Healing in the Atonement.....

The Power to get the sick healed

by Rev. Cal Pierce

Part of the problem that we're experiencing in the Body of Christ today comes from a thinking that is called dispensationalism. The thinking behind here is that God has dispensed of the power for the Body of Christ to get the sick healed. Rather than a Gospel of the Kingdom, we've developed a Gospel of Grace, and this dispensational thinking puts the responsibility for healing off of the Body of Christ and on to God. It says, "Well, God is sovereign. He will heal some and not others. It's up to Him." 
Isaiah 53:4 in the Hebrew meaning of that Scripture, says "Jesus bore our sickness. He carried our pain. By His stripes we were healed." 
1 Peter 2:24 in the New Testament reiterates this: "By the stripes of Jesus we are healed." 
If we go to Isaiah 53:6, it talks about the iniquity of us all being upon Jesus. From there we get our salvation.
If we can get our salvation out of verse six, then we need to get our healing out of verse four. The provision for salvation and healing are both in the atonement for a reason - so that the Body of Christ can have all the provision for the whole person to be impacted by God.
The problem with the dispensational thinking that has crept into almost every denomination is that when we say God is sovereign, we then put the responsibility of healing upon God. If the scripture is true, and the Hebrew meaning of Isaiah 53:4 is that Jesus bore our sickness and carried our pain on the cross, then it is wrong to put that work on God, as if God was going to decide whether or not He's going to heal us. Putting that responsibility on Him takes it off of us, and then we don't want to become responsible. This comes from a wrong thinking and a wrong understanding of healing in the atonement. 
Matthew 8:17 takes what Isaiah 53:4 says and brings it into the New Testament: "....so that what was prophesied by the prophet Isaiah....he bore our sickness and he carried our diseases on the cross." 
So God made provision not only for salvation impacting us, but for healing impacting us. What we're seeing happening today, and why this healing movement is coming so fast, I believe, is because as we get closer and closer to the end time, we're going to begin to carry a salvation message to the street, and we're going to back up that salvation message with a Kingdom message that doesn't just come in word, but in power, so that healing can be a sign to the lost that our God is real. 
God has kept the healing evangelist before us, but the healing evangelist was never going to do all the work. The Church has pushed the work onto the healing evangelist to come into a community, bring the anointing, do a crusade and leave. The anointing would follow after them, and the sick would also have to follow after them. But God is going to bring this healing anointing in this hour - not on somebody, but on The Body. There's a connection being made between the healing evangelist and the Healing Room type of ministry, a work that will reside in the community all year long to get the sick healed.
Part of this work is to break the barrenness off of the Church, and this wrong understanding of healing in the atonement, and to break off this dispensational thinking. 
This is fairly recent thinking. It goes back to about 1830. It says that God is somehow dispensing with that part of the Gospel--that Jesus healed the sick, but then stopped, and now today we're not to move in that kind of power. The thinking is that there's just a a Gospel of grace. This has not allowed us to be like the frog in the pot, slowly getting boiled, not knowing that we have the power and authority to walk in. This thinking puts the responsibility on God. It causes us to have a rapture mentality rather than a harvest theology. We want to get bailed out. This thinking preaches a gospel of a kingdom of heaven, a future kingdom, and leaves us in the kingdom of darkness in this world, with that rapture mentality.

God is saying to the Church in this hour, "thy kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven." 

1 Corinthians 4:20 says, "The kingdom of God does not consist in words, but in power."

In the Greek that means "dunamis" or "dynamite power." See, we're to have a kingdom message here and now in order to move into the harvest field and move in power to destroy what the enemy has done. We're God's Body, we're the Body of Christ. It's the Body that does the work. We're to move in power, not form. We're to have a salvation message that will be backed up with a Kingdom message. We're to bring the Kingdom of God to this planet here and now as it is in heaven, so that we can move into the end-time harvest with power and authority and begin to destroy the work of the enemy.

Why would God dispense with power in the Church, yet allow the power of the enemy to exist on the planet, when He says greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world? For some reason, we're not supposed to work and move in that greater power? 

Part of the problem that this causes is that we show up on Sunday at church, we get born again, and that's it. Nothing happens. We sit in church waiting for and talking about a rapture as if we're running out the back door with the devil kicking in the front door. We think the enemy is greater than the power of God in us. 

That's the church that God is not coming for. God is not coming for a church in a mess. He's coming for a church in victory, not a church that's a victim. Not a church with spots and wrinkles, but a church without spots and wrinkles. This dispensational thinking says, "Well God is sovereign. He will heal some and not others." 

God is sovereign, but He's no liar. He says none should perish. All should come to repentance. That's what God's will is. A sovereign God will tell His Church what His will is so the Church can move in it. We're to move in the power to get the sick healed. We're to move in power to get the lost saved. We're to be impacted with Isaiah 53:6 for our salvation, and as the Body of Christ we're to be impacted by Isaiah 53:4, which states that He bore our sicknesses and He carried our pain and by HIs stripes we were healed 2000 years ago. 

We're to take that message of salvation and healing to the street, so that we can move in power to get the sick healed. Not looking for a future kingdom, but bringing the Kingdom of God into this planet here and now. It will not come in word, but it will come in power. We're to move in power in the Body of Christ. He wants His Church to move in power in order to take this harvest. 

After 9-11, when those airplanes hit the twin towers, we began to realize that in Islam they have been taught and trained not receive a salvation message. But the only message that will bring them to Christ is the Kingdom message that brings signs and wonders following after it. Those signs and wonders are undeniable. 

In Matthew 16:19 it says; "I will give you the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven." This is talking about power. "And whatsoever you shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatsoever you shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." 

You see, God gives power that we might bind and loose down here, and it will be backed up with a binding and loosing in heaven, because God stands behind His promise and His word. And we're to walk in that promise, we're to walk in that word, we're to walk in that power to get the sick healed. 

Matthew 6:33 "Seek first the Kingdom of God, and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you." 

You see, God is saying if you seek Him first and His righteousness, then He will bring the provision. He will bring the power to back up His word so that it will not be void. It will not go out of His mouth without accomplishing what He sends it to do.

Matthew 24:14 says; "This gospel of the Kingdom shall be preached in the whole world for a witness to all the nations, and then the end shall come." 

If we don't have a gospel of this Kingdom, how on earth will that be fulfilled? It will be fulfilled on earth with a Church that doesn't have a partial gospel getting a partial result, but a Church that has a full gospel getting a full result, so that the Kingdom message will not just be in word, but it will be in power. So that signs and wonders will begin to follow after the Church. 

Matthew 12:28 says; "But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, then the Kingdom of God has come upon you."

If we do this work of the gospel of the Kingdom, then the power has come. If we expel the enemy and destroy his work by the Spirit of God, then the Kingdom of God is come upon us. God wants this Kingdom message to come into the Body of Christ. But dispensational thinking is putting the responsibility of this healing work onto God, and not allowing it to be on us. If Jesus is the Head of the Church and we are His Body, then it's the Body that does the work. God does not dispense with part of His gospel. Otherwise, He's not the same God that He used to be. When He says in His word, I am the same yesterday, today and forever. 

Did God hold some of His healing power back, because He's sovereign, so that some would be healed and not others?

Jesus said, "All power is given unto Me in heaven and in earth." What part of "all" are we having a hard time understanding?

Ephesians 1:22 says; "And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church." 

Ephesians 2:5-6 "Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus."

We've been raised with Him. We've been quickened with Him. We sit with Him in heavenly places. We're not a disconnected body, but a connected body. The same Holy Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead dwells in this Body in order for it to carry out this Kingdom work. But this dispensational thinking has caused us to be filled with doubt and unbelief that comes through fear. It's developed in the Body a "hope so" faith for healing rather than a "know so" faith for healing. It has pushed the work on God, so that we can't pray with faith, because we don't need faith for healing when it's not our responsibility. But without faith, it's impossible to please God. 

When the Father gave all power in heaven and earth to the Son, then the responsibility for this healing work, this Kingdom work, went to Jesus and from Jesus to the Church. That's why He said that He has put all things under the feet of Jesus and gave Him to be head over all things to the Church. So God transferred the responsibility for salvation and healing to Jesus, and through Jesus to the Body, because Jesus is the head of the Church, and we're the Body of Christ. When Jesus wen to be with the Father, what did He say to the Apostles? "Where I go you cannot follow. But it will profit you, because I will be sitting at the right hand of the Father, interceding for you, and I give you the Holy Spirit." 

The same Holy Spirit that raised Him is dwelling in us - not a seperate Holy Spirit, the same one, the Bible says. And that's to bring resurrection power into the Church. 

This is why it says in John 14:12 "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also: and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father." 

Because we're the Body, and the Body is to move in power and authority, the Body is to bring this Kingdom message, this Gospel of the Kingdom, into the planet here and now. 

The Church will begin to walk in authority and they will begin to carry this healing power to destroy the work of the enemy, because we're the Body, and the Body is supposed to do it. 

(to be continued....)

Healing Words......

Matthew 8:17 - "And thus He fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah, He Himself took [in order to carry away] our weaknesses and infirmities and bore away our diseases." {Isaiah 53:4}

3 John 2 - "Beloved, I wish above all things that you may prosper and be in health, even as your soul prospers." 

Psalm 30:2 - "O Lord my God, I cried unto you, and you have healed me."

Psalm 34:19 - "Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the Lord delivereth him out of them all. "

Psalm 91:9&10 - "Because you have made the Lord your refuge, and the Most High your dwelling place. There shall no evil befall you, nor any plague or calamity come near your tent." 

Psalm 103:3 - "Who forgives all your iniquities, who heals all your diseases."

Psalm 107: 20 - "He sends forth His word and heals them and rescues them from the pit and destruction." 

Matthew 9:35 - "And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the Kingdom and curing all kinds of disease and every weakness and infirmity." 

Jeremiah 30:17 - "For I will restore health to you, and I will heal your wounds, says the Lord..."

Matthew 12:15 - ".....great multitudes followed Him, and He healed them all." 

Matthew 14:14- " And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and He healed their sick."

Matthew 15:30-31 - "And great multitudes came unto Him, having with them those that were lame, blind, dumb, maimed, and many others, and cast them down at Jesus' feet; and He healed them: Insomuch that the multitude wondered when they saw the dumb to speak, the maimed to be made whole, the lame to walk, and the blind see: and they glorified the God of Israel."

Mark 16:17 & 18 - " And these signs shall follow them that believe; in My name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover." 

Luke 4:40 - "Now when the sun was setting, all they that had any sick with divers diseases brought them unto Him; and He laid His hands on every one of them, and healed them." 

John 14:12-13 -"Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on Me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go to My Father. And whatsoever ye ask, command, require, demand in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son."

Romans 8:11 - " But if the Spirit  of Him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken you mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwells in you." 

Hebrews 13:8 - " Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and for ever." 

From storm to calm.......

Job 9:8 - "Who alone stretches out the heavens and treads upon the waves and high places of the sea....."

Psalm 107:22-31 - "Oh, that men would praise [and confess to] the Lord for His goodness and loving-kindness and His wonderful works to the children of men! And let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving and rehearse His deeds with shouts of joy and singing! Some go down to the sea and travel over it in ships to do business in great waters; these see the works of the Lord and His wonders in the deep. For He commands and raises up the stormy wind, which lifts up the waves of the sea. Those aboard mount up to the heavens and they go down again to the deeps; their courage melts away because of their plight. They reel to and fro and stagger like a drunken man and are at their wits' end [all their wisdom has come to nothing]. Then they cry to the Lord in their trouble, and He brings them out of their distresses. He hushes the storm to a calm and to a gentle whisper, so that the waves of the sea are still. Then the men are glad because of the calm, and He brings them to their desired haven. Oh, that men would praise and confess to the Lord for His goodness and loving-kindness and His wonderful works to the children of men!"

Matthew 8:23-27 - "And after He got into the boat, His disciples followed Him. And suddenly, behold, there arose a violent storm on the sea, so that the boat was being covered up by the waves; but He was sleeping. And they went and awakened Him, saying, Lord, rescue and preserve us! We are perishing!  And He said to them, Why are you timid and afraid, O you of little faith? Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great and wonderful calm (a perfect peaceableness). And the men were stunned with bewildered wonder and marveled, saying, What kind of man is this, that even the winds of the sea obey Him!" 

John 6:16-21 - "When evening came, His disciples went down to the sea, and they took a boat and were going across the sea to Capernaum. It was now dark, and still Jesus had not yet come back to them. Meanwhile, the sea was getting rough and rising high because of a great and violent wind that was blowing. However, when they had rowed 3 or 4 miles, they saw Jesus approaching the boat. And they were afraid, terrified. But Jesus said to them, It is I; be not afraid! Then they were quite willing and glad for Him to come into the boat. And now the boat went at once to the land they had steered toward." 

I just believe the Lord wants us to know He is good, in control and wants to bless us with peace in our lives!! Perfect peace,  in the sense of  deep inner peace instilled in us, by knowing not only that He is able, but that He wants good things for us.  Additionally, that He wants us to experience refreshment in Him! He wants us to experience perfect peace in Him more than we do ourselves. He knows that when we can rest in the peace that comes by His Spirit we will be more able to commune with Him. It's in His presence where there is fulness of joy, and I believe a perfect peace as well. When we are anxious and doubt and give way to fear, we allow our gaze to shift away from Him, and we are ultimately saying, God I don't believe you are able, or worse yet, I don't believe you want the best for me!!  "He brings them to their desired haven." The Lord wants to bless us, He really does!!! Much peace to all!!!

Declare of yourself, what God says about you......

Well, again last night Bobby Connor was leading the revival meeting. I really enjoy listening to him. He preached about "Decree a thing and it will come to pass!" 

He talked about and emphasized the importance of declaring of yourself what God says about you!!! Even if you don't "feel" like it! This teaching really resonated with me. I am learning the power of our words over our life matter so much. Also, one of the things Rob Rufus has been stressing endlessly is how we need to stand up and declare "I AM THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD, IN CHRIST JESUS!"  Especially, right after we have just sinned a big ole' sin.  This is how God sees us no matter what. The enemy does not want us to get a hold of this, and be confident and bold in who we are in Christ. But we must not believe his lies or let our negative emotions or guilt grab hold in any way. And especially to not speak negativity, period!! 

I recently heard an amazing testimony from a lady at the Healing Rooms meeting I just attended. There was a woman whose son had autism. He would repeat over and over his name and bang his head against the wall. That was about the extent of his verbal skills. So the mom taught him to say, "I love Jesus."  He would say this wherever they went. She began to declare things over him and prophecy wholeness over him. She continued to do this for years, all the while he was in a special school for autistic people. One day she brought him home from the school, and the son for the first time just blurted out the most clear concise intelligible sentence out of the blue!! No more repetitive words, he began to operate and function normally after that!! Isn't that amazing! He was totally free from his autism. Her faithfulness and believing God at His word and trusting in the finished work of the cross, brought her son into His true identity and wholeness in Christ! I just love it!

That shared, I just want to include some of the Scriptures that Bobby mentioned last night. 

Joel 3:10 - ...."let the weak say, I am strong, a WARRIOR!" 

Job 22:28 - "You shall also decide and decree a thing, and it shall be established for you; and the light of God's favor shall shine upon your ways."

Mark 11: 21-24 - " And Peter remembered and said to Him, Master, look! The fig tree which you doomed has withered away! And Jesus, replying, said to them, Have faith in God [constantly]. Truly I tell you, whoever says to this mountain, Be lifted up and thrown into the sea! and does not doubt at all in his heart, but believes that what he says will take place, it will be done for him. For this reason I am telling you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe (trust and be confident) that it is granted to you, and you will [get it].

Jeremiah 1:9 - "Then the Lord put forth His hand and touched my mouth, And the Lord said to me, Behold, I have put my words in your mouth." 

Proverbs 25:11 - "A word fitly spoke and in due season is like apples of gold in settings of silver."

2 Samuel 23:2 - "The Spirit of the Lord spoke in and by me, and His word was upon my tongue."

It's time to start assigning victory to our lives, our families, our children, our marriages, our work, our finances, our cities, our nations. 

Lakeland last night.......

Last night I decided to check out the revival.  It was so worth it to me. I was so blessed in many ways. The worship leader was a young spunky woman, I don't know who she was or her name.  She was running all over the stage, I don't think she stood still once. Now some people may be critical if they had seen this, but I was excited. I used to be a party girl. I went to dance clubs every weekend and sometimes on weeknights for 4-5 years. I loved, loved, loved dancing, still do!! Anyway, I was thinking about how the crowd was wild, jumping and cheering and they were encouraging them to do this! I thought, you know what some people might think this is weird or even wrong, and I am sure there are very religious cynical people out there huffing and puffing about how disrespectful their behaviour is (that is if they can even stand watching it for more than a minute). But, the thing is we all go to concerts, football, baseball, our kids sports games and go wild screaming and cheering and acting a bit silly. So, why is it that that is exceptable, but going wild for our God and King is not!! What is that?! Why is God not worthy of the same exuberance and ultimately "praise". The bible says, David danced before the Lord with all his might! Come on, if we can cheer like wild people at anything, we can certainly do it for the High King of Heaven!!! Okay, so my little rant about that is over.....!! 

Now I really want to highlight the man who ministered last night. I just became aware of him this past week and went and checked out his ministry website, Eagle's View Ministry and even linked his site on the right hand side of my blog. Bobby Connor, spoke and then led the healing ministry and he was amazing. I enjoyed his teaching greatly, and I don't think I have ever heard anyone preach and quote so much Scripture from memory. I was so blessed I wanted to find out how I could listen to it again. So here's the link  for last night if anyone is remotely interested in listening to it, just click on July 22.  I really want to go back and listen to it and write down as many of the Scriptures that he quoted as possible. Check it out!!! 

"Our past is just our past, we have passed through." ~Bob Jones. Enjoy his new mercies today!! 

Healing Rooms.....

I am pretty excited I must say. I have discovered that there is a Healing Room (from the Healing Rooms Ministry out of Spokane Washington, originally started by John G. Lake.) - right near me!! I was reading the local newspaper, which I never do, and I saw this tiny advertisement for the Healing Room at a local Baptist Church near me. 

Tonight I went and checked it out and I am so grateful for this ministry. I got to sit in on the ministry time with individuals that came for prayer. It was awesome! I could hardly stay in my seat, which I had to since I was just "observing". 

Anyway, it was so great to talk to the folks involved in this ministry, and hear their testimonies and all that God has done and is doing through it. 

I am sharing this partly to spread the word regarding this ministry. And partly, because I was so excited about it I had to share it on here. 

My Psalm 139 prayer.......

Lord God and Heavenly Father, 

I am so grateful today in so many ways for your presence in my life. I have always known you since I was a small child, but today as an adult my perceptions of you have shifted to knowing you more for who you truly are. You are loving, good, kind, compassionate, full of ceaseless mercy and grace that supercedes all expectation and never runs out! I know now that you love me, you always have loved me, just because you do!! 

I feel like a princess, with all the riches of heaven, and all the beauties of the earth ever before me. Reminding me daily of my place in the heavenly realms. I can't believe I have a place with you to be forever and that I don't just have to wait until my earthly body fails completely, but I can enjoy You now and be with you now, not in the fullest measure yet, but still we can be together all the time.

I just can't believe I can be in such good friendship with someone so amazing as You. You who are infinite. The universe is at Your fingertip - I just can't fathom Your vastness!!! 

I should have liked to have known David, the wonderful Psalmist. He expresses much of  what is in my heart.  Right now Psalm 139, comes to mind......"Oh Lord, you have searched me thoroughly and have known me (and you still choose to love me!!) You know you my sitting down and my uprising. You understand my thoughts from afar. (Thank God that someone fully understands me!!) You sift and search out my path and my lying down, and You are acquainted with all my ways. (I imagine You join me wherever I go, You walk with me, and rest when I rest right beside me) For there is not a word in my tongue, still unuttered, but behold O Lord, You know it altogether. (and still You choose to love and accept me!!) You have beset me and shut me in - before and behind, and You have laid Your hand upon me. (this is comforting to know) Your infinite knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high above me, I cannot reach it. Where could I go from Your Spirit? Or where could I flee from Your presence? If I ascend up into heaven, You are there; if I make my bed in Sheol (the place of the dead), behold you are there. If I take the wings of the morning or dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there shall your hand lead me, and Your right hand shall hold me. 

If I say, surely the darkness shall cover me and the night shall be the only light about me, even the darkness hides nothing from You, but the night shines as the day; the darkness and the light are both alike to You.

For You did form my inward parts; You did knit me together in my mother's womb. I will confess and praise You for You are fearful and wonderful - and I am wonderfully made!! Wonderful are Your works, and that my inner self knows right well.

My frame was not hidden from You when I was being formed in secret and intricately and curiously wrought as if embroidered with various colors in the depths of the earth a region of darkness and mystery. 

Your eyes saw my unformed substance, and in Your book all the days of my life were written before ever they took shape, when as yet there was none of them.  

How precious and weighty also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How vast is the sum of them!!

If I could count them, they would be more in number than the sand. When I awoke, could I count to the end I would still be with You....

Search me thoroughly, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there is any wicked or hurtful way in  me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

I also like how the Message Bible puts the last couple of verses;  "Investigate my life, O God,  find out everything about me; Cross-examine and test me,  get a clear picture of what I'm about;  See for yourself whether I've done anything wrong, then guide me on the road to eternal life."

I should think anyone who would read this would find so much comfort. Comfort in knowing how intimately God knows YOU, how vast His wonderful thoughts are about YOU. Knowing that He is there everywhere YOU go and that He is before and behind hemming YOU in safely, watching over YOU, and protecting YOU. Take great comfort in the presence of our God, in His intricate watchings over of YOU - Know that He loves YOU dearly, He made YOU unique and wonderful!!!! And even though YOU will fail, His awesome grace will guide YOU and uphold YOU!!!

As predicted.........

Well, I warned you all that I would quote a lot from "Practicing His Presence," by Brother Lawrence and Frank Laubach. It is just too good to keep to myself! (by the way you can get this book at the library!) The portion quoted below is by Frank Laubach.

October 12, 1930 - "How I wish, wish, wish that a dozen or more persons who are trying to hold God endlessly in mind would all write their experiences so that each would know what the other was finding as a result! The results, I think, would astound the world. At least the results of my own effort are astounding to me. 

Worries have faded away like ugly clouds and my soul rests in the sunshine of perpetual peace. I can lie down anywhere in this universe bathed around by my own Father's Spirit. The very universe has come to seem so homey!!! I know only a little more about it than before, but that little is all! It is vibrant with the electric ecstasy of God! I know what it means to be "God-intoxicated." 

If our destiny is to grow on and on and on and on, into some far more beautiful creatures than we are now, that means we need to have the shells broken quite frequently so we can grow. 

I wish to tell all the world that it needs a better way, that God on Signal Hill satisfies, and sends through me a flow of glory which makes me sure that this is the pathway of true intuition." 

Whoa, does anybody else relate to this?!!  Spending time in God's Presence really does satisfy like nothing else!! I am assuming it only gets better and better!!! 

(The artwork above is painted by Sam Ah Tye, I fell in love with her artwork by viewing it at Prophetic Arts for Jesus on Facebook, and she has graciously agreed to allow me to display it on my blog. Thanks Sam!)

Practicing His Presence....

I am finally engaged in reading this book that comes highly recommended by many. "Practicing His Presence." by Brother Lawrence and Frank Laubach.  Apparently, it is one of those all time greatest pieces of Christian Literature. Funny, I never heard of it until this past year!

 

Anyway, you know how it goes with me, I simply must share and quote a bit here.......

 January 26, 1930 - " In defense of my opening my soul and laying it bare to the public gaze in this fashion, I may say that it seems to me that we really seldom do anybody much good excepting as we share the deepest experiences of our souls in this way. It is not the fashion to tell your inmost thoughts, but there are many wrong fashions, and concealment of the best in us is wrong. I disapprove of the usual practice of talking "small talk" whenever we meet, and holding a veil over our souls. If we are so impoverished that we have nothing to reveal but small talk, then we need to struggle for more richness of soul. As for me, I am convinced that this spiritual pilgrimage which I am making is infinitely worthwhile, the most important thing I know of to talk about. And talk I shall while there is anybody to listen." (Frank Laubach.)

March 1, 1930 - " The sense of being led by an unseen hand which takes mine while another hand reaches ahead and prepares the way, grows upon me daily. I do not need to strain at all to find opportunity. It piles in upon me as the waves roll over the beach, and yet there is time to do something about each opportunity. Perhaps a man who has been an ordained minister since 1914 ought to be ashamed to confess that he never before felt the joy of complete hourly, minute by minute  -now what shall I call it? -  more than surrender. I had that before. More than listening to God. I tried that before. I cannot find the word that will mean to you or to me what I am now experiencing. It is a will act.  I compel my mind to open straight out toward God. I wait and listen with determined sensitiveness. I fix my attention there, and sometimes it requires a long time early in the morning. I determine not to get out of bed until that mind upon the Lord is settled. After a while perhaps, it will become a habit, and the sense of effort will grow less. 

But why do I constantly harp upon this inner experience? Because I feel convinced that for me, and for you who read, there lie ahead undiscovered continents of spiritual living compared with which we are infants in his arms. 

And I must witness that people outside are treating me differently. Obstacles which I once would have regarded as insurmountable are melting away like a mirage. People are becoming friendly who suspected or neglected me. I feel, I feel like one who has had his violin out of tune with the orchestra and at last is in harmony with the universe. 

As for me, I never lived, I was half dead, I was a rotting tree, until I reached the place where I wholly, with utter honesty, resolved and then re-resolved that I would find God's will and I would do that will though every fibre in me said no, and I would win the battle in my thoughts. It was as though some deep artesian well has been struck in my soul of souls and strength came forth. I do not claim success even for  a day yet, not complete success all day, but some days are close to success, and every day is tingling with the joy of  a glorious discovery. That thing is eternal. That thing is undefeatable. You and I shall soon blow away from bodies. Money, praise, poverty, opposition, these make no difference, for they will all alike be forgotten in a thousand years, but this spirit which comes to mind set upon continuous surrender, this spirit is timeless life.(Frank Laubach)

April 18, 1930 - "I have tasted a thrill in fellowship with God which has made anything discordant with God disgusting. This afternoon the possession of God has caught me up with such sheer joy that I thought I never had known anything like it. God was so close and so amazingly lovely that I felt like melting all over with a strange and blissful contentment. Having had this experience, which comes to me now several times a week, the thrill of filth repels me, for I know its power to drag me from God. And after an hour of close friendship with God my soul feels clean, as new fallen snow,"(Frank Laubach)

Wow,  I just love how he expresses his deepest thoughts and lays bare his soul. He has come to understand his own spiritual reality and is alive to it, awakened to the fact that in his inner being God is there. He longs to spend every waking moment with God on his mind!!! His motive to pursue God relentlessly is out of the deepest love for His Creator Father!! 

Don't be surprised if I quote from this book a lot. This man's writing resonates with much of what I have been sensing and experiencing over the last year, it is incredible! He writes with such beauty too.....anyway, I hope this blesses someone else today!! Much grace and peace!! Enjoy Him today!!!!

Is it possible to preach too much grace?

This is the title of the latest message from City Church International, preached by Ryan Rufus. 

And I liked it so much, it was short enough and Ryan's easier to transcribe than Rob, he's a little mellower, so I decided to write it out here. 

"Is is possible to preach too much grace? Can we overdose on grace? Be careful now, if you preach too much grace people are going to turn it into a license to sin. Careful now, if you keep preaching grace over and over again, people are going to think it's okay to just run out and sin. You need to balance this message, you've gotta put a little bit of restraint on people, because if they just keep hearing grace, grace, grace, they're just gonna go out and sin. OH REALLY?!! 

Let's clarify this question. Are Christians desperately wanting an excuse to sin?

Titus 2:11 ' For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, it teaches us to say no to ungodliness and worldly passions.' 

What teaches us to say no to sin? Is it the law? No. Is it restraint? No, it's the grace of God that teaches us to say no to sin.

If you teach Christians that they've been forgiven of all their past, present and future sins, and that God will never ever count their sins against them ever again, well then what's to stop them from just running out and sinning? If you keep teaching grace you're going to produce Christians that always want to give in to and go out and sin....No!

'The grace of God teaches us to say no to ungodliness' 

Why is it the first thing that people think when you teach on grace, you just have to clarify it, quick we don't want people to hear this and think oh we can just go out turn it into license and sin now, why is that so common when people hear grace preached? It is because people have not seen their salvation, they have not seen the supernatural work that God has done in a person's life when they get born again. How does the grace of God teach us to say no to sin? Now I am not talking about overcoming sin, I am talking about why we teach on grace so much. The grace of God teaches us to live near to God every moment of every day, and to have boldness to come into His presence every day and to come face to face with God. People that live near to God, don't find it so easy to give in to sin. The closer you are to God the less you want to sin. Law drives people away from God. Law brings people under condemnation. Law is the accusing voice of the enemy, that is why God nailed the law to the cross and this disarmed the accusing voice of the enemy at the cross, when God cancelled the written code at the cross, because the power of the enemy to accuse you was the law. The law says do not lust in your heart, well that's it you lusted, that's it you fell short of God, now you have to be punished......the law actually drives people away from God, it sets up a standard where people have to live with a standard that if I do this I have got to do that, in order for God to love me or to be happy with me, then God will be happy and then He will let me in His presence, so if I don't do this and don't do that then I fall short of His presence and feel condemned and that God does love me, so the law actually drives people away from God.

'Putting the law on Christians results in them feeling far from God and seriously struggling with sin and it will fill their mind with a sin consciousness that will keep them in condemnation, you cannot live in condemnation and close to God at the same time. You cannot live in victory over sin if you are not living close to God. Grace empowers us to live close to God. The more we live in grace the nearer we will live to God, and the nearer we will live to God, the less we will sin. The more people come under law, the further they will live from God and the further they live from God, the more they will give into sin.' (excerpt from the book Ryan is writing on sanctification)

Grace empowers us to live to God every moment of every day!! The closer we are to God, the less we will want to sin. 

'For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, it teaches us to say no to ungodliness and worldly passions.'

The same grace that saves you is the same grace that sanctifies you. Why is that? Because when you came to Jesus you realized it was not about you and what you have done, or your performance or keeping the law, no it was all about Jesus, it was all about the blood that washed away all of your sins and that doesn't ever change, it's not now I need to go back and earn that salvation by keeping the law, or I need to pay God back - no it's the same grace right from the start through to the finish and if you walk in that grace you will walk near to God every day, so the more you preach grace the more people will be driven to God. People that are under grace are people who love Jesus. People who fall more in love with Jesus every day! I am more in love with Jesus today than I was yesterday. People under grace grow in their love for Jesus. 

How does grace teach us to say no to sin? Grace teaches us that God's not trying to put restraint on you, because he's already put it in you. He's changed your heart. When you got saved he took out your stony heart, that had the sinful nature in it, that was provoked by the law and he ripped that out of you and gave you a new heart, he gave you a new nature in your spirit. In Ephesians 4:24, it says we have been created after God himself. Our inner man, our inner being has been created after God's perfect nature in righteousness and holiness of God, inside of our new man, there is a God nature living inside of us, and it's the very nature and character of God. The bible says, we are partakers of the very divine nature of God - we've got God's nature, his character, his justice, his mercy, his love all of that living in our new nature. But the circumcision group wants to come and say you need to be circumcised, outward restraint. God says, No way man I circumcised your heart, changed you from the inside. God's not trying to put restraint on us, he's already put it in us. My inner man, my spirit wants to live passionately for God every day of my life. My spirit wants to serve God with everything that is has, it wants to live in 100% righteousness, it wants to live obedient to God, it wants to live passionate for Jesus. That's my spirit. Now my mind comes under bombardment, I'm working through stuff in my mind. My body gets tired, and tempted and I have natural appetites. If I could live just by my spirit without the interference of my mind and my body -you would see me living 100% righteous, 100% passionate for Jesus, 100% obedient and fruitful for Jesus, why? because God has put that stuff in my spirit. And so sanctification is us learning how to get our minds to line up with heaven and getting our body under control and saying no you are not going to take me there, the Spirit of God wants me here and this is where I am going, it's offering your body as a living sacrifice and it's being transformed by the renewing of your mind. God has put some awesome stuff in our spirit's. We just don't realize that enough, that God has changed our inner man. Before you were saved, sin was on the inside of you, the sinful nature, trying to express itself through your life, law was on the outside of you coming and trying to bring restraint and control that sin problem. Only thing was we think it was trying to control the sin problem but it wasn't. God didn't give the law to control the sin problem, he gave the law to expose the sin problem. That there is a sin problem in us. But then you don't take the law and try to fix the sin problem, it is only through Christ that the sin problem can be solved. Where we have died with Christ, crucified with Christ, that sinful nature has been circumcized, removed from us -Col. 2.  To many preachers still teach that we've got a sinful nature and oh we've just gotta die to the sinful nature. No, the Bible is so clear that the old nature is gone, and we have been circumcized from the old nature and that God has put a new nature inside of you. You don't have a yingyang theology, you've got the old and the good, the sinful and the new nature living together and just wrestling and fighting it out. That is bogus theology! That is rubbish! That's what I mean by Christians have not seen their salvation. And so when you haven't seen your salvation, you think oh if I just preach grace the sinful nature in me or in Christians is just gonna go out and sin. NO we don't have a sinful nature. So when you preach grace, grace empowers that new righteousness nature to want to rise up and live for God as much as you possibly can. Before you were saved sin was on the inside trying to get out. The law was on the outside trying to get in. Now that you're saved, how many of you have ever seen this, now that you're saved sin is on the outside trying to get in, and law is on the inside trying to get out, trying to express itself. Hebrews 8-10 the Lord says a New Covenant I will make, I will write the law on your heart. It's not a reminder, it's a new nature, it's a new drive, it's God's character, God's perfect standard, God's perfect holiness, God's perfect righteousness living on the inside of your new nature, wanting to express itself in perfect righteousness for God. 

Before you were saved, sin on the inside, law on the outside, now that you're saved law on the inside, sin on the outside. 

The circumcision group wants to put external restraint on Christians, grace says no, God has put internal restraint in us. 

You know how they try to restrain you, those who haven't seen their salvation, this is thte  kind of restraint they will try to put on you, "if you sin, God's going to punish you." Is that a good motive not to sin? Because of punishment. That is fear. Fear opens the door to the enemy. You will end up thinking God is punishing you, therefore releasing the enemy to have power in your life. God is never going to punish believers again, because ALL sin has already been dealt with at the cross. Jesus was already punished for ALL my sin. From the start of time to the end of time. Why would God punish for sin twice? God is just - He only punishes sin once!

Where is the safest place to be in a forest fire? It's where the fire has already burned because it will never burn there again......

Where is the safest place for sinners  to be? IN CHRIST, where the fire of God's wrath has already burned, because it will never burn there again. 

The heart of a Christian is not to run out and sin. Temptation comes, because sin is external trying to get in. Not internal trying to get out.

If you sin enough you will lose your salvation. That is not biblical, that is not grace, that undermines the cross. The cross looked ahead at all the sins would ever be committed and dealt with them all right then and there. That means even if we sin, that sin has been dealt with already. 

Sanctification is about our condition on this earth coming in to alignment with our position in heaven. Our position in heaven is perfect forever. When you get tempted it's not even in your spirit, the devil can't even touch your spirit, he goes for your mind and your body. 

Can you ever lose your salvation? NO! It is impossible in any way to lose your salvation. To say you can lose your salvation is to go back under law. It's to put yourself back under old covenant and to say I didn't perform good enough. No, it's a New Covenant, it's His performance on your behalf. Grace from the start right through to the finish. Grace, grace, grace!!!

Why are you always going on about righteousness? When are we going to move on to some solid food? You are always talking about the gift of righteousness.....but let's move on, you keep teaching about righteousness, you keep teaching that you are just going to produce immature Christians, you know infant christians.

 

OH REALLY!! Let's turn to Hebrews 5:12. We are involved in a grace revolution around the world, God is bringing His church back to New Covenant theology, bringing his church bakc into New Covenant glory, that's where the  unfading glory is, God is taking his church out of old covenant the fading glory and He's bringing his church back into New Covenant glory and it's a time for the revolutionaries to rise up, it's not a time for people to sit back and weigh their options. 

The revolutionaries need people to stand with them, they need people to have their backs. City Church is like a spearhead. It's not a time to back off. It's not about us being right, and others being wrong. Its about liberating the church to come into freedom to invade the world. We want to release the life of God to the world. 

You preach this message and you will face persecution, you will feel people's psyche's coming against you. This is normal. You preach the true Gospel you will face persecution.

Back to Heb. 5:12-14, "2In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God's word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! 13Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. 14But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.

The bible says teachings of righteousness is the solid food. Anyone who is still and infant and immature, is not acquainted with the teachings of righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, solid food is the teaching of righteousness. The more you teach righteousness the more you will be giving people solid food. Anyway, who is still and infant is not acquainted with the teaching of the gift of righteousness. We need to teach the gift of righteousness.  Why? Because we are transformed into His glory as we encounter His face.  2 Corinthians 3, says we become like Him when we encounter Him. How? - by revelation that we are free, that we are righteous in Christ, so that we can come boldly into the throne room of grace and encounter God, not in shame, in grace, there is nothing in the way of me going before God, as we encounter Him we are transformed into his likeness and what is that, maturity -being transformed into His likeness is maturity. The more we encounter Him the more we are transformed into His likeness!!! 

2 main things you need to understand to unlock the grace revelation. First, propitiation, that means the satisfying of God's wrath at the cross, not only does he cover our sins, he removes them forever. Hebrews 1o, one sacrifice for all time for all sin. The cross looked ahead to all sin in the future.  There is no more wrath left for sin. 

And secondly the teaching of the gift of righteousness. God sees you 100% righteous all the time every moment before Him. Don't look at your condition, look at your position. God doesn't relate to you on the basis of your condition, he relates to you on the basis of your position. Amen!! 

Who am I?

I recently viewed this video and enjoyed, thought it was worthy of sharing. It's such a heart wrenching song! I had the opportunity to see a group of teens from a former church perform this song as a mime and thought it was beautiful. This version is cool as well. Hope you enjoy!!

HE LOVES ME........

I think the greatest thing ever, ever, ever, is knowing that God loves me, fully, wholly, and completely. Not based on what I do, but because He is a Lover! God is all about relationship, not service and favor, but relationship, fellowship and unity.  

I am growing in my trust of God more and more, because I know first and foremost that He loves me and that He is a good God. Full of grace and mercy!!! 

I love the story of the prodigal son. There are so many awesome truths in it about God and how he relates to us. The prodigal asked for his inheritance, the Father gave it to him, probably knowing how he might choose to use it. He didn't say no and he didn't give him guidelines on how to spend it. Amazing! Then the son goes out leaves his generous loving dad and goes far away, parties, blows all his money, then experiences hardship, has to get a lowly job caring for pigs. The pigs were better fed than he was. It finally dawns on him, out of dire need, that perhaps he could go home and ask his dad for a job. He knew he screwed up and his dad should probably disown him, so of course all he could possibly ask for was to be a hired hand. So he heads home and the dad must have been watching and hoping his son would come because he saw him heading down the path to home from a distance. So he hiked up his robes and ran to greet his son. So thrilled to see him alive and well. He flung himself upon him and embraced and kissed him. Not once did he mention to his son his poor choices, nor did he lecture or reprimand him. NOT ONCE!! Isn't that amazing! The son was all prepared for it, but it never came. Instead the dad threw a huge party and gave his son his cignet ring (which resembles the Father's authority, his seal of approval and ability to make decisions in his name, so he was giving that over to his son, a symbolism for how God gives us Jesus own perfect righteousness and authority over the devil and to the kingdom) and his most dignified robes. (which is interesting because often in this day and age if a child had gone out and done all that the parent would be humiliated....I also think the robes are a picture of how God gives us robes of Christ's righteousness!) This father didn't care about his own status or how ridiculous it may look to others how much he loved his son and didn't care to point out his faults or disown him because of his foolishness. I just love this picture of the Father! Who wouldn't want a dad like Him?!! 

He was just so happy his son was home. How do you think the father/son relaltionship was after this? Do you think the son was confused as to why he didn't get in any trouble or have any consequences? Do you think he began to want to know his dad and be with him? 

Then there's the part of the story of the older brother, which I never looked at fully before. The older son finds out that his brother is back and dad is throwing a party for him with the fatted calf (which is apparently significant in that culture, far more than we understand). The brother gets pretty ticked off. He refused to celebrate with everyone over the return of his brother. But the father approached him and asked him what was going on. He gets quite indignant, and says how he has been serving his father faithfully all these years and never disobeyed him and yet dad never even gave him a goat to celebrate with his friends. He goes on to say how his brother went off and squandered his money on prostitutes and yet dad throws him a big party. 

Then the loving dad tells him that he has always been with him and all that is his(the dad's) is his(the son's) -back up, remember the beginning of the parable when the dad divided his property between the sons- the dad gave them both equal share and the one son blew it all, and the other son carried on like he never got it at all - anyway, he goes on to say your brother was dead and now is alive and once was lost and now is found. 

I think the father may have thought his younger son may never return, who knows how he mourned for him. He never stopped loving him or wanting him. But the same thing with the older brother, he was always with him but chose to remain as a servant instead of viewing his dad as a generous loving dad, he just "served" and "obeyed" him. 

It is an interesting contrast between the two brothers, is in not? The one only cared about his passions, and the other only knew how to be dutiful or religious. Neither one understood how much their dad loved them. But both were important to him. I think it is the prodigal who stood a better chance of gaining an understanding of his love though, because he knew he screwed up and didn't deserve the treatment his dad gave him. He probably was in shock and hopefully amazed by his lavishly gracious dad. Whereas the older brother thought he had to live a certain way, I mean after all he was doing it all right. He was angry that his brother got better treatment, when all along he could have been enjoying his part of the inheritance, but he never did. He somehow thought he could earn his father's favor, or he should have received it because of how he chose to serve and obey his dad. But you know what, I think the dad just wanted a son to be in relationship with. He already had servants. Anyway, that is my long drawn out version of this parable and I am sure there are more things that can be drawn from it. I just love this parable, I never get tired of hearing/reading it. The father portrayed here is so loving and so constant!!  At times I have filled the shoes of each son, the prodigal and the older brother. I am so grateful that my Father loves me the same no matter what and he really just wants to be with me!!! Not only that but he has given me such a rich inheritance in him!!! Amazing!!