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GRACE BLOGS COLLECTION

There are Aliens Among Us

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This is not an attempt to mimic "check-out line" magazines that just try to grab attention. This is an attempt to a biblical approach to an obvious tension among Christians regarding their civic duties. We live with this tension because we have two homelands. We are born from above yet assigned to live and die on this earth: "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy he has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead" (1 Peter 1:3 NRSV).

If we only think of our eternal homeland, we will neglect our earthly duties. If we only think of our earthly existence, we will be conformed to our culture's norms, susceptible to all the fears and frustrations that come with being cut off from home. We will either be legitimately accused of being so heavenly-minded we are of no earthly good, or of being so worldly that we are hypocrites.

"Beloved, I urge you as aliens and exiles to abstain from the desires of the flesh that wage war against the soul" (1 Peter 2:11 NRSV).

As God’s Slaves, Live as Free People

Aliens have a special kind of freedom. The apostle Peter expressed it in what seems to be a paradoxical phrase: "As God's slaves, live as free people..." (1 Peter 2:16 HCSB). Since the original fall of humanity into sin, we have been captives to fear and frustration. The only freedom possible is submitting to be slaves to the One who is sovereign love. When He is responsible for our provision and protection, we are freed from self-preservation, self-exaltation, and fear. Nothing is stronger than He, and love motivates everything He does. His purpose is to restore us to true humanity as originally designed. It is an honor to be His slave. The only other option is being a slave to sin.

Alien Freedom

Peter goes on to explain the nature of this alien freedom: "Honor everyone. Love the family of believers. Fear God. Honor the emperor" (1 Peter 2:17 NRSV). As we respect all people as being created in the image of God and worth the redemption price of the Son, we eliminate prejudice, racism, and injustice. As we love the family of believers, we embrace the purpose of God to bless the world through His family of priests. As we fear God, we respond to Him as the final authority and last word in our lives. As we honor the emperor, we accept God's use of civil authority to order society, and we submit to participate in it.

A Role to Play

When Peter wrote his letter, there was one emperor of Rome. In our day we live in a democratic republic where the people being governed have a role to play in who establishes order and how it is done. We honor this process by lawfully participating in it with diligence.

The same root word for honor is used for our attitude toward everyone and toward the emperor. We don't have to approve of what everyone or the emperor does in order to honor. We do have to see them as God values them. Emperors change. Civil authority is God's established way of ordering society. It remains. We must constantly work to establish laws that reflect the values of God's kingdom. Personalities are not as important as policies.

Please Support The Stream: Equipping Christians to Think Clearly About the Political, Economic and Moral Issues of Our Day.

Being aliens who are enjoying a freedom that is other-worldly, we are faithful to embrace our earthly assignments seriously. We are slaves to God who has made us His sons. We can leave the earth a better place than we found it. Aliens who are aware and awake make good citizens of the earth for we know we will be going home.

 

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.

The post There are Aliens Among Us appeared first on The Stream.

Making Jesus Famous – The Best Life Ever!

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Just added another speaking engagement to my calendar for this year! What am I doing to make this happen? Nothing but resting in Jesus and enjoying my relationship with Him. I seriously cannot believe I tried to live for myself for the first 34 years of my Christian life. My biggest goal was to be […]

The post Making Jesus Famous – The Best Life Ever! appeared first on Sandra McCollom.

Why Did God Create Mankind?

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The-Creation

Have you ever wondered why you are here?
Have you asked, “what’s my purpose?”
Maybe you’ve even wondered, “what am I supposed to do?”

How you answer those questions may determine how religious you are. How you answer those questions may reveal the level of your performance mentality before God. How you answer those questions may give you insight into the kind of relationship you think you have with God and what you think God expects from you.

A created thing can not determine its own purpose. The creator of anything has its own reason for producing that object. You are here according to God’s intentions. So what are God’s reasons for creating mankind? More specifically, why did he make you?

Revelation 4:11 Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.

God created everything for his pleasure. That begs another question; what brings God pleasure? How you answer that question reveals the kind of father you think God is. Does poverty bring him pleasure? Does sickness bring him pleasure? What about confusion? Many people seem to think God wants them confused. I hear many people talk about their life’s circumstances and ask the question, what are you doing God? As if he’s the one in control over that circumstance. God is not the author of confusion so it must not bring him pleasure for you to be confused about your life and it’s circumstances.

What brings God pleasure is the same as any other father, healthy loving relationships with their children. God is a good father, it is his good pleasure to give you his kingdom. What’s in his kingdom? Righteousness, peace and joy. It brings God pleasure when you to enjoy what he has given you, righteousness, peace and joy.

David wondered why God created mankind, he wrote about it in a psalm…

What is man that You take thought of him, and the son of man that You care for him?

Then David receives his answer…

Yet you have made him a little lower than God, and You crown him with glory and majesty! You make him to rule over the works of Your hands; you have put all things under his feet, all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field, the birds of the heavens and the fish of the sea, whatever passes through the paths of the seas. Psalm 8

The words ‘glory’ and ‘majesty’ or ‘honor’ in modern day language are dignity, worth, value and royalty. God has attributed to mankind incredible worth and value. Each human life is worth every drop of the eternal blood of Jesus. God sees mankind as kings and rulers over his creation. When God looks at people he sees a dignified, royal creature worthy to have authority over his own creation.

This is true of all mankind. This is the reason Christ died for the ungodly, because everyone is valuable. This is why Jesus remained obedient unto the death of the cross and passed into the grave while we were sinners, because God sees mankind as royalty.

Once we receive Jesus and are cleansed by his blood our royalty extends into Heaven because we’re then in Jesus but even before then, each human on this planet is worth more than all its gold and precious stones combined. The reason God created mankind was to enjoy his creation and enjoy fellowship with each other and enjoy relationship with him.

Your purpose is fulfilled when you say yes to Jesus and enjoy fellowship with God, it’s that simple.

In next week’s blog I’ll cover the difference between purpose and calling and address dreams, goals and desires. You can watch part 3 of Why Am I Here? Sunday morning at 9 & 11am EST.

Stay tuned for a book and workshop entitled Why Am I Here? Discover Your Purpose and Fulfill Your Call

The post Why Did God Create Mankind? appeared first on Forward Ministries.

Why Did God Create Mankind?

by

The-Creation

Have you ever wondered why you are here?
Have you asked, “what’s my purpose?”
Maybe you’ve even wondered, “what am I supposed to do?”

How you answer those questions may determine how religious you are. How you answer those questions may reveal the level of your performance mentality before God. How you answer those questions may give you insight into the kind of relationship you think you have with God and what you think God expects from you.

A created thing can not determine its own purpose. The creator of anything has its own reason for producing that object. You are here according to God’s intentions. So what are God’s reasons for creating mankind? More specifically, why did he make you?

Revelation 4:11 Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.

God created everything for his pleasure. That begs another question; what brings God pleasure? How you answer that question reveals the kind of father you think God is. Does poverty bring him pleasure? Does sickness bring him pleasure? What about confusion? Many people seem to think God wants them confused. I hear many people talk about their life’s circumstances and ask the question, what are you doing God? As if he’s the one in control over that circumstance. God is not the author of confusion so it must not bring him pleasure for you to be confused about your life and it’s circumstances.

What brings God pleasure is the same as any other father, healthy loving relationships with their children. God is a good father, it is his good pleasure to give you his kingdom. What’s in his kingdom? Righteousness, peace and joy. It brings God pleasure when you to enjoy what he has given you, righteousness, peace and joy.

David wondered why God created mankind, he wrote about it in a psalm…

What is man that You take thought of him, and the son of man that You care for him?

Then David receives his answer…

Yet you have made him a little lower than God, and You crown him with glory and majesty! You make him to rule over the works of Your hands; you have put all things under his feet, all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field, the birds of the heavens and the fish of the sea, whatever passes through the paths of the seas. Psalm 8

The words ‘glory’ and ‘majesty’ or ‘honor’ in modern day language are dignity, worth, value and royalty. God has attributed to mankind incredible worth and value. Each human life is worth every drop of the eternal blood of Jesus. God sees mankind as kings and rulers over his creation. When God looks at people he sees a dignified, royal creature worthy to have authority over his own creation.

This is true of all mankind. This is the reason Christ died for the ungodly, because everyone is valuable. This is why Jesus remained obedient unto the death of the cross and passed into the grave while we were sinners, because God sees mankind as royalty.

Once we receive Jesus and are cleansed by his blood our royalty extends into Heaven because we’re then in Jesus but even before then, each human on this planet is worth more than all its gold and precious stones combined. The reason God created mankind was to enjoy his creation and enjoy fellowship with each other and enjoy relationship with him.

Your purpose is fulfilled when you say yes to Jesus and enjoy fellowship with God, it’s that simple.

In next week’s blog I’ll cover the difference between purpose and calling and address dreams, goals and desires. You can watch part 3 of Why Am I Here? Sunday morning at 9 & 11am EST.

Stay tuned for a book and workshop entitled Why Am I Here? Discover Your Purpose and Fulfill Your Call

The post Why Did God Create Mankind? appeared first on Forward Ministries.

Information VS Instruction

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Believers have the mind of Christ. Our problem is not a lack of information. Our problem isn’t even a lack of “spiritual” information.

I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. John 15:15

Did you catch that? Jesus has revealed EVERYTHING to you that he learned from his father!!!

You don’t need more information, Jesus has already taught you everything you need to know by giving you a new heart when you were born again. You need wisdom and instruction to apply what you know.

Wisdom is less about information and more about a way of seeing. The wise are able to shift their lens to God’s perspective. Christ’s finished work is the lens of God’s point of view. In Christ we are complete, lack no thing, have all blessings, have all sufficiency and are righteous before the Father. These are spiritual truths that God is seeking to establish in our physical and emotional lives. His spirit is continually instructing us in the application of wisdom but many times we are too distracted by our focus on the world to be in agreement with His wisdom.

Our “task” as believers is to yield to God’s inner influence (grace) and allow his wisdom and truth to shift our inner environment to Heaven’s environment. Heaven’s atmosphere is righteousness, peace and joy.

Wisdom isn’t necessarily information on what we’re supposed to do but rather an acknowledgement of what we are (in him). Wisdom is a manifestation in our hearts, minds and souls that brings us into agreement with God’s perspective of the world, our lives and our specific circumstances. Heaven says there’s enough grace to overcome temptation, Heaven says there’s more than enough provision to meet that need, Heaven says the blessing you think you lack is present in Christ who is in you. Wisdom will teach your mind to be in agreement with Heaven’s state of existence which will change the way you see your world.

When wisdom bears fruit:

  • those situations that seem impossible become possible
  • You’re reminded of God’s promises
  • you’re reminded of Christ’s finished work
  • you make decisions from victory
  • you speak things that are spiritually true
  • fear is not an option
  • lack doesn’t drive you
  • money is not the thing you think about the most
  • and the list goes on… (what would you add)

We know what Jesus knows. The problem is we don’t always know how to apply of walk in the truth that he’s revealed to us. God says we can ask for wisdom and he’ll give it to us. Wisdom is not information, it’s a way of seeing situations through God’s eyes. You then need proper instruction to walk our truth. Make sure you’re not confusing instruction for information. You have enough information, seek instruction.

Godly instruction comes form many places but if you start from a place of completeness in Christ, then you can apply good instruction within the physical world to see success and fruit. Instruction is not works, just healthy principles to adhere to as we live life. Applying principles do not make God move or release blessings, they simply line up your thoughts and actions with your spirit so you’re not hindering the increase of the kingdom in your life.

Find good instruction and be diligent to move forward from a place of victory and completeness in Christ.

Check our these video and audio messages.

 

The post Information VS Instruction appeared first on Forward Ministries.

Wisdom from Heaven

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sunfieldred

I love discovering principles in the Word of God that reinforce the kind and loving character of God. This week I’m continuing my study in the book of James. I want to show you something hidden within chapter 4 verse 13.

Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.

In this passage we discover that humility comes from wisdom.

Where does wisdom come from?

James 1:5 If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.

Wisdom comes directly from God. And as a bonus he gives it generously without beating you up about what you’ve done wrong in the process. Again, 4:13 says humility comes from wisdom…I thought humility came from God knocking you down a few notches to teach you lessons the hard way? God’s a tough love kind of god, right? Not according to James. You’d think James would say that God teaches you through trials and difficulties but he actually says the opposite.

A thorough reading of James reveals the perspective that a seemingly fiery Apostle actually has of God.

  • In chapter 1, James says God will give you more wisdom than you need in difficult times
  • Then he says to not blame God for your trials and temptations
  • He then says it’s the good things that come from God
  • And in chapter 4 he says that this wisdom that God has given you will teach you humility

Why do so many people think that James says trials are from God and he humbles you with difficulties? They have a little too much religion if you ask me.

In the following free message I expound on this idea and also discuss the concept of resisting the devil. I pray you take time to listen to this empowering message.

Audio link

The post Wisdom from Heaven appeared first on Forward Ministries.

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