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GRACE BLOGS COLLECTION

725. Where Do I Stand if I’m Not Keeping the Commandments Perfectly?

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Ever since the cross and resurrection, church-ianity has pushed a counterfeit gospel known as law-keeping, which believers become hooked on and frequently have a difficult time breaking free from. The Bible tells us the commandments contained within the law from the Old Covenant were not based upon faith. Faith came when Christ arrived. Trying to live by the command caused sin to increase. Living in the Spirit allows us to bear His fruit instead of our own rotten tomatoes.

We don’t serve in the old way of a written code but by the new way of the Spirit. The old way will leave you wondering where you stand with God in any given minute. You will never be at peace while trying to live up to a standard that required perfect behavior … and take notice that legalistic Christianity only will only require you keep a very small portion of what the law demanded. The rest gets hypocritically tossed aside. The remedy for breaking free from the slavery of the addiction of works is God’s grace.



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719. Tear Down This Wall!

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In Ephesians Chapter 2, Paul talked about a dividing wall which brought a separation from Christ. It kept us from the covenants of promise while leaving us without hope and without God in the world. What was this wall of separation? Many might be surprised to find out that Paul revealed it was the law of commandments contained in ordinances.

Jesus broke down this barrier and it resulted in us who were far off being brought near by His blood. It ended with both Jew and Gentile being brought together into one new man (Christ). For centuries, the religious business has attempted to rebuild this wall which Jesus leveled… leaving people in a place of covenant confusion and uncertainty.



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718. The Holy Spirit in You

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Following up on last week’s program about feeling the need to ask God’s Spirit to show up or inviting God’s presence into our midst …

This practice misses the understanding that He never leaves as He continuously abides in us. This is different than the Old Covenant. Under the New Covenant, the Spirit may manifest with special gifts as He wills through an anointing that already abides in us.

But there is nothing we can do to create an atmosphere that is more inviting in order to get God to respond with an RSVP to our invitation—because it’s not about what we do … He has chosen to be with us and in us by grace.



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717. Requesting the Holy Spirit to Show Up

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It’s commonplace within a gathering of believers to invite God into our presence or seek some sort of special visitation from His Spirit. As we gain a more complete knowledge of the truth, we discover there is good news on this subject: He never leaves us! He doesn’t depart, withdraw or spontaneously come and go.

In fact, we were invited into His presence and He is there to comfort and bear witness of Jesus in whom we abide. He began a good work in us and He will be faithful to complete it.



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Growing In Grace…Every Day

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I’ve been in one of the most exciting seasons of my life this past month, spiritually speaking. This is really starting to sink in for me which proves that we are all always growing in grace. I wrote this out recently and have now attached scripture references to it for you because I like you! […]

Growing in Grace… Everyday

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I’ve been in one of the most exciting seasons of my life this past month, spiritually speaking. This is really starting to sink in for me which proves that we are all always growing in grace. I wrote this out recently and have now attached scripture references to it for you because I like you! […]

The post Growing in Grace… Everyday appeared first on Sandra McCollom.

The Absurdity of Pharisaism

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I left the house at 11:30pm last night in search of sugar. I came home with everything in that picture. All the grocery stores were closed so I stopped in at the local gas station – one of those big one-stop-shop gas stations. I looked around for quite a while picking out my goodies and […]

709. Born Identity: You Are a Saint

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The world tends to view saints as people who are rewarded for good behavior. That’s not how God sees it.

While most believers in Christ are being told in no uncertain terms - week after week - that they are nothing but dirty, rotten sinners, we find God identifying you as something quite the opposite… holy. It’s part of the inheritance you have received.



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707. Born Identity: God Remembers Sins No More

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The Christian religion is often built upon the idea we should repeatedly be seeking a renewed forgiveness from God whenever we fall short.

It’s time to ask ourselves a question at it relates to the message of the gospel and the New Covenant of Jesus Christ: How can we be forgiven for something that God says He no longer remembers?



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706. Born Identity: Forever Forgiven – Unconditionally

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How can we know for certain we’re forgiven by God? Is it based on the condition we repeatedly confess all our sins? Is it dependent on whether we forgive others or not? Water baptism?

Let’s ask a different question that contains a very significant answer: Why did our High Priest offer His blood by a sacrifice that occurred “once for all” and afterwards - He sat down? Knowing you are completely forgiven by God should never be something you have to wonder about.



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Praying in the End Times

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Man Praying in Church

Any mention of the end times arouses curiosity among those familiar with biblical prophecy. It seems our thoughts run quickly to the end of the world and the speculation that surrounds it.

We imagine that any praying going on during such final tumultuous times would be cries for help, or pleadings for mercy. It might be helpful to define the end times as the Scripture does and see how prayer relates.

Old Testament Pictures of the Christian Journey

The apostle Paul describes the journey of Israel from Egyptian slavery to the occupation of the land of promise as a pattern for the Christian journey.

"These things happened to them to serve as an example, and they were written down to instruct us, on whom the ends of the ages have come." -- 1 Corinthians 10:11 (NRSV)

Since the coming of Jesus to the earth in his incarnation, the last stage of history has begun. God spoke in many ways prior to this event, but Jesus completed the story and fulfilled the promise. We are now "restored partners." Just like Adam and Eve partnered with God to manage the earth, and Israel was God's chosen nation to carry out his plan to bless the world, we have been chosen to represent him on earth.

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The natural phenomena contained shadows of ultimate reality pointing toward a substance that is made real after the resurrection. The rock from which life-saving water flowed was Jesus. The bread that nourished starving people was Jesus. The cloud spoke of the presence of God among his people -- fulfilled in Jesus.

The people of God now consist of those who are "in Christ." We are his "end times" partners, privileged to co-labor with him in magnifying his name in all the earth.

Access to The Father

Jesus made it clear that something was different after his coming to earth. It was on the very night that he was betrayed and tried, that he told his disciples that he was going to the Father to make a place for them to have the same access to him as he, the Son, has. He told them that after his ascension, the Holy Spirit would come and make their new status real.

"On that day you will ask nothing of me. Very truly, I tell you, if you ask anything of the Father in my name, he will give it to you. Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be complete." -- John 16:23-24 (NRSV)

We are God's partners on earth making requests from a willing Father that will be answered by heavenly power invading earthly circumstances.

It was clear that Jesus expected them to go straight to the Father, using his name, to receive what they needed to magnify his name in every circumstance. They had been captured by his love and freed by his death and resurrection. They had one primary purpose for living. They lived to make his name great on the earth. Only this would make their own joy complete.

They had been created and redeemed to glorify God. Their living, thus their praying, related to this purpose. The disciples had been confident that the Father would hear and grant the request that Jesus made. But he was telling them that on this day, they would get the same results. It was mind-boggling.

We still live in that day. We are God's partners on earth making requests from a willing Father that will be answered by heavenly power invading earthly circumstances. We are not being forced to pray as an obligation. We are privileged to pray, knowing that our Father is eager to hear and respond.

As end times people, we run to the prayer meeting. We need no shame-based motivation. It is our opportunity to participate in the kingdom of God coming to earth. We ask. He answers. His name is magnified. We worship.

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