spirit trying to show me the high position Jesus possessed and making me aware that regardless of what position I might possess here on earth, I must adopt the right attitude towards it when it comes to others.  Jesus modeled that very act.

Jesus, who was supreme, enthroned over all, and the word of God that spoke all into existence made Himself of no reputation.  How did he do this?  He took on the form of a bondservant.  He became God’s love slave.  A bondservant was a servant who loved and respected their master to the point of never wanting to leave them.  As a bondservant, Jesus was not demanding that God serve His purposes, but rather, Jesus was prepared to serve God the Father’s purposes. He volunteered Himself to God for His purposes out of love.  This involved becoming a created thing, a man.  The very thing that He was involved with creating He became.

But Jesus didn’t stop there. As a man, He humbled Himself yet again, becoming obedient even to the point of death.  But not just any death, the cruelest form of death that had yet to be concocted.  Jesus surrendered to death on the cross.

Jesus would go as far and as low as the Father desired Him to in order to do His will out of love for the Father. Jesus knew that the only way the Father’s love for us could be rightly expressed and get through to us was to be willing to endure the cross, suffer its shame, and experience death on our behalf.  This act of ultimate submission and obedience to God is an example to all the angels of heaven and a testament to us as mankind of what real submission and surrender out of love looks like.

Remember, a third of the angels of heaven had rebelled along with Lucifer. Mankind had rebellion by nature in Adam and independently had proven it by failing to keep the law. Jesus never knew or practiced rebellion against the Father’s will for Him.  He perfectly obeyed the Father all the way to the point of death, even death on the cross. At this point, I think allowing your imagination to take you wherever the Holy Spirit would lead you would be a good thing.  For me, it makes me mindful of how having this mind in me as a first step would involve a deep yearning to know God’s will for my life so that I, too, could humble myself and not be caught up in a presumed reputation that would make me feel important but rather be more caught up in what my Father desires for me. The beauty of the wisdom of God and the glorious wonder of Jesus never ceases to amaze me.  Wonderful Jesus!

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Words Matter

Have you ever said something you wished you could take back?

Have you ever wondered what it is that you truly believe?

2 Corinthians 4:13 And since we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, “I believed and therefore I spoke,” we also believe and therefore speak,

We often speak things that identify what is happening in our hearts regarding what we believe about a situation or circumstance.  If we listen to what we speak attentively, it can reveal the condition of our hearts.

Scripture proves this by example. Israel had been brought out of 400 years of cruel bondage to the Egyptians and was brought to the edge of the Promised Land that God had promised them. After listening to ten spies who brought a negative report, they began to speak and reveal the unbelief that was in their hearts.  That generation had to wander in the wilderness till they all died.  They were constantly speaking in ways that suspected God’s good intentions as being for their demise.  They accused Moses of bringing them out into the desert to die of thirst or starvation.

Many have simply referred to it as unbelief, as though it was harmless.  God refers to it as something way more dark and sinister when the writer of Hebrews tells their story and then offers the following statement.

Hebrews 3:12 Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God;

What oozed from their mouths in the form of speech exposed what was in their hearts. This is also true based on what Jesus said.

Luke 6:45 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart, his mouth speaks.

Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. I want my speech about life, circumstances, situations, hardships, and trials to be one of faith in a good God and an expectation of receiving His promises, which are yes and amen in Christ Jesus.  For that to be my reality, I must allow the Holy Spirit to condition my heart with the water of the Word.  I need to hear from Him and allow Him to plant the seed of the word of revelation in my heart.

Romans 10:17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word (Rhema, which means living) of God.

This is not to say that merely intellectually reading the Bible will produce faith. Faith is activated in the heart by the revelation that comes to us through the Holy Spirit in a relationship.  Faith is a by-product of a relationship that involves hearing Jesus speak and replying to Him just as we do in all other real relationships.  Faith is not saying something in an attitude that if it manifests, I will believe it.  It is saying it is done even though it cannot yet be seen because it is grounded in who God is and what He has spoken to you.  Faith affects what we say, and our words matter.

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What Ever Happened?

Sometimes, an official document is written that somehow gets forgotten through the generations, and the result is that the later generations find their way back into something they were originally set free from.

This is often the case with the church today. It has forgotten what was officially written to the Gentiles by the Jerusalem Council, which was chaired by the first apostles of Jesus and the first elders of the first church at Jerusalem.

An issue had arisen regarding the matter of circumcision and keeping the law.  It was causing problems for the Gentile churches.  Men from Jerusalem were infiltrating the Gentile churches and insisting that they be circumcised and start keeping the law.  This was the primary issue occurring in the Galatian church and throughout that region at the time.  It was first noticed at Antioch, where Paul and Barnabas were operating at the time.

It was getting so bad that Peter had withdrawn himself from the Gentile believers at Antioch and was only fellowshipping with the Jewish believers due to these men who had come to Antioch.  It was even beginning to lead Barnabas astray.  Paul rebuked Peter for not living according to the gospel based on his behavior.  This led to the church at Antioch sending representatives to Jerusalem for a final ruling on the matter.

Acts 15:23 They wrote this letter by them: The apostles, the elders, and the brethren, To the brethren who are of the Gentiles in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia: Greetings. 24 Since we have heard that some who went out from us have troubled you with words, unsettling your souls, saying, “You must be circumcised and keep the law”—to whom we gave no such commandment— 25 it seemed good to us, being assembled with one accord, to send chosen men to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, 26 men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. 27 We have, therefore, sent Judas and Silas, who will also report the same things by word of mouth. 28 For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things: 29 that you abstain from things offered to idols, from blood, from things strangled, and from sexual immorality. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well. Farewell.

For any “Leader” to attempt to bring the church back under the law is a direct violation of this very official letter that was given to the churches.  The way was made so simple, and yet today, it has become so complicated.

Just as here in the United States of America, a departure from the constitution results in the loss of freedoms originally intended for the citizens by the founding fathers, the church, if it loses sight of what was done for it by the founding apostles and elders, will forfeit freedoms Christ purchased for it with His own blood.  When the church loses sight of the New Covenant established by Jesus’ blood that was sprinkled once, for all, and for all time on the true mercy seat in heaven, it will forfeit the freedom that shed blood was intended to bring.  Forgetting very important pivotal moments in the church’s history revealed in Scripture is not beneficial.  It results in the loss of the actual context we are currently in, like that of the New Covenant, as opposed to that of the old.

It is for freedom that Christ set us free, and the just shall live by faith.  Not to mention the truth that declares that if we walk according to the Spirit, we will not fulfill the lust of the flesh.  Losing sight of what’s really important leads to living in a limited way. So I ask, whatever happened to simplicity?

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Accepted

Ephesians 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, 4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, 5 having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, 6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.

To question or deny this reality when one has been born again is to walk in doubt and unbelief. It would be a lie that questions God’s grace and goodness and seeks to rob Him of His glory manifested in and through Christ Jesus.

Every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places is ours in Christ Jesus!  This is just as true and real as the fact that we were chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world.  But notice that all this is realized in Christ, not out of or away from Christ.  Everyone who comes to Jesus is put in Christ Jesus, and Jesus is in them. Why did God choose to do this?  So that we would be holy and without blame before Him in love!  The way we are holy and without blame before Him in love is by being born again and placed in Christ!  All of this is ours in Christ!

God chose to set it up so that we would be adopted as sons to the Father by Jesus Christ.  This was God’s will and good pleasure that it be done this way!  Why?  Because it is to the glory of His grace!  It magnifies the glory of His grace!  It rubs grace like salt in the wound of His enemy to see us treated in such glorious and generous love and kindness by God.

If God says you are accepted in the Beloved (Jesus), then that’s the truth, and everything you might feel in your flesh and your emotions opposed to that truth is a lie.  If I truly believe this declaration about what it means to be in Christ, then it doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks about my standing.  I know, and I believe, and therefore, I speak according to this truth that is proclaimed concerning me.

When we settle this matter of acceptance based on real faith in the truth concerning it, we need never again to feel rejected, displaced, or without hope.  There will never be a problem that doesn’t have a solution.  Instead of scarcity, we will understand the abundance of life in Christ and realize that living it to its fullest expression is ours for the taking.

God chose us in Christ!  He predestined us in Christ!  That means once I am in Christ, it is because God willed it, desired it, and made it so!

1John 3:20 For if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things. 21 Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God.

2 Timothy 2:13 If we are faithless,  He remains faithful;  He cannot deny Himself.

I am assured of the power of knowing I am accepted in Christ Jesus, my Lord and Savior!  It is my confession that this is true no matter what I am feeling or what anyone says about me.

God chose us in Christ!  He predestined us in Christ!  That means once I am in Christ, it is because God willed it, desired it, and made it so!

No person on this planet has the power to speak against what He has done in the Son and nullify what I now possess in Him.  If I struggle with it, it can only be because I am in doubt and unbelief about it due to strong feelings or putting too much stock in a man’s opinion concerning me.  It means I am ascribing more power to my thoughts and feelings that are in opposition to the truth or to someone else’s opinion that goes against the truth.

Romans 3:4 Certainly not! Indeed, let God be true, but every man a liar. As it is written:  “That You may be justified in Your words, and may overcome when You are judged.”

If you want to know what you truly believe about this, listen to yourself speak. If your speaking does not align with this truth, ask the Holy Spirit for help solidifying it in your heart.  In Christ, you are accepted!

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You Were Once

Every day, we are faced with a choice: to think and act according to what we once were and knew, to live according to our past, or to think and act according to who we are now.

Our actions and reactions flow out of one or the other of these foundations of thought.  That is the whole reason that Paul, as an apostle to the Gentile churches, wrote what he did to the Ephesians.

Ephesians 5:8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light 9 (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), 10 finding out what is acceptable to the Lord. 11 And have no fellowship (do not participate in, or partake of, do no share in company) with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. 12 For it is shameful even to speak of those things which they do in secret. 13 But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light. 14 Therefore, He says:  “Awake, you who sleep,  Arise from the dead,  And Christ will give you light.”  15 See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, 16 redeeming the time, because the days are evil.

You were once one thing, but now you are another!  This is so important to know because we live out from the place of our identity.

I love the contrasts in this passage. Paul does not seem angry or harsh when he says these things. Instead, I see him as a father who simply speaks and explains to his kids the important realities of life.

I love that it explains the kind of fruit we are meant to have in our lives—the good fruits of the Spirit.  The direction and rewards of that kind of fruit are goodness, righteousness, and truth.  I liken this to how some will say I like citrus, and others have more of a melon preference or a less acidic fruit like apples or pears.  This is speaking of the preferences of those who have the Spirit and are yielded to Him.  Their preference is things that pertain to righteousness, goodness, and truth.  They understand the benefits of such fruit.

I also like how Paul makes it clear that those who walk according to the Spirit desire to find out and will find out what is pleasing to the Lord.  They do not dismiss it for a license to do as they please according to their flesh.  Their reason for this decision is not one of legalism or fear of losing their salvation but rather a heart that loves the Lord and desires to please Him in every way they can.

This leads to making choices about what to participate in. The works of darkness are identified as unfruitful. In other words, they are not good for the soul, the body, or the spirit. They will be like poison to the believer.  It’s akin to hiking a trail with a friend, and he’s ahead of you. He sees poison ivy and knows you’ve been touching the flowers and other plants along the way, admiring them.  But now what is coming up is not good, so he turns and warns you not to touch it and to avoid it because he knows that if you do, you will be made miserable by it.  He exposes the threat to you so you can make your own informed decision about it.

Those who walk in the light often expose those things that are of the darkness from a heart of love and motivation to help others avoid the pitfalls they will bring into their lives.  Why?  Because they, too, once were but now are no longer of the darkness, but rather they are now of the light.  They call others into that light.  That light is Christ Jesus and His way.  His way does not exclude walking circumspectly.  It does not encourage someone to be foolish, always choosing the wrong things in order to please the flesh. His life and light motivate an attitude of redeeming the time.  Making the most of every opportunity because the days are evil, and we are children of light in a dark world that needs to be called into the light, not celebrated for their darkness.  You see, you were once, but now you are!

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Who’s Your Tribe?

Growing up, my mom had many sayings.  One such saying was, “Birds of a feather flock together.”  the other that was in tandem with it was, “If with the crows you fly, with the crows you’re going to die.”

It was her way of telling me to be careful about the friends I chose because they would reveal what my heart longed for in life.

I know that the Scriptures say that Jesus was a friend of sinners.  However, it is not talking about who chose to bring in close to Himself.  He mingled with sinners as friends in order to share the good news with them concerning Himself.  He was not with them for their approval or because He felt more comfortable with them via a common identification with their condition.

In fact, His most intimate exchanges occurred with the men who were His disciples.  The word friend is from the Greek word Philos.  It is used in the sense of being friendly or neighborly.

It is not being used in the sense of friend or tribe.  Jesus was never hateful towards tax collectors and sinners.  They were of the lot He came to save.  He came to call sinners to repentance and have faith.

It was a New Covenant grace champion of an apostle who stated in Scripture,

1Corinthians 15:33 Do not be deceived: “Evil company corrupts good habits.”

I freely and comfortably greet and respectfully converse with anyone willing to do so, regardless of how they appear or what their current passion might be. I aim to be neighborly and hopefully share Christ with them. I do not need their approval lest I be tempted to be and do as they are and do to fit in.

It is never healthy when a believer is tempted to compromise in order to fit in.  One thing is certain: it can be revealing to discover what kind of people you are most comfortable with in this life.

When I was young and rebelling against God and pursuing my own pleasures and desires, I wanted to be with others who were doing the same. I thought it was cool. We were all heading in the same direction, and therefore, we were most comfortable hanging out together.

I can honestly testify that I had no real desire to hang out with serious believers in Jesus.  I considered them to be uncool and someone who would damper the fun I was seeking.

It wasn’t until I came to Christ that I discovered I desired to be around such persons due to a like desire and common pursuit.  You see, my tribe had changed because I had changed.  It didn’t mean I became mean and hateful towards those I once before ran with.  It simply meant we now had very little in common any longer, and they desired me less due to that, and I felt I fit in with a different tribe now.

Like Jesus, I am happy getting to be with those who have not yet received Christ because I get to witness to them concerning His love and goodness. But that is not my regular hangout or my intimate circle of friends.  My tribe is those who have come to know Christ and love Him because they have encountered His love for them.  They seek to honor Him, and for that reason, lengthy interaction and conversation come much more easily, and the environment and atmosphere are much more in keeping with who I am now.

Let’s face it: everyone is inclined to spend quality time in the circles they most identify with in life.  That’s what I call your tribe.  You could say your tribe is in line with your vibe.  What kind of tribe are you inclined to gravitate towards?  Who are you most comfortable with and feel safe enough with to be vulnerable and honest?  Do they love Jesus, and are they full of the Holy Spirit?  Do they love the gospel of the New Covenant, and are they kingdom-first-minded?  I’m not saying it is wrong to have lost friends or that we should totally avoid family members who are lost.  I’m simply demonstrating what the choice of tribe can reveal.  Who’s your tribe?

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My Big Brother

My Big Brother

Who was this man?

My big brother, Mark Atchley.  Such a simple, unassuming, seemingly average, but great man of God.

Luke 22:24 Now there was also a dispute among them, as to which of them should be considered the greatest. 25 And He said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those who exercise authority over them are called ‘benefactors.’ 26 But not so among you; on the contrary, he who is greatest among you, let him be as the younger, and he who governs as he who serves.

My brother embodied this truth beautifully. He was at his happiest when serving others. He was teachable, respectful, and humble. Although I was the younger of the two of us, he treated me as the older one with great respect.

I was his pastor, his mentor in spiritual things, and he made sure everyone knew that. He was proud of it.  He loved grabbing a fruit smoothie together and just talking for a while.  He always wanted to know more about the things of God when we talked.   He was a sponge for the New Covenant Gospel.

He desired that all those he knew would know Jesus.  He quietly and humbly filled so many places of need within Harvest Church Knoxville without ever speaking about it or making others aware of how much he was doing.  He was happy to do it.

If he learned I was doing something at the facilities, he would just show up ready to get his hands dirty, cut up while working together, and just take in the moment like it was the greatest time of his life.

He became a staple at my family's gatherings, even among in-laws. He was a pleasant, happy, eager-to-love, and eager-to-be-loved soul. He wasn't argumentative, and he did not overtake moments. He simply enjoyed being part of them.

I tip my hat to this man who embodied what it means to serve through love those Christ has joined you to.  To serve with no need of recognition.  To serve simply because you love what is yours.  He called Harvest Church his family, and he embodied that reality.

According to Jesus, humility is the sign of greatness. He was so humble that he failed to realize that, in many ways, he was the older brother, although, in spiritual matters, he would say I was his mentor. However, he also taught me without words but with attitude and actions.

I wish more people had the chance to know this great man. He earned my respect because of who he truly was.  Although I thanked him often for the ways he served and even tried to convince him to cut back on it, I feel I came up short in comparison with my giving of thanks.  I will miss this man who stole the hearts of so many through his love and service.  His life, as simple as it was and as physically challenged at times as it was, made a real difference to so many.

In the kingdom of God, some come alongside, and then some move right into your heart.  Mark moved into my heart.  He took up a large space there.  I am thrilled to know he is now with our Lord and seeing things I, too, will one day see.

I write this to honor my big brother, Mark Atchley, who may have seemed simple, if not average, to many but was truly one of the greatest in the kingdom of God.

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What Faith Is Not

Faith is not active denial. Some confuse these two very different dynamics.

Denial is a refusal to accept something simply because it is undesirable.  There is a place for resisting.  We are called to resist the devil, and he will flee from us.  That is an appropriate application of resistance.

Faith is rooted in hope, which produces faith in the unseen because of a desire to see God’s glory on display.  Faith is grounded in knowing Jesus and having confidence in His character and nature.

Jesus walked in active faith when He declared I see the Father working and I work, I hear the Father speaking, and I speak.  Jesus knew that as long as He stayed in step with His Father, whatever the Father was up to would be manifested here on earth.  Jesus walked according to the Spirit.  He did not walk according to the flesh.

There’s no evidence of Jesus panicking, getting upset with worry, or engaging in drama over what could be seen.  Jesus was too busy watching what His Father was doing and then seeking to bring that into the reality of the moment.

Someone might ask, since Jesus miraculously fed multitudes twice, why didn’t He just perform a miracle to end hunger for the destitute in Israel at that time? Obviously, He didn’t see the Father carrying that out.

Since Jesus healed several blind men, why not heal every blind Israelite in that time?  Again, the answer would be the same.  The answer does not indicate an unwillingness on the part of the Father to heal and to deliver or provide.

It could very well demonstrate that other believers would be given the privilege to partner with Him at a later point in someone’s life. If Jesus had ended all the things that were ailing people while He walked the earth, the church would not have had an opportunity to demonstrate His presence after His ascension.

The peace Jesus walked in wasn’t a result of denial. It was a result of knowing the Father and knowing that in the unseen realm, there is a reality that is even more powerful and real than that which is seen.  Denial cannot produce lasting results and produce health in one’s soul.

Pretending is another thing that cannot produce fruit.  Just because a person sees someone else act in step with the Holy Spirit doesn’t mean that doing something the same thing the same way they saw another do it is on par with partnering with the Holy Spirit as a Person who is available to them through a relationship with Jesus.  It requires being in step with the Holy Spirit, not a method.  The supernatural is not a science.  It is birthed from a place of relationship with the Father by grace through faith in Jesus and being baptized in the Holy Spirit, which is as much a part of the gospel as the message of salvation itself.

I do not wish to function in what faith is not.  I find walking according to the Spirit is a much better way of doing things.  It produces a confidence in Jesus.

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Faith Is

The storm was raging, the boat was being tossed, waves were coming in, and the disciples were bailing water and trying to stay afloat.  This was their reality at that moment.  Facts screamed that it was a dire situation worthy of worry, fear, and panic.  Meanwhile, Jesus was asleep in the stern of the boat.

The reality of the moment was so strong that the men awakened Jesus and were upset that He was sleeping.

Mark 4:36 Now when they had left the multitude, they took Him along in the boat as He was. And other little boats were also with Him. 37 And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling. 38 But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?”

They haven’t been with Jesus for a long time yet. However, they have witnessed His power and have just seen a great miracle and been part of it.  They’re still getting to know Him, and now the test of a desperate situation is upon them.  However, their knowing Him is still developing.

I can’t help but think, was Jesus having a good dream while He was asleep?

Do we actually think He would have been asleep and dreamless?

One thing is for certain: the imagination of Jesus was not like that of His disciples at that moment.  Their imaginations had them perishing.  In their imaginations, the boat was going to sink, and they were going to drown.  Their imaginations were driven by their reality in the natural.  Jesus was unaffected by what was happening factually at that moment.  His imagination was in another place.

We can know what faith is because the Bible teaches us what it is and what it looks like.

Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the substance (Assurance, confidence, concretely, essence) of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Faith is not based on the facts in the present.  Faith is concretely confident and assured, to the point of affecting one’s emotions and outlook.  It overrides the facts of a moment and a situation and looks forward to the possibility of the hope that is in the heart.  It sees things differently than they currently appear.  When faith is activated as it should be, it activates speak.

2 Corinthians 4:13   And since we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, “I believed and therefore I spoke,” we also believe and therefore speak,

Faith is not speaking to convince oneself of something.  It is speaking because one is already convinced even though the object of hope is not seen yet.  I’ve never seen heaven, nor have I been there bodily, yet I believe and speak of it as though I have, and the truth is I am seated in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.  I am there by faith in Him.  The source of faith is a person, and the more I know Him, the more my faith increases.  Jesus is loving, good, great, powerful, merciful, and willing.

Is your boat presently sinking under the crashing waves?  Will you choose to try to bail the water in hopes you can do it faster than the waves are coming in?  or will you choose to place your hope in Jesus and begin to imagine an outcome based on His love and goodness towards you?  We have a choice; the path of faith can seem silly and ridiculous to those who think of themselves as sensible and intellectual enough to see what they call reality.  But to those of us who believe in things not yet seen but hoped for, faith is powerful because it rests in the One who is faithful.

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He Did It

Jesus was sinless.  He was born without sin because His Father was God.  By not having an earthly father, a sinful nature was not passed to him through the bloodline.  He then lived a sinless life and grew up believing in God and having a relationship with Him.  This is evidenced by the story of when he was just twelve years old and having discussions with the religious leaders.  When His mom expressed her concern over His absence and having to return to find Him, He simply said, “Didn’t you know I would be about my Father’s business?”  So we know that at an early age, Jesus was aware of God being His Father and desiring to do His will.

Fast-forward to when He is older. His cousin John the Baptist has entered his ministry and is baptizing at the River Jordan as a prophet sent from God. Jesus goes out to John.

Matthew 3:13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him. 14 And John tried to prevent Him, saying, “I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?” 15 But Jesus answered and said to him, “Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he allowed Him. 16 When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. 17 And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

Have you ever struggled with what Jesus said to John to get John to baptize Him?  “Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.”   If Jesus was sinless, why would He need to be baptized? This is what goes through the minds of many.

Under the Old Covenant, anytime Israel had a prophet sent from God, they were expected to believe him and act on his instruction.  The Prophet was their way of knowing what God desired.  A Prophet communicated God’s will to the people.  In other words, John’s baptism of repentance in preparation for the coming Messiah was God’s will.

John the Baptist was a Prophet sent from God—but not just any Prophet, the greatest Prophet because he was the one sent to proclaim the coming of the Messiah (also known as The Anointed One) and prepare the way for Him.  The act of preparation was being baptized. So, those in Israel who acknowledged John as a Prophet went to the Jordan to be baptized by him and prepare their hearts and minds for the arrival of the Messiah. Jesus submitted Himself to the Prophet, as everyone in Israel was expected to do by God.  Jesus acknowledged John as a Prophet and as doing the will of God by submitting Himself to John’s baptism.

Jesus was expected to enter into His ministry through the steps God desired, not His own way. The first step in that process was submitting to John’s baptism.  So, it is true that the Father was pleased with Jesus before He had done anything in ministry, but it would not be true that the declaration came before Jesus had done anything at all.  Jesus submitted Himself to the Father’s will in the moment.

The amazing thing is that once that surrender is accomplished, Jesus comes up out of the water, the heavens are opened to Him, He sees the Holy Spirit coming upon him like a dove, and that Father declares, “This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.”   The Holy Trinity was manifest in one moment in time at that river Jordan.

The Father’s will drew Jesus to a place of surrender. Jesus believed God ordained this Prophet to do this, and His act of submission substantiated His belief. That act led to seeing the heavens open and the Holy Spirit come upon Him. The Father declared His pleasure, and then the Holy Spirit led Him to the next step.

If Jesus desired to please the Father by doing His will, shouldn’t we?  If Jesus submitted Himself to water baptism because it was God’s will, shouldn’t we?  If Jesus needed the heavens open through surrendering Himself to the plan of God and thus being filled with the Holy Spirit to be able to go to the next step of His purpose, shouldn’t we?  He did it!  Jesus believed and acted on what He believed. This moment gives us a picture of what our new creation reality is meant to look like.  We, too, are called to surrender to the will of God in a faith that is followed by an act in accordance with the will of God.  He did it, and now we get to do it.

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