What Is Sin?

 

Contrary to popular belief, there is more than one definition of sin. But when people want to get you to fall from grace, they will focus on a specific definition to deceive you. When you understand these definitions in context and measure them against the whole of scripture, you will discover that the position of living under grace is strengthened. In this video, we discuss how this works. Resources: The Purpose of the Law https://youtu.be/eo1IGEWRlZg?si=eOfIUjikQQHFK6ld

Is God Hovering Over Us?

Christians often say one thing about grace and live another under law. In this video, we explore a tension many believers face: the fear of God hovering over their lives demanding they behave. However, the pressure to perform, and the subtle shift from Spirit-led living to flesh-driven striving doesn't come from God above, but from a place closer to home. Through scripture and real-life examples, we unpack what it truly means to walk in the will of God—without falling into religious traps.

Watch, reflect, and rethink what it means to live a life of faith and avoid a life of works. Resources: The Need for Good Teaching livinggodministries.net/living_god_ministries/radio_archive/audio_files/galatians_40_the_need_for_good_teaching_6_3_18.mp3

Matthew 7:15-20 What Is The Truth About Fruit Inspecting Christians?

 

Matthew 7:15-20 [15] “Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. [16] You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? [17] So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. [18] A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. [19] Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. [20] So then, you will know them by their fruits. Who does Jesus say we will know by their fruits? Where does fruit inspecting of other Christians come from? What does fruit inspecting lead to? Resources: The Sermon on the Mount https://www.livinggodministries.net/living_god_ministries/radio_archive/sermon_on_mount.htm Fruit Inspection https://96tolife.blogspot.com/search?q=Fruit+inspection+&m=1

Knowing Where God Is Taking You

"I have no idea where God is taking me, but I trust Him."

This is a quote from a Christian social media influencer. Does this motivate you? Is it something that you would say regarding your relationship with God? In response to this post, I said, "Maybe God isn't taking you anywhere, but allowing you to take Him with you as you go through life." I don't know the background to this post. The individual who wrote it could be going through a life circumstance or experiencing uncertainty in life. Whatever is behind them writing this, I believe it is something we can all relate to. Surprisingly, they responded to my comment with, "John 16:3, Isaiah 58:11, Isaiah 48:17, Psalm 23:2 are all verses where God leads or guides, therefore, He's taking me somewhere. Thank you, Jesus." My first response was to ask myself, "Does God lead without us knowing where He is taking us?" Children, for the most part, always know where their parent is taking them. But, that aside, what do these verses tell us about God leading or guiding us? 

John 16:13

John 16:3 says, "And these things they will do to you because they have not known the Father nor Me." I don't see what this verse has to do with God guiding us. However, I believe they meant to reference John 16:13, which states, "However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come." This verse is about Jesus Christ promising the Holy Spirit after His death." It is a passage about salvation; the restoration of the Holy Spirit of God to all who place faith in Jesus Christ. It is also a passage that defines where it is God is "taking" us. He is guiding us "into all truth." After reading this passage, it would seem that it doesn't support the idea that we "have no idea where God is taking" us. It is the opposite. Jesus Christ is clear as to what the purpose of the Holy Spirit is in our lives. 

Isaiah 58:11

In Isaiah 58:11, we read, "The Lord will guide you continually, And satisfy your soul in drought, And strengthen your bones; You shall be like a watered garden, And like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail." First and foremost, who was Isaiah writing to? He was writing to the people of Jerusalem around the time of Israel's return. The passage parallels John 16:13 in that it is a picture of restoration. The difference is that this entire chapter centers around fasting that pleases God. Written during the time of the Old Testament, we see the typical pattern of the Mosaic Law. That being if the people obey God, then He promises to bless them. As one commentator writes, "If the people choose the fast God sets before them, then they will have the blessing they seek: light, healing, help, protection, satisfying of needs, and, most centrally, the presence and guidance of God among them." God's guidance is conditional on the obedience of the people. Again, there is no mystery surrounding where God is "taking" the people. Also, we are not under the Law, therefore, there are no conditions we must meet for God to guide us. And with His indwelling Holy Spirit living in us, we have the "spring of water" strengthening our bones, watering our garden, and His love that never fails us. 

Isaiah 48:17

Earlier in the book of Isaiah, he says, "Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, The Holy One of Israel: “I am the Lord your God, Who teaches you to profit, Who leads you by the way you should go." This is a passage similar to Isaiah 58:11 where the author is writing to the Jews reminding them of who God is and that He leads them in the way they should go. We can take encouragement from this passage as it reminds us of the love of our God. However, a wise man once said, "keep reading" when it comes to taking Bible verses in isolation. In the next verse, Isaiah writes, "Oh, that you had heeded My commandments! Then your peace would have been like a river, And your righteousness like the waves of the sea (Isaiah 48:17)." There is the condition popping up again. The promises of God are contingent on the Jews heeding His commandments. That doesn't apply to Christians. Furthermore, we are at peace, or at least we should be, because "having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 5:1)." The Jews didn't have peace because of their constant disobedience. Christians have peace with God because we are justified in God's eyes because of the obedience of Jesus Christ. This promise to guide the Jews wasn't unknown to them, but, in many ways, it was unattainable because of the impossibility of obeying the commandments of God. We are not Jews who are hopelessly desiring for God to guide us somewhere but knowing that His doing so is dependent on us doing the impossible. 

Psalms 23:2

In one of the most memorable passages in scripture, we are comforted by the words, "He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters (Psalms 23:2)." Where is God leading us in this passage? He is leading us to rest. This is a picture of the rest we have in Jesus Christ as a result of His finished work. That is what God wants to lead all of us into. We are not being taken by God to someplace that leads us to say we have no idea where He is taking us. This is an idea repeated throughout the Bible. For example, God wanted to take the Jews to the promised land, but they were disobedient. To this day the Jews are not resting because they have not turned to their Messiah. Unfortunately, many Christians are not resting either. They are falsely believing they need to live obedient and repentant lives to the laws and commands God gave to "guide" us to the His grace and mercy found in Jesus Christ. Instead, they are not lying down in green pastures or being led beside still waters. On the contrary, they are like Jews wandering in the wilderness, seeking blessings of the flesh, desiring the bondage of slavery instead of being free in Christ, and having no idea where God is leading them. Perhaps, if you don't know where God is leading you it is because you are heading in the wrong direction.

Wherever we go as Christians, God is with us. He is using our feet to walk, our hands to touch, our eyes to see, and our ears to hear. Plus, we have the mind of Christ to help us make decisions in line with who we are as God's children. Furthermore, if God feels He needs to intervene and direct us in a certain way, He does not have a communication problem. If you feel you don't know where God is taking you, then ask Him. Chances are there is something wrong with what you believe instead of falling back on the platitude to trust a God who appears to have left you in the dark as to where He is taking you. 

Restoring Our Relationship

On Resurrection Sunday, otherwise known as Easter, we celebrate our God and Savior Jesus Christ conquering the grave and rising from the dead. There are many meanings for the resurrection. It is proof of Jesus being God. The Lord conquering death is a promise to Christians that we will conquer death one day as well. The resurrection is God's offer to restore His life, the Holy Spirit, to all who accept Jesus Christ as their savior. However, one of the reasons for the resurrection that goes unnoticed is that it provides God with the opportunity to have a relationship with us. Christians like to use the phrase, "Christianity isn't a religion, it's a relationship." But, from my experience, the relationship often looks just like a religion. For example, do you know anybody who has said something like the following? "Jesus followers are to still be obedient to what is commanded in the New Testament." The statement alone is one of religion and not a relationship. Obedience to commands is the definition of religion. You do not need to know Jesus Christ to respond to commands. To live this way will do one thing for you. You will succeed in becoming just like the Jews. They deceived themselves into believing they were obedient to God and when the Lord showed up, they rejected Him. Are there any examples of God having a relationship with His people apart from obeying commands? 

Naming the Animals

After the Creation and before the Fall, we see an example of God and Adam engaged in a personal, interactive encounter with each other. In Genesis 2:19-20, we read, "Now the Lord God had formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds in the sky, and all the wild animals." Here we see a father and son naming the animals. God is allowing Adam to participate in the creation. Adam couldn't create the animals, but God allowed him to name them. Is that any different than a father and son going to the pet store and the father allowing his son to pick out and name the family pet? The child can't drive to the store and can't pay for the pet, but he can name it. God is no different in His interactions with us. God didn't know what Adam would name the animals just like a father may not know what name his son will give the family pet. This is an intimate and unforgettable moment in a relationship. 

Sharing His Plans

There is little else that displays a relationship between two people than for one to share their plans with the other. Later in Genesis, we see the Lord interacting with Abraham on His way to Sodom. "When the men got up to leave, they looked down toward Sodom, and Abraham walked along with them to see them on their way. Then the Lord said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do? Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation, and all nations on earth will be blessed through him (Genesis 18:16-18)." Who do you tell your plans to? It is usually someone close to you. Someone you can trust. A person you love. Here we see God entrusting Abraham with His plans to investigate the sins of Sodom. God did not have to tell Abraham, but He chose to let Him in on what He and the angels were going to do. If you keep reading, this leads to Abraham pleading for God to spare Sodom and God listened. How many times have you and a friend talked about your plans and hashed it out? We see that God is not all that different. 

Think Before You Act

There is always that time in our life when we do things in haste in response to our emotions. It could be as minor as an impulse purchase in the store checkout line all the way to acting out violently against someone who has hurt us. In the book of Exodus, we see what can only be described as Moses getting God to think twice about destroying the nation of Israel. Exodus 32:10-14 says, "Now leave me alone so that my anger may burn against them and that I may destroy them. Then I will make you into a great nation.” But Moses sought the favor of the Lord his God. “Lord,” he said, “why should your anger burn against your people, whom you brought out of Egypt with great power and a mighty hand? Why should the Egyptians say, ‘It was with evil intent that he brought them out, to kill them in the mountains and to wipe them off the face of the earth’? Turn from your fierce anger; relent and do not bring disaster on your people. Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, to whom you swore by your own self: ‘I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and I will give your descendants all this land I promised them, and it will be their inheritance forever.’” Then the Lord relented and did not bring on his people the disaster he had threatened." In short, Moses was successful at getting God to change His mind and not destroy the nation of Israel for making the golden calf. This is an example of how the respect and love one has for another leads to you taking their advice and thinking things through before you act. 

Fish Fry

Who doesn't like to share a meal with their friends? How much of our interactions with friends and family revolve around sharing a meal? If there is a major event to celebrate, there will be a feast involved. Holidays, sporting events, life events, and so on, include food as part of the celebration. In John 21, Jesus had just finished helping the disciples catch some fish. The Lord, intending to reinstate Peter after his denial, prepared a meal for the disciples. "Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish you have just caught.” So Simon Peter climbed back into the boat and dragged the net ashore. It was full of large fish, 153, but even with so many, the net was not torn. Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” None of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. Jesus came, took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish (John 21:10-13)." I wonder what it must have been like to have God cook you breakfast after helping you haul in a bunch of fish? Does it get any more personal than this in a relationship? Having someone prepare a hot meal for you after a long night's work is the epitome of a loving relationship. 

In all of these examples, the underlying theme is love. God is not blessing them for obedience to some command they obeyed. He didn't curse the disciples for not catching any fish. He made them breakfast. The Lord, effectively, said to Moses, "Yes, on second thought, you are correct. I won't destroy My people." He listened to wise counsel. God sat down for a meal with Abraham and then shared His plans with Him. He didn't have to do that but did so because He loved Abraham. It is love that leads to a father and son sharing a moment to name the pets, in this case, the animals of the world. This is what God wants with all of us through faith in Jesus Christ. He forgave our sins and blessed us with Himself, through the indwelling Holy Spirit, so we can have an eternal relationship with Him. When we don't understand this truth, we are left to believe our relationship is based on our church attendance, giving record, battling with sin, our ministry success, and whatever else we feel God commands. That is not living. If that is what God wanted He could have just left us under the Old Covenant and we could proverbially set up camp at the foot of Mount Sanai. But, God has gone from the mountaintop to the cross, through the empty tomb, and into our hearts. Believe this and get to know your God. 

Just My Imagination

“"There is none righteous, not even one; There is none who understands, There is none who seeks for God; All have turned aside, together they have become useless; There is none who does good, There is not even one.” “Their throat is an open grave, With their tongues they keep deceiving,” “The poison of asps is under their lips”; “Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness”; “Their feet are swift to shed blood, Destruction and misery are in their paths,  And the path of peace they have not known.” “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”" Romans 3:10-18

John Lennon released his song, Imagine, in 1971. Some of the lyrics contained in the song are as follows:

• Imagine there's no heaven
• No hell below us
• Imagine there's no countries
• And no religion, too

These lyrics sound a lot like someone wanting to create a Utopian society. Utopia, by definition, is an "imagined place or state of things in which everything is perfect." The people advocating the pursuit of such a place believe in "perfect worlds, worlds free of conflict, hunger, and unhappiness." In general, they "imagine" the way to get there is through implementing the things mentioned in Lennon's song. The idea of there being no heaven, no hell, and no religion go hand in hand with each other. On June 25, 1962, according to CNSNews, "the United States Supreme Court decided in Engel v. Vitale that a prayer approved by the New York Board of Regents for use in schools violated the First Amendment because it represented establishment of religion. In 1963, in Abington School District v. Schempp, the court decided against Bible readings in public schools along the same lines." Since 1963, according to education expert William Jeynes, "there have been five negative developments in the nation’s public schools: academic achievement has plummeted, including SAT scores, increased rate of out-of-wedlock births, increase in illegal drug use, increase in juvenile crime, and deterioration of school behavior." This is all due to the removal of just two tenants of religion; prayer in school and Bible reading. Obviously, when you remove prayer and Bible reading you, effectively, remove the God you are praying to and the words He has written to us. Therefore, you remove the foundation behind what is good and evil. The consequences of that are you now have no God to be accountable to and no Heaven and Hell to aspire to or avoid. And when there is no God, man becomes his own god. It is a perfect example of Judges 17:6 which says, "In those days Israel had no king; all the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes." And when you have people acting as their own gods and doing what is right in their own eyes, you get further conclusions like this from Jeynes: "Other facts included a comparison between the top five complaints of teachers from 1940-1962 -- talking, chewing gum, making noise, running in the halls and getting out of turn in line – to rape, robbery, assault, burglary and arson from 1963 to present." Unfortunately, one thing you can add to this list is mass shootings. And before I forget, we have to address the idea of there being no countries. There are those today that advocate open borders. With no borders you have no countries. With no religion, no God, no Heaven, no Hell, and no countries, you have no order. The result of this isn't Utopia, it is chaos!

However, in all fairness, there is a segment in Christianity that seems to have a similar desire to create Utopia on earth, only from a Christian perspective. Because of all the problems created by removing Bible reading and prayer from public schools (and society at large), Christians end up trying to reclaim these things. When you see things like the legalized murder of unborn children through abortion, sexual immorality of various types, the silencing of truth through political correctness, redefining marriage, the advocating of ungodly worldviews like Communism and Socialism, and the removal of anything pertaining to God, in general, or Christianity, specifically, you rightfully get upset and are moved to action. In that sense, I can understand why Christians are motivated to engage these areas in hopes of aligning them more with biblical truth. However, we have to ask ourselves one question, "If we reclaim America for Christ and reverse all these trends, will it directly lead to people coming to saving faith in Jesus Christ?" If abortions ended, marriage was once again defined as the union of a man and a woman, sexual immorality came to a halt, political correctness was stopped, and all the godless, secular worldviews and economic systems were banished to history, would the Kingdom of God increase by even one person? Possibly, but I say it wouldn't change all that much. Prior to 1962 and 1963, when school prayer and Bible reading were removed, did that automatically mean everyone in the nation was saved? No. If that were the case we would not have had the incidents that led to the removal of school prayer and Bible reading. This is because getting someone to behave properly doesn't mean they have had an encounter with the living God of the Bible, Jesus Christ. Throughout the Bible, we see what the problem is with mankind and it is not lack of the proper religious and societal structure as to what is right and what is wrong or how to behave. The problem is that our hearts are wicked. Our hearts are so wicked that it was the reason that God destroyed all life on the planet (Genesis 6:5). The prophet Jeremiah said just as much and even wondered if anybody could truly understand why our hearts are so wicked (Jeremiah 17:9). And the Apostle Paul clearly illustrated that "there is no fear of God before their eyes." He said this about both Jews and Gentiles; those under God's law and those who were not under it. Yet, all of them were sinners who had fallen short of the glory of God. It is because they were all spiritually dead to God; absent of the Holy Spirit indwelling them. They needed a change of heart by coming alive to God through faith in Jesus Christ. When He changes your heart, whether you are operating under a system of godlessness or godliness, you will be led from within by God. The goal is not to create Utopia by removing God from society. Neither is the goal to reclaim America for Christ by getting people to behave properly. The goal is to "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation (Mark 16:15)." This can be done in any and all circumstances. Imagine that!

All your Heart, Soul, and Strength

"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength."  Deuteronomy 6:5

Have you ever heard it said that "To love God is to enjoy God’s sustained favor"? In order to enjoy God's sustained favor, it is said that to love God with all your heart means "without one’s will, desires, passions, affections, perceptions, and thoughts rightly aligned, the life of love is impossible." When it comes to loving God with all our soul, "we are to love God with our passions, hungers, perceptions, and thoughts. But we are also to love him with how we talk, and what we do with our hands, and how we utilize our talents, and how we react to challenges — our entire being is to display that we love God." But, it doesn't stop there. We are also to love God with all our strength as well. "This means that the call to love God is not only with our physical muscle, but with everything we have available for honoring God — which includes our spouse, our children, our house or dorm room, our pets and wardrobe and tools and cell phones and movies and music and computers and time." To sum it all up, we are told "that every closet of our lives needs to be opened for cleaning, and every relationship in our lives must be influenced. This call to love God this way destroys any option of being one person at church and another person on a date. What you do on the internet needs to be just as pure as what you do in Bible-reading. The way we talk to our parents needs to be as wholesome as the way we talk to our pastors." Deuteronomy 6:5 has been deemed the "Supreme Command" or the "all-command" because of the threefold "all" to love God with all your heart, soul, and strength. Often times when a verse like this is read, the reaction by those hearing it is usually to respond with a hearty, "Amen!" From my experience when verses like this and others that command us to love God and live a certain way are proclaimed, everybody seems to assume that they are loving God and living in the way in which He is commanding them to do. However, if you were able to pull them aside and ask them individually if they are loving God with all their heart, soul, and strength, they would probably reply with something like, "I do my best." In other words, what they are really saying is, "No, I am not loving God with all my heart, soul, and strength." This is, actually, a good thing that they recognize this, but based on their belief that God expects them to live up to His command, they either continue to recommit to trying to live this way, or they live in quiet shame; afraid the God they so dearly want to love is disgusted and ashamed with them. All they have to do is keep reading in Deuteronomy 6 to gain more insight into the so-called "Supreme Command."

The first thing to realize is that God gave this command to the nation of Israel. But, that never seems to stop Christians from trying to obey commands that were never given to us in the first place. But, I digress. How do you love God with all your heart, soul, and strength? It is by "keeping all his decrees and commands (Deuteronomy 6:2)." Otherwise, you will face His wrath for your disobedience. Neither Israel before or a Christian now can love God like this. All of God's decrees and commands were designed to focus on the individual's fleshly behavior. It is up to the individual, in the energy of their own strength, to find ways to obey all of these commands with the promise of physical blessings for obedience or terrible punishments, including death, when you fail. Furthermore, God never promised that He would love you if you somehow found a way to obey all his decrees and commands. Neither did He promise you eternal life for your obedience. The appeal in trying to love God with all your heart, soul, and strength, is the physical rewards and the ability to boast about your accomplishment. There is not a person alive who wouldn't want all the physical blessings God promises for obedience or the ego boost for telling others about what they did. Unfortunately, there is one problem; us. "For if there had been nothing wrong with that first covenant, no place would have been sought for another. But God found fault with the people and said: “The days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and with the people of Judah (Hebrews 8:7-8)." God found fault with the people. There is nothing wrong with the law, but everything wrong with our ability to obey it. God designed the law to lead us to faith in Christ by revealing to us that the only way we could enter His Kingdom was through His grace and mercy. In Matthew 19, a rich man asked Jesus what he must do to get eternal life. After Jesus finished His reply to him with the famous verse, "Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God (Matthew 19:24),” the disciples asked Him, "Who then can be saved (Matthew 19:25)?" Jesus replied, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible (Matthew 19:26).” This question to, and response of, Jesus is the key to all the discussion about loving God with all your heart, soul, and strength. It is impossible for us to do so. God wants us to understand that He told us to do this so we would realize that we cannot. Therefore, when we reach that point, we are ready to accept His grace and mercy through faith in Jesus Christ. He is the one who did for us what we cannot do. God loved us with all His heart, soul, and strength, in Christ. That is why it says, "We love because he first loved us (1 John 4:19)" and that "love is the fulfillment of the law (Romans 13:10)." It is not about our futile effort to obey God's decrees and commands to show our love for Him. Our love for God is shown in our resting in the finished work of Jesus Christ on our behalf, receiving God's love for us, and bearing the fruit of His love to the world.

Mean as a Hornet

"For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” But if you bite and devour one another, beware lest you be consumed by one another!" Galatians 5:13-15

In Galatians chapter 5, the apostle Paul is writing about Christian liberty in Christ, love being the fulfillment of the Law and walking in the Spirit. Along the way, he takes the time to warn the Church about falling from grace, being hindered from obeying the truth and avoiding the works of the flesh. While he is encouraging Christians to stand for the truth of the grace of God, he points out that those who will try to undermine their faith, surprisingly, will be those from within the body of Christ. For example, I recently took the time to view the social media page of a ministry that meant a lot to me in my early years of being a Christian. The ministry teaches what is referred to as the "finality of the Cross" and the "reality of the Resurrection." In other words, they proclaim that the death of Jesus Christ on the Cross forgave all the sins of mankind, past, present, and future and that salvation is the restoration of the life of God made possible through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. In the nearly 20 years that have passed since I grabbed a hold of this message and proclaimed it, the majority of opposition to it has come from those within the body of Christ. It was not any different on this ministry's page.  Under a post where they were promoting some products, a Christian who opposed the message wrote, "...when did the Apostles or Jesus EVER sell the gospel? I see your motivation is to sell and push your products for the false doctrine that you teach." When some supporters of the ministry challenged them on their accusation, they replied with, "You must embrace the same abomination that he does." After being called a "legalist," they shot back with, "I follow God's Word the way it's written. I don't wrangle the scriptures to make them mean what I want them to mean," " If you were a "Christian" you wouldn't be on this site," and, finally, "A Legalist: One who obeys God...as viewed by someone....who doesn't." The whole exchange is wrong on so many levels. There is no dialogue, no reasoning from the scriptures and, definitely, no love being exchanged. The conversation is nothing more than two factions devouring each other with name-calling and judgment. While nobody wins in this scenario, it could have been avoided if the individual had either said nothing or tried to ask questions in an effort to start a dialogue. Unfortunately, this type of exchange seems to be the norm when it comes to online Christian "discussion." Out of curiosity, I visited the profile of this person and found a post that read, "Dear Lord, please help me to speak the right words, at the right time, with the right attitude so I might be effective in reaching some with Your truth..." Given that this post and the argument they ignited are about 10 months apart, one can only hope their prayer is a sign of God working on their heart and not an example of their hypocrisy.

Interestingly enough, the pastor of this ministry once said, “Religion makes you mean as a hornet.” Just like a hornet, they are unwanted, irritating and can ruin a good time. While I do not know the person who caused the uproar, I have encountered many like them over the years. And to the pastor's point, they are mean as a hornet and it can be traced back to their religious beliefs. Regarding the roots of the word religion, Webster's Collegiate Dictionary traces the word back to an old Latin word religio meaning "taboo, restraint." A deeper study discovers the word comes from the two words re and ligare. Re is a prefix meaning "return," and ligare means "to bind;" in other words, "return to bondage." That is eye-opening. To be religious means you are in bondage. That is what the Apostle Paul was preaching against. He wanted the Galatians, and all Christians, to stand in their liberty. Liberty means freedom; the exact opposite of bondage. Religion does put you in bondage. The individual mentioned earlier proudly embraced being called a legalist by saying they are one "who obeys God." There are different meanings for obedience. However, by making such a claim, I have to believe they have convinced themselves they are obeying the commands of God. In short, they are under the Law; i.e. a legalist. That is the ultimate form of religion. And if religion is bondage, it will make you as mean as a hornet. Why? Because the law is of no use without somebody to compare yourself too. And, in my opinion, misery loves company. Are prisoners happy? No, they are in jail cells wanting freedom. Are dogs in a kennel happy? No, they are in cages barking up a storm trying to get out. When people leave churches, it is often because they have encountered people like the one mentioned earlier. Once they get out, they want nothing to do with Christians, church or God. They don't need the hassle of the endless pressure to obey, condemnation for failure and the shame of not being good enough for God or His people. Religious people like this person are compelled to judge others for their perceived lack of obedience because only two things can result from comparing yourself to others; you are either better than other people or worse. One is religious pride. The other is self-condemnation. In this scenario, you see the religious pride that comes from convincing yourself you are being obedient to God. Both are of the devil! You can't love your neighbor when you are consumed with trying to be obedient to laws God never expected you to obey. Only when you are resting in the finished work of Jesus Christ and allowing Him to live His resurrected life through you, will you begin to receive the love that God wants to give to you. You will then know what it means to be free in Christ and "if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed (John 8:36)."

Walking on Water

"Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear. But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”  “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”  “Come,” he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!” Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?” Matthew 14:25-31

The story of Jesus walking on water is one that everyone remembers. Some may even recall that Peter, albeit for a brief moment, also walked on water. But, aside from these two facts nothing else is ever really discussed regarding the event. However, one thing I see in the midst of Jesus and Peter walking on water is how it is a perfect illustration of our inability to live up to the standards God demands as well as the Gospel and Christian living. Often times the Christian life is said to be one of "becoming like Jesus" or more "like Christ." Therefore, believers are told that we must live obedient lives to whatever God commands. As evidence of this, people refer to God's laws as those commands we are to obey; either the Mosaic Law of the Old Covenant, Jesus' Sermon on the Mount or laws made up by our denominations. Well, here in this story about Jesus walking on water, we have a perfect example of how this will play out. Jesus, being God, has no problem walking on water. Peter asks to be commanded to come to Jesus on the water and the Lord obliges. Peter, for a short time, does walk on water, but eventually succumbs to fear and starts to sink into the water. This is just like us trying to be like Jesus. We believe that with Jesus' help, we too can do the things He can do; i.e. walk on water. We tell ourselves if we just had enough faith or tried hard enough at being "obedient" then we would be what God wants us to be. And, we may even deceive ourselves into believing we are being obedient, but what we perceive as being obedient is simply our success at those laws we find easiest to obey; church attendance, giving, scripture study and the like. However, the measure of our obedience is not our ability to live up to our standards, but to God's. Jesus said, "For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 5:20)." And if that wasn't hard enough, He upped the anti when He followed up with, "Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect (Matthew 5:48)." What is perfect in God's eyes? Being perfect, for example, would be if Peter was able to come to Him on the water without doubting. It is no different with us.

Why did Peter doubt? Was it a lack of faith? To a degree, yes. But, it was also a recognition that he is not God and cannot walk on water. He became afraid, got his eyes off of Jesus and on the wind and began to sink. Is that any different than what many Christians, or anybody for that matter, encounter when they try to be like Jesus or live up to the standards of their own personal or religious beliefs? We soon realize our own limitations and the impossibility of the attempt to be like God. Unfortunately, many people keep trying to step out on that water in hopes that they will figure it out, but never do. And you know what? If, by some chance, Peter mustered up enough faith to walk all the way to Jesus, then what? He would not have become God. Jesus didn't promise Peter entrance into heaven. What probably would have happened is that both Peter and the others in the boat would have taken their eyes off of Jesus and put them onto Peter and if they could walk on water too! And that's what we do as Christians when we try to be like Jesus; the focus is on us and off of Him. We never realize what Jesus was really trying to accomplish. At the end of His teaching on the Rich and the Kingdom of God, Jesus said to His disciples, "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God (Mark 10:25)." Upon hearing this, the disciples replied with, "Who then can be saved (Mark 10:26)?" To the disciples, and many Christians today, being rich was believed to be a sign that God was pleased with their behavior; i.e. their obedience to His commands. So, when Jesus said these words to them in Mark 10:26, they realized that was not the case. What Jesus was trying to tell them was that the only way to get to enter the Kingdom of Heaven (be saved) was through the grace and mercy of God. So, when Peter realized he was sinking and unable to continue to walk on the water to reach Jesus, he cried out, "Lord, save me!" Peter knew his efforts were not enough. And what did Jesus do? He reached out his hand and caught him. He saved him. The purpose of the Christian life is not trying to be like Jesus by living a life we cannot. It is about realizing we can't live the Christian life and letting Him live it out in and through us. He saved  us. We didn't save ourselves. Finally, one last thing to note is that after Jesus saved Peter, they got in the boat and crossed over. Jesus didn't instruct Peter on how to properly walk on water. He got in the boat with Him, the wind died down, and they crossed safely over to their destination. That's the Christian life in a nutshell; resting in Christ as He leads you through this life to our destination in Heaven.

Rest for the people of God

One of the best ways to discover if someone is under the law is by determining what a person is focused on. If a person is focused on what you are doing or what they have done, then you have your answer; they are under the law. It may not be the Mosaic Law, but it could be the law of their denomination, the law of their religion, or their own personal law they have made up. If a person is focused on God, in Christ, then chances are they are under grace or, at the very least, headed in the right direction. Referring to the Mosaic Law, one of the best quotes I have heard was, "The Law was God's contribution to Man's best effort to be like Him." Basically, the Old Covenant is Man reaching up to God with self-effort to be accepted by Him; i.e Law. The New Covenant is God reaching down to Man through Jesus Christ with love and acceptance; i.e. Grace. Therefore, the question must be asked; "Are you willing enter God's rest?" Hebrews 4:1 says, "Therefore, since the promise of entering His rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it." There is no rest when your focus is on you and trying to get your flesh under control. Continuing on, in Hebrews 4: 9-11, we read, "There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works, just as God did from his. Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience." Do you notice that the ones said to be disobedient are the ones working! The ones who are trying to reach up to God in the energy of their own flesh are the ones being disobedient. Are you willing to die to all self-effort and rest in the saving grace of Jesus Christ? Again, if your focus is on yourself, you are under law and if your focus is on Jesus Christ you are more than likely under grace. For example:

Under Law Man Says:                                                    Under Grace Jesus Says:

Look at what I'm doing for You!                                    Look at what I did for you!
Look at how I went to church.                                        Look at how I went to Calvary.
Look at how I was raised in my denomination.              Look at how I was raised from the dead.
Look at how I gave my money.                                      Look at how I gave My Life.
Look at how I confessed my sins.                                  Look at how I took away your sins.
Look at how I stood against sin.                                     Look at how I died for your sins.
Look at how I judged the lost world.                              Look at how I saved the lost world.
Look at how I marched against evil-doers.                     Look at how I suffered for evil-doers.
Look at how I bowed down to You.                                Look at how I became one of you.
Look at how I healed the sick.                                        Look at how I raised the dead.
Look at how I spoke in tongues.                                     Look at how I spoke in love.
Look at how successful my life was.                              Look at how successful my death was.

The only thing that remains to ask is, "Are you willing to enter into the New Covenant with full assurance of faith?" Hebrews 10:19-23 says, "Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God,  let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful." That is it; God is faithful. No matter how hard we try and no matter how sincere we are, we cannot live up to the holy and righteous standard of God. We are not faithful. In Matthew 5:48, Jesus said, "Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect." This is impossible to do no matter how we spin it. He didn't say. "Try to be perfect" or "Give your best effort to be perfect." He said, "Be perfect." He said this in order to bury us and drive home the point that the only way we could be right in the sight of God was through His grace and mercy found through faith in Jesus Christ. Thankfully, in Christ, God is faithful. All we can do is humble ourselves and admit that we can neither save ourselves or maintain our salvation through our works. You must rest in the finished work of Jesus Christ on your behalf and live your life in thankfulness; confidently entering the Most Holy Place because you are forgiven, alive to God, holy, blameless, sanctified, justified, unconditionally loved, totally accepted, a citizen of heaven, a joint heir with Christ, saved from God's wrath and free from fear. By one act of faith in Jesus Christ, your eyes can now come off of you and what you're doing and placed squarely on Jesus Christ and what He has done. Amen!

Grace and Peace

'To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be his holy people: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.' Romans 1:7

When we write to our friends we often start out our correspondence with simple words like, Dear, Hi, Hello or my friend. The Apostle Paul often included "Grace and Peace" in his letters. As a Christian, I believe we can easily overlook this common greeting used by Paul because we talk about grace so much that when we see the word being used it doesn't phase us. However, it is worth noting that you cannot separate grace from peace. Imagine if Paul had written, "Law and worry to you from God our Father." That carries an entirely different meaning. Similarly, you cannot separate Law from worry. To subject yourself to the Law means you have subjected yourself to trying to live a life you cannot live; a life of obedience and repentance to rules and regulations you can never fully obey. The Law's standard is perfection; "For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. (James 2:10)." The Law stirs up sin: "For when we were in the realm of the flesh, the sinful passions aroused by the law were at work in us, so that we bore fruit for death (Romans 7:5)." The Law is a ministry of condemnation and death: "For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse, as it is written: “Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law (Galatians 3:10)."” The Law is for the lost, not for believers: "We know that the law is good if one uses it properly. We also know that the law is made not for the righteous but for lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly and sinful, the unholy and irreligious, for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers, for the sexually immoral, for those practicing homosexuality, for slave traders and liars and perjurers—and for whatever else is contrary to the sound doctrine... (1 Timothy 1:8-10)." Life under the Law is a life of hopelessness. It is a life of worry because deep down in your heart you know you are not being obedient enough and you're only left with this feeling in your gut that God is not pleased with you and doesn't love you; you are a failure in His eyes.

However, grace is different. "Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 5:1)." If you have accepted Jesus Christ as your savior, becoming born again of the Spirit of God, then you have peace with God. You have been delivered from darkness to light: "But you, brothers and sisters, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief. You are all children of the light and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness (1 Thessalonians 5:4-5)." All of your sins are forgiven and do not separate you from God: "I am writing to you, dear children, because your sins have been forgiven on account of his name (1 John 2:12)." You have eternal life: "And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life (1 John 5:11-13)." You have access to God: "He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit (Ephesians 2:17-18)." Nothing, not even you, can separate you from God's love: "For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:38-39)." Knowing these truths about the grace of God is what gives you peace. That peace comes from the fact that your right standing before God, your holiness, your justification, your sanctification, your entire existence comes from your trust in and dependence on what Jesus Christ did for you, not trust in and dependence on what you try to do for God. If you are worrying about your relationship with God or if you don't have one with Him at all, it is probably because you do not have peace in your heart and do not know His grace.

You Shall Not Covet

“I found that the very commandment that was intended to bring life actually brought death (Romans 7:10).” If Christianity had an alphabet, it would probably start with the letter “O.” The “O” would stand for “Obedience.” Many Christians believe that obedience to God proves our love to Him, demonstrates our faithfulness to Him, glorifies Him to the world and opens avenues of blessings for us. It sounds good, but is it true? The Ten Commandments are often referred to as a Christian’s guide to living the Christian life. The tenth Commandment says, “You shall not covet your neighbor's house. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor (Exodus 20:17)." Proponents of a Christian being subject to the Ten Commandments rarely mention the law against coveting. I believe this is because coveting is a silent or invisible sin. You don’t necessarily see someone coveting although it can be argued that coveting is the root cause of many sins. For example, you first have to covet your neighbor’s ox or donkey before you attempt to steal it. But, what did the Apostle Paul say about the commandment against coveting? “But sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, produced in me every kind of covetous desire. (Romans 7:8).” The commandment against coveting didn’t prevent Paul from coveting. No, the complete opposite happened. He says it “produced in me every kind of covetous desire.” What that means is that the moment he understood the law against coveting he began to notice all the things around him that he coveted; i.e. his neighbor’s house, wife, servants, ox, donkey, etc. 

It led him to say that the commandment brought death! He realized just how sinful a person he was. You see, if you believe you must be “obedient” to God, in the sense of behaving properly, you must have a law or commandment from God to obey. However, the Bible tells us that “the power of sin is the law (1 Corinthians 15:56).” One of the main reasons God gave us His law, i.e. the Ten Commandments, was to show us our sinfulness and need for His grace and mercy because of the impossibility of living up to its requirements. God did not create mankind to be obedient to commandments designed to get us to behave properly. No, God created us so He could indwell us and lead us from within. That is why Paul said, “we received grace and apostleship to call people from among all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith (Romans 1:5).” True obedience comes from faith not from responding to commandments. Instead of trying to prove our love for God we rest in the love He has proved to us. Rather than trying to be faithful to Him through obedience to commandments we cannot keep, we rest in the fact that He is faithful to us through the finished work of Jesus Christ. God is not glorified by our obedience to His commandments. He is glorified by our love for one another. Avenues for blessings are not opened up through our obedience. We have already been given every spiritual blessing from God through our faith in Jesus Christ. If there was a Christian alphabet, I suggest it should start with the letter “R.” The “R” stands for “Rest.” Rest in what Jesus Christ has done for you and not in your failed attempts to do for Him what you never will.

Legalism: Putting Confidence in the Flesh

Legalism. What is it? There is no verse in the Bible that starts out, "The definition of legalism is ....." Nor does the Bible even use the term. Among Christians the definition of legalism varies as much as a person's own individual theology varies. If you type legalism into your search engine you will see definitions that sound a lot like this; legalism is "a doctrinal position emphasizing a system of rules and regulations for achieving both salvation and spiritual growth." A radio pastor described legalism as being "when your opinion becomes my obligation." That led me to wonder, "Who defines what is an opinion and what is a fact?" As you and I know everybody has a Bible verse or two to pull out to justify their "opinion." And, of course, when you are doing that everybody who disagrees with your "opinion" must be wrong or guilty of heresy or false teaching. With that said, I can offer my own definition of legalism. To me, legalism is when a Christian must obtain or maintain through works that which God has freely given them through faith in Jesus Christ. The Apostle Paul said, "Watch out for those dogs, those men who do evil, those mutilators of the flesh. For it is we who are the circumcision, we who worship by the Spirit of God, who glory in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh ... (Philippians 3:2-3)." Paul had some pretty harsh words for those who, as he put it, put confidence in their flesh. He called them "dogs," "men who do evil" and "mutilators of the flesh." I have to believe he was referring to the Pharisees and perhaps "legalistic" Christians; specifically those who preached that one must be circumcised in order to be saved. Many early Christians believed that a Gentile must first become a Jew before they are saved. Something Paul knew was unnecessary and was not in line with the true Gospel message of faith alone in Jesus Christ. 

However, how many Christians today are taught, not to be circumcised, but that they have to be water baptized, tithe, live sinless lives of obedience and repentance to laws, religious tenants, church doctrine, etc., gain membership in a church and so on in order to be considered saved or be pleasing to God? It is as one person correctly said, "Levitical Light." In other words, it is a modern day form of Pharisaical Judaism. It is doing nothing more than putting confidence in the flesh. Paul went on to say, "If anyone else thinks he has reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more. circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for legalistic righteousness, faultless (Philippians 3:4-6)." It is interesting to note that what Paul said he had attained, legastic righteousness, would have made him a superstar in most modern churches; an example to strive to emulate. Yet, what did Paul call it? "I... count them but dung (Philippians 3:8 KJV)." He said his efforts were crap, to be frank. Yet, Christians believe it is this type of behavior that God rewards, that God expects from us and that God rewards! Paul called it "dung" because it was all done in an effort to establish his own self-righteousness. Self-righteousness is nothing more than when a person believes, dare I say deceives, themselves into believing they have found a way to be obedient to God by their own works. It is religious pride. There is only two types of righteousness; self-righteousness and the righteousness of Jesus Christ. One comes from putting confidence in your flesh and the other comes from putting confidence in the finished work of Jesus Christ. You can't have both. You are totally forgiven, holy, sanctified, justified, accepted, loved and have eternal life because of your faith in the work of Jesus Christ on your behalf not because of your own misguided attempts to get through works what you already have freely been given through faith. You didn't earn your salvation by your works, you can't live the Christian life by works and you can't keep your inheritance in Christ by works. You were saved by faith in Christ and you live by faith in Christ. You are already righteous in the eyes of God because of what Jesus Christ did for you. Rest in that and be thankful. "But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for "the just shall live by faith (Galatians 3:11)." Stop working and start resting.

Let Us Serve The Egyptians

“As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up, and there were the Egyptians, marching after them. They were terrified and cried out to the Lord. They said to Moses, “Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? Didn’t we say to you in Egypt, ‘Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians’? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert (Exodus 14:10-12)!” Recidivism is defined as a tendency to relapse into a previous condition or mode of behavior. You often hear this term used when talking about ex-con’s who relapse into criminal behavior. One of the factors that lead an individual to commit crimes that lead them back to prison is that they are more comfortable with the structure, culture and surroundings of life in prison then they are with a life of freedom. The fear of being in charge of their life is often too much to overcome. In many ways it is like the Jews shortly after God freed them from slavery in Egypt. Despite being an eyewitness to the plagues God inflicted on Egypt, living through the Passover, having God lead them in a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire to give them light by night, they still wanted to go back into slavery when they saw Pharaoh’s army approaching them. They had just been set free after 430 years of slavery, but would rather be in bondage to the Egyptians then trust their God! Is it all that different then the ex-con committing crimes that land them back in prison? Is it any different than Christians today who choose the bondage of religion and forsake the freedom of being led by the Holy Spirit of God?

 They love the structure that religion provides despite the fact that in most cases it prevents them from being free in Christ and learning to trust and depend on their God. What did Paul ask the church in Galatia? “Are you so foolish? After beginning by means of the Spirit, are you now trying to finish by means of the flesh (Galatians 3:3)?” The Jews were foolish to think that the bondage of slavery was better than being led by their God who freed them from it? They obviously forgot that they initially were enslaved by the Egyptians because after Joseph died, “a new king, to whom Joseph meant nothing, came to power in Egypt (Exodus 1:8).” The “new king” had forgotten what God did through Joseph that benefited the Egyptians and it led to the enslavement of the Jews. It is easy as a Christian to long for the “structure” of religion because people would rather be told what to do by their religion and its masters then be led by their God. Freedom can be scary for a Christian. Will they live a life of sin now? Will they stop going to church? Will they stop reading their Bibles? The list is endless. It is as if God is so small to them that He cannot provide them with a life to live that is more meaningful and fuller then anything they’ve previously experienced. Moses led the Jews out of bondage, but they still desired it. Paul, through his letters, tried to lead the early church and present day Christians out of the bondage of religion and its legalism, but people still desire it. Jesus Christ set the world free from the bondage of sin and darkness, “but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil (John 3:19).”  There is a lesson to be learned from the ex-con, the Jews and the early church who loved bondage more than freedom. That lesson is to embrace the freedom you have been given and never return to bondage.

Fully Engaged

“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,  teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age (Matthew 28:19-20).” According to a local church, their desire is to make “Fully Engaged Disciples.” A growing disciple, to them, is a Christian who “Worships Christ,” “Walks with Christ” and “Works for Christ.” Okay, that isn’t too bad. But, then you discover what is meant by these three phrases. To worship Christ is said to mean “Sunday Morning Worship.” To walk with Christ is said to mean “small group involvement.” Finally, working for Christ is to serve “willingly” at this particular church.  What I get from this is that in order to become a “Fully Engaged Disciple” of Jesus Christ a person’s life must revolve around this particular church. Worship is commonly described as “the act of showing respect and love for a god especially by praying with other people who believe in the same god.” If you accept this definition, it is no surprise that a church would believe that worshiping God is based on what you do at church. However, Romans 12:1 says, “to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.” Worship here is described as making yourself a “living sacrifice” which basically means making yourself available to God to live His life in and through you. That can take place anywhere and most likely takes place outside the four walls of the church. 

When it comes to defining “walking with Christ” as small group involvement, this basically means that you align yourself with a church ministry in an effort to do things like study the Bible, pray, be accountable to each other, minister to each other and for outreach. In general this is not a bad thing, but I think it misses out on something. Colossians 2:6-7 says, “As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving.” Walking with Christ is not about small group involvement, but about being “rooted and built up in Him.” This is basically about knowing the truth of the Gospel and who you are in Christ so you can guard against being “deceived through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ (Colossians 2:8).” Often times small groups put together by a particular church are geared towards advancing the “traditions of men” (i.e. the church) instead of teaching the truth of God’s Word.

 Lastly, to “work for Christ” has nothing to do with your efforts within a particular church. Jesus said, “This is the only work God wants from you: Believe in the one he has sent (John 6:29).” Believe in Jesus and you have done the work of God. And if you want to do “works for Christ,” simply tell others about Him. The Great Commission is God’s directive to believers to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the ends of the earth. We tell the world who it is we identify with, why we identify with Him and encourage them to do the same. Jesus did not put a caveat on His message by telling the disciples that before they could do this they had to first subject themselves to some kind of training. No, He said “Go” and make disciples.  In other words it is as if He said, “Just leave, live your life and tell those you come in contact with about Me.” And before the disciples got all nervous about what to say or do, He tells them, “I am with you always.” A disciple is nothing more and nothing less than a person who embraces and assists in spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He uses you (your act of Worship), builds you up in the grace and knowledge of Himself (Walks with you) and does the work only He can do through you (your works for Christ). Fully Engaged Disciples are those who are resting in and trusting in their God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to produce His fruit through them that they bear for the world to partake of.