Nothing But the Blood

Praise God for the precious blood of Jesus that has completely and eternally washed away our sin and made us sons and daughters. Rejoice in His amazing finished work and worship our gracious Lord!

Grace Received In Weakness

Well, we have returned from a two week summer “outreach” to family and friends in Florida and Tennessee. Bobbi and I witnessed a non-stop need for God’s grace and, at times, incredible demonstrations of God’s grace. And by grace I mean God’s unmerited, undeserved, unconditional love, acceptance, mercy and forgiveness.

I have come to realize with even greater intensity that grace is the essential ingredient to an empowered, effective demonstration of the Christian life. I also understood with greater depth that the grace message is most productive when received in weakness by a revelation to the heart from Jesus Who IS grace. It is just as the apostle Paul said when the Lord told him that, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore I will rather glory in my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may overshadow me”. We saw those operating in God’s grace doing so because they had come to the end of their own ability and were realizing by ongoing revelation that it is HIS KINDNESS THAT LEADS TO REPENTANCE!

It became abundantly clear that there must be a greater understanding and acknowledgment of God’s grace towards us in order to make it more difficult for others to offend or crush us. This keeps us in the “game”. It keeps us connected to people by God’s supernatural love and grace, the kind of love from God that softens and changes people-the kind of love that is constant whether others fail or succeed. No wonder Hebrews 12:15 says, “looking diligently lest any fail of the grace of God, or lest any root of bitterness springing up disturb you, and by it many are defiled”. It is comforting to know that when we are weak, He is our strength by grace, and we can overflow that “acceptance grace” onto others.

At first glance, this might look like compromise or negligence as we respond to the sin and shortcomings of others with grace and love. Our minds might scream,”But we must confront and challenge and issue ultimatums to those who sin. We must give them rules and regulations and consequences or they will never change!” But according to the Word of God, this is not true. Titus 2:11-12 says we are taught by the grace of God “to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts“. Grace empowers us and others to return and remain connected to God personally where real transformation takes place (II Cor. 3:18) Legalism quenches the transforming power of God’s grace. Does this mean we should overlook serious problems? No, of course not. But we may be surprised at how He wants us to respond to those problems. Remember the Father’s response to the prodigal son?? (Luke 15:20-24) See, this way of grace is not “natural”. It goes against the grain of our carnal inclinations. I read the following comparison posted on a blog recently, it said: “So I’ve watched some of the Olympics. And they got me thinking. In a world where determination, effort, and results are rewarded, Grace is just so wrong. I mean, God is really bucking the system here with unmerited favor. It’s no wonder pharisees, and legalists, and elder brothers get their panties in a twist. Something for nothing? That is just WRONG.” You see, we all understand law – do good/get good-do bad/get bad. But we can only comprehend grace as the Holy Spirit reveals it to our hearts. So we need to be saturated in grace! We need to hear the gospel of God’s grace proclaimed so that our minds are renewed and our lives continually transformed. As we are built up in God’s grace (Acts 20:32), our words become life-giving instead of condemning; and the power of the grace of God goes forth to change lives. As those we love encounter the unconditional grace of God, they will be compelled by love to turn again to this forgiving God and to turn away from futile efforts of the flesh that always fall short. This is truly sanctification by grace. Romans 6:14 says, “For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law, but under grace.”

Creeper Set

We have all heard “wave” or surfing analogies and prophecies describing what God is doing or going to do, but this came to me anyway. Maybe it’s because my wife and I are heading down to Florida for the beach, the ocean and some family outreach. At any rate I used to surf the New Jersey shore when I was a kid (that is, when I was lucid enough to do so). And on occasion we’d experience something called a “creeper set“, a set of several waves, much bigger than anything that had shown up on a day that had been primarily flat. There would be one wave after another. Just as you would pull out of one wave thinking you were done, you’d turn around, scan the horizon and see another one forming. It was surreal because you’d waited all day for just ONE wave and now, suddenly, there was one wave after another! If you have ever caught a decent wave, you know the thrill. It closes in on you, surfers call it the “green room”; it’s like transparent glass all around you. Professional, amateur or novice surfers (like I was) live and die for that experience. Pure moving water and energy. It is said that you can feel your eardrums compressing as the water pressure increases and the wave literally spits you out and you MUST do it again. And in a “creeper set”, because of wave sequence, you have the opportunity to do so. It is not just one wave. And though each wave has its own unique energy, “ridability” and thrust, it is still part of the same set.

My point? Maybe this current outpouring of God (see previous posts) has “creeper set” characteristics. It came suddenly. And there will be more than one wave; in fact, many waves in sequence. Just when it may feel like the anointing is lifting, another wave forms on the horizon. But, again, each wave is part of the same “set”. What I mean is that this move of God (this “set”) has three components built into each wave. They are:
1.The Gospel of grace, the gateway into…
2.God’s personal and ongoing presence and power…
3.For dynamic, energized mission and harvest.
I believe for the next two or three years it’s going to be one wave after another but the same set; that is, each wave will contain all three components but with a different emphasis, energy or focus than the previous wave. We’ve dropped in on wave one. I believe we are in for the ride of our lives!
Pray for surf.