Yep...still New!

"When you came to Christ, you were “circumcised,” but not by a physical procedure. Christ performed a spiritual circumcision—the cutting away of your sinful nature. For you were buried with Christ when you were baptized. And with him you were raised to new life because you trusted the mighty power of God, who raised Christ from the dead. You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for he forgave all our sins." {Colossians 2:11-13}

I want to continue in what we started yesterday because it is so important for us to understand what God has accomplished in our lives. As I come to grips with what God is teaching me, I'm also starting to understand what the writer of Hebrews means when he said that we should be moving out of the elementary principles. While this should be basic knowledge for the believer, there is a lot of misunderstanding about our new life in Christ. Unfortunately, most of this misunderstanding has come from the pulpit of our churches. Is it any wonder that many Christians struggle with the freedoms they have in Christ, struggle to live in victory, and struggle to feel secure in their salvation? While we would all love to go deeper, we must have a solid foundation.

Notice what Paul stated in his Colossians letter: You were circumcised. This was to answer the argument that was being spread throughout the new churches. Enemies of grace came in to bring up the issue of circumcision (which was a sign of Abraham's covenant with God). Paul's answers to the critics and those who were curious is simple - you were circumcised but it wasn't a physical act. Christ circumcised every new believer by cutting away their sinful nature. The "mark" (if you will) of our new covenant with God is that our sinful nature has been cut away and we have put on Christ's nature. Water baptism is our prophetic declaration of what happened in our confession of Christ as Lord. We were buried with Christ and raised to walk in newness of life. Our old sinful nature was buried in the water and we came up in a new sinless nature. Paul's answer: If it's cutting away that you want, then it's cutting away that you will get. You just need to put down the knife!

Would you like to take it a little further? We can go deeper in this. 2 Peter 1:3-4, "By His divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know Him, the One who has called us to Himself by means of His marvelous glory and excellence. And because of His glory and excellence, He has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share His Divine Nature and escape the world's corruption caused by human desires." Not only have we lost our old sinful nature, we have been allowed to be partakers of His divine nature!!!

The fact of the matter is that there is MUCH MORE proof of what I'm teaching you from Scripture than trying to say that we actually live out of two natures. God is in the business of making all things new. The problem is that people struggle in their mind with this type of teaching because they need to understand why they still sin. It's much easier to blame it on an old dead sinful nature than it is to blame it on the work of the enemy (demonic activity) or a lack of walking in Christ.

Remember me telling you about John's letter to the church and how he was writing them so they would not sin? Just the statement alone teaches us that we can live without sin. He also tells us that those who abide in Christ do not sin. What you and I have to learn is how to abide in Christ in every circumstance and situation. Abiding in Christ is what keeps us from following after the things that are in this world (lust of the flesh, eyes, and pride of life). If the enemy can keep you in the mindset of possessing a sinful nature when you don't then you will continue to struggle with sin. Our behavior always follows our beliefs. When you believe you are sinful, you will sin. When you believe that your are righteous, then you will live in righteousness. It's that simple.

When we grab a hold of this understanding, we find that we truly live from victory. Jesus made a public spectacle of spiritual rulers and authorities by His victory over them on the cross (Read Colossians 2:15). Not only did he shame them publicly but he disarmed them. They have absolutely not authority in your life except for what you give them. Therefore, you should never live in anything less than what God has allowed you to live in. Don't settle for less than victory, power, and a new nature in Christ.

Galatians 5:25 says that since we are living by the Spirit, we should follow the Spirit's leading in every part of our lives. This is they key to abiding in Christ. When we allow the Spirit of God to guide us then we will never walk outside of truth. Walk in your new nature. Take part of the freedom that the Spirit of God is guiding you into. AND reckon yourself dead indeed to sin but alive to God in Jesus Christ!

New means New...

2 Corinthians 5:17 is a very popular verse. I'm amazed at how many people read it, quote it, and consider it a life verse without really understanding it. "...if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new." I don't know any other way to put this, but new means new.

There is a teaching that has been around for a long time that basically says that we have dueling natures. Those who teach this typically use Paul's writings to the church at Rome as a foundation. You know...the "good that I will to do, I do not do it." The problem is that this was not Paul's intention. In fact, he's teaching something totally different. He was talking about his struggle under the law and the necessity of grace to overcome.

Here's a question for you: Since there are a lot of people that consider the reason we sin is because we are still battling an old sinful nature, does that mean you can only sin when you possess a sinful nature? Think about it before you answer. Adam & Eve didn't have a sinful nature and they blew it. How is that possible? I believe that the only thing you need to sin is free will and the ability to believe a lie.

God's Word tells us that we are baptized into Jesus' death, our old man was crucified with Christ so the body of sin might be done away with, and that we have been clothed with Christ [Romans 6:3,6; Galatians 3:27]. Take it a step further. Paul also told the early church that through baptism we were buried with him and raised to walk in the newness of life. New means New!!!

People will ask: then why do we need to confess sin? If we don't have a sinful nature then why do we still sin? Simple: we live in a sinful world. We still face temptation, we still have an enemy who seeks to steal - kill - and destroy, and we still have a free will. The reason why confession is important is because it keeps us in agreement with God. Listen to what John is saying to the church, "My dear children, I am writing this to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate who pleads our case before the Father. He is Jesus Christ, the one who is truly righteous." (1 John 2:1). Our confession of sin has nothing to do with the penalty (God has already taken care of that) but everything to do with living in righteousness. Would John have written that we would not sin if it were not possible? You have got to understand the power of GRACE.

Don't get caught fighting the wrong battle. We do not war against the flesh. Too many people are beating up on a dead man (the old man that was crucified) instead of fighting the enemy. We have been given victory, we simply have to learn to walk in it. We have been given power, but we need to learn how to be powerful. That is why what you believe is so important. If you believe that you have a sinful nature then you will sin. However, when you understand that you have a new nature (the nature of Christ) then you will see that it is outside of your nature to sin.

God wants you to walk in the newness of life that is found in Christ. We were redeemed to live in everything that Jesus made possible. We are promised abundant life, freedom, and the power to destroy the works of the enemy. My friends, if you have been made new in Christ then you are new in Him. New means New!!!

The Art of Disagreement

Have you ever considered how much emphasis we place on agreement? Take a moment to think about the people you surround yourself with, the church you attend, or those that you would consider to be close friends. Not only that, but think about how you handle those you disagree with. Get the picture?

Lost in much of our society today is the art of disagreement. If you don't believe me, watch the political debates, listen to the news, or pick up a newspaper. Almost everyone operates from an attitude that says "I'm right" or "I have the truth." And nowhere is this more common than in church life.

Let's face it: your church home is typically filled with people who think the same way, approach their understanding of scripture from the same theological direction, and rarely step outside of those boundaries. While we may have a few differing opinions, they are rarely mentioned.

Where am I going with this? Allow me to illustrate...
Last year, I quoted a particular pastor on my facebook page. While I don't remember the particular quote, a certain friend just had to comment. He didn't comment on the quote itself but rather criticized the person that I had borrowed the quote from. I emailed this friend and asked the simple question: If I had placed the quote on my page but didn't give reference to who actually said it, would you agree? His answer? Yeah...I probably would have. (Can you see the problem?)

This has happened on more than one occasion. It saddens me to think that we cannot give credit to people for the good things they say or do depending upon their denominational background, personal lifestyle, or problems they are going through in life. What ever happened to grace?

Paul dealt with this issue in his letter to the church at Rome. He directed the church to not pass judgement on disputable matters. WHAT? You mean the Bible actually says that there are some things up for debate?

I realize that this is a hard subject to deal with for some people. This is especially true when dealing with politics and religion. So how do we handle disagreement? How do we ensure that we keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace?
In essential beliefs...have unity.
In non-essential beliefs...have liberty.
In all our beliefs...show charity.

There is nothing wrong with common ground. Find out what is essential in our relationships and be unified in those areas. For everything else, walk in love and grace. It's really not that hard. In fact, I have to do it often. I cannot tell you how many times that I hear a good word, good sermon, etc. - go to someones website or listen to another message and hear/read something that sounds completely opposite of what I agreed with. Do I throw everything else out? Nope...I have learned how to discard the bones and continuing eating the fish.

Please hear my heart in this. I realize that we want to keep people from living in error and the quicker we can get them to agree with us the easier it is (LOL). But I want to encourage you to allow the Holy Spirit to have His perfect work in everyone. Listen to Jude's encouragement to the church "Now all glory to God, who is able to keep you from falling away and will bring you with great joy into his glorious presence without a single fault." I think we can all trust God to do the same.

The Art of Disagreement:
Walk in GRACE and LOVE
Trust in the Holy Spirit's work in each of our lives
Work on disagreeing without being disagreeable
*You might actually learn something!

Reigning in Righteousness

Romans 5:21, "So just as sin ruled over all people and brought them to death, now God's wonderful grace rules instead, giving us right standing with God and resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." Considering that grace rules over sin, and we have been overcome by grace, when are we going to begin reigning in righteousness?

Can you believe that we still have at least 11 months before America's next election? I don't know about you, but I'm already tired. A couple of years ago, I stopped posting political stuff because I couldn't take it anymore. The truth of the matter is that kind of stuff can dominate your thinking. And if it dominates your thinking, then you will be focused solely on this world.

Do I believe it matters who is President of the United States? Yes, I do.
Do I believe it makes a difference who sits in the seats of the Senate and Congress? Yes, I do.
Do I believe it is important that we have people serving in our federal, state, and local governments that are moral, upright, and fair? Yes, I do.
However, it's not the MOST important thing. As a follower of Jesus Christ, I have a mandate to make disciples of all nations. I am to cover the earth with the glory of God. Unfortunately, too many Christians in America think this Kingdom rises and falls according to what happens in the United States. Or worse, they think the Kingdom stops at our borders.

Have you ever considered that God isn't waiting for the right people to be in office before He ushers in His kingdom? The advancement of God's kingdom has never been determined by who takes the oath of the President, or the laws passed by Congress. What I do in regards to those things is how I operate as a citizen of the United States. Don't get me wrong...these things do affect my life in America. But that's not what I am talking about. I am more concerned about the Kingdom of God.

Instead of waiting for the right federal government, why don't the church begin reigning in righteousness? Through the grace of God given to us we discover that we are a nation within a nation. God has a kingdom of priests all over the world. As far as the world system is concerned, we will go through times of good leadership and bad leadership. We will see moral and righteous people serve in these positions, and then there will be the other types. But we have an authority that has not been passed down by federal legislation. We have the ability to change the world. We have the opportunity to usher in the Kingdom of Heaven and to be the forerunners of a returning Savior.

Think about it: There are some countries in this world where only criminals can plant churches. There are some places across the globe where following Christ means to sign a death warrant. The governments are anti-Christ, the people are anti-Christ, and the religious systems are anti-Christ (which by the way is the spirit that is at work in the world). However, the followers of Christ are still reigning in righteousness. They are establishing the Kingdom of God. Some places these advancements are faster than others. In some places it is larger than others. But the followers of Christ are not waiting for a pro God government. They are following after a Master that has given them life.

You see, when we begin to reign in righteousness, we discover that the best way to affect the culture is to lead people to Jesus. If we want to see morality on the upswing in America, it's not going to be because we have the right elected official. This happens when people get saved and begin living in the righteousness that Christ died to give them. Don't miss this! The best way to change our nation and the rest of the world is by seeing people set free from sin.

The values of the Kingdom of God far outweigh any earthly value system.
If we want to see equality then we must see the kingdom of God touching the lives of ordinary people.
If we want to see freedom in all the nations, then we must see the Kingdom of God setting those imprisoned by sin.
If we want to see abortion decline, marriages succeed, and economic success, then we must see the hearts of men changed by the Kingdom of God.

It's time to reign. We need to stop waiting for heaven and begin seeing heaven invade earth. While I believe that heaven is better than earth, I don't believe that earth is pitiful. Jesus promised us abundant life while we are here. I just believe that I can see the reign of Heaven upon the earth. And His reign begins when the Bride that is in waiting begins to live in her inheritance upon the earth.

Remembering How to Fly

If you have been reading my blog for a while then you know that "Hook" is one of my favorite movies. It's the story of Peter Pan (Robin Williams) having to return to Neverland to save his children. What makes the story so interesting is that Peter has forgotten who He really is and must rediscover that childlike nature.

I don't know if you do this, but when I watch movies, I find parallels between the story line and my faith. It's not in all movies but it seems as thought the fantasy type movies carry a lot of weight in this area. If you do that, then you will find several great moments in this movie.

One of my favorite scenes is when Peter Pan & The Lost Boys are playing a game called "Never Food" where they are imagining that they have sat down to a huge feast. It was during this game that the older Peter Pan discovered the power of his imagination and began to operate in Neverland like he did when was a child. Tinker Bell tells him, "If you can't imagine yourself as Peter Pan then you'll never be."

Romans 12:2 tells us, " Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind..." This is where the adventure begins. Conforming to the patterns of this world deals with operating in a world system (worldview). As followers of Jesus Christ, we are transformed by the renewing of our minds. When you and I begin to live in the view and opinion of God over our lives, then we will discover the ability to operate above this world's system.

The great thing about our faith is that this type of mindset isn't grounded in our ability to be creative in our thinking. We simply need to be in agreement with God's thoughts about us. When we are in agreement with God's thoughts, our lives are continually transformed. When we agree with Him about our Holiness, our Righteousness, our Provision, our Power, etc. we find that everything is possible in Him. We experience the power to live a life that is above the standards of the world.

Have you ever heard the statement, "They are so heavenly minded that they are no earthly good"? Well...that is a true statement if all you are concerned about is going to Heaven. However, when we make Heaven the standard (Let Your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven) for our way of thinking we are able to operate through the Spirit in ways that we never thought possible.

Paul said in Ephesians that God is able to do "exceedingly abundantly above all that we could ever ask or think". This is what He is able to do through you because of His Divine Nature dwelling inside of you. As long as we are focused on getting out of here (an escapist mentality) then we will never be focused on seeing Heaven invade Earth. Don't get me wrong...I look forward to the time when there is no more sickness, no more death, no more pain, and no more sin. But while I'm on the earth I want to do everything I can to destroy the works of the enemy.

Let me ask you a simple question: Have you forgotten how to fly?

Do you remember a time when you were doing some pretty awesome things in your faith? There are far too many believers who are looking back on what they used to do for Jesus. Somewhere along the way we lost the adventure. I don't know if it came from a moment of not seeing God do what you trusted Him to do or through discouragement from another believer. But many people have settled into a lifestyle and a theology where we only look for God to do certain things, or we only do the things that we know we can do.

Don't you want to fly? Don't you want to soar in your faith? This happens when we allow our minds to be renewed. I want you to rediscover what God says about you. I want you to look again for the treasure of His promises. Allow your mind to be consumed by these things. Step our in your faith. When your way of thinking is rooted in your identity in Christ then you can fight, you can fly, and you can let the world know who you really are.