Judg. 6:11 And there came an angel of the LORD, and….Gideon threshed wheat by the winepress, to hide it from the Midianites.

Judg. 6:12 And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him, and said unto him, The LORD is with thee, thou mighty man of valor.

Welcome To The Light-Washed Path,

We often hear Jesus’ words quoted from Matt 22:14:

“For many are called, but few are chosen.”

But have you ever considered WHAT God calls you when He calls you?  When God calls people He always calls them something.  He either changes their name to focus them on a new identity or tells them something about themselves; something He sees in them that He wants them to see in themselves.  It’s always something that, if they follow, it will lead them into God’s will for their life.  And what God calls you is ALWAYS greater than what you see of yourself.

God called Gideon…mighty man of valor. Judg. 6:12

He called Mary “……highly favored, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.” Luke 1:28

He told Peter, “You are Peter (a rock), and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” Matt. 16:18

He told Abraham, “…I have made thee a father of many nations” … Rom. 4:17

Before God can send you to do great things He must put great things within you.  As Christians we serve just as He did.  We have picked up the mantle of His ministry.  It was that very mantle that fell upon us in the upper room, on the Day of Pentecost.  In placing God’s greatness in you, He has changed you.  And it is what He has changed you into that He calls you to do.  He called Gideon a “Mighty man of valor” for a reason.  And Gideon went on to bravely lead Israel out from under Midianite domination.  He called Abraham the “Father of nations” for a reason.  And Abraham went on to bring forth his first son, Isaac, at 99 years old.  He called Peter “a Rock” for a reason.  And Peter settled into a solid pillar of faith and courage.  He called Mary “Favored of the Lord” for a reason.  And Mary took the favor of God and raised Jesus with it.

God always begins with a vision of you that is greater than you.  One whose largeness humbles you before Him.  Then what He calls you to do comes from who He says you are.  So as Gideon, you look through the perils to the largeness of God.  He has given you His assurance: you are “The mighty man of valor - I Am with you”. And as you move out into obedience to the call, you become precisely who God says you are.

What God calls you imparts faith to your heart if you will receive it.  Then when you take up that faith and obey His call it transforms you into who He says you are.

In the New Testament every Christian is a Gideon, and the entire New Testament is an amazing declaration from God of WHAT He calls you.  ”More than a conqueror…overcomer……healed by His stripes……able to do all things……victorious over Satan……complete in Him…a holy nation……the Body of Christ…”, are just a few of the things God calls you.  If you believe and receive them into your heart; if they cause you to look through the peril at the largeness of God; if you take up the faith they bear in your heart; then through them, you can do whatever He asks you to do.  You will become precisely what He calls you.  Anyone can “believe in God”. But only those who let Him tell them who they are will have “faith in God”.  Faith believes what God says, over the circumstances.  Belief waits for God to do what needs to be done.  But faith does it.

When you let God tell you who you are, you will be one of the few He chooses out of the many He calls.

“For many are called, but few are chosen.”

Stay On The Path

2 Tim. 2:1 You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.

2 Tim. 2:2 And the things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, these entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also.

2 Tim. 2:3 Suffer hardship with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.

2 Tim. 2:4 No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier.

Welcome To The Light-Washed Path,

The stark contrast that Paul uses is perfect: being “entangled in the affairs of daily life” verses serving Jesus Christ. No servant of God can live for temporal happiness. When happiness is dependent upon having what we want, it enslaves us. We’’re no longer free to serve God. How many Christians have broken off their pursuit of God’’s will because they became miserable when they were denied the objects that they tied their happiness to?  What is it that Satan can steal from you that will steal away your heart also? What do you want so badly that you won’t serve the Lord with unentangled devotion, if you don’t get it?

The Rich Young Ruler……

Matt. 19:21 Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”

Matt. 19:22 But when the young man heard this statement, he went away grieved; for he was one who owned much property.

Peter……

Matt. 19:27 Then Peter answered and said to Him, “Behold, we have left everything and followed You; what then will there be for us?”

The difference between the rich young ruler and Peter was that the young man had to have certain thing before he could follow Jesus. And therefore he couldn’t be the Lord’’s servant, and walked away. Peter, on the other hand, asked what was in store for him, after having left everything, to unconditionally serve Jesus. Believe it, there is a big difference that God recognizes.

We make all our errors in judgment when pursuing happiness is our motivation in life, because we always base happiness on the desires of our flesh - the desires of our body, emotions and mind. And no matter how much we feed it, we’’re never satisfied, because we were design to love and serve God. More importantly, our flesh is morally blind. It practices no distinction between sin and righteousness. Our flesh would kill Jesus to get what it wants. So if we pursue happiness as our motivation, then crucifying Jesus is likely what we’ll end up doing, along the way, no matter how awful that thought may be to our mind. Our flesh will justify and dominate us.

The servant of God, on the other hand, will always live an “eternal” life. For him,fulfillment will replace happiness as his motivation in life. The servant has eternity in his eyes and sees his life in the context of forever. He feels the eternal nature of his soul and is free from the frantic sense of temporal tyranny that blinds the pursuer of happiness. In other words, the servant of God is not driven by the sense that he only has a few years of life and needs to “get it while he can”. Because he pursues fulfillment of God’’s purposes, he is able to settle for the reality that there are some things he may want, need or even be entitled to, but may never have. And he won’t let those losses or shortages drive him into corrupting his life and perverting his soul, in the quest for personal gratification. In fact, God’’s servant understands that life is a tragedy, into which Jesus has as a life-line. He’s not thrashing about the stormy waves, trying to obtain some happiness with which to sink. He won’t allow his denials of “happiness” to force him out of his decision to serve Christ’’s eternal purpose. The Lord’’s servants view their lives on an eternal plane. They live for God and the glory He designed them for. They see temporal physical life as a period for man to obtain redemption. They don’’t view life as a wind-up toy with only 70 years in which to experience happiness before being wound down into nothingness. Their greatest concern, as they view the few years they have in this present world, is to finish their race well, and be on to better things.

Every time we learn of another “servant of God” shipwrecked upon the reefs of adultery, perversion and all the other sirens of happiness, we lament, “HOW does this happen?!” Without diminishing the magnitude of these travesties, the answer is simple. They took their eyes off eternity. They began to be concerned about their own happiness. The non-servant will must surely object to that explanation, and argue, “But we all pursue happiness. That can’’t be what went wrong!” But it is. The pursuit of self-gratification is what the world is drowning in.  And no servant of God can swim the same dark waters and remain useful to Christ.

The one who serves Jesus has his eye on eternity. He doesn’’t only see it as a distant abstract reality, but he sees it living in his soul today. The timeless virtues, with which Jesus stunned the people of Palestine, are not found upon the low hanging branches among which people seek happiness in the moment. You just have to look away, a little higher, into the face of Christ, to find the things that bring worth and value to your life.  And living with eternity in your eyes is the secret to being a servant.

2 Cor. 4:17-18 For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things that are seen, but at the things, which are not seen; for the things, which are seen, are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

Stay On The Path

2 Tim. 2:1 You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.

2 Tim. 2:2 And the things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, these entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also.

2 Tim. 2:3 Suffer hardship with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.

2 Tim. 2:4 No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier.

Welcome To The Light-Washed Path,

Jesus ministered to 2 different groups. He ministered as the Preacher to public audiences and also as the Leader to His Disciples. And His ministry to you will be determined by whether you approach Him as an audience or a disciple. Jesus ministered both to the hillside crowds and the fireside disciples. But His ministry to each was very different. Not contradictory, but different, to be sure.

Jesus explains the difference……

Mark 4:11 And He was saying to them, “To you has been given the mystery of the kingdom of God; but those who are outside get everything in parables,

Mark 4:12 in order that while seeing, they may see and not perceive; and while hearing, they may hear and not understand lest they return and be forgiven.”

Jesus on the hillside……

To the hillside crowd, He preached powerful ideas, which they were free to follow or ignore, after the message, when they returned home. But He knew their level of commitment didn’’t reach beyond listening at that moment. In the absence of a clearly understood relationship between them, there was little more that Jesus could do for people as an audience. The basic principle in play is that the Truth has to be somewhat wrapped in a napkin of parables and metaphors, just enough to let the listener know that there is something valuable inside. Then if there is enough interest in discovering the Truth they will pursue Jesus, usually at some personal cost, in order to learn the Truth’’s meaning. This prevents people from handling the Truth at arms length as an abstract ideal. The pursuit of Jesus in discipleship brings the Truth in close, binding it to the disciple, so that he becomes entangled, wrestling with it. The imagery shows that freedom comes as a result of grappling with the Truth that you can’’t walk away from. Your life is invested in serving it.  Jesus said it like this:

John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me.

Jesus at the fireside……

To the Disciples around the campfires, His ministry was more than messages. It was leadership and training in the Truth, by which He held them accountable to Himself. Their commitment to Him was as Servants of God, under enlistment by the terms of His Gospel. As long as they were devoted to the terms of the Truth and claims of the Gospel, He would take His rightful liberty in leading them. But the moment that the Gospel of Truth became an abstract ideal, that they could pick up and set aside at will, they were free of their enlistment, and He was free of His obligation to lead them. Stop and think about what that means for a moment. When we stop relating to the Truth of the Gospel, as a dependent who needs it to live by, Jesus stops being our Leader, and other things take over that position in our lives. In short, it’’s as if Jesus is saying, “If you don’’t need Me, then I don’’t lead you.” This terms of discipleship was dramatically demonstrated when Jesus invited the twelve to leave along with the multitude that had just walked off, having had enough, after one of Jesus more difficult and challenging messages:

John 6:67 Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away?

John 6:68 Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.

John 6:69 And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God.

The challenge for true disciples is to always refresh yourself in the terms of your service…

Why am I following Jesus?

Why am I serving the Lord?

The proper fundamental motive for serving God cannot be a desire to help man, serve the public or do good deeds. To fulfill those desires you need only join the social action organization that suits your interests. Nor can it be the desire to improve one’’s moral character or be on the right side of Truth. To pursue those desires you need only to join a good church or enroll in some self-improvement seminars. But the reason for following Jesus and serving God must be your own need for the “words of eternal life”. And God makes the Truth of those words available only through a certain type of relationship with Jesus. It is that of a servant, serving out of his own need for the Truth, which makes the follower of Christ faithful. The Truth of the Gospel must become more than “the words of eternal life”, they must become “the words of YOUR eternal life”. That devotion, that necessity, alone forms the basis of your faithfulness to Jesus. His words must be your truth, –the ones that you personally look to for meaning, correction, guidance and hope.

Some “truths” come cheap. They’’re like low-hanging fruit. Easily within reach. You don’’t even have to change your path or barely slow yourself down in order to have them. They are not difficult to observe. You only need to live with your eyes open to see them. For example, in order to figure out what a day is, you can watch the Sun arise daily from the east, flow across the sky for about 12 hours, then set in the West, stay hidden for about 12 hours more, than reappear at the edge of the same eastern sky. But to understand why a day even exists and what it’’s worth to you, requires seeing the unseen. That which grows up in the tall branches. Unlike the low-hanging fruit, you have to risk life and limb, climbing the tree to reach them. You actually have to stop what you ’re doing, in order to get up in that tree and go after them, as opposed to just strolling by and plucking the fruit that’s easily accessible. If you look up one day, in your own hunger, at the fruitful limbs of Truth above your head …if you decide that climbing that tree is necessary for your life, …it will change the entire way you live. Instead of the low-hanging fruit of easy effortless truth, the higher fruit will ignite an appetite within you, for the richer fare of meaning and purpose. These are the Truths that satisfy your life’’s deepest hunger. In the pursuit of God’’s Truth you will alter your life so that meaning and purpose become the criteria by which your every decision is made. Instead of choosing how you will manage your business and relationships, based around what seems to most easily benefit you; the greater overall good of God’’s purpose, will become the rationale you use to make such choices. You will see your own life as an integral part of God’’s great design, and your own worth as having a higher purpose than just strolling through life, picking only what is easily available.

God planted the tree of Truth among us in the person of his Son, Jesus Christ. All Truth is now available to us in Him. Those who live in His branches have Eternal Life because they live by its words. It is they who are His servants, by whose words God’’s Truth is carried to the ends of the earth.

The world is to hear the words of life through those whose lives were made dependent upon it. No idea-merchants or puffed-up professors would be able to even present Jesus’’ Gospel. But only those sent from God, with it burning in their own hearts.

So Jesus ministers to the world as both the Hillside Preacher and the Fireside Discipler. With one you get a message. With the other you get Life. One speaks to crowds the other leads servants. Christianity is not a religion of messages but the descendant of the Fireside Discipler.

Stay On The Path

Phil. 2:1 If therefore there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion,

Phil. 2:2 make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose.

Phil. 2:3 Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind let each of you regard one another as more important than himself;

Phil. 2:4 do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.

Phil. 2:5 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus,

Phil. 2:6 who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped,

Phil. 2:7 but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bondservant, and being made in the likeness of men.

Mark 9:35 And He sat down and called the Twelve [apostles], and He said to them, If anyone desires to be first, he must be last of all, and servant of all.

Welcome To The Light-Washed Path,

We don’’t have relationships like this in our society today. In today’’s pride-ridden culture, the concept of servanthood is considered oppressive and an affront to personal liberty. We have lost the ‘servant’s heart’ as a model of social grace, humility and service. Anyone who appears to stand in a position of service to others is considered inferior and disadvantaged. Servanthood is considered something to be delivered from. And there is a real delusion that talent and intelligence exempts you from service.

However, when Jesus selects men with whom He will entrust the Kingdom of God, He leaves His Kingdom in the hands of Servants.

Matt. 25:14 For the kingdom of heaven is as a man traveling into a far country,who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods.

Luke 22:24 And there arose also a dispute among them as to which one of them was regarded to be greatest.

Luke 22:25 And He said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who have authority over them are called ‘Benefactors.’

Luke 22:26 “But not so with you, but let him who is the greatest among you become as the youngest, and the leader as the servant.

Luke 22:27 “For who is greater, the one who reclines at the table, or the one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at the table? But I am among you as the one who serves.

There is no avoiding this basic paradigm. The authority and powers of Kingdom of God is applied in this world, through the administration of servants. It was not from among the powerful, the brilliant or highly talented, that Jesus chose the administrators of His authority. He took them from among those with a servant’’s heart. The reason is simple: The character of a servant is molded around his mission of service to his Lord. A true servant will develop his character according to what the will of the Lord, to faithfully represent Him and accomplish His purpose. He never thinks in terms of representing himself. The servant of God doesn’t entangle himself with the kinds of motivations that trouble the lives of vain people: How can I get attention? Who can I influence? How do get people to like me enough to give me what I want? However embarrassing they sound, these are the inner thoughts that drive the non-servant. The vain, non-servant never has rest. He or she must always strategize and calculate. They are always concerned about themselves. But the servant of God has a wonderful rest for his soul, because he is free from these mental burdens.

Matt. 11:29 “Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you shall find rest for your souls.

Matt. 11:30 “For My yoke is easy, and My load is light.”

If you are a servant of God you must be tested in 2 areas:

1. Your relationship to God, and…

2. Your relationship to others.

Your relationship to God… -

The one who wishes to serve God must make relationship with God the most important thing in his or her life. Everything, literally everything with which you involve yourself, must be considered in terms of God’s will for your life. The true servant’s heart doesn’t allow him to parcel out his life into territories, such as ministry time and private time. The problem though, arises when Christians manage most of their life (i.e., marriage, work, hobbies, etc) completely independent of any sense of obligation to Christ. Then they have trouble in those areas of life and want God to straighten it out. But if they got into these messes themselves and not as a servant of God, following His direction, where then, will they get a hold of any confidence that God will deliver them. But when, in the process of doing God’s will and serving His purposes, a servant gets himself into a mess, he can be confident of the Lord’’s help in delivering him, even if he’s responsible for the problem.

So then, the servant who maintains a heart of grace towards the Lord, and seeks His will first, can expect God’s grace in return.

John 1:16 And of his fullness have all we received, and grace for grace.

Your relationship to others -

The biggest test of servanthood and ministry is how we think of, relate to and treat other people.

John 13:35 “By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

It is totally inappropriate for servants to labor for recognition by others. Christians should never perform acts of charity or extend themselves to help others, and leave their own calling cards laying around so that everyone will know they were “serving”. The true servant serves for an audience of One. It’’s like a fly in the ointment when Christians feel the need to make themselves visible and known, while supposedly serving God. It’’s antithetical to the very nature of Christian service, which is suppose to be glorifying God and not man. Here’’s a good rule of judgment:

When we handle people, have they been touched by God or by us?

Can you give and serve quietly? Can you do your work anonymously? Can you be satisfied knowing that a good thing was done, someone was helped, and God knows that you were involved? If so, you can qualify as a servant of God. And from God alone your reward can come. For before Him alone, you performed your service.

Matt. 23:5 But all their works they do so as to be seen by men: for they make wide their phylacteries, and the edges of their robes,

Matt. 23:6 And the things desired by them are the first places at feasts, and the chief seats in the Synagogues,

Matt. 23:7 And words of respect in the marketplaces, and to be named by men, Teacher.

Matt. 23:8 But you may not be named Teacher: for one is your teacher, and you are all brothers.

As you can see, Jesus was very particular about what behavior constitutes proper conduct as a servant of God. And indeed, every Christian should be a servant of God. For these qualities are the virtues by which Jesus is lifted up to the world.

Jesus was the consummate servant of God. His example should be our own. But some Christians are so entrenched in their own personality that everyone they come in contact with is going to get the same typical treatment. And you can easily see that Jesus didn’’t have some kind of personality quirk, with which He reacted to everyone. He didn’t just act one predictable way towards everyone. He wasn’’t always meek. And He wasn’’t always stern. But He responded always according to the Father’s will. People were never subjected to His own emotional reactions. The one consistency about Jesus The Servant was that you were certain to see the Father’’s heart in Jesus’ service. He didn’’t serve as a social reformer driven by some agenda. In every encounter and on every mission, Jesus’ interests were the will of the Father. He had no agenda of His own to fulfill.

He didn’’t need the disciples to believe in Him, obey Him or love Him. He looked to the Father for all His needs. He was therefore; free to serve the disciples according to the Father’s will. Thus He was the perfect servant. All true servants of God must respond to others with the Father’s judgments, and not their own.

The 1^st requirement of a servant of God is to relinquish the seat of judgment to the Lord. The outcome of every purpose of God he serves, is left in the hands of God.

1 Cor. 4:2 In this case, moreover, it is required of stewards that one be found trustworthy.

1 Cor. 4:3 But to me it is a very small thing that I should be examined by you, or by any human court; in fact, I do not even examine myself.

1 Cor. 4:4 For I am conscious of nothing against myself, yet I am not by this acquitted; but the one who examines me is the Lord.

1 Cor. 4:5 Therefore do not go on passing judgment before the time, but wait until the Lord comes who will both bring to light the things hidden in the darkness and disclose the motives of men’s hearts; and then each man’s praise will come to him from God.

The servant surrenders his own desire to have his way and see his own desired results, and replaces it with the desire to see the results of Gods’ will.

Matt. 6:10 ‘Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, On earth as it is in heaven.

As a servant, we must change our expectations and goals, from getting pleasure out of the situation, to being happy pleasing the Lord.

Mark 6:11 “And any place that does not receive you or listen to you, as you go out from there, shake off the dust from the soles of your feet for a testimony against them.”

The servant must not die with his rejections and disappointments. Jesus wants you fresh for the next encounter. Therefore, let the Lord’s judgments rule, and you stay free and fresh, looking to God for your happiness.

John 12:26 “If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there shall My servant also be; if anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him.

Stay On The Path!

Col. 2:6 Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him,

Col. 2:7 having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed,and overflowing with gratitude.

Col. 2:8 See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ.

Col. 2:9 For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form,

Col. 2:10 and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority;

Col. 2:11 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

Welcome To The Light-Washed Path,

From part one:

“Many Pastors and church leaders, as well as church-growth “experts”, have taken yet another step away from the power of the Gospel, and caved in to the pressure to become a social service station, to an increasingly dependent culture.”

” The Church is losing its distinctive power, to offer God’s “one size fits all” solution for every human need. We are falling away from our high calling to stand separate from the world in declaring Jesus, The Answer.”

“Let me clarify that there is NOTHING WRONG with counseling or ministering encouragement to people as they struggle against obstacles. Everyone needs compassion and encouragement. But the unique power of our encouragement rests in our privilege to present people with the Gospel of Jesus, Who provided Himself for them. ÖHowever, any counseling that truly focuses the seeker on the New Creation realities of Jesus, and their covenant with Him, is where they will find the power to overcome.”

Continuing…

Just what are we going to gain through, captivating audio-visual sermonettes, special focus groups, and praise band driven “worship experiences”? We are simply reinforcing dependency upon external stimulation. Modern Christians, spawned under these “seeker-friendly” conditions are synthetically maintained and environmentally supported. In short, they could never survive on Jesus alone, against the force of the real world. We’re not developing dynamic overcomers, but rather spiritual underachievers. I’m not condemning praise and worship bands, audio-visual enhanced sermons or special support groups, but rather the notion that we MUST have these to reach and keep people. It isn’t the mission of the church to “keep” people. That is God and the individual’s responsibility. How do many churches really know whether their members would follow Christ alone? They’ve never had their members in that position. I’ve watched plenty of people, however, walk out of church in a huff because their pacifier got taken away.

In speaking with my Dad recently, in Arizona, he told me about losing a mature Mesquite tree from their yard during a 40-mph wind. In the many windstorms I’d experienced in Texas, I’ve never seen a Mesquite tree uprooted by a wind of that force. But my Dad explained that they had made the mistake of babying the tree by watering it routinely. As a result, the roots never reached down deep in search of water. They didn’t have too. And likewise Christians, who join churches where they are constantly “ministered to” are never going to develop the kind of depth needed to withstand temptation. They are being stroked and massaged by “special ministries” rather than pointed to the “one-size-fits-all” cross of Jesus, and allowed to undergo real transformation. If Pastors had the guts to present Christ ALONE as the answer, there might be fewer people in the church, but a whole lot more of them would be withstanding the winds of adversity, lining up to serve, and delivered from victim mentality.

If you think this is an unfair assessment, then show me where all the tough young men and women are lining up for self-sacrifice in the ministry of missions and church work today. And being a guitar player or praise and worship star doesn’t count. Show me something with some suffering in it. Most people seeking ministry positions today are looking for “entertainment” oriented ministries. There’s nothing wrong, per se, with these, except that they are a cultural phenomenon and not Biblical callings. Show me the healings and deliverances from demonic bondage. There is a price to pay for the “real ministry”. It cost something to have a genuine abiding anointing upon your life. The true Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors and Teachers from God, are the reconstituted beings of former lives invested in Christ. They have no “special problems”. The “one size fits all” answer from heaven has transformed them. If it hasn’t, they need to get out of the ministry and get someone in there that does exemplify the Gospel.

The Bible doesn’t pander to “special problems” because they ALL stem from one problem, and that is wrong relationship with God. Think about that for a moment; the Bible consolidates the entire need of humanity into one problem with one solution. That is profound in its simplicity.

2 Cor. 11:3 But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.

People need to get saved and get right with the Lord. If they will, then there is a whole covenant filled with wonderful provisions with which the Holy Spirit is eager to bless them. The Bible doesn’t pander to “special problems” because the sacrifice of Jesus ALONE is more than enough to override the consolidated consequences of sin and all it’s resulting bondages.

Col. 2:11 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;

This scripture tells us that Jesus did for ALL people what the useless sympathy of victim focusing can never do: He delivered them, so they could move on. The twist is that today, many people don’t want to “move on”. Their special problems have become their identity; and churches simply reinforce their chronic commitment with victim oriented ministry groups.

The Christian of today is faced with a choice. We can continue with this cultural renaissance until there’s no power left in the church. But we’ll have great entertainment, politically correct staff, and the world will pay attention to us. Or we can return to our First Love, and endure the criticism of a sin-darkened world, for offering a “one-size-fits-all” salvation.

Acts 19:20 So mightily grew the word of God and prevailed.

Stay On The Path!

Col. 2:6 Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him,

Col. 2:7 having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude.

Col. 2:8 See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ.

Col. 2:9 For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form,

Col. 2:10 and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority;

Col. 2:11 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;

Welcome To The Light-Washed Path,

Many Protestant churches, including Evangelical and Charismatic, denominational and independent, have finally caved in to the empty methods of secularism. Among the most commonly asked questions, posed by church shoppers, are inquiries about what special focus groups the church offers. “Does you church have a Divorcees’ Group, a Substance Abuse Group, a Mothers’ Support group, special counseling for co-dependency,etc.?” Many Pastors and church leaders, as well as church-growth “experts”, have taken yet another step away from the power of the Gospel, and caved in to the pressure to become a social service station, to an increasingly dependent culture.

Secularists see human failings as the fault of a hostile and uncompassionate environment. They classify people who misbehave as victims, and blame their sinful behavior on a lack of nurturing in early years, or non-acceptance from society. The Secularists’ advice for people who practice habits of destruction, violence or betrayal, is to find a group or counselor who is sympathetic to their particular victimization. The Secularist philosophy has compelled a growing percentage of people to believe that they are not responsible for their behaviors, faults or bondages; but that the fault lies with the society that has “failed them”. Therefore many people look to the world for solutions when things don’t go their way. As a result, when they do turn to “God”, they have a built in expectation, that the church, through some ministry, should meet their “special need” with specialized focus and attention.

The Church is losing its distinctive power, to offer God’s “one size fits all” solution for every human need. We are falling away from our high calling to stand separate from the world in declaring Jesus, The Answer.

Rom. 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth…

The Church once endured the mocking of a world that didn’t understand its singularly simplistic answer, in order to present the power of the miraculous life-changing Gospel. We use to be the place people came when the world, with all its empty answers wasn’t working. Our answer was based in the view that one problem alone is the cause of all others: broken fellowship with God. We use to believe that Jesus “died once for all.” We use to really believe that Jesus was “the Head of all principality and power”, and that in Him we had been “made complete”. There was a day when we directed people to Christ in complete faith that an encounter and life with Him had a total transforming affect. And because we believed it to the extent that we were willing to offer Christ alone, without any worldly backup plans, He Himself use to routinely demonstrate His power through our churches. But now our churches “fit” people according to their needs, into special groups, that will offer that special attention they need for their unique situations.

Col. 2:8 See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ.

Our unique anointing depended upon the one thing we have traded away in order to be popular with people, and that is, exclusivity. God is holy and demands that His Word be offered without any side helpings of secular vain philosophy, traditions of men and principles of the world. When people come into our churches and are enrolled in special groups designed to “understand their unique problems”, what are we saying? I know that we are trying to say, “We love you”. But it’s not OUR loving them that will deliver them, but rather God’s loving them! Through victim and problem identification ministry, we are reinforcing in people the notion that God and His Word alone have no miraculous capability to deliver them. We are simply strengthening their own dependence upon attention for their problems. We are pushing God farther out into the realm of the abstract. We are rolling back years of wonderful progress, and taking the church right back into a cultural revolution at the expense of a spiritual revival.

God’s answer today is the same as it was from the beginning. Paul wrote to the Colossian Church that,

“as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, having been firmly rootedand now being built up in Him and established in your faith“.

It is impossible to develop faith in people while at the same time, they are focusing on their problems and needs. Faith that overcomes is born from “looking to Jesus”.

“Looking away from all that distracts, to Jesus, the Author and developer of our faith.” Heb 12:2

Let me clarify that there is NOTHING WRONG with counseling or ministering encouragement to people as they struggle against obstacles. Everyone needs compassion and encouragement. But the unique power of our encouragement rests in our privilege to present people with the Gospel of Jesus, Who provided Himself for them. Allowing people to blame the world or their past for their troubles simply won’t lead to deliverance. Nor will putting them into groups in the church, that focus on their problems. However, any counseling that truly focuses the seeker on the New Creation realities of Jesus, and their covenant with Him, is where they will find the power to overcome.

It takes boldness, the kind of boldness that lives in a convinced heart, to say to people in bondage, “The problem is your relationship with God. You need to get in right relationship with Him.” And then help them through the Word and prayer.

More Tomorrow,

Stay On The Path

Rom. 8:2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.

“No matter how deep our desire or how high our aspirations, man simply cannot fly, just because he wills it. He stays bound to Earth’s surface. That is, until man began to discover ANOTHER LAW.” So perhaps what your dilemma requires is the knowledge of “ANOTHER LAW”.

Welcome To The Light-Washed Path,

As we saw in the previous devotional, God’s Laws are the pathways to His provisions. It’s so critical to understand this. God does not simply operate arbitrarily on whim or emotion; without reason or pattern. His laws are the connective tissues of His creation, and by them he moves among us. In short, His laws that hold the universe together and define the boundaries of living things, are the highways upon which He and His creation interact. By contrast, God does not operate by “magic,” nor does He simply disregard His laws in order to do what He or we want. Everything He does is in agreement with a Word, a law, that He has laid down from the beginning. Our frustrations and errors arise from being locked into only what we see on one level or in one law. For example, Paul wrote in Romans:

Rom. 7:22 For I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man,

Rom. 7:23 but I see a different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members.

Rom. 7:24 Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death?

Rom. 7:25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, on the one hand I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh the law of sin.

Rom. 8:1 Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

Rom. 8:2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.

Here Paul describes the conflict between the binding influence of the Law of Sin & Death and the desire for a more excellent way to live. BUT! He then rejoices that in Jesus’ coming He opened a way for us to see and walk in a ANOTHER LAW - a higher law. Essentially, Jesus, by becoming a man, opened access for us, through Himself, to God’s Law of Life. What only our desire and imagination could touch, now our feet could actually walk upon: The Path Of Life!

Psa. 19:7 The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.

Notice the phrase, “converting the soul“. This simply means that God’s Word is ALIVE. And through it’s illuminating affect, the soul that looks into it undergos a “convertion”. In short, it is “changed” so that it can see and walk upon the path of God’s higher Law of Life. That’s what Pauls was so excited about in Ro. 8:2. Just as man’s discovery of the Laws of Areo Dynamics enabled him to break free of the Law of Gravity, so also the soul that, through Christ, sees the Laws of God, is empowerd by them to walk therein.

Eph. 1:17 That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:

Eph. 1:18 The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,

Eph. 1:19 And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power…

It wouldn’t be too clever to say that through the Word of God, the God of the Word is made accessible. The Word of God is filled with wonderful highways through the invisible world that stretches beyong the limitations of our sighted-reason.

Here is a classic example of being limited in our actions by lesser laws, because we can’t see the higher more pwerful laws, in order to act by them:

Matt. 23:23 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith…(and love - Lk 11:42): these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.

Here Jesus rebukes the religious leaders because they were so consummed by the comparatively insignificant laws of tithing - to the extent of tithing their spices - that they could not see how to act in the Laws of Love, Judgement, Mercy and Faith! When they brought the woman taken in adultery to Jesus and were ready to stone her according to the Law, they couldn’t see any way to let her go without violating God’s law. But they were only seeing a lesser Law. Jesus saw a higher Law…and He acted upon that Law:

John 8:7 So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her….

John 8:11 ….And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.

Rom. 8:2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.

In all that Jesus did, and in all the subsequent works of His followers, right up to this very day, every miracle and every supernatural act of grace, is simply the application of God’s higher Law of Life, imposing it’s superior affects over the consequences of the Law of Sin & Death.

Is. 61:1 The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to…….

Is. 61:3 …….To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.

So if the Law of Sin & Death has surrounded you with ashes, mourning and heaviness, just remember that, by the Law of Life, Jesus is authorized to appoint you to Beauty, Joy and Praise.

Stay On The Path!

Rom. 8:2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.

Welcome To The Light-Washed Path,

God’s universe is held together by laws. Each law has it’s own abilities and limitations. And different laws often occupy the same space and impose their influences on the same materials. For example, consider the Law of Gravity. Sir Isaac Newton observed the the force of Earth’s pull upon objects: what went up, came down, and the apple fell from the tree as gravity pulled upon it and it’s stem loosened.

Under the influence of the Law of Gravity, man cannot simply float up into the atmosphere and fly, even if he is a Ninja. No matter how deep our desire or how high our aspirations, man simply cannot fly, just because he wills it. He stays bound to Earth’s surface. That is, until man began to discover ANOTHER LAW. He watched the birds. The same Law of Gravity forced it’s influence on them, as well as him, but by means of the properties of some other law, birds were able to rise above the powers of gravity and fly at will! If only man could learn the secrets of the law that allowed birds to fly. (Are you begining to see where we’re headed with this?)

When Wilbur and Orville Wright succeeded in applying the Laws of Aero Dynamics to their construction of the first manned flying machine, they didn’t break or suspend the Law of Gravity. They simply discovered the use of a higher law that allowed them to break free of it’s limitations. They simply OVERCAME the Law of Gravity. What a tremendous concept. Take a moment and let this principle sink in: There are higher laws that occupy the same space and influence the same materials, simultaneously.

The Laws of Areodynamics were in existence for all those thousands of years that man desired to fly. The birds were using those laws the whole time. These laws were right there in the same place with the Law of Gravity, but man was unaware of them and as a result he was unable to use them to overcome the effects of the Law of Gravity. And when man began to use the Laws of Areodynamics to enable himself to fly, the Law of Gravity continued to exist and exert it’s influence over him, even though he seemed to escape it’s grasp. The fact is that when man broke the Laws of Areodynamics during flight, through engine failure, wings breaking off, etc, the force of gravity claimed it’s victims.

So the discovery of the Laws of Areodynamics opened up a whole new dimension of God’s world to mankind.

NOW, this same ability to access things that God has placed within our reach, by understanding His Laws and acting upon them, is also how the principles of Faith and the Word of God work. And the failure to understand His Laws equally limits our access to His provisions. This is why ignorance of God’s Word is such a travisty.

Hos. 4:6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hastrejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to Me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.

This is also why the discovery of God’s Laws, that seem hidden from immediate view, is so valuable. It’s because of the tremendous help that is opens up to man, when someone understands the Word of God and shares it accurately.

Rom. 10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

Rom. 10:14 How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?

Rom. 10:15 And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!……..

Rom. 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

Faith for a particular thing, rushes into the heart of one whose mind has heard and grasped God’s Laws pertaining to that thing. That’s why Paul points out the blessing of the one who understands God’s Laws and shares them with those who would benefit from the knowledge and faith they produce.

How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!

Likewise, it was said of Newton, who discovered the Law of Gravity, as well as others….

“Nature and Nature’s laws lay hid in night:

God said, Let Newton be! and all was light.”

–Alexander Pope

Rom. 8:2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.

All that seems so hard to grasp, of Jesus’ miracles, and His invitations to receive and dispense them, are understood in grasping the principle that “the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the Law of Sin and Death.”

“No matter how deep our desire or how high our aspirations, man simply cannot fly, just because he wills it. He stays bound to Earth’s surface. That is, until man began to discover ANOTHER LAW.” So perhaps what your dilemma requires is the knowledge of “ANOTHER LAW”.

More to follow……

Stay On The Path!

Psa. 8:2 Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strengthbecause of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger.

Matt. 21:16 And Jesus saith unto them, Yea; have ye never read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise?

Welcome To The Light-Washed Path,

From yesterday’s devotional:

“Most Christians are completely unaware that their daily life is the center of controversy in the spirit realm. They don’t realize that their troubles often result from satanic conflicts, for which they hold the key. Feelings of obscurity and insignificance are part of Satan’s poisonous weapons-of-the-mind, designed to confuse you in battle, and keep you from realizing that you are at the center of a great struggle, and fighting in a crowded arena”

Spiritual progress is a WAR; all else is the outcome of it. Here are some facts to keep in mind:

You must wage the battle that you are at the center of.

2 Cor. 10:4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;

You are always on display.

Eph. 3:10 To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenlyplaces might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God,

Heb. 12:1 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,

Your earthly struggles are the result of battles with spirit beings. The cause of trouble upon earth is conflict in the heavenlies.

Eph. 6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

Until Michael the Archangel is ordered by God to expel Satan from the heavenlies (Rev. 12:7-10), Jesus has given the responsibility of resisting, binding and restricting his activity on earth, to you.

Matt. 16:19 And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

Matt. 18:18 Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

Jesus came to earth, lifted us to citizenship in His Kingdom and placed His authority upon the Church. Now that the “keys of the kingdom” are with us, something you do on earth is going to have an impact in the heavenly realm.

Is. 54:17 No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tonguethat shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD.

To be ignorant of these things only exposes you to Satan’s harassing attacks, and eventual bondage.

2 Cor. 2:11 Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.

To say the very least, as a Christian, you go through your days giving little thought to how significant your life is. You seldom consider the impact you are having on the conflicts of the heavenly realm. Yet consider this, that God has arranged to have Jesus’ victory over Satan administered through your obedience and praise! Every time you choose God’s will over your own; every time you lift praise to the Lord instead of complaining; every time you trust God for provision rather than worry; every time you turn to the Father’s mercy rather than remain frozen in condemnation, you deny the devil his victory and you enforce the will of God over him. Good for you! Your simple acts of obedience to God give power to your praise of Him, and make you very dangerous to the devil.

Matt. 21:16 (Ps 8:2) And Jesus saith unto them, Yea; have ye never read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise,that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger.

Stay On The Path!

Psa. 8:2 Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strengthbecause of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger.

Matt. 21:16 And Jesus saith unto them, Yea; have ye never read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise?

Welcome To The Light-Washed Path,

Psalm 8:2 contains a remarkable divine strategy which was later quoted by Jesus in Matthew 21:16. The harassing accusations of the devil would be able to be silenced by the praises of God’s people. This strategy is so powerful that even young children could execute it with demon-binding effectiveness. Notice the Psalmist declares that the purpose of praise was to “still the enemy and the avenger”.

Most Christians are completely unaware that their daily life is the center of controversy in the spirit realm. They don’t realize that their troubles often result from satanic conflicts, for which they hold the key. Feelings of obscurity and insignificance are part of Satan’s poisonous weapons-of-the-mind, designed to confuse you in battle, and keep you from realizing that you are at the center of a great struggle, and fighting in a crowded arena.

Satan stands against you and accuses you before God, raising challenges against your rights as a child of God. He continually points out your faults and by them, questions your right to the will of God. He always seeks to maneuver you into defending yourself on the merits of your own righteousness. This he hopes you will do rather than to rely upon your position of grace with Jesus, and overthrow the devil’s accusations with the praises of God.

But always remember 3 things:

1. Regardless of whether people notice your struggles, your actions have significant consequences upon beings that want to use you as a pawn.
2. Everything God’s Word declares about the children of God is true about you, regardless of your circumstances or how you feel.
3. You can silence the devil’s claims against you without ever having to defend yourself. Simply lay claim to your relationship with Jesus and give praise to Him as your Lord. You will slap the devil’s mouth shut every time.

We’ll take a few more steps tomorrow, so…

Stay On The Path!

Gal. 4:4 But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, made of a woman, made under the law,

Gal. 4:5 in order that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.

Gal. 4:6 And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!”

Gal. 4:7 Therefore you are no longer a slave, but a son; and if a son, then an heir through God.

Welcome To The Light-Washed Path,

The angels of Heaven heralded the arrival of Jesus to Earth with tremendous joy.  But……

• It wasn’’t because of good news for Jesus, but good news for us…
• arrival to Earth, but our arrival in Heaven….
• It wasn’’t His descent into Earthly birth but our ascent into Heavenly…
• It wasn’’t His relocation to Earth, but our relocation to Heaven.

When Jesus arrived in the world, the angelic celebration was not because He had been promoted to Earth. Because where He was from was far superior to where He was at. No, for Jesus, it was a severe demotion, to descend into the Earth. However, His coming did provide a great promotion for us. For as a result of His coming we were promoted to where He was from. We were actually given a relocation of citizenship by virtue of a Heavenly new birth. The angels’ celebration was over our elevation and not His descent.

There is a problem with the way Christians view their position. There is too much concentration focused on getting to Heaven rather than living from Heaven. The truth is that we are already relocated to Heaven, by new birth; and already possess Heavenly citizenship. The true joyous message of Christmas doesn’t end with Jesus coming into the world. It’’s not complete until we are re-oriented to our new citizenship in Heaven.

Eph. 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:

Eph. 2:6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:

Let’’s re-trace the steps Jesus took to get here, for they are the very ones that lead us to our new home:

“God sent forth His Son…

He is pre-existent in eternal oneness with the Father, yet descends FROM glory.

“Made (to be born) of a woman…”…

He does not come to Earth as God (though God He is), but enters isolation in the world as a man.

“Born under the Law…”…

And finally, He does not enter the world, a freewheeling individualist, but places Himself under the humility of slavery to the Law.

In every way and with each step, Jesus descended deeper into the prison that confined sinners. Yet with His resurrection He lifts us triumphantly above the disadvantages of human birth. He gives us divine re-birth and Heavenly citizenship. We become re-located to Heaven NOW, not after we die.

1 John 3:2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God,…

Though this is a spiritual reality and not yet a physical one, it is nonetheless a legal reality which places the keys of the Kingdom at our disposal. We not only have the privilege, but we have the responsibility to enact the will of the Kingdom of God among men, as Christ’’s Ambassadors. As sons of God we are heirs of Christ and heirs of His mission. We have the right and privilege to act from our heavenly position.

Gal. 4:5-7 …to redeem those who were under the Law…receive the adoption as sons…sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts…no longer slaves, but as sons; and heirs of God.

The greatest weakness of Christians is the failure to orient properly!

• Heaven isn’t where we’re going it’s where we’re from.
• We are Ambassadors, not of where we are at, but where we’re from.
• We don’’t get our power from where we are at, but where we’re from.
• We should not be governed by where we are, but where we’re from.
• Before you get depressed, call Heaven to see if Heaven is depressed.

When Peter met the lame man at the gate Beautiful and said, “Silver and gold have I none, but SUCH AS I HAVE give I unto you …(Acts 3:6)”, what he gave him didn’t come from where he was at, but where he was from! But the lame man definitely got what he had from where he was at.

There was no authority or ability to heal that was available to Peter where he was at, but as an Ambassador of Heaven, where he was from became his motivation. And so it must be ours.

The world cannot provide any power to authorize the claims that Jesus asks you to make on His behalf. So He changed your citizenship by re-birth, and gave you a new Heavenly birthright.

John 14:12 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.

The joy of the angels’ announcement was, that through the coming of Jesus, YOU would become Heaven-born, assembled in the Earth and dispatched to the world!

Stay On The Path!

I would like to acknowledge my good friend Jimmy Mutebi, a prince of preachers, from Uganda, E. Africa (residing in Atlanta, GA), for the notes I took during one of his messages years ago at our church. Reviewing these notes inspired this message.

John 15:4 Be in me at all times as I am in you. As the branch is not able to give fruit of itself, if it is not still on the vine, so you are not able to do so if you are not in me.

John 15:5 I am the vine, you are the branches: he who is in me at all times as I am in him, gives much fruit, because without me you are able to do nothing.

Welcome To The Light-Washed Path,

You only see half of every tree you look at - the above ground half. But every healthy tree has another half - the underground tree. The root system of every tree is it’s underground branches, reaching for water, nourishment and stability with which to support the tree you see above the ground. No roots, no fruits. It’s a pretty simple but profound analogy. Your unseen private life fuels your public existence. It’s a basic law of life that you can’t fake your way around. What you do in secret, before God, determines the life you will manifest in public before men.

Consider what Paul wrote to the Christians in Rome:

Rom. 11:18 …remember that you don’t support the root, the root supports you.

This principle goes to the very heart of the Gospel. Namely that Jesus Himself is your root system in God. In the Body of Christ, it is His relation to the Father that occupies that hidden subterranean region known as the roots of the tree.

Rev. 5:5 …the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed….

Rev. 22:16 I Jesus…I am the root and the offspring of David…

In other words, Every real Christian is supported and nourished by Jesus’ relationship to the Father. Jesus, in affect put it this way in explaining Himself to His disciples; “I am, in effect, the Father come to you.” When you are engrafted into Me, as the Vine, you are in direct relationship with the Father. Through Me, your status is that of a son/daughter to the Father. You don’t have to establish your own relationship with God. You simply enter into mine by “abiding in Me”.

1 John 3:1 See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God…

Think for a moment about the awesome ramifications of this position. Nobody grows his or her own roots in God. Nobody establishes his or her own relationship with God. Nobody develops his or her own spiritual depth. Every true Christian simply maintains a genuine, honest, continuous relationship of prayer and communion with Jesus Christ; as opposed to trying to create their own spiritual connection with God. In fact, there are no “deep” Christians, just dependent ones.The depth of the underground tree belongs to the Vine: Jesus. We are merely branches. The fruit of our spiritual power never flows from our own spirituality but His.

Rom. 10:6 But the righteousness which is of faith says these words, Say not in your heart, Who will go up to heaven? (that is, to make Christ come down:)

Rom. 10:7 Or, Who will go down into the deep? (that is, to make Christ come again from the dead:)

Rom. 10:8 But what does it say? The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart: that is, the word of faith of which we are the preachers:

Jesus is your root in God. His spirituality is yours. His righteousness is yours. His faith is yours. Through Him you are able to draw upon a depth that would otherwise have been impossible for anyone to achieve. Rather than entangling yourself in the futile and self-deceiving business of trying to be spiritual, you can simply concentrate on loving and abiding in your relationship with Christ, and simply let Him flow through your life.

Stay On The Path!

1 John 4:16 We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.

Welcome To The Light-Washed Path,

Listening to people on TV who know about God is like listening to a donkey braying in a tin barn at midnight. You’d rather not. But when you’re in the presence of someone who actually knows God, and listening to them speak, it’s all together different. People who actually know God are affected. Those who simply know about Him are still full of themselves. But there’s a quality or a substance that people, who actually know God, possess. That quality or force of life is called Agape, or the Love of God. It’s the Love God is and has towards us. We can know it, possess it and through it, we actually abide in God.

You can’t really know God through the intellect of your head. You have to know Him through the love of your heart. God actually conveys Himself by His Love.

1 John 4:16 …God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.

With a firm intellectual grasp on God’s righteousness, His holiness, the omnipotence of His Being and His redemptive purpose in Christ, you can know about God. But you can only come in contact with Him through His love.

Eph. 3:17 …being rooted and grounded in love,

Eph. 3:18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth,

Eph. 3:19 and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.

God’s love is actually His redeeming motivator. It’s what moves Him to save, heal and deliver.

Eph. 2:4 But God—so rich is He in His mercy! Because of and in order to satisfy the great and wonderful and intense love with which He loved us, (see also Jn 3:16)

God loves us even when He doesn’t love the things we do. In fact, His love for us isn’t motivated by our behavior at all. Instead, God’s love for us comes from His own nature…

1 John 4:16 …God is love…

He loves us because that’s what He is. If you’re cute enough you could even get a troll to love you. But God loves you because it’s His heart to (even though you arethe troll). The scriptures say:

Mic. 7:18 Who is a God like You, who pardons iniquity and passes over the rebellious act of the remnant of His possession? He does not retain His anger forever, because He delights in unchanging love (to show mercy).

His being and not your acts prompt God’s love for you. It’s too late to earn His love because He loved you when you were hardened and contrary.

Rom. 5:8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Jesus’ disposition to forgive you of your sins is triggered by His love, not your faith. His Love inspired itself towards you long before your faith realized it. Jesus told the woman with the checkered past:

John 4:10 Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.”

If you know the love of God it will embolden you to ask of Him. For God’s love reveals His heart to us, dispels our fears and puts us in direct contact with His presence. Love begets courage and confidence because love KNOWS intimately what knowledge only imagines. Knowing about God will never satisfy you. So open your heart and ask Him to help you know His love for YOU.

John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.

Stay On The Path!