My first encounter with my gf's Father..

I grew up a die-hard Texas Longhorn fan which naturally made me loathe and resent OU and anything Oklahoma in general. I told myself growing up that I would never for any reason cross the northern border into Oklahoma territory nor would I ever date any girl from there. As I was making the drive back down south I-35 from one of the most blessed weekends I’ve ever had I couldn’t help but ponder on how ironic a circumstance it was. After stopping for some delicious fried pie and a large mountain dew in a little town short of the border I couldn’t help but chuckle, and right then and there I said a short prayer to God thanking him that his wisdom far exceeds mine, and that when it comes to planning the future his ways are superior to my ways.  

A million feelings, emotions, and thoughts were circulating through me on my way up to Blanchard, Ok. to visit Lindsay. Of course I was excited; I hadn’t gotten to see much of her since she went back home for the summer, but naturally there was some anxiety when I thought about meeting all of her friends and family, especially her dad. It’s always a little nerve-racking when you have to look the man whose daughter you’re dating right in the eye for the first time (which those of you who have done so can attest to), but the fact that Lindsay’s dad has been a pastor for over twenty years added to the apprehension. I have a reverential respect for all fathers who take care of their families but that reverence intensifies for those appointed by God to be stewards for him. However, the anxiety began to subside the closer I got to the house and there were a couple of factors that allowed for this: 1) Lindsay. The girl just has a way of putting me at ease - the way she smiles, holds my hand and just looks at me with tenderness and affection provides a level of comfort that is hard to explain. 2) I kept repeating Philippians 4:6-7, my favorite verse, and true to its promise, produced in my psyche a peace that surpasses understanding.

The first thing I noticed about Lindsay’s house was how good it smelled. There was some sort of sweet aroma in the air; I couldn’t quite make it out but it was soothing and vaguely reminded me of my own home. This was definitely a positive and welcoming sign; in hindsight, I was probably reaching and being a tad superstitious, but at the time I thought it was comforting that the scent of my girlfriend’s house immediately evoked memories of my own. This brought about very encouraging implications - not only did it make the house seem less intimidating, but also  placed her mom on a level with my mom in that they shared similar housekeeping tastes. I met Mr. Cox in the kitchen and I shook his hand, introduced myself and followed him into the living room. Without getting into too much detail suffice it to say we had a great conversation. He’s a very charismatic man and has a powerful presence that captivates a room (which should be expected from a preacher of over 20 years). I got to ask him all sorts of questions about his calling as a preacher, his pastoral experiences, and even his viewpoints on theological matters. Interestingly enough, there came a time where I think we both forgot that Lindsay was even in the room. I was trying to soak everything he had to say up (I, too believe there is a evangelistic calling on my life, maybe not as a preacher, but in ministry nonetheless – and anytime I get the privilege of listening to someone with that much experience in ministry as Mr. Cox I’m certainly going to listen, and intently at that), and he seemed eager to pour into me, seemingly intrigued by my interest in his life experiences.

After talking for what seemed like an hour but in reality probably only half of that we got up, shook hands again and he left to hit the road (I can’t recall the reason why, my mind was still buzzing from the awesome conversation that had just taken place). I didn’t notice it until after we had gotten up but there was definitely a presence in the room while we were talking. As Lindsay toured me around the rest of the house I couldn’t help but wonder how, if at all, this relationship will blossom and if God had something in store for us in the future. I do know that I don’t believe in coincidences and that “all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to his purpose (Romans 8:28).” The way Lindsay was smiling at me I could tell she was pleased with how the first “daddy/boyfriend” interaction went; as I stared into those pretty brown eyes that I love gazing into I couldn’t help but think that we might be on to something.

“Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of his knowledge in every place (2 Corinthians 2:14).”

To God be the glory in the church through Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.        

The letter kills, but the Spirit gives life

…”But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law (Gal. 5:6).”

One of the greatest challenges among members of the body of Christ is dealing with the desires of the flesh. We hear the good news about how when we become affixed to Christ that “sin shall no longer have dominion over [us] (Rom. 6:14)” because we have become “a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new (2 Cor. 5:17).” Not only do we hear the good news, but we receive it with excitement and joy! All of us come to Christ as broken, wounded, and burdened in some way, and most in several ways. All genuine believers come to Christ expecting their lives to be completely transformed. The problem is that for most of us once we take our steps of faith to receive Christ the truth of the matter is we normally don’t feel much different. All of the external dilemmas remain present in our lives. What’s worse is that we soon come to realize that the same temptations to act a certain way, indulge in the same destructive habits, and keep the same negative attitude don’t go away either.

 To help Christians combat this enemy many new covenant pastors/teachers will preach sermons on Galatians 5:16: “Walk in the spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.” They’ll explain that walking in the spirit is merely just walking in the word, for Christ did indeed say “the words I speak to you are spirit, and they are life (John 6:33).” After that usually a description of what walking in the spirit looks like surfaces, and the fruits of the spirit, which are: “love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Gal. 5:22-23).” And indeed, yielding to the spirit will cause the believer to walk in these things. However, usually they fail to touch on the most important part of this verse. At the end it says of these things:

“Against such there is no law.”

If you’re like me you’ve skipped this last part a million times because it sounds pretty obvious. Of course there wouldn’t be any laws against walking in peace, love joy, etc. not in God’s perfect law of liberty anyway. However, when we go back down to verse sixteen everything comes full circle:

“But if you are led by the spirit, you are not under the law.”

 And this is where I believe most Christians are missing the mark; this is why many of us struggle to produce the fruits of the spirit at a steadier rate in our early walks with Christ, and why many of us fall away altogether. We want so desperately to walk in the spirit and not yield to the flesh, but if the fruits of the spirit don’t produce right away we get discouraged and guilt starts to surface, and the root of guilt is always condemnation.

You can’t walk in the spirit unless you understand God’s GRACE.

What’s missing in these teachings is the grace factor. Whenever guilt and condemnation are present in the heart of a believer you can be sure that their understanding of grace is distorted (for a detailed description of Grace, check out my first blog). The fruits of the spirit will begin to produce rapidly and effortlessly in the believer’s life when they understand that “for by grace [they] have been saved through faith, and that is not of [themselves]; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast (Eph. 2:8-9).” So often we forget that our righteousness before God doesn’t come through the works of the law or the works of the flesh but through the righteousness of faith: “But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness (Romans4:5).”

We don’t seek after the fruits of the spirit to obtain righteousness, but because we ARE righteous.

Sadly, so many see the fruits of the spirit as the new standard of righteousness one must obtain to prove their right standing before God forgetting that Jesus finished work on the cross has already clothed them with all the righteousness they need forever! It’s only when we realize through God’s amazing grace how righteous we are will we begin to live righteously and the fruits of the spirit begin to manifest.

 “..much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ (Rom. 5:17).”

The bible declares that “for as a man thinks in his heart, so is he (Proverbs 23:7),” how much more powerful is this verse when supplemented with what God has already declared man to be! Beloved friend, cling on to God’s freely given abundance of grace and righteousness like the son clings to the father and your walk with God will be exponentially more intimate and the fruits of the spirit will manifest in your life rapidly. Right believing will always produce right living. Believe that you are righteous and you shall be righteous. To Christ be the glory through all generations, forever and ever. Amen.  

"For the law was given by Moses, but Grace and Truth came by Jesus Christ (John 1:17)."

Grace. What a beautiful and yet largely misunderstood concept in the bible. Quick, without looking it up, what is the biblical definition of Grace and how does it apply to the believer? … don’t worry I’ll wait… Hard to answer, huh? The fact of the matter is that very few believers truly understand what grace is and that’s most disheartening for a couple of reasons: 1) Understanding God’s grace is the only way to live a victorious life and reign over sin and 2) If we don’t understand, there’s no way we can minister it to others and explain it to the unbeliever. Grace is simply the free, unmerited, and undeserved favor of God. Actually, grace isn’t a concept at all, it’s a person! As it says in John 1:17, Grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. This is different than the law which was engraved on stones and given from a distance. But God demonstrates his relational nature and love for us by physically coming down to show the world his grace and truth.

What’s unfortunate is that we still have a multitude of gospel preachers and teachers today who equate righteousness and truth with the works of the law, or you’ll have one who tries to mix the two. Have you ever heard something like.. “Grace is good but you have to be careful with that, it’s important to hold people responsible,” or “Yes, Jesus has cleansed us from our sins, but in order to stay in his good graces you have to do this, that, and the other.” Friends, listen carefully, this is a dangerous and most heretical view of the gospel of grace and directly challenges and dishonors the blood of Jesus and his finished work on the cross. The bible declares that “it is by GRACE you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the GIFT of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast (Ephesians 2:8-9).” Notice how God’s grace is depicted as a gift. Gifts can’t be worked for or earned, they can only be received. As soon as we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior not only are we saved from death but we become completely accepted in the beloved FOREVER: “But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed..even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe (Romans 3:21-22).” However, law and works based teaching neutralizes grace and makes it of no effect: “For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes (Romans 10:3-4).”

Now, let me be clear, I am fully against sin. Sin is evil and destructive. Furthermore, the law is holy, just, and good. However, the bible is clear that the law wasn’t given to impart righteousness or justify man by, but to the contrary: “Whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God (Romans 3:20).” The law was set in place to convict the world of sin and to highlight their need for a savior. I believe that law based teachers are good intentioned and God-loving people. They want to see people’s live transformed by the gospel and for people to live holy and upright but their foundational truths about righteousness are erroneous. It is only through revelation knowledge of who Jesus is and the grace he has bestowed upon us that holiness and righteousness can be obtained.  

You may be asking, Ok, but if righteousness isn’t contingent upon people’s actions or deeds, won’t they be more inclined to live licentiously? Good question.. Let’s let Jesus help answer this question for us. Many of you know the story of how Jesus was teaching in the temple and the scribes and Pharisees brought him a woman caught in the very act of adultery. After dealing with her would be “accusers” by convicting them of their own sin he asks the woman, “where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you? She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more (John 8:10-11).” This is a beautiful depiction of the nature of our Lord, and a perfect representation of how the gospel of grace works. Not only does he not condemn us for our sins, his GRACE gives us the power to overcome a life of indwelling sin. It is important to note how he dealt with this woman. The order of his words are placed very strategically (Jesus doesn’t make mistakes; he is precise and practical in everything he does, says, and demonstrates). He gives her the assurance of grace first (neither do I condemn you) and then empowers her to “go and sin no more.” After receiving the Lord’s forgiveness, love, and grace is it reasonable to assume the woman went back to the same life of indwelling sin? Of course not! I’m reading a powerful book entitled ‘Destined to Reign,’ written by a Pastor named Joseph Prince, an excellent and world renowned grace teacher. On this topic one of the passages exclaims: “Sin loses its appeal when you encounter the person of grace, Jesus Christ, and realize all that he has blessed you with and done for you on the cross. You begin to realize that you have been given this great gift of righteousness and that you did nothing to deserve it. You did nothing to earn it and you did nothing to merit it.” Simply put, the more you realize that you are righteous, the more victory you will experience over sin! This is evidence of what bible calls the abundance of grace: “much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the one, Jesus Christ (Romans 5:17).”

When we get revelation knowledge of all that Christ has done for us we will begin to yield to the spirit and produce the fruits of the spirit which are: "Love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is NO LAW (Galatians 5:22)."  What law needs to be given to a person full of these characteristics? If one has self-control what need is there for a law against adultery? If there is Love in one’s heart what need is there to tell him not to murder? Now I’m not saying that grace makes anyone perfect, there is only one perfect and his name is Jesus. However, I am saying that God no longer imputes our imperfections to us. EVERY SIN that we have committed, are committing, and will commit Jesus bore them all at the cross. He was punished so that we’ll not be punished, he took our place so that we can take his place, and he was condemned so that we may become the righteousness of God. Beloved friend, it’s by knowing these truths and feeding off Jesus that we are made better. Self-consciousness produces uncertainty, confusion, and the end death. Jesus-consciousness produces Love, joy, victory, and eternal life. “The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15:56).”

So friends, if you're struggling with your identity in Christ and wonder if God sees you as worthy of his love I want you to know that you are perfectly accepted in the beloved and that you can come boldly to the throne of grace with a clear conscious knowing that Jesus perfect work on the cross has freed you from all condemnation and has qualified you not only for eternal salvation but for having an intimate relationship with God the father on your journey to experiencing a lifetime of happiness and peace. To Christ be the glory in the church to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.