You know I write this blog because I have stuff to share but no platform on which to share it. I really want to thank you for taking the time to read it.
The fact is I have never really achieved anything. I'm not telling you that to encourage you to feel sorry for me but it is a foundation for what I need to share with you all.
I want to declare to you all today my call. I believe that it is important that I declare this to you all. I have no real earthly achievement because God had other plans.
I won't make this long because I want you to read it all.
In 2001 I received a call from God. This was a voice which said "I am giving you this country as your mission field." The country was Cambodia. The speaker was the God who gives dreams, places visions within us and then provides the provision.
I remember one time when I was young, maybe about fourteen, when I had this sense that my future was to be a missionary. What followed was a lifestyle that was pretty much opposed to that (I apologise to all I have hurt along that path) until one day God spoke to me for the first time and said. "I will restore the years the locusts have eaten." That was 2000.
2001 I travel to Cambodia and while there God speaks again.
A lot has followed that. God has been good and given me opportunity to preach in Cambodia and thousands have received Him.
One of those good things was a vision that I experienced in Cambodia in maybe 2005, not exactly sure but the picture is extremely vivid to me. The story is longish so I will just tell you that it culminated in me and a number of Cambodian people lifting a flagpole and driving it into the soil of Cambodia and the flag, attached to the pole, unfurling which read 'JESUS IS LORD'.
For years I have only seen my role in that vision which has inspired me to preach but I have failed to see the other people until...
In 2012 God called me again this time to receive His radical grace. Radical grace gets a bad rap but let me make this clear, grace isn't radical because I receive it radically but rather because God is radical in His unmerited favour toward us. Jesus Christ is Grace, radically expressing the Love, Blessing and Favour of God. That is what I believe. I can't explain all that here so you will just have to accept that from me, whether you agree or not.
In the realisation of the radical grace of God He showed me again the flagpole but this time I saw the Cambodian people involved in raising the flag.
He then called again to prepare the people of radical grace who would raise the flagpole with me. These people are the Benjamins, the people of radical reliance on the boundless grace and favour of our God in Christ Jesus.
So...my call.
I am called to take Cambodia for Jesus Christ.
I am called to raise up the generation of grace, the Benjamins.
The call of God on my life will have global impact which will reach far beyond Cambodia. God has promised many things which I embrace and receive without hesitation. I speak out those promises daily. I receive Jesus in the Lord's Communion everyday, I speak in tongues and use anointing oil and I assign all praise and glory to the King, Jesus, the fullness of God, my Saviour, My Lord. I believe the Lord will provide the millions of dollars that are required to follow the vision He has given me. I believe that He is already raising up the team of Cambodians who will raise the flag, the banner of the Lordship of Christ over Cambodia, and which the whole world will see.
So that is it. I speak it out and God will give it life, for He is The Life.
If you receive it or reject it it does not matter for that isn't the point but I do thank you for reading.
Graeme Shephard.
Friday, May 31, 2013
Wednesday, May 29, 2013
The blood of Jesus...
A month or two ago I had the privilege of hearing Reinhard Bonnke preach the gospel. He said that he made no apology for the fact that the gospel he would preach was no 'different' to what he had preached a thousand times before, preaching as he watched in awe as the Lord gather more than 70,000,000 souls for His Kingdom!
Reinhard spoke on the power of the blood of Jesus.
Since then I have been thinking about the blood of Jesus. Each day it is my practice to take Communion, Holy Communion, Lord's Supper...call it what you will. Each day, as I do so, I am reminded of the broken body and the shed blood of Jesus. The Bible encourages us to correctly judge the Lord's body (1 Corinthians 11: 29), not merely to 'remember' His sufferings but rather to remember His body broken and striped and bring the truth and reality of that event right into today, right into our individual lives. As we do so we can 'see' that 'by His stripes we are healed' (Isaiah 53: 5) and we can believe and receive His abundant grace in healing.
Then as we take the cup we 'see' His righteousness become ours as we discern and embrace the blood of the New Covenant (1 Corinthians 12: 25). The shadow of this is seen in the Old Testament when the High Priest went into the holiest of holies, once a year, with blood and sprinkled it on and before the mercy seat which was over the ark of the covenant which contained the law, the manna and Aaron's rod that budded.
This event took place once a year but Jesus shed His blood once for all and went in to the Holiest of Holies, the presence of God Himself, and His shed blood was accepted, to put away sin, a once for all shedding of blood. In His acceptance we are accepted.
The shed blood of Jesus is powerful. The shed blood of Jesus is pivotal. As Jesus went in to the presence of God with His own blood everything changed. Everything! Why? Because all covenants in scripture are ratified by the shedding of blood. The New Covenant was ratified by the shedding of the blood of Jesus and on the basis of His acceptance by God the base line, the foundational truth of the New Covenant is as found in Hebrews 8: 12; God speaking, "For I will be merciful to their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more." On the basis of this God will write His law on our hearts, and our minds, and He will be our God and we, His people. I pray that you receive this truth because this is the most freeing, bondage releasing truth in all of scripture. In this truth we are truly set free. No longer is our 'righteousness' dependent in any way on us but solely rests in the acceptance of our substitute. The shadow of this is the burnt offering of old. The offerer placed his hand on the head of the unblemished offering and in that type the offering was accepted and the offerer was set free from the burden of sin and establishing their own righteousness before God. The difference for us is that what the blood of bulls and goats could not do (Hebrews 10: 4) Jesus has done to perfection and in Him we are eternally free from the need to establish our own righteousness and we can rest eternally in His righteousness. We are 'the righteousness of God in Him' (2 Corinthians 5: 21)
Everything was changed at the cross as Jesus shed His blood. The veil of the temple was torn in two from the top to the bottom. I am sure that man hastily took needle and thread and sowed it up again because today we see precious Christians trying, striving, labouring to establish their own righteousness. They receive Jesus and say it is by grace, and so it is, and then continue to try to keep the law rather than resting in the truth of the imputed righteousness of Christ and there be led by grace to Christ, and Christ-likeness.
You know the epic truth of the Cross changes everything. Everything before is changed.
Take the Lord's Prayer (Luke 11: 2 - 4) as it is known and prayed in churches all over the world...does this prayer apply to us today under the New Covenant? I don't think so! What! I hear you say? How can you say that! Oh please understand me, God is unchanging and ever glorious and worthy so as always and forever we will 'hallow' His name. Oh yes, forever and ever we can call down heaven on earth but frankly the truth and reality of this calling down came only as Jesus died and opened the way. It was after Jesus shed His blood that the Holy Spirit was given to dwell 'in' those who believed.
But Jesus gave this prayer I hear you exclaim! Yes He did.
But He gave it prior to the Cross to an audience under the law and He gave it under the terms of the covenant in place at that time, Moses covenant, the law. It is under the terms of the law, the old covenant which the book of Hebrews says is obsolete (Hebrews 8: 13) that Jesus encouraged those listening to pray, 'And forgive us our sins'. The tax collector in Luke 18 who beat his breast and exclaimed "God be merciful to me a sinner" went away justified but under the law he would have been back to beat and exclaim again, and again. Beloved not so with you...you exclaimed your need and you received His justification the moment you accepted, post-Cross, the finished work of Jesus and today, now, and forever you sit in rest under the terms of the New Covenant that says that He remembers your sins no more. How can we continually plead forgiveness for sins already forgiven...the Apostle Paul likens this to crucifying Jesus all over again. Crucifying Jesus over and over is consigning our salvation and acceptance to the terms of the old covenant which required repeated sacrifice over and over and we have been set free. How can we receive the truth that God remembers our sins no more and then be continually requesting that He forgive us our sins?
Is this teaching encouraging us to fail to accept our humanity? I don't think so but I am sure that to refuse to accept the fullness of the finished work of Jesus by insisting that we have some input into our total and never failing acceptance in Christ is certainly failing to recognise Jesus and what He has done.
Dear friend, the cross of Jesus and the shedding of His blood changed everything. We cannot receive things prior to His cross in the same way after His cross. We must put on new glasses, glasses of Grace. Colossians 3 from verse 12 encourages us to pursue a whole list of wonderful attributes but the mistake is that we could then try to pursue them in our own strength, with our own will, to establish our own 'righteousness'. Many do this today. Looking through the glasses of Grace, with eyes of Grace our gaze is diverted from ourselves to see only one, Jesus, the fullness of Deity. The attributes listed in Colossians 3 are HIM, put on HIM, sit at HIS feet, receive HIM, talk about HIM, exalt HIM, proclaim HIM, preach HIM. The more we talk about us and our strategy to be 'like' Him the more we see only ourselves and we become veiled to the truth of who He is. Who He is unveiled in abundant Grace, this is glory to greater glory revealed by the Spirit (2 Corinthians 3: 18).
We need to see Jesus and put Him on. This is freedom. As we put Him on we are set free from the need to 'do' for our own acceptance. That is freedom. The enemy wants us to focus on our condition, to do this he uses the law with which he constantly challenges us. Jesus declares a new position for us under the New Covenant and so for every temptation of the enemy we have but one answer, JESUS, in Him we are accepted, in Him we are righteous, in Him we are free. Filled with Him how is possible but for us to NOT be 'like' Him. It will be impossible for it to be any other way - Christ likeness, the absolute desire of every Christian.
What a wonderful truth it is, Jesus did nothing to be made sin for us so that we need do nothing to made righteous in Him.
Hallelujah! Rejoice with me and give Him the praise, He ALONE is worthy.
Reinhard spoke on the power of the blood of Jesus.
Since then I have been thinking about the blood of Jesus. Each day it is my practice to take Communion, Holy Communion, Lord's Supper...call it what you will. Each day, as I do so, I am reminded of the broken body and the shed blood of Jesus. The Bible encourages us to correctly judge the Lord's body (1 Corinthians 11: 29), not merely to 'remember' His sufferings but rather to remember His body broken and striped and bring the truth and reality of that event right into today, right into our individual lives. As we do so we can 'see' that 'by His stripes we are healed' (Isaiah 53: 5) and we can believe and receive His abundant grace in healing.
Then as we take the cup we 'see' His righteousness become ours as we discern and embrace the blood of the New Covenant (1 Corinthians 12: 25). The shadow of this is seen in the Old Testament when the High Priest went into the holiest of holies, once a year, with blood and sprinkled it on and before the mercy seat which was over the ark of the covenant which contained the law, the manna and Aaron's rod that budded.
This event took place once a year but Jesus shed His blood once for all and went in to the Holiest of Holies, the presence of God Himself, and His shed blood was accepted, to put away sin, a once for all shedding of blood. In His acceptance we are accepted.
The shed blood of Jesus is powerful. The shed blood of Jesus is pivotal. As Jesus went in to the presence of God with His own blood everything changed. Everything! Why? Because all covenants in scripture are ratified by the shedding of blood. The New Covenant was ratified by the shedding of the blood of Jesus and on the basis of His acceptance by God the base line, the foundational truth of the New Covenant is as found in Hebrews 8: 12; God speaking, "For I will be merciful to their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more." On the basis of this God will write His law on our hearts, and our minds, and He will be our God and we, His people. I pray that you receive this truth because this is the most freeing, bondage releasing truth in all of scripture. In this truth we are truly set free. No longer is our 'righteousness' dependent in any way on us but solely rests in the acceptance of our substitute. The shadow of this is the burnt offering of old. The offerer placed his hand on the head of the unblemished offering and in that type the offering was accepted and the offerer was set free from the burden of sin and establishing their own righteousness before God. The difference for us is that what the blood of bulls and goats could not do (Hebrews 10: 4) Jesus has done to perfection and in Him we are eternally free from the need to establish our own righteousness and we can rest eternally in His righteousness. We are 'the righteousness of God in Him' (2 Corinthians 5: 21)
Everything was changed at the cross as Jesus shed His blood. The veil of the temple was torn in two from the top to the bottom. I am sure that man hastily took needle and thread and sowed it up again because today we see precious Christians trying, striving, labouring to establish their own righteousness. They receive Jesus and say it is by grace, and so it is, and then continue to try to keep the law rather than resting in the truth of the imputed righteousness of Christ and there be led by grace to Christ, and Christ-likeness.
You know the epic truth of the Cross changes everything. Everything before is changed.
Take the Lord's Prayer (Luke 11: 2 - 4) as it is known and prayed in churches all over the world...does this prayer apply to us today under the New Covenant? I don't think so! What! I hear you say? How can you say that! Oh please understand me, God is unchanging and ever glorious and worthy so as always and forever we will 'hallow' His name. Oh yes, forever and ever we can call down heaven on earth but frankly the truth and reality of this calling down came only as Jesus died and opened the way. It was after Jesus shed His blood that the Holy Spirit was given to dwell 'in' those who believed.
But Jesus gave this prayer I hear you exclaim! Yes He did.
But He gave it prior to the Cross to an audience under the law and He gave it under the terms of the covenant in place at that time, Moses covenant, the law. It is under the terms of the law, the old covenant which the book of Hebrews says is obsolete (Hebrews 8: 13) that Jesus encouraged those listening to pray, 'And forgive us our sins'. The tax collector in Luke 18 who beat his breast and exclaimed "God be merciful to me a sinner" went away justified but under the law he would have been back to beat and exclaim again, and again. Beloved not so with you...you exclaimed your need and you received His justification the moment you accepted, post-Cross, the finished work of Jesus and today, now, and forever you sit in rest under the terms of the New Covenant that says that He remembers your sins no more. How can we continually plead forgiveness for sins already forgiven...the Apostle Paul likens this to crucifying Jesus all over again. Crucifying Jesus over and over is consigning our salvation and acceptance to the terms of the old covenant which required repeated sacrifice over and over and we have been set free. How can we receive the truth that God remembers our sins no more and then be continually requesting that He forgive us our sins?
Is this teaching encouraging us to fail to accept our humanity? I don't think so but I am sure that to refuse to accept the fullness of the finished work of Jesus by insisting that we have some input into our total and never failing acceptance in Christ is certainly failing to recognise Jesus and what He has done.
Dear friend, the cross of Jesus and the shedding of His blood changed everything. We cannot receive things prior to His cross in the same way after His cross. We must put on new glasses, glasses of Grace. Colossians 3 from verse 12 encourages us to pursue a whole list of wonderful attributes but the mistake is that we could then try to pursue them in our own strength, with our own will, to establish our own 'righteousness'. Many do this today. Looking through the glasses of Grace, with eyes of Grace our gaze is diverted from ourselves to see only one, Jesus, the fullness of Deity. The attributes listed in Colossians 3 are HIM, put on HIM, sit at HIS feet, receive HIM, talk about HIM, exalt HIM, proclaim HIM, preach HIM. The more we talk about us and our strategy to be 'like' Him the more we see only ourselves and we become veiled to the truth of who He is. Who He is unveiled in abundant Grace, this is glory to greater glory revealed by the Spirit (2 Corinthians 3: 18).
We need to see Jesus and put Him on. This is freedom. As we put Him on we are set free from the need to 'do' for our own acceptance. That is freedom. The enemy wants us to focus on our condition, to do this he uses the law with which he constantly challenges us. Jesus declares a new position for us under the New Covenant and so for every temptation of the enemy we have but one answer, JESUS, in Him we are accepted, in Him we are righteous, in Him we are free. Filled with Him how is possible but for us to NOT be 'like' Him. It will be impossible for it to be any other way - Christ likeness, the absolute desire of every Christian.
What a wonderful truth it is, Jesus did nothing to be made sin for us so that we need do nothing to made righteous in Him.
Hallelujah! Rejoice with me and give Him the praise, He ALONE is worthy.
Friday, May 24, 2013
More thoughts on the 'good life'...
The Bible is clear and says that the Law was given to reveal sin, without the Law sin would not be revealed; Romans 3: 20 says that 'through the Law comes the knowledge of sin'; Romans 5: 20 says the 'Law came in that the transgression might increase'; Romans 7: 7 says that 'I would not have come to know sin except through the Law'.
The Law was based on a set of rules that required our performance.
Now I need to point out that the Bible is also clear when it says that 'by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified' (Romans 3: 20), and that 'the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ', why?..so 'that we may be justified by faith' (Galatians 3: 24) and 'where sin increased, grace abounded all the more' (Romans 5: 20). And then we come over into Hebrews 8: 13 and we find this that 'When He said, "A new covenant," He has made the first obsolete.'
There are so many scriptures that direct us away from Law and towards Grace.
Listen to what the Apostle Paul wrote to the Galatians in Galatians 3: 1 - 3, "You foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified? This is the only thing I want to find out from you: did you receive the Spirit by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?'
Beloved, the Law is obsolete to you who are in Christ, the Bible is clear and anything else you may be told is a lie. The enemy, the devil, wants you to continue to focus on the Law because he wants to continually challenge you over your CONDITION before God.
Please hear me...Jesus wants you to see your POSITION, in Him.
'For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority; and in Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ; having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. And when you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, having cancelled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us and which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.' Colossians 2: 9 - 14
Can it be any clearer? We are IN HIM; He has SET US APART to Himself (circumcision); our body of flesh has been BURIED WITH HIM; we are RAISED WITH HIM through faith in the working of God (His work, not ours); He has made us ALIVE TOGETHER WITH HIM; He has CANCELLED OUR TRANSGRESSIONS; He has CANCELLED THE CERTIFICATE OF DEBT CONSISTING OF DECREES (what is this? This is the Law) and He has taken it out of the way because He nailed it to the cross.
Oh Hallelujah! The burden of sin is lifted, the accusation of the enemy is gone, we are IN HIM.
Now if we want a brief definition of Law and Grace these are mine...if it requires my input, if it is subject to my performance, if its outcome depends on me then it is Law; if it rests in the unmerited favour of God then it is Grace.
Last words...a question? Who wants the 'good life'? Hands up. My hand is up.
If we refuse to accept that abundant life does not include the 'good life' then we are saying that the good life depends on me. Anything less than total dependence on the Lord is Law.
Beloved, you can't alloy Law and Grace. Revelation 3, lukewarmness, is the alloying of Law and Grace.
Rest in Jesus for your everything for He is EVERYTHING.
Be like Mary and position yourself at His blessed feet. She reclined there for instruction, for comfort and for service and today that is where we need to be. Remember those feet at which Mary sat went on to be pierced by the malice of mankind and in that piercing He made the way for us to be restored. He has restored to us the Life that our first father so meekly surrendered to the enemy but will we receive?
Insisting that the abundant life of Jesus is something less than complete is saying there is still stuff that we need to do when Jesus has said 'It is finished', the work is done, salvation is procured, mankind is restored, sit here with Me at the right hand of My Father and receive the bounty of His endless, boundless, complete favour and blessing. This is the day of the Lord's favour, the day of Grace, the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.
'See', Jesus says, 'I make all things new'...'And He who sits on the throne said, "Behold, I am making all things new." (Revelation 21: 5)
The Law was based on a set of rules that required our performance.
Now I need to point out that the Bible is also clear when it says that 'by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified' (Romans 3: 20), and that 'the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ', why?..so 'that we may be justified by faith' (Galatians 3: 24) and 'where sin increased, grace abounded all the more' (Romans 5: 20). And then we come over into Hebrews 8: 13 and we find this that 'When He said, "A new covenant," He has made the first obsolete.'
There are so many scriptures that direct us away from Law and towards Grace.
Listen to what the Apostle Paul wrote to the Galatians in Galatians 3: 1 - 3, "You foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified? This is the only thing I want to find out from you: did you receive the Spirit by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?'
Beloved, the Law is obsolete to you who are in Christ, the Bible is clear and anything else you may be told is a lie. The enemy, the devil, wants you to continue to focus on the Law because he wants to continually challenge you over your CONDITION before God.
Please hear me...Jesus wants you to see your POSITION, in Him.
'For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority; and in Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ; having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. And when you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, having cancelled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us and which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.' Colossians 2: 9 - 14
Can it be any clearer? We are IN HIM; He has SET US APART to Himself (circumcision); our body of flesh has been BURIED WITH HIM; we are RAISED WITH HIM through faith in the working of God (His work, not ours); He has made us ALIVE TOGETHER WITH HIM; He has CANCELLED OUR TRANSGRESSIONS; He has CANCELLED THE CERTIFICATE OF DEBT CONSISTING OF DECREES (what is this? This is the Law) and He has taken it out of the way because He nailed it to the cross.
Oh Hallelujah! The burden of sin is lifted, the accusation of the enemy is gone, we are IN HIM.
Now if we want a brief definition of Law and Grace these are mine...if it requires my input, if it is subject to my performance, if its outcome depends on me then it is Law; if it rests in the unmerited favour of God then it is Grace.
Last words...a question? Who wants the 'good life'? Hands up. My hand is up.
If we refuse to accept that abundant life does not include the 'good life' then we are saying that the good life depends on me. Anything less than total dependence on the Lord is Law.
Beloved, you can't alloy Law and Grace. Revelation 3, lukewarmness, is the alloying of Law and Grace.
Rest in Jesus for your everything for He is EVERYTHING.
Be like Mary and position yourself at His blessed feet. She reclined there for instruction, for comfort and for service and today that is where we need to be. Remember those feet at which Mary sat went on to be pierced by the malice of mankind and in that piercing He made the way for us to be restored. He has restored to us the Life that our first father so meekly surrendered to the enemy but will we receive?
Insisting that the abundant life of Jesus is something less than complete is saying there is still stuff that we need to do when Jesus has said 'It is finished', the work is done, salvation is procured, mankind is restored, sit here with Me at the right hand of My Father and receive the bounty of His endless, boundless, complete favour and blessing. This is the day of the Lord's favour, the day of Grace, the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.
'See', Jesus says, 'I make all things new'...'And He who sits on the throne said, "Behold, I am making all things new." (Revelation 21: 5)
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
The 'good life'...just some thoughts
Recently this statement was made...'Jesus did not come to give us 'the good life'. He came to give us abundant life.'
This raised the questions immediately to me...what is 'the good life' and what is 'abundant life'; how can they be defined?
I contemplated that for a few days and the only real thought I had was that while I understood the sentiment behind the statement made I had a great deal of difficulty in separating the two 'lives'. Yes I agree that Jesus 'came to give us abundant life' and I agree that the abundant life of Christ declared in John 10: 10 is much, much more than just 'the good life' but I am unable to separate the two because I cannot believe that He came to bring us an abundance of Life that excludes 'the good life'.
Our first father, Adam, gave away his blessed position. Part of that position was a life of total harmony. He did not toil for toil came with the curse following man's fall (Genesis 3: 17 - 19); whatever he wanted he just took, he could eat of any tree, God provided all he needed (Genesis 1: 29 - 30). The second man, Jesus Christ came to restore all that our first father gave away. Oh yes I agree much more was restored in Christ but can we say that Jesus did not come to restore 'the good life'? I'm sorry I can't buy that!
As I thought of this and during my daily reading and thinking I was drawn to some verses in Luke 5. Jesus is under fire from the scribes and Pharisees for forgiving a man's sins and He replies to their pious declarations by asking "Why are you reasoning in your hearts? Which is easier, to say, 'Your sins have been forgiven you,' or to say, 'Get up and walk'? But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins," - He said to the paralytic - "I say to you, get up, and pick up your stretcher and go home." The man did.
I contemplated this. What was Jesus saying? He was asking a question...which is easier to say, 'your sins are forgiven', or 'be healed, get up, and walk'. What do you think? I can tell you that the easier thing for me to say is 'your sins are forgiven'. Why is that easier? Simply because that statement requires no physical proof. If I speak healing and the man stays lying on his bed then I look like a goose. Speaking healing requires physical proof, forgiving sins requires no physical proof.
What has this got to do with the statement? As I thought of this I thought, yes, it is easier for me to say but was the forgiveness of sins easier for God? I think not! Forgiveness of sins required God the Father to give up His beloved Son to the depravity of man's cruelty, to a cross of shame, requiring God to lay on Him an eternity worth of our iniquity, and have Him give up His life remembering that death had no claim on Him, He freely gave it up for us. Was that easy? No! It is simple for God to heal, it was not so easy for Him to forgive sins!
Now here is my thought...God gave His very BEST. Can I really say in response that His gift given to restore me cannot, does not, include the restoration of the 'good life' that Adam gave away? Oh yes I hear you, there are many not living the good life, many fine Christians, and yes we live in a fallen world awaiting its redemption but I am sorry despite all that I cannot receive that the restoration of Jesus is only half-hearted in its effectiveness. You know I feel that if we seriously believe the lie that God is in the business of withholding something from us then we are implying that that something is greater than the forgiveness of sins which Jesus gave Himself to give us. I have to say nothing can be greater than the forgiveness of sins. It is the basic clause of the New Covenant under which we are saved...read the terms for yourself in Hebrews 8.
Some time ago I wrote a post to this blog in which I referred to Romans 8: 32. In that post I said this...
So what is the key now to this abundance? I believe it is all about positioning. One of the great strategies of the enemy of all Christians, the devil, is to get you to contemplate continually your condition before God when Jesus died to restore your position before God. So it is all about positioning.
One of the things about preachers to me has always been that they speak good words but often miss the practical application. I don't want to do that. I hear your question...'so how do we position ourselves'?
I think of Mary. Remember Mary? Mary was the sister of Lazarus, who Jesus raised from the dead, and Martha, who was a good cook. You can find her in Luke 10, and John 11 and 12.
Mary liked to be at Jesus feet. Was that because she was lazy? I don't think so. Jesus said it was because she chose 'the good part'. In fact three times you find Mary at Jesus feet in the Bible. In Luke 10: 38 - 42 we find her at Jesus' feet for instruction, she was listening to the Lord's word. In John 11: 32 we find Mary at His feet again, this time for comfort following the death of her brother. As Jesus saw her He was so moved He wept John 11: 35 records! What compassion, what comfort! To have the God of All Glory weep with compassion over you! How wonderful! Then in John 12: 1 - 3 we find Mary at the feet of Jesus again this time in service as she worshipped Him and anointed His feet with very costly perfume and wiped His feet with her hair. Oh Mary! Truly she chose the 'good part'.
Now there is so much we could say about Mary and her time at the feet of Jesus but I want us today to just think of her positioning. Sitting at the feet of Jesus all three times she was making a declaration...Mary's declaration was that Jesus is God, He is Lord of All.
You know there are two scriptures in the book of Colossians that I love. The first is Colossians 1: 19 where it says, 'For it was the Father's good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him...' The second is Colossians 2: 9, 'For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form...' Jesus is the fullness of God and He died to position us at His feet. At His feet for instruction, at His feet for comfort, at His feet for worship and service. Without Him we can do nothing.
I could go on and talk about who we are in Christ; I could go on and talk about the three feet sojourns of Mary, I could go on and talk about many things of the all abundance and amazing blessings of the unmerited grace and favour of our Lord. I could take us to Ephesians 2 and talk about the our seated place with Him at the right hand of the Father. We could discuss that the right hand is the hand of blessing. So much to share!
I will finish with this.
In Psalm 103: 2 the writer says this, 'Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget none of His benefits'. His benefits? Yes Jesus came to give us abundant life, so true but not the 'good life'? I think not. The gift of God restored us in every respect. So great is the gift of God, our Lord Jesus Christ, that nothing is withheld from us. Do like Mary, declare Him to be God and that you are not, and sit and receive. Sitting is the place of rest. What does this signify? That it is not about what you may DO to merit His blessing, there is nothing you can do to merit God, but thank God that Jesus has done all that was necessary and in Him you are accepted. Remember Colossians 2: 9? Well verse 10 goes on to say that 'in Him you have been made complete'. In Him we are complete...how can this exclude anything? No!
Receive Jesus, receive Him and with Him receive the fullness of the restoration of God.
Give Him praise, anoint Him with the perfume of your praise for He is worthy.
This raised the questions immediately to me...what is 'the good life' and what is 'abundant life'; how can they be defined?
I contemplated that for a few days and the only real thought I had was that while I understood the sentiment behind the statement made I had a great deal of difficulty in separating the two 'lives'. Yes I agree that Jesus 'came to give us abundant life' and I agree that the abundant life of Christ declared in John 10: 10 is much, much more than just 'the good life' but I am unable to separate the two because I cannot believe that He came to bring us an abundance of Life that excludes 'the good life'.
Our first father, Adam, gave away his blessed position. Part of that position was a life of total harmony. He did not toil for toil came with the curse following man's fall (Genesis 3: 17 - 19); whatever he wanted he just took, he could eat of any tree, God provided all he needed (Genesis 1: 29 - 30). The second man, Jesus Christ came to restore all that our first father gave away. Oh yes I agree much more was restored in Christ but can we say that Jesus did not come to restore 'the good life'? I'm sorry I can't buy that!
As I thought of this and during my daily reading and thinking I was drawn to some verses in Luke 5. Jesus is under fire from the scribes and Pharisees for forgiving a man's sins and He replies to their pious declarations by asking "Why are you reasoning in your hearts? Which is easier, to say, 'Your sins have been forgiven you,' or to say, 'Get up and walk'? But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins," - He said to the paralytic - "I say to you, get up, and pick up your stretcher and go home." The man did.
I contemplated this. What was Jesus saying? He was asking a question...which is easier to say, 'your sins are forgiven', or 'be healed, get up, and walk'. What do you think? I can tell you that the easier thing for me to say is 'your sins are forgiven'. Why is that easier? Simply because that statement requires no physical proof. If I speak healing and the man stays lying on his bed then I look like a goose. Speaking healing requires physical proof, forgiving sins requires no physical proof.
What has this got to do with the statement? As I thought of this I thought, yes, it is easier for me to say but was the forgiveness of sins easier for God? I think not! Forgiveness of sins required God the Father to give up His beloved Son to the depravity of man's cruelty, to a cross of shame, requiring God to lay on Him an eternity worth of our iniquity, and have Him give up His life remembering that death had no claim on Him, He freely gave it up for us. Was that easy? No! It is simple for God to heal, it was not so easy for Him to forgive sins!
Now here is my thought...God gave His very BEST. Can I really say in response that His gift given to restore me cannot, does not, include the restoration of the 'good life' that Adam gave away? Oh yes I hear you, there are many not living the good life, many fine Christians, and yes we live in a fallen world awaiting its redemption but I am sorry despite all that I cannot receive that the restoration of Jesus is only half-hearted in its effectiveness. You know I feel that if we seriously believe the lie that God is in the business of withholding something from us then we are implying that that something is greater than the forgiveness of sins which Jesus gave Himself to give us. I have to say nothing can be greater than the forgiveness of sins. It is the basic clause of the New Covenant under which we are saved...read the terms for yourself in Hebrews 8.
Some time ago I wrote a post to this blog in which I referred to Romans 8: 32. In that post I said this...
'...from one of the most momentous chapters of the Bible, the Word of God.Can we really accept that abundant life is something reduced from 'abundance'? When Jesus declared abundant life I have to believe He meant abundant life, much more than 'good life' but 'good life' nonetheless.
'He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how will He not with Him freely give us all things?' Romans 8: 32
This speaks of God. Who? The One who spoke and the stars where in the heavens...that 'word' continues unabated the stargazers tell us. How a stargazer could not believe in God just astounds me!
To describe God is difficult, limited by our finity against His matchless glory! I could choose many declarations of our God but this one will have to do...'...He made the stars also.' A throw-away line from Genesis 1, declaring the absolute immense awesomeness of God!
He declared what He thought of us.
How? He gave us His Son. Why?
Grace. Unexplainable, unmerited, ridiculous!
Why? To save us from our sin? Yes.
Is that all? Is the gift of God just salvation? Many think so. They receive Jesus as Saviour and say it is by grace and then beetle off and insist on doing everything else as if we are required to 'merit' the rest in some way.
Sorry I don't buy it. Dear, dear people...I can't walk that anymore. Jesus came to restore to us what our first father gave away in pride and disobedience. Consider what those things were.
As I consider God (matchless in all things) and the scale of His gift (His own Son) I cannot believe anymore that having given everything He now holds back on His grace and requires us to strive and toil for the rest. It is an offence to His matchlessness and the priceless, infinitely valuable scale and worth of His Gift!'
So what is the key now to this abundance? I believe it is all about positioning. One of the great strategies of the enemy of all Christians, the devil, is to get you to contemplate continually your condition before God when Jesus died to restore your position before God. So it is all about positioning.
One of the things about preachers to me has always been that they speak good words but often miss the practical application. I don't want to do that. I hear your question...'so how do we position ourselves'?
I think of Mary. Remember Mary? Mary was the sister of Lazarus, who Jesus raised from the dead, and Martha, who was a good cook. You can find her in Luke 10, and John 11 and 12.
Mary liked to be at Jesus feet. Was that because she was lazy? I don't think so. Jesus said it was because she chose 'the good part'. In fact three times you find Mary at Jesus feet in the Bible. In Luke 10: 38 - 42 we find her at Jesus' feet for instruction, she was listening to the Lord's word. In John 11: 32 we find Mary at His feet again, this time for comfort following the death of her brother. As Jesus saw her He was so moved He wept John 11: 35 records! What compassion, what comfort! To have the God of All Glory weep with compassion over you! How wonderful! Then in John 12: 1 - 3 we find Mary at the feet of Jesus again this time in service as she worshipped Him and anointed His feet with very costly perfume and wiped His feet with her hair. Oh Mary! Truly she chose the 'good part'.
Now there is so much we could say about Mary and her time at the feet of Jesus but I want us today to just think of her positioning. Sitting at the feet of Jesus all three times she was making a declaration...Mary's declaration was that Jesus is God, He is Lord of All.
You know there are two scriptures in the book of Colossians that I love. The first is Colossians 1: 19 where it says, 'For it was the Father's good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him...' The second is Colossians 2: 9, 'For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form...' Jesus is the fullness of God and He died to position us at His feet. At His feet for instruction, at His feet for comfort, at His feet for worship and service. Without Him we can do nothing.
I could go on and talk about who we are in Christ; I could go on and talk about the three feet sojourns of Mary, I could go on and talk about many things of the all abundance and amazing blessings of the unmerited grace and favour of our Lord. I could take us to Ephesians 2 and talk about the our seated place with Him at the right hand of the Father. We could discuss that the right hand is the hand of blessing. So much to share!
I will finish with this.
In Psalm 103: 2 the writer says this, 'Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget none of His benefits'. His benefits? Yes Jesus came to give us abundant life, so true but not the 'good life'? I think not. The gift of God restored us in every respect. So great is the gift of God, our Lord Jesus Christ, that nothing is withheld from us. Do like Mary, declare Him to be God and that you are not, and sit and receive. Sitting is the place of rest. What does this signify? That it is not about what you may DO to merit His blessing, there is nothing you can do to merit God, but thank God that Jesus has done all that was necessary and in Him you are accepted. Remember Colossians 2: 9? Well verse 10 goes on to say that 'in Him you have been made complete'. In Him we are complete...how can this exclude anything? No!
Receive Jesus, receive Him and with Him receive the fullness of the restoration of God.
Give Him praise, anoint Him with the perfume of your praise for He is worthy.
Friday, May 3, 2013
Is God real...really?
This blog is my ramblings...my thoughts. I like to write, I admit I am no good at it but I like to do it.
The thing that sets the human being apart from every other created being is the gift of 'choice'. We have a choice. We have a choice to believe in God, we have a choice to accept that 'God so loved the world...', we have choice whether or not we accept that '...He gave His only Son...', we have a choice whether or not we '...believe in Him...', we have a choice whether we accept that we '...will not perish, but have everlasting Life.' We have a choice over whether we believe, and what we believe. This is true. Your choice extends to this blog...if you don't like it then it's okay to turn it off.
I have just been to Cambodia. I stand in my call, not in any strength I have, but in Christ I stand and in great weakness I deliver Jesus to the people. They have a choice. Many receive Him and we rejoice in that. In October we go again, and then again in December.
But today is today and today I say, 'Is God real...really?'
John 10: 10 is an interesting verse. In those few words we have two kingdoms standing side by side. One of God and the other, the enemy of God. There was a book around that I think was entitled, 'Listen to me, Satan', or words to that effect. Frankly I have no interest in the enemy of God and deem him not worthy of my consideration. His ministry is clear...'steal, kill and destroy' and I will not give that ministry any power by my words or actions. Focus on him only results in my eyes being turned away from the 'Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End'. I'm sure the book is a great read but put it down now and pick up Jesus, He is our Word.
Yes, I do ramble.
Where was I?
I was driving home just now and into my mind comes the thought, 'Is God real...really?'
If no then why am I bothering?
If yes then how should I respond?
I return from Cambodia. The blessing was great, the promises are immense, the words are powerful and encouraging, the sense of the presence of God is tangible and real, and then the response comes. The analogy of war is one we often use and I guess this is perpetuated by references like Ephesians 6 which talks of armour and battles not against flesh and blood... The response comes...it is like I step off the edge of a cliff. I know my brothers in Cambodia experience the same. Everything is easy game it appears, my family, my children, my marriage, my work, my finances, my hope, my peace, my trust...no doubt many more things could be listed.
The most vulnerable receive the fiery darts...on and on it goes. We receive Jesus, for crying out loud we are Jesus...His prayer was that just as He and the Father are one, so are we one in Him. But still the response comes. The promises of God so vivid seem to pale...I cannot believe that He pales so why do they pale, why is so much challenged? Why? God are you real? Really?
My daughter, innocent and holding on, is the centre of the vitriol of two girls at school, girls we have welcomed with open arms into our home, one who has slept in our house and eaten at our table many, many times and been made one of our family, now criticizes and bullies my daughter. How can this be? Why is this so?
My marriage. My work. My trust, my hope, my peace, everything is challenged...why?
I don't know the answers to any of these questions. The cliche ridden Christian community gives all the usual responses, 'when you put your head above the trench you will get shot at'...'trials come to make you stronger', this is a good one, 'take heart, if you come under such interest then you must be doing something right'. Forgive me, I know they are well meant, and there is undoubtedly truth in them but still, why?
So I am contemplating this as I drive home. It is then the question comes, 'Is God real...really real?' Do you think that question is from God or from the enemy? The most likely response is that this comes from the enemy, but I'm not so sure. I think that only God is capable of asking that question without His glory, position and I AM-ness being challenged. I think that question actually comes from God. Do I really believe He is real?
The command of God that is relevant to me as a New Covenant Kingdom citizen is to 'BELIEVE'. All other commands are as obsolete as the Old Covenant of Law, totally superseded by Grace. If you don't believe me read the book of Hebrews, and then Romans, and then Galatians...I could go on.
The point is do I really 'believe'?
I could give you scripture after scripture after scripture of the promise of God...the Bible is absolutely full of them if we take off our law glasses and put on grace glasses...from beginning to end the promises flow, and flow, and flow. But do I receive?
You know I think we pick and choose. We read a promise and then we rationalise that promise and ultimately we pick the bits we deem to be acceptable and we discount, reduce, seive out the rest and discard it. It's a bit like our juicer...you shove in an apple, it goes 'brrrrr' and out comes apple juice, and the body, the pulp gets chucked out.
So, as I said this is my blog. These are my thoughts. Let's take one promise, one out of thousands upon thousands...when God says to me, 'The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want', what do I do? I affirm that He is indeed my Shepherd. I marvel that the Shepherd is, in fact, the Lord, Yahweh, God...GOD but then I rationalise the promise, 'I shall not want', and am left in a quandary.
This is my blog, my thoughts...the Lord is calling me to greater things and this is impossible, this will be hamstrung until I can 'receive' the truth, the absolute glory and majesty of the promise that 'I SHALL NOT WANT'. That is where God is calling me. That is the question He is asking me when He says to me, 'is God real, really?' My daughter left me a note in my suitcase when I went to Cambodia, it said, 'Nothing is impossible to God'...awesome words and true but have I, can I, will I receive them?
I have stepped through the door of the call of God but I look back.
Oh, Lord 'I believe, help my unbelief'.
The thing that sets the human being apart from every other created being is the gift of 'choice'. We have a choice. We have a choice to believe in God, we have a choice to accept that 'God so loved the world...', we have choice whether or not we accept that '...He gave His only Son...', we have a choice whether or not we '...believe in Him...', we have a choice whether we accept that we '...will not perish, but have everlasting Life.' We have a choice over whether we believe, and what we believe. This is true. Your choice extends to this blog...if you don't like it then it's okay to turn it off.
I have just been to Cambodia. I stand in my call, not in any strength I have, but in Christ I stand and in great weakness I deliver Jesus to the people. They have a choice. Many receive Him and we rejoice in that. In October we go again, and then again in December.
But today is today and today I say, 'Is God real...really?'
John 10: 10 is an interesting verse. In those few words we have two kingdoms standing side by side. One of God and the other, the enemy of God. There was a book around that I think was entitled, 'Listen to me, Satan', or words to that effect. Frankly I have no interest in the enemy of God and deem him not worthy of my consideration. His ministry is clear...'steal, kill and destroy' and I will not give that ministry any power by my words or actions. Focus on him only results in my eyes being turned away from the 'Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End'. I'm sure the book is a great read but put it down now and pick up Jesus, He is our Word.
Yes, I do ramble.
Where was I?
I was driving home just now and into my mind comes the thought, 'Is God real...really?'
If no then why am I bothering?
If yes then how should I respond?
I return from Cambodia. The blessing was great, the promises are immense, the words are powerful and encouraging, the sense of the presence of God is tangible and real, and then the response comes. The analogy of war is one we often use and I guess this is perpetuated by references like Ephesians 6 which talks of armour and battles not against flesh and blood... The response comes...it is like I step off the edge of a cliff. I know my brothers in Cambodia experience the same. Everything is easy game it appears, my family, my children, my marriage, my work, my finances, my hope, my peace, my trust...no doubt many more things could be listed.
The most vulnerable receive the fiery darts...on and on it goes. We receive Jesus, for crying out loud we are Jesus...His prayer was that just as He and the Father are one, so are we one in Him. But still the response comes. The promises of God so vivid seem to pale...I cannot believe that He pales so why do they pale, why is so much challenged? Why? God are you real? Really?
My daughter, innocent and holding on, is the centre of the vitriol of two girls at school, girls we have welcomed with open arms into our home, one who has slept in our house and eaten at our table many, many times and been made one of our family, now criticizes and bullies my daughter. How can this be? Why is this so?
My marriage. My work. My trust, my hope, my peace, everything is challenged...why?
I don't know the answers to any of these questions. The cliche ridden Christian community gives all the usual responses, 'when you put your head above the trench you will get shot at'...'trials come to make you stronger', this is a good one, 'take heart, if you come under such interest then you must be doing something right'. Forgive me, I know they are well meant, and there is undoubtedly truth in them but still, why?
So I am contemplating this as I drive home. It is then the question comes, 'Is God real...really real?' Do you think that question is from God or from the enemy? The most likely response is that this comes from the enemy, but I'm not so sure. I think that only God is capable of asking that question without His glory, position and I AM-ness being challenged. I think that question actually comes from God. Do I really believe He is real?
The command of God that is relevant to me as a New Covenant Kingdom citizen is to 'BELIEVE'. All other commands are as obsolete as the Old Covenant of Law, totally superseded by Grace. If you don't believe me read the book of Hebrews, and then Romans, and then Galatians...I could go on.
The point is do I really 'believe'?
I could give you scripture after scripture after scripture of the promise of God...the Bible is absolutely full of them if we take off our law glasses and put on grace glasses...from beginning to end the promises flow, and flow, and flow. But do I receive?
You know I think we pick and choose. We read a promise and then we rationalise that promise and ultimately we pick the bits we deem to be acceptable and we discount, reduce, seive out the rest and discard it. It's a bit like our juicer...you shove in an apple, it goes 'brrrrr' and out comes apple juice, and the body, the pulp gets chucked out.
So, as I said this is my blog. These are my thoughts. Let's take one promise, one out of thousands upon thousands...when God says to me, 'The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want', what do I do? I affirm that He is indeed my Shepherd. I marvel that the Shepherd is, in fact, the Lord, Yahweh, God...GOD but then I rationalise the promise, 'I shall not want', and am left in a quandary.
This is my blog, my thoughts...the Lord is calling me to greater things and this is impossible, this will be hamstrung until I can 'receive' the truth, the absolute glory and majesty of the promise that 'I SHALL NOT WANT'. That is where God is calling me. That is the question He is asking me when He says to me, 'is God real, really?' My daughter left me a note in my suitcase when I went to Cambodia, it said, 'Nothing is impossible to God'...awesome words and true but have I, can I, will I receive them?
I have stepped through the door of the call of God but I look back.
Oh, Lord 'I believe, help my unbelief'.
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