GRACE BLOGS COLLECTION
This week we have a spontaneous heart to heart about church denominations and the wide variety of different perspectives and teaching available. How did we get to this place where elements of both law and grace seem to be the norm?
This is a bit of a foundational introduction into upcoming podcasts where we’ll talk about some things that are seldom heard or taught in most churches—but should be.
When our first child was born, there were some complications and she had to spend a few days in a special care ward.
She was kept in an incubator and the only way I could touch her was by putting my hands through holes in the side of the incubator wall. She was only a few hours old when I came to her, stroked her, and asked her a question.
“Who’s your daddy?”
I didn’t expect her to answer, so I answered for her.
“I’m your daddy, and I love you.”
It thrilled me to tell her this again and again.
“Who’s your daddy? I am. It’s me. I’m that guy. I’m your father, you’re my baby, and I love you.”
The communication was all one-way but that was fine with me. I couldn’t shut up. I had just become a father and my heart was fit to burst.
This little girl belonged to me and I belonged to her.
There were many things I wanted to tell her, but the first and most important thing she needed to hear was that I was her daddy and I loved her.
The most important question you will ever ask is, “Who is my father?” Your answer to this question will influence every other question of life.
Who am I? Where did I come from? Why am I here?
Get the father question wrong and you will miss it on every other issue. Your identity will be muddled, and you will have no lasting security.
In your legitimate desire to define yourself, you may settle for inferior choices such as career or ministry. “I am a doctor.” “I am a pastor.”
But the truth is you are much more than what you do. You are your father’s child.
But who is your father?
Jesus answers the most important question: “Who’s your Father? God is your Father!”
Our Father in heaven … (Matt. 6:9)
The saints of the Old Testament had many names for God, but Jesus gave us the best name of all:
Abba, Father. (Mark 14:36)
Abba is not the name of a distant and mysterious God. Abba is a word of familial intimacy, not unlike Papa (which is how the Message Bible translates it). Abba is your heavenly Father who cares for you and longs for you to know him.
Why did Jesus come?
Jesus came to reveal God the Father to you. He came so that you might know who you truly are. He came that you might experience the abundant life of living as the apple of your Father’s eye.
Your heavenly Father is for you. He has tilted the universe in your favor.
With a Father like this, how can you fail?
Jesus said, “Father, glorify your name!” (John 12:28). What is the name of God that Jesus wants to glorify? He just told us. It’s Father. He has other names, but this is the name he wants us to use when we talk to him.
Near the end of his life, Jesus prayed,
Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known … (John 17:25–26)
Jesus is in the business of making the Father known. Yet many don’t know God as their Father. Like the saints of old, they see him as Lord but not Abba.
It’s as if Jesus never came.
A.W. Tozer once said:
What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.
Your picture of God is the single greatest influence on your life. Define God and you define yourself.
For instance, if you imagine God as a terrifying punisher, you’ll be fearful and guilt-ridden. If you see him as a semi-deaf sky-Santa, you’ll be a superstitious worrier. And if you believe God to be distant or dead, chances are you’ll act as a little god of your own little world.
Your view of God matters, but what is God the Father like?
He is exactly like the Son. Or the Son is exactly like the Father (Heb. 1:3). God is like Jesus. Not roughly so, but exactly so.
Jesus said, “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father” (John 14:9). If you ran into God the Father at a party you might mistake him for Jesus or vice versa. That’s how similar they are.
This similarity makes it easy for us to dismiss the silly caricatures of manmade religion. Since Jesus is not a semi-deaf sky-Santa, then neither is God. And since Jesus is not a terrifying punisher, neither is God. Your heavenly Father is exactly like Jesus.
God the Father and God the Son don’t have separate agendas. God is not in heaven recording your sins while Jesus is forgiving them. Nor is he giving you sicknesses so Jesus can heal you.
The Father and the Son are exactly alike, they’re on the same page, and they have the same heart.
Jesus said, “I and the Father are one” (John 10:30).
The bad news of the orphaned life says, “You are on your own and nobody cares.” But the good news Jesus proclaimed says, “You are not alone and your heavenly Father cares about even the smallest details of your life” (see Matt. 6:31–32).
Perhaps you are asking questions like these: Who am I? Why am I here? Is God angry with me? Good fathers love it when their children ask questions, but you will never get good answers unless you see God as your good Father.
Who am I? You are your Father’s dearly-loved child.
Why am I here? Because your Father loved you into existence. You are his dream come true.
Is God mad at me? Nope. He rejoices over you with singing.
Can he forgive me for the things I’ve done? He already did.
Does he love me for who I am? He thinks you’re great! You’re a one-of-a-kind special and he delights in you.
Will he disown me if I sin? Never. Would you disown your own children?
What does he expect from me? He expects you to settle in his love and flourish in his grace.
Whether you are in the pigpen of dead works or the special care ward for broken people, you need to know that your heavenly Father loves you like crazy. He reaches down with love in his eyes and healing in his hands to ask you one question:
Who’s your Daddy? I’m your Daddy, you’re my child, and I love you.
This is the good news an orphaned world most needs to hear.
—
Extracted from Paul’s book Who’s Your Daddy which you can get for free by signing up as a subscriber.
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Telling believers they need to change will not be nearly as effective as helping them to understand they have already been changed. Trying to become somebody that you think you are not will become a frustrating, lifelong endeavor which never seems to find the end of the rainbow. On the other hand, once we grow in the understanding of our identity, we can begin to live from who God says we already are as believers “in Christ.”
In this race, we get to start at the finish line, which is a place of rest. Under the Old Covenant, the Jewish people were working at pursuing what they could never attain. Unfortunately, many believers who abide in a new and better covenant are chasing after what has already been given to them.
Many of the struggles that we have in life originate in our inaccurate and sometimes erroneous beliefs we have regarding the nature and character of God.
There is also an equally inaccurate, belief regarding the true identity and value of man.
In the book of Psalms David writes:
“When I view and consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained and established, What is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of [earthborn] man that You care for him?”
When people are deeply involved in a legalistic, performance-based religion, they invariably end up with little or no sense of identity or self-worth.
Performance-based religion destroys man’s identity, dignity and worth!
We will not be able to experience God in a meaningful way if we aren’t taught a proper biblical sense of identity, based on the truth of the Gospel.
Many believe that being a model Christian or a truly “spiritual believer” is about becoming something other than a human being. We’ve been taught that human beings are evil, weak or deeply unspiritual.
In many ways, spirituality is believed to be about denying, disowning and escaping our humanity through religious legalism and moral discipline. Christians have been encouraged to disown and reject their humanness, and to do everything in their power to reject their human emotions, passions and instincts.
I like what C.S. Lewis said,
“We do not become more spiritual by becoming less human!”
In legalistic, performance-based religion, our worth is earned by rule keeping, good works, moral disciplines and “so called” holy living. And according to this kind of religion, holiness means to deny almost everything to do with being human—staying away from everything that could be fun and having as little as possible to do with people in the world around us!
In this kind of religion, God seems disconnected and contrary to our human desires and dreams. As a result, we struggle to make the connection between who God is and who we are as human beings!
In the minds of so many believers, being human and enjoying life cannot possibly go hand in hand with being spiritual and having a relationship with a holy God!
For many, it is unthinkable that a Holy God would have any connection to our deepest human passions and dreams of enjoying everyday life!
What we don’t realize is that our passion for living and enjoying life is only fully realized when we see the intimate connection we as humans have with a holy God, sharing in His (Zoë) life. It’s in our union with God that the joy of living and the significance of being human is fulfilled!
Unfortunately because of our religiosity and legalism, we’ve become confused and disconnected from knowing and relating to God based upon our human identities. Therefore, we go through life trying to be or become something we’re not.
If we correctly interpret Scripture, especially the New Testament, we find that God’s whole purpose for creating us is to be HUMAN. In the eyes and the economy of God, the very fact that we are HUMAN defines our true identity and worth to God!
“Who, although being essentially one with God and in the form of God [possessing the fullness of the attributes which make God God], did not think this equality with God was a thing to be eagerly grasped or retained, But stripped Himself [of all privileges and rightful dignity], so as to assume the guise of a servant (slave), in that He became like men and was born a human being.” —Philippians
The Gospel of Jesus Christ is an emphatic declaration that GOD NOT ONLY LIKES “HUMAN,” HE LOVES “HUMAN” SO MUCH THAT HE ACTUALLY BECAME ONE!!
The post God Loves Human! appeared first on Arthur Meintjes.
God makes it clear there is no boasting when it comes to our sanctification because it’s something Jesus already took care of for us, leaving no doubt that we’ve already been declared holy and set apart. Israel wasn’t able to achieve this by works and commandments … and we can’t either. We can rest from that effort and believe Jesus did enough to complete the job. Being sanctified isn’t something we’re trying to become, it’s who we are and part of our new identity in Him.
Most church buildings are filled with believers who have assumed they are “sinners saved by grace,” when no such phrase is written within the pages. It’s a fake I.D.! We have inherited certain attributes from God as new creations in Christ and one of those is that we are now identified as righteous—the righteousness of God in Him.
Publisher's Note: Dudley and I have been friends for 50 years, and he did the follow-up Bible teaching for hundreds of our citywide crusades. No one has had a more positive and profound impact on my life than this man. He hears clearly and shares thoughtfully what is revealed to him by the Holy Spirit and God's infallible Word. Please read his thoughts concerning this moment in history. - James Robison
The God who created all things did so out of a heart of love. He made it good and blessed it. We are designed for flourishing in his creation and are equipped to manage it in partnership with him. This is not a world randomly spinning in space without purpose, nor are we victims of unknown evil forces. This is God's world.
He has given humans the privilege and responsibility of managing it. He has given his redeemed people the wisdom and power to equip anyone to operate in all situations. As the church (the redeemed ones) does its job, the whole society improves in its skill of discovery and development. The world of possible new inventions is larger than our imaginations. Darkness is not destined to rule. Light will dispel it wherever there is a confrontation.
It is a narrow view that believes that the problems in our nation consist of the wrong political party being in charge. The problems arise when the wrong spiritual kingdom operates incognito. Jesus explained to his disciples that the kingdoms of this world succeed by ruling over each other, with each seeking to find a higher honor than the other. His kingdom is built on us humbly serving and sacrificing for the honor of the other.
God is doing something much larger than teaching us a few lessons on priorities and misplaced values. This is a major interruption with threats to life that have global ramifications. This is not just a test of our ability to hang on until the worst passes. It is an opportunity to see God's purposes in a way we've not seen in many decades, or maybe ever.
He didn't casually put the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ at the center of history. It is not just a part of religious history. It cannot be ignored. Whatever God says has this dynamic in it. The gospel message that captured Saul of Tarsus is the same message that released the light that has empowered civilization in the world. There will be no awakening without this being the center. It is a message that energizes recipients to engage their world with love. When it has been diluted to cause people to run, hide, hoard, and take, it has become a false message.
Recovering the heart of the true gospel is part of what God is doing. Death is a precursor to resurrection. Everything that offered hope dies to be resurrected by God's power to a greater hope. Nothing worthwhile that dies stays dead. God's kingdom is about new life coming out of old. People who really believe that offer a perspective for everyone which empowers them to walk through any circumstance. Yes, we win, but our victory is in serving--even suffering, rather than in bossing others around.
Prior to the COVID-19 attack, things in some areas were beginning to flourish in the USA under the present administration. It was undeniable even for those hesitant to give any credit to political opponents. We were seeing more people with jobs, more respect for the dignity of life, a renewed appreciation for justice, a growing economy, and hope for peace in some hostile areas of the world.
Those who have been praying for our country can easily see how God again used flawed people and imperfect systems to initiate some needed change. He has repeatedly done that throughout history.
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However, the size of government was not shrinking. It is possible that if things had continued to progress as expected, we would have erroneously concluded that right political policy would ensure human flourishing. The role of government (even if it is one more aligned with our convictions) continues to play a larger role and is given credit for our success. It is just a matter of time before others are at the controls of the huge government and human lives pay the high cost of bad ideas.
Small government is better than big government, but neither works when human hearts are fearful and greedy to control. Even small government can only work when men and women are governed internally by a power stronger than greed.
We don't need a spiritual awakening to just change the minds of radical progressives or right wing extremists. We need all our eyes opened to the reality of the God who loves us; delights in our joy; guides us in paths of righteousness; and partners with us in blessing others.
When love for others replaces suspicion and fear, fewer laws are needed to sustain an orderly society. Good government comes from people who are free inside. They will honor God and bless His world.
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 My Thoughts as I Seek God’s Will in These Times appeared first on The Stream.
