Experiment

Just testing out a really easy html idiot edit.

Morgue

What's the difference between a maternity ward and a morgue?  One has perfect order, structure, and peace...and the other one has life!  It reminds me of religion vs relationship.  Religion is so full of structure and order and definite boundaries, whereas, a relationship with God is full of life and excitement and unpredictable.  

Religion tells us that we have to change and struggle before God will make us righteous and give us His Holy Spirit, but it is actually the opposite.  God gives us His Spirit and makes us righteous so that we can overcome sin.  I would like to make a statement here.  Many people become slack in their morales when they realize they are righteous, but I believe these type of people don't really understand righteousness.  When you realize that God has elevated you to a 'royal priesthood' and made you to reign in righteousness, you start to see sin as it really is, and you don't want to cuss or talk filthy or put yourself in compromising situations. It doesn't mean your actions are perfect or that God loves you any less; it just means you don't desire to stoop down that low and put on those 'rags' when God has given you a king's robe!

Revelation

Today, I had a revelation.  It's something we all know (i even blogged about it a couple of posts ago), but few of us really 'get it.'  I can't claim I 'get it'  to its fullest extent, but I 'got it' a little bit more today.

Here it is:  Everything we do should in the end glorify God!  Why do we meet as a church?  To glorify God.  Why do we preach the gospel?  To glorify God.  Why do we reach the lost, put on crusades, bring healing and deliverance to people?  To glorify God.  Why do we 'do life together'?  To glorify God.  

It sounds simple, but we easily lose focus throughout the business of the day.  It's easier to put our attention on schedules and programs, and we completely forget the meaning behind it all.  

The Creator of the universe, the true meaning of love, Abba Father wants to have a relationship with us.  He desires us so much that He paid the way while we were still sinners so that we could be reconciled to Him.  The real question is:  How can we not glorify and worship Him? That puts a new spin on prayer and all the spiritual exercises we perform.

?Great Commission?

Over the last couple of days I have been concentrating on the Great Commission given by Jesus to his disciples before He ascended back into Heaven.  The G.C. is found in Matthew 28:16-20 and also in Mark 16:15-18.

It seems that the church at large picks one of the versions (either Matthew or Mark) and forgets completely about the other one.  I believe they are meant to be combined not separated. 

The G.C. in Matthew tells us to go and make disciples of all nations.  Someone once pointed out that it said make disciples not converts.  This is a good point!  I don't think we are called just to blow in and get people saved and then blow out without giving them some sort of discipleship and further teaching.  That's what I love about Harvest India.  They put on mass crusades and see many people get saved, but then they follow up and try their very best to disciple the people.  

Concerning the G.C., we can't just stop there.  We must look at Mark 16:17.  The  previous verses of this chapter instruct us to go preach the Gospel (Good News), and verse 17 says, "And these signs will follow those who believe:  In My name they will cast out demons, they will speak with new tongues...they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover."  If you are ambitious and want to read down a little ways, the last verse in the book of Mark says "And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs."

By now you can see how these are not to different Commissions, but we are supposed to follow them as one Great Commission.

John 10:10

We've all heard John 10:10 quoted many times.  "...I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly."  We always focus on the 'more abundantly' part, but I enjoy the middle part of the verse.  'I have come that they may have life.'  

Without accepting the sacrifice of Christ, we will never have 'life.'  Before we came to the understanding of what God did for us described in John 3:16, we were dead.  We had no life!  We were living the nightmare.  The beginning of that verse actually states that "the thief does not come except to steal, kill, and to destroy."  

1 John 3:8 states that the Son of God was manifested that He might destroy the works of the devil (thief).  Now take this path with me.  Galatians 4:6 "And because you are sons [of God]..."  If the ultimate Son of God (the firstborn of many brothers) came to destroy the works of the devil, shouldn't we be doing the same?  We have the same Spirit in us! (Romans 8:11)

I know Satan has been defeated, but until we die we still have to deal with his 'works'.  

One final question:  Are we human beings having a spiritual experience, or are we spiritual beings having a human experience?  I choose the latter.

Happines: Byproduct or prime product?

Humanism say that the end of all being is the happiness of man.  God sits in Heaven to make us happy.  Jesus was born, died, and resurrected for man's happiness.  

Christianity says that the end off all being is the glory of God!

Did God intend to make man happy?  Yes, as a byproduct not a prime product 

Signs

You can always tell what I am reading by the type of blogs I post.  Recently, I have been reading When Heaven Invades Earth by Bill Johnson.  It's actually a really good book.  I can't say I agree  100% with all his ideas, but he makes some very good points.

I enjoy how the book states that miracles and signs and wonders are supposed to be fruit of the church.  This is the work of the Holy Spirit inside of us!  This is easier said than done, though.  We have all been burned by people who misuse this power and are so far out of touch with the world we live in.  I think we also fear becoming "sign worshippers."  It would be like if there was a fire and we saw the sign pointing to the fire extinguisher, and instead of grabbing the fire extinguisher, we grabbed the fire extinguisher sign and tried to douse the fire!

Does this fear give us permission not to use what is inside of us (out of love of course)?  No.  Anyways, I gotta go eat my chicken noodle soup now. Peace