What Do We Believe?

The Bible clearly tells us that we are to endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. However, the church has struggled for centuries to maintain this unity. Arguments over various beliefs, styles of worship, etc. have caused much division in the "Body of Christ." The question remains: Can the church overcome these divisions? I believe we can.

The question no longer needs to be: What are our differences?
The question needs to be: What can we agree upon?

Can we unite in our understanding of God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit?
Can we unite in our understanding of God's Word?
Can we unite in our understanding of Salvation, the Grace of God, and the Work of the Holy Spirit in our lives?
I believe we can!!!

Jesus told His disciples very clearly that the way that the world would know we are His disciples is by our love for one another. If we could re-capture God's unconditional love for us and one another - we could solve the problem of disunity within the Body of Christ. This is true for every individual church and every denomination.

Imagine with me...
Every believer of Jesus Christ walking in their true identity.
Every church united in expanding the Kingdom of God rather than our denominations.
Every person in the world hearing the Good News of the Gospel.
This is possible if we will unite our hearts and our efforts.

The coming revival is: Multi-generational - Multi-cultural - Multi-denominational.
The world is simply waiting for us to show them what WE BELIEVE.

Whose ready?

If it Ain't Broke...

My Dad always had a saying, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." It's a simple phrase but very helpful. It always kept us from wasting time, energy, and resources. This same proverb is also helpful as we consider the new covenant we have under Jesus - it doesn't need fixing!

When Paul wrote the Galatian Church, he was attempting to ensure the believers that the Gospel of Grace that he was preaching was enough. The Old Covenant has been replaced. It was broke...not because God had failed but because the human race could never maintain all that was necessary to make it work. God in His wisdom ensured that a covenant would be put in place that could NOT be broken.

The problem that arose with the Galatians came through teachers that tried to implement the law under a covenant of grace. Some may wonder why this would be a problem. Well...
#1 - It places all the emphasis on what we do rather than what Christ has accomplished.
#2 - It's unnecessary. The New Covenant is superior in every way.
#3 - To operate under two covenants is like witchcraft (according to Paul)
#4 - To try and keep the law is to fall from grace.
#5 - Without the grace of God, we are unable to live the life that God has planned for us.

This problem is still prevalent in the church of today. We have struggled to understand the grace of God as His ability at work in our lives. We continue to doubt the unconditional love of God. AND we haven't been taught how to establish our hearts in righteousness. All of my Christian life has been spent trying to STAY righteous. I put all of the emphasis on what I did or did not do. I was operating much like the Galatians. It wasn't until I learned how to properly appropriate the grace of God that I discovered the joy of resting in God's grace.

Here are some keys to help you:
> Read the book of Galatians.
> Allow God's definition of who you are to define you.
> Learn how to establish your heart in righteousness. This is a simple step of confessing God's word about you until your heart lines up with it.
> Enjoy the relationship. God loves you - go ahead and enjoy it.
> Walk in the Spirit and you will not fulfill the lusts of flesh.

*I realize that much of this information is what I have been sharing with you over the past year. However, we have to get this. The world has yet to see a full manifestation of God's people who learn to walk in their inheritance. We have missed out on the authority that Christ passed on to us. The church has operated like paupers instead of princes/princesses in the earth. The time for that to stop is NOW.

Praying that you come to the full understanding of who you are in Jesus.
Be blessed!!!

NO CONDEMNATION!!!

Romans 8:1 (in my opinion) ranks as one of the most quoted verses found in all of Scripture. However, there are far too many who can quote the verse but haven't discovered how to live it. "So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus." {NLT}

The Message Bible provides a wonderful picture of this amazing verse. "Those who enter into Christ...no longer have to live under a continuous, low lying black cloud." While most of us have figured out how to enjoy the freedom from past sin, we continue to struggle under the weight of current failures (the things we have done since we have been saved). Part of the struggle is our religious understanding of repentance and confession. Most of the repentance that has been modeled for us has an Old Testament flavor...you know, sackcloth and ashes; and most people shy away from confession because they don't like airing out the laundry list. Let me say this as plainly as I can: There is NO CONDEMNATION for those who are in Christ.

Under the new covenant - Jesus shed blood for the remission of sins - we understand that repentance is a changing of the mind. We change our minds in regard to how we view "sin" and confession is simply agreeing with God. There is no need to wallow around in the ashes of our failures and there is no need to continually air out our laundry lists of imperfection. In Christ we are perfect, holy, and blameless. God no longer condemns us. We are free from any and all condemnation.

NO (from the Greek) = none, not even one
CONDEMNATION (from the Greek) = adverse or damnatory sentence
Romans 8:1 tells us that there is not even one damnatory sentence that can be brought against those who are in Christ!!!

It was God's intention to make you completely free. Sin no longer has dominion over you because you are under grace. The penalty of sin was paid for at the Cross. You have been acquitted of all charges. Not only are you forgiven for your past but for you future as well. God has seen fit to place you in Christ, given you the righteousness of His Son, and placed His life-giving Spirit inside of you. You may not be perfect but you are definitely not what you used to be. Every voice that would rise up to condemn you is not of God regardless of how "spiritual" they may seem. You are a child of God because of your faith in Jesus Christ.

For far too long the church has lived under the weight of guilt, shame, and condemnation. Most of us have never witnessed what it means to live in complete freedom. This is where we have to learn how to live under God's definition of who we are in Christ. When we allow His definition to define us - His grace to empower us - and His unconditional love to affirm us, then we will be an unstoppable force in the world.

It doesn't make you more holy to live under a black cloud of guilt. Shame is not your friend and it is not of God. Godly sorrow produces repentance while worldly sorrow produces death. If I am godly...which I am in Christ then any sorrow over my actions, attitudes, and activities will result in me changing my mind and agreeing with God. I no longer live under the weight of condemnation. I am FREE!!!

May you be encouraged to live out your freedom in Christ. Don't allow others to place boundaries around you. Simply walk in the Spirit and you will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh. You will find this faith in Christ thing to bring joy and abundant life. May God bless you as you continue to live out who you are in Christ.

PBC Presents...

Greetings everyone. It's time to get back into the saddle after a wonderful week away. Coming up this week for our PBCuth & friends is the 2011 Trigger Conference. The following is a brief description of the event:
"Trigger is a youth conference that seeks to increase the Passion, Purpose, and Pursuit of this generation for the heart of God. There will be no cost for this event and lunch will be provided."

Trigger is just another attempt to provide the church body with opportunities to grow in the awareness of all that God is doing in the earth. This event will be more than just a "feel good" event - in fact, I believe we will be placing these young people in the presence of God and allowing Him to change their lives forever.

PBC is excited to share this event with the students in and around Max Meadows. It's time to start speaking to what God has placed inside every young person within the church and see them walk in the destiny that God has for them. The awakening that is coming to the church is a multi-generational and multi-cultural event. It goes beyond denomination and far beyond the "norm" of church life.

What can students expect?
They can expect God to speak directly into their lives.
They can expect to be moved beyond their current experience in church life.
They can expect to be loved, equipped (training in Dance, Vocals, Instruments, and Leadership), and energized.

Please pray for a great outpouring of God's Spirit among this generation of believers. The dates are July 15 & 16. For more info go to: http://triggerconference.blogspot.com

VACATION WEEK!!!

There will not be any new blog entries this week...vacation is upon us.

Hope everyone has a wonderful 4th of July, and an incredible week. Talk to you soon.