GRACE BLOGS COLLECTION
We also take a look at more evidence where James and the elders in Jerusalem convince Paul to participate in an old covenant exercise where ceremony and sacrifice would occur in order to show the Jews that Paul was also a law keeper and had not forsaken Moses. This event from Acts 21 would have been nearly 3 decades after the cross, and about 20 years after James wrote his Bible letter. More to come!
It’s amazing how much myth surrounds teaching about the devil, and how much has been accepted as truth without question.
Most of what people believe is based on other people’s experiences or the insights of those who profess to know more about the devil than the Bible reveals. This inevitably denies the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus and causes the gospel to be powerless in our lives.
We must not believe things that are not clearly substantiated in Scripture. We should never base truth on assumption.
There are popular books about the devil. They make great novels but are not scripturally true.
Most mythical beliefs about the devil are theories based on who people believe him to be in his original state and rob God of His glory and power, ultimately exalting Satan’s power.
One theory is that the devil was the worship leader in heaven with supreme authority as the covering cherub.
“Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire.” —Ezekiel 28:14 (KJV)
This theory also suggests Satan was the one who covered the throne of God, making him the one closest to God. Let’s look at what is actually revealed in the scriptures.
“No man has ever seen God at any time; the only unique Son, or the only begotten God, Who is in the bosom [in the intimate presence] of the Father….“ —John 1:18 (AMP)
This scripture is clear that Jesus is the One who has always been in the bosom and intimate presence of the Father— face to face with God—throughout eternity.
Another undermining theory is that Satan still has authority or power over people on earth. It includes that sinning gives the devil the legal right to attack believers. We call it “opening the door to the devil.”
This has undermined the faith of thousands and strengthened legalism, law and performance righteousness in people’s lives.
Many believe in generational curses. This makes the power of God of no effect in our lives.
Jesus delivered us from the kingdom of darkness and translated us to the kingdom of his Son (Col. 1:13).
After His resurrections, Jesus said to his disciples, “All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth” (Mat. 28:18). He didn’t say “some power” nor “EXCEPT for when you sin.”
Authority and power is not ours to relinquish. Satan has no degree of power on earth. Jesus is the only authority.
Paul countered all the error and said that God is the One who makes us able (qualifies us) to
be partakers of the inheritance, through Jesus.
“Giving thanks to the Father, Who has qualified and made us fit to share the portion which is the inheritance of the saints (God’s holy people) in the Light.” — Colossians 1:12 (AMPC)
Nothing we do can qualify or disqualify us. God alone qualifies us.
Jesus delivered us from the power of darkness and translated us into the kingdom of His Son (Col. 1:13).
God has made peace with us, reconciled us (made friends with us), and we are presented Holy, unblameable and unreprovable in His sight (Col. 1:20-22).
In Jesus, God is the One who makes us complete, perfect and safe from the devil (Col. 2:8-10).
“Greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world!”—1 John 4:4
The cross has reconnected us to the power of God that has established us in God’s never-ending love. This is the power to resist the onslaught of the enemy. Learn the truth that exposes the devil for who he really is. Completely overpowered, captured and displayed as totally stripped of all authority and power on the earth.
“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. He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross. In this way, he disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross.” — Colossians 2:13-15
In ancient times, there were two kinds of victory — when the enemy flees from you, and when the enemy is captured.
The victor paraded the defeated king in the streets with their thumbs and big toes cut off, proving they would never be able to stand or hold a weapon against you again.
Satan has been totally overpowered, captured and displayed—stripped of all power on the earth—with no right to work in our lives, no matter what!
The post Exposing the Enemy appeared first on Arthur Meintjes.
Things like food and Gentiles, which had been considered unclean or unacceptable under law, God now had declared to be clean. But imagine if Peter had written letters to believers and church folks which ended up in the Bible before he had this revelation about freedom from law. Undoubtedly, his writings would have looked much different and inconsistent with what the Apostle Paul was communicating in his letters. The book of James is considered to likely be the oldest New Testament writing (or the first) after Jesus rose. Like most Jews, James had a similar assumption about the law when he wrote his letter – much like Peter did. And this continues our series about the subject of Paul, James and justification.
The letter James wrote to Jews who were scattered throughout the region is believed to be the earliest book written in the New Testament after the resurrection. During this period of time, James believed the Mosaic law was still in place and that individual works played a factor in being justified. We've seen evidence of this in the book of Acts, Galatians, and his own letter. Bible teachers will panic if this is true and will fear it invalidates the entire Bible. That’s why they feel the need to corroborate their preconceived assumptions that P&J couldn’t have possibly been in disagreement. But maybe we've just been inaccurately assuming some things about these written pages that have us missing a bigger point.
As believers, the promise of sharing in the abundant (Zoe) life of God and living in His fullness is a great privilege. It’s not some future goal. It’s reality because we are seated together with Christ in heavenly places.
Jesus said,
“… the person whose ears are open to My words who listens to My message and BELIEVES and trusts in and clings to and relies on Him Who sent Me has POSSESSES NOW eternal life….” —John 5:24 (AMP)
“And this is the RECORD that God hath given to us ETERNAL LIFE, and this LIFE is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath LIFE; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have ETERNAL LIFE, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.” —John 5:11-13
John assures us that we already have the very life of God.
Peter said,
“According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue” (2 Pet. 1:3).
Few things are more frustrating than knowing the promise of abundant life, but experiencing little or none of it daily. To experience it, we must interpret the gospel correctly.
Paul’s prayer gives us insight in Ehesians 3:14-20
“…to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man” (v. 16).
He emphasizes being empowered from the inside out. The Kingdom of God is inward, and everything God does is through our hearts from the inside out.
Then Paul tells us how God empowers us from the inside out. Paul says,
“…that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith” (v. 17).
When we receive Christ, He comes and dwells in our hearts, but I also believe he’s saying we should consciously focus our hearts on Christ and Him crucified—to allow Christ to dwell in the deepest, most intimate recesses of our hearts (our belief systems). Paul then says,
“…that ye, being rooted and grounded in love” (v.17).
When we focus on Christ, we discover that we’ve always been the focus of God’s love—an unending, unconditional love. The Kingdom of God is inward, and everything God does is through our hearts from the inside out.
Verse 18 says, “… to comprehend … what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge.”
Comprehend means to lay hold of so as to make one’s own. When we focus our attention on Christ, we are able to lay hold of God’s fullness.
Paul says,
“…that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God” (v. 19).
This happens effortlessly when we focus on Christ and become established in God’s unconditional love. It doesn’t come through effort—only through right believing.
God is the One who is able.
“Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us” (v. 20).
Able means to have the ability and power to do. It’s the exhaustive power to perform, carry out, fulfill, bring to pass, and produce. It’s not only God’s intention for us to live in His fullness; He will make it happen!
Exceeding abundantly means superior in quantity or excessive. This term is a super superlative— something that is beyond expression.
The idea behind “above all that we ask or think” is to ask for a bucket full, but there’s still an ocean left over. God is able to do what we think, and then over and above! According to the power—miracle working power (ability, energy, and might) of influence, and enablement—that works IN US.
Living the abundant life is the influence of God’s unconditional love working in our hearts. Receive what He did by grace, and realize that His finished work is active in you, right now!
– Arthur
As a believer, you already have the very life of God right here and now! God preplanned for us to have His life from the beginning of time (Eph. 2:10).
Before we were saved, our hearts were established in a belief system based on worldly views, self-effort and performance. But when we accept Jesus, we are regenerated in spirit and in heart!
“A new HEART also will I give you, and a new SPIRIT will I put within you: and I will take away the stony HEART out of your flesh, and I will give you an HEART of flesh.” —Ezekiel 36:26 (KJV)
Something supernatural and spiritual happens IN and TO us; we are recreated in Christ and given a new heart. But unfortunately, many people continue to re-establish their hearts in the same old belief system that they had before.
Proverbs says, that we are to incline our ears to the Word, keep them in the midst of our hearts (Prov. 4:20-27). Why? Because the Word will never be life and health to us unless it works from a believing heart!
Proverbs also tells us our hearts are like the human equivalent of a computer operating system!
“Keep vigilant watch over your heart; that’s where life starts!” —Proverbs 4:23 (MSG)
When the Bible speaks of the heart, it’s talking about our deepest convictions, persuasions, and belief-system.
“For as he (man) thinketh (BELIEVETH) in his heart, so is he….”—Proverbs 23:7 (KJV)
Thinketh means to calculate; to estimate the price or market value.
It’s clear that what we believe, esteem, and value in our hearts determines who and what we are! If a man’s “default” belief system is not correct, he won’t think or function correctly.
God ministers to your spirit through the Holy Spirit. As a believer, you have already been made fully complete and mature in the spirit through Christ— wanting and lacking nothing (Col. 2:8-10). You cannot grow or mature spiritually any more than you are already!
When we accept Jesus, we are regenerated in spirit and in heart!
God has established the five-fold ministry for the perfecting of the saints (Eph. 4:11-13).
Perfecting comes from the root word meaning to mend. Thayer’s defines it as: to render, complete, to mend (what has been broken or rent), to repair or to complete and make whole!
The five-fold ministry ministers to the soul of a believer to repair his mind, will, and emotions.
Mark Twain said, “It’s not what you don’t know that’ll kill you. It’s what you know for sure that isn’t true that will kill you.”
Others cannot guard, protect, and minister to your heart for you.
Today, many people have stopped taking responsibility for their own lives, blaming someone or something else for their circumstances. Anytime you blame someone else, you unknowingly sabotage your life and hinder your success.
It’s not so much about what is right or wrong. What’s more important is whether what you are exposing your heart to is going to bring life or death. Only you can guard your heart.
There is a way that seems right, and all things are lawful, but how is it affecting your heart? (1 Cor. 6:12; 10:23)
Throughout Scripture, we find those who were chosen and anointed by God, but because they didn’t guard their hearts, they lost their ministries, kingdoms, and some even their lives!
Guarding your heart is one of the most important things you can do on a daily basis!
Jesus explained that the degree of attention we give to the truth we hear will determine what we get from it (Mk. 4:23-25). He was saying that whatever we listen to and focus on will increase, grow, and multiply in our hearts and lives.
The condition of your heart determines how much you will live and enjoy the abundant life!
Blessings,
Arthur Meintjes
Jesus spoke to the father of the boy with an evil spirit in Mark 9, and said, “…If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.” Mark 9:23 (KJV)
After Jesus cursed the fig tree, He said, “For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.” Mark 11:23 (KJV)
What a powerful statement! We find the heart and the power of belief throughout the Bible.
Proverbs tells us how our boundaries of belief are established:
“Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues (boundary – in Hebrew) of life.” Proverbs 4: 23 (NKJV)
The heart plays a very important part in believing and living the abundant life. But it’s frustrating when you know the promise of abundant life, but aren’t experiencing it.
Believers have the promise of partaking in the abundant, Zoe Life of God here and NOW!
It’s not a future goal. It’s our present-day reality as we are seated with Christ in
heavenly places. Look at what Jesus said about it.
“For this is My Father’s will and His purpose, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in and cleaves to and trusts in and relies on Him should HAVE eternal life….” John 6:40 (AMP)
“The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy LIFE, (Zoe) and have it in ABUNDANCE (to the full, till it overflows).” John 10:10 (AMP)
We must have a clear definition of what the Zoe Life of God is!
The Zoe Life is the life that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit have and experience for all eternity—a life of unconditional love, acceptance, oneness, transparency, generosity, belonging, value, appreciation and prosperity!
It’s a life of other-centeredness. There is no self-centeredness, selfishness, self-interest, hidden-agendas or ulterior- motives, and no greed!
It empowers freedom and strength. There is no guilt, condemnation, shame, rejection, fear or suspicion! There’s no corruption, decay, loss, lack or poverty!
In 1 John 5:9-13, John assures us we have the life of God, so no one can deceive us. Therefore, it is clear that we already have the very life of God—right here and now!
Estranged and Self-banished from the Life of God!
In Ephesians 4:17-18, Paul warned believers not to walk or live in the sinful ways of the Gentiles. But I believe he was also encouraging them not to live a lower quality of life as mere Gentiles or as unbelievers.
“…henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart.”
To be alienated means to be separated or divorced from. The Amplified Bible speaks about being estranged and self- banished from the life of God!
“Their moral understanding is darkened and their reasoning is beclouded. [They are] alienated (estranged, self-banished) from the life of God [with no share in it; this is] because of the ignorance (the want of knowledge and perception, the willful blindness) that is deep-seated in them, due to their hardness of HEART [to the insensitiveness of their moral nature].” Ephesians 4:18 (AMPC)
It’s possible for a believer, possessing the Zoe Life of God,
to be estranged or self-banished from experiencing and enjoying it because of what we believe in our hearts!
Unfortunately, this is the condition of so many people today.
It is important for believers to learn to guard their hearts, and establish them in the truth of the Gospel.
The current condition of our lives is a direct result of what we have believed in our hearts in the past, and what we believe in our hearts today will produce the quality of our lives in the future.
Blessings,
Arthur Meintjes
For our future success, we must realize that we can’t do anything about our past, but we can do something about our future. Paul said:
I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. …For we are labourers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry…. —I Corinthians 3:4-9
Husbandry means management team! If we don’t give people the opportunity to partner with us, ministry becomes a source of frustration.
We’ve all heard the saying: “Today is the first day of the rest of our lives.” One thing we can do for a more successful, productive future is to learn about and partake in the practical wisdom of partnership.
Two people can accomplish more than twice as much as one; they get a better return for their labor. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But people who are alone when they fall are in real trouble. And on a cold night, two under the same blanket can gain warmth from each other. But how can one be warm alone? A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken. —Ecclesiastes 4:9-12
When someone starts a ministry or church, the leader does almost everything because of a servant’s heart. But as it grows, if he continues to do everything, he will burn out and hinder its effectiveness. Practical partnership of any kind takes teamwork. In the past, I thought no one would be interested in being part of our vision and ministry and backed away from making partnership available.
I’ve realized that if we don’t give people the opportunity to connect with us, it damages them and Kingdom. Sometimes, we are our own worst enemy. Over the last six months, the Lord has instructed that if we’re going to grow our vision and ministry impact, we have to give people the opportunity to partner with us!
I haven’t always understood this biblical truth, and I’ve not focused on building a culture of partnership in our ministry. We have done what we have done without relying on partners, though we’ve had some faithful supporters. Now I know how important it is to have teamwork and co-operation to accomplish a common purpose.
But it’s not that other people aren’t interested; sometimes it’s that we don’t make the opportunity available to people.
The Lord has given me some clear understanding of what partnership should look like for our ministry.
Partnership = a group of people working together for a common purpose. This is important because the Kingdom and the world were created as a team system.
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Godhead) is a team concept! Only as partners will we reap the full benefits!
Nowhere is this more clearly illustrated than in the account of the tower of Babel!
And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built. And the Lord said, Behold, they are one people and they have all one language; and this is only the beginning of what they will do, and now nothing they have imagined they can do will be impossible for them. — Genesis 11:5-6 (AMP)
The spiritual implications of partnership is a 10X multiplication! “One puts a thousand to flight, and two puts ten thousand to flight” (Deut. 32:30). We can see the benefits of partnership in serving others in the Kingdom of God.
Cathy and I travel throughout the world, preaching the Gospel of peace and teaching the grace, love, mercy and forgiveness of God in a practical way that highlights the value and dignity of every individual in God’s sight. This atmosphere helps restore relationship with God, our families, our neighbors and ultimately, our nation.
We want to thank all of our faithful supporters and partners. You’ve helped us reach people around the world with the message of the Gospel.
And if you are not yet partners with us, we want to invite you to consider becoming one. You can partner with us financially by donating here and making it a monthly donation.
Together, we can achieve what would be impossible by ourselves.
The Gospel is “the power of God unto salvation”—wholeness in every area of life—that’s
what KLM is all about. We teach the true Gospel with integrity and openness. We speak into desperate situations, and see people of all backgrounds respond to Truth. It’s practical grace for extraordinary living!
Blessings,
Arthur Meintjes
My uncle Charlie continues to express his amazement at the level of unhealthy discourse going on down at the local coffee shop and on TV. He can't understand why everyone can't see what is as obvious as the nose of your face ... to him. Uncle Charlie is not alone. Ordinary citizens don't spend much time thinking about or discussing social Darwinism. But our unaware society is bogged down in the mire of its implications.
We decry the silliness of today’s political discourse, yet we relentlessly watch the spinning of one false narrative after another from almost every form of media, both secular and religious. We search for some basis to defend the leader that best suits our own preferences, even allowing for some serious speculation. Then, we get excited to find some tidbit of information that might discredit the other side.
We celebrate in rallies when our candidate wins. But our smiles are shallow and our laughter his hollow, for deep down there is a sinking feeling. We know that what we are watching is more entertainment than serious governance. Yet, we believe that as long as "our side" will come out on top, things will inevitably get better and better.
That’s the underlying problem we are not addressing. We have bought what Hell has been selling since the beginning. It is the myth of inevitable progress toward human flourishing. In the end political discourse is fruitless -- because each proponent is pushing his/her view of how we implement inevitable progress, but without including a personal God who both created and sustains the world by his beneficent power. Who is going to tell the Emperor that he has no clothes?
There is no guarantee that history is marching toward utopia or even a better condition than before. Leaders can promise that their agenda will promote the progression better than the opponent. But without including God, the promises are nothing but seductive temptations. I'm confident that the generation that built the Tower of Babel could not conceive of things going badly. Just like today, progress was being made and humans were discovering how powerful and smart they were. Much of current civil leadership is characterized by the belief in unlimited human capacity for progress.
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In the absence of plausible reasons to promote their view, politicians have reverted to entertainment instead of persuasion. Therefore, as N.T. Wright stated in Surprised by Hope, they demand to be treated as Rock Stars, and Rock Stars are pretending to be politicians. Washington, D.C., has replaced Hollywood as the entertainment center of the nation. It is captivating drama -- but sadly, we can't turn it off by pressing delete. Our future as citizens of the earth is at stake, and in the hands of people bedeviled by the same myth that the Serpent told Eve. "Don't worry, when you know good and evil, you won't need God."
There is a hope for real progress, but it is only in the dynamic of the Kingdom of God. Jesus expressed this hope in his parable of the leaven in the loaf. The tiny bit of leaven expands and transforms the entire lump until it is an altogether difference substance. More flour couldn't do such. More water would not accomplish the same. Something wholly different from the dough, even in a small amount, is what causes it to progress into what it was meant to be. Conversely, the sure hope for those who deny God and his kingdom is not progress but the spiral of descending deception and destruction (see Romans 1:18-32).
Some suggest we return to a more moral national ethic derived from a consensus of the different religions of the world. Some Christians even suggest that we institute biblical law. Though aligning with the Kingdom of God does bring progress in all relationships between humans and creation, that alignment is impossible to sustain without a relationship to the King of the kingdom. So, it would seem clear that the most important task of all humanity is to recognize and revere the person who has been enthroned as king, and get to know him. Of course, that is related to the mission of the Church in society.
History without the leaven of the Kingdom of God being operative in society, will tell a miserable and tragic story.
Jesus commissioned his followers to infect all nations with this hope. But that institution has largely bought in to the myth as well. Trying to be respectably relevant to culture, it has taken its seat in the audience to be entertained by those who are shaping our government and dictating our lives on earth. Relegating true hope to a future heaven or delayed millennium, much of the church has placed earthly hope in secular inevitable progress. We adopt without critique the idea that history is moving toward progress and we must be sure to be on the right side of history.
Here is a truth alert! History, without the leaven of the Kingdom of God being operative in society, will tell a miserable and tragic story. Throughout most of history, the true followers of Jesus have been engaged in reversing history's determined march to self-destruction. They were conscious of being ambassadors of his kingdom. They are those who have been reconciled to God by the death and resurrection of Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:18-21). They speak on his behalf exhorting everyone to be reconciled to God. That is the hope!
The reconciled ones have access to the wisdom of the reigning king. Sharing his very life, they have a capacity to care about creation in a way that others do not. They know the power of humility and the fruit of love. They know that God loves his creation and is eager to bless it. But they know that without his blessing, the only future is destruction.
I call all those whom Jesus identifies as his to repent (change your mind) of buying into the myth. The best way to serve your country and the world that God loves is to live fully as an ambassador from the eternal kingdom. You are qualified by his righteousness.
It is time to stop watching the political drama and engage our world with the hope of progress based only on the Kingdom of God now in existence through faith in Jesus, the king. We cannot afford to sit by and watch the amusing circus going on in the seats of human government, though God himself laughs at the absurdity (Psalms 2:1-6).
When myths displace truth, the trajectory is set toward misery and destruction. The people who make up the body of Christ can make a difference. We represent a kingdom that cannot be destroyed. When it is recognized, it produces the fruit of light -- one day, one person, one prayer at a time. Progress is promised in Jesus. Without him it is not inevitable, regardless who is maneuvering the controls of government.
Dudley Hall is a Senior Contributor to The Stream. He is the founder and President of Kerygma Ventures, a sought-after speaker, an engaging preacher, an effective consultant, and a trusted spiritual father. Dudley has authored several books including Grace Works, Incense & Thunder, Glad to be Left Behind, Men In Their Own Skin, Orphans No More, When Hard Times Come, Follow Me and his latest, a children's book laced with gospel truth: Shorty the Substitute Ram.
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