Nobody wanders away from intimacy with Christ and gets caught up in a performance-based religious lifestyle in one giant step. It happens as Satan misdirects our attention from The Big Picture (Jesus) and changes things in our lives little by little until one day, everything has changed but we don't even realize it because we've been so focused on the details of what we're doing (our performance) that we didn't even realize what was happening. This video is an object lesson that illustrates what I mean...
Yes, that was true of me. I entertained a wrong thought years ago that robbed me of my joy and assurance. I began my quest to get assurance back that started with simple bible searching and prayer. It then progressed to reading bible dictionaries. I then started buying commentaries and systematic theology books and was now rarely reading my bible. I bought every possible book out there on doctrinal issues. I thought majoring in bible college would help, so I did just that. My doctrines teacher told me to cool it as I was going ballistic with my religious studies. I was one theological wreck before I knew it, and more confused than when it all began. I did not realize that the excitement of learning was what was filling that void in my life. I was now puffed up with knowledge, and I could not tell that it was killing me then. Thank the Lord that he brought me back to the simplicity that is in Christ.
ReplyDeleteI almost wish you were around Brother Steve back in 1987. I probably would have been spared many sorrows through your grace teaching. I am thankful that my experience has led me out of performance based Christianity.
Steve
ReplyDeleteThanks for the video.
For me it did not happen that way! It was the other way around! I trumpeted my way onto this planet and started immediately to perfect my performance based acceptance even though I was brought up in a sincere God loving family. Over the years my “isms” of beliefs slowly turned to the ashes they truly are, as the relational work and person of Jesus renovated my thinking into His acceptance based performance. Still on track to grow in that one!!!
One area that we all suffer from is the box of time, it has us looking at ourselves and our neighbor since our birth, and we have no experience of anything before, it is only in reading about the early fathers that we come to realize that nothing has changed much, Gnosticism with its various colors of “isms” was prevalent then and is still around today.
This I know Father, Son and Holy Spirit loved all of us first so that we may be able to learn to love Him and others with the love that He loves all of us.
There were around back then two main false fables: Gnosticism and/or Judaizers peddling a works based acceptance. Gnosticism was a false call for higher knowledge that had drawn many away from simplicity in the Lord. These Gnostics tried to separate soul and body saying you might as well do what you want in the body because your soul is transparent. Both were problems in the early church the Apostle Paul had to deal with making more of religion and less of obedience to Christ. Excellent blog. Dave C.
ReplyDeleteLike changing the color tablecloth to change the color back of the cards, so we try to evacuate our foundation in Christ to follow fig leaves.
ReplyDeleteThis is a quote from Mick Mooney's book titled "Look! the Finished Work of Jesus"
ReplyDelete"Without a revelation of Jesus' finished work on the cross, I can naturally wander back into a religious works orientated mindset. This mindset can make me to look at my own ideas to understand scriptures, God, the Gospel, my identity and my worth. This perspective can lead me to either harden my heart to God's grace, or have an overwhelming feeling of spiritual inadequacy. When I see the fullness of what Christ has accomplished for me, I begin to rest in His Presence"
Steve, the Lord has really used you to set me free from some certain lies. I had a question that doesn't apply to this post but I couldn't find an email, I hope you don't mind. My pastor told me that born again Christians will be judged by Christ not only for our actions but also for the intent behind our actions. He didn't give me any Biblical backup (in fairness I didn't ask yet) but I was wondering if the Lord had given you any insight on this and/or you had any verses on this...
ReplyDeleteThanks and GodBless!
Our every sin has been taken away by Jesus so we certainly won't be judged in a negative sense. There is no condemnation to those in Christ Jesus. If we answer for wrong attitudes or actions, then the death of Jesus was incomplete. Any judgement is to celebrate our lives not to condemn it.
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