Grace Walk Australia

Grace Walk Australia is off and running!! 

Learning To Live With Imperfection

We all have an ideal in mind concerning the things we do in life. We have been taught to be conscientious about what we do and to strive for excellence. There is certainly nothing wrong with that philosophy of living. It is admirable and serves as a good baseline for everything we do.

            There is, however, a dividing line between being conscientious and being a perfectionist about what we do. A person can be conscientious and recognize a job well done without it having to be perfect. Perfectionists always sees the shortcomings in a finished task, even if they are insignificant enough that nobody else would even notice.

            Sometimes there is a need for a person to adjust her ideal to a level that is more realistic in terms of the capability she actually possesses. Things can be good, even excellent, without being perfect. Learning to live with less than perfect is important for peace of mind because nobody ever achieves perfection.

            Even God doesn’t look at your lifestyle and expect to find perfection in everything you do. The Psalmist wrote, “For He Himself knows our frame; He is mindful that we are but dust” (Psalm 103:14). To put it another way: God knows that you are only human. Do you know that or do you place expectations on yourself to be superhuman and then feel frustrated when you see that you aren’t?

            A grace walker is one who finds fulfillment in having done her best, given the limitations that life imposes on her. When God had finished creating, He looked at what He had done and said, “It is good.” He wants you to be able to say the same about what you do. In fact, to be able to say so is a godly quality.

            Does it really matter if some things go undone or are postponed? Is it worth sacrificing peace of mind, emotional stability, and being physically exhausted in order to accomplish it all? Does it really matter that much when put into the perspective of the big picture? These are questions that merit serious consideration.

            Learning to live with results that are less than perfect may be an acquired skill that the Holy Spirit wants to teach you. The next time you look at a finished job and are tempted to nitpick and judge it through the lens of perfectionism, don’t be surprised if you hear Him say, “Let it go. It is good.” When you hear that still, small voice, listen and do it. In the long run, you will discover the grace of fulfillment instead of the guilt of self-imposed laws that condemn you over what you’ve done.

(This blog is an excerpt of my book, Wives Walking In Grace, to be published in 2013 by Harvest House Publishers)

Saint Sam

I am Sam. Saint Sam I am.


Would you, could you keep the Law?
I would not, could not keep the Law.
Does that seem odd?
Not to God.

Would you, could you not then go sin?
I would not, could not then go sin.
Would sin not win?
No, I’m in Him!

Would you, should you go to school
And learn to keep religious rule?
I would not, should not go to school
To learn to keep religious rule.

Won’t you go wild?
No, I’m God’s child!
But sin is stronger.
But I want it no longer.

But the Bible says to run the race,
It also says I’m under grace,
But you must run!
But to run is fun.

Does your church have a steeple?
No, the church is the people.
Do you say your prayers each day?
I walk with Him and always pray.
Do you witness to the lost?
I simply glory in the cross.
What about daily Bible reading?
I just follow the Spirit’s leading.

But aren't you scared that He’ll be mad?
No, my God is always glad.
Even when you commit a sin?
He still loves me even then.
Even if you shame His name?
He still loves me just the same.
When you have lied?
That’s why he died.
When you fall down?
He is my ground.
When you’re two-faced?
Even then I’m graced.

I must get off of my treadmill,
Trying to climb this religious hill,
You can stop. It’s not a test.
Life in Him is just a rest.

And you’re sure that won’t insult His name?
No, my friend. That’s why He came.
I want to know Him like you do,
Well, He knows you through and through.

And you say He loves me just this way?
Then I’m going to trust in Him today.

Congratulations, my dear brother,
You’re going to see there is no Other,
Who loves you like He always will,
He took you off that tiring hill,
And now you'll finally know His rest,
That’s how we live life at its best.

You will learn and see in time,
That life in Him is so sublime,
This is not religious talk,
Welcome to the grace walk.

Steve McVey, 2012
Yeah, like you’d want to steal this.

Vertigo Needs to Go

Thanks again for the prayers of so many of you who read my blog. I deeply appreciate it. I'm hoping now that my March, 2013 appointment at Vanderbilt Hospital in Nashville, TN will be moved to an earlier day.

I thought the low blood pressure and high heart rate was bad, but this Vertigo thing trumps it all. A few have written me that they had Vertigo for weeks or even months. Wow! I don’t know how you stood it. After two minutes I whimper like a puppy and want Melanie to stroke my hair and whisper, “Poor baby.” And I want her to sound like she means it too.

My intent isn’t to drone on about my symptoms, certainly not for the sake of gaining sympathy about the physical challenge I’m facing right now. I’m being honest about this journey for another reason. The reason is because I know I’m not alone. Others are hurting too.

In some corners of the charismatic world (not all), a world where I have precious friends, there is the belief that it’s wrong to even talk about symptoms. The idea is that the problem is somehow empowered by the simple acknowledgement of its existence and exacerbated by the mere mention of any details.

I don’t claim to have a perfect understanding of the subject of healing but I do trust completely in The Healer. Contrary to what my Evangelical tradition taught me, I do believe that healing is inherent in the finished work of Christ on the cross. In a paradoxical way that I neither understand nor can explain, I do believe that I am already healed in the same sense that I believe I am seated with Christ in the heavenly places at this moment. (see Ephesians 2:6) I can’t connect the dots between Reality and my experience, but I believe it.

That is what I do believe. What I don’t believe is that healing is so fragile and vulnerable to my misspoken words that I can blow it all to smithereens by saying the wrong thing. Don’t get me wrong. I believe words are important. My own wife teases me at times about invalidating words somebody else has spoken in my presence. I do think there is power in words, but I don’t share the view of some that I must constantly be protesting, “I’m not receiving that! No, I am healed! There’s nothing wrong with me! Ugh, ugh . . . no way. I’m rebuking and renouncing and rejecting and resisting and reprimanding these lying symptoms! I’m gonna bind this and loose that! Yes, sir!” 

Believe me when I say that I’m not mocking anybody here. I promise. What I am saying is that this kind of thing strikes me as fear based more than faith based. I’ll admit I could be wrong, but it reminds me of the old movie scenes where somebody is whistling in the dark because he’s afraid but doesn’t want to show it. If I believe my Father truly loves me and believe that my healing is bound up in that love, I don’t feel a need to constantly to talk like the guy “who lives in a van down by the river.” Many won’t get that statement, but if you do, you know exactly what I mean.

When I’m dizzy and somebody reminds me that my dizziness is a “lying symptom,” what does that mean? I’m still dizzy. It’s not in my imagination. When I was in the hospital, some suggested that the reason the doctors couldn’t find anything was because “there [was] nothing wrong with [me.]”  So would they have had me get up to walk out and fall down in the floor? Or did they believe if I just got up to walk out that this time my blood pressure wouldn’t drop and I wouldn’t pass out?

No, that’s not my understanding of how it works. My view is that I trust my Father. Period. My faith isn’t in my faith and its strength. My faith is in my God and His goodness. Mr. Faith lives inside me and I trust Him and His faith, which is my faith. I have surrendered my body to Him, a living sacrifice. He can do as He will.

I know this approach doesn’t fit with the doctrine of healing some hold, but it’s where I am. One man emailed me yesterday and told me that I’m still a baby with a lot of growing to do. He’s right about that, but I still think I’m right about this. My faith is in the One who holds my life and my future in His hands. I’ll trust Him, fully believing both that He is a Healer and that I’ve got a problem right now. Don’t ask me to reconcile it. I can’t, but please don’t try to reconcile it for me either. It doesn’t help me nor change my situation. What I most appreciate these days is the loving encouragement that so many have offered. They have wisdom to know that compassion must always precede counsel or else their counsel is sterile.

Some critics of Jesus said, “We played the flute for you, and you did not dance” (Matthew 11:17). Forgive my boldness in comparing myself to Jesus in this way, but I’m not dancing to somebody else’s music. I have to dance to the tune I hear and the song I hear right now is a soft tune of simple trust not a blaring song of brazen statements.

I’ve heard from many people over the past few months that find themselves in a condition of chronic health challenges. My heart goes out to them more than ever before. If you’re one of those, don’t feel like something is wrong with your faith. If you trust your Father, that’s all you need to do. Indeed, it is all you can do. Don’t let well-meaning people put guilt on you about your degree of faith or put questions in your mind about why this is even happening.

I heard my friend, Malcolm Smith, say in a teaching one time something to the effect that when he was in the hospital somebody asked him, “Malcolm, what is God doing in this?” His answer was, “He’s being Jesus in a hospital bed through Malcolm Smith.” Yes, that’s it. In our weakness, His strength is perfected. Some corners of the church don’t like that. They’d rather rebuke weakness, failing to see that it is actually a precious treasure that brings the strength of our loving Jesus into a sharper focus than we could ever otherwise see.

I don’t like this situation. I don’t like it at all. There have been days I’ve gotten up and said to Melanie, “No! This thing is not going to have its way with me today.” Then I take a shower, step out huffing and puffing and about to black out. So I lie back down and say, “Okay, but maybe I’ll rest first before I show it who’s boss!”

There have been other days when I’ve felt discouraged. I don’t do well with a slower pace. Yeah, I know I’ve written chapters in books about that. Maybe I should go back and read them myself. But still, I want to get up and out! I have places to go and people to see and things to do!  Apparently, my Father knows that’s not true. At least, not today.

There have been moments when I’ve felt depression. I’ve wondered if this is my “new normal.” I’ve heard haunting voices about the possibilities of what they may tell me when I get to Vanderbilt Hospital. I’ve been told enough to know that, humanly speaking, what the doctors here hope for is that the problem is manageable but they also have said it could be a precursor to something terminal. Thank God, I know my life transcends the human perspective and rests in His providence. Nevertheless, I have had “what if?” moments. I have no fear of death. None. Zero. When I lay on the ground outside on April 15, coming in and out of consciousness and the paramedics could find no pulse, Melanie asked, “Are you afraid?” “Of what? Heaven? NO!” I answered. That was the truth.

I wouldn’t want to leave the woman I love though. Or my children. Or grandchildren. That’s how I think some days. Not often, but sometimes.

So, here I am – “the grace guy” as more than one pastor has called me when introducing me – sitting or lying around wondering what the heck my Father is doing right now. I’ve asked but, so far, He hasn’t told me. So I wait. So I trust. So I hope. This is where all the teaching I’ve done through the years is revealed to be genuinely true or just talk. It’s true. I know that.

Thank God, I don’t feel a need to prove anything to anybody. I am comfortable just to be me. My friend, Craig Snyder, sometimes says, “I’m old and my back hurts and I really don’t care.” That’s a good place to be, don’t you think? I’m there with him, and with others. If God gives me a lightning bolt healing experience that jolts me to my feet with a shaka-laka-ding-dong touch from heaven, I’ll love it. I’ll probably write about it. Maybe even call the book, “Shaka-Laka-Ding-Dong.” But if not, I’ll come through this in His way and His timing. Either way, it’s all Him.

Grace In The Trench

As many of you know, I've faced a real health challenge since I was rushed to the Emergency Room in April after passing out on my patio at home. For the past two days I have again dealt with a severe case of Vertigo - the sensation that you've been thrown into a washing machine and are watching the world around you spinning. It is absolutely miserable.

I was up all night last night, vomiting and watching my bedroom spin like a top. I went to sleep a little before nine this morning and am just now waking up at 1:00. Thank God, the world is standing still! :)  The words of prayer and encouragement from so many of you from around the world have helped to walk me through these past few months. People say that Internet connections are impersonal but I've learned it doesn't have to be that way. I've made some friends here who I loved before we ever set eyes on each other. I look forward to meeting those of you who I've not seen in person yet.

Vertigo is only one of the symptoms I've had since I was rushed to the hospital in April. Many of you know that my other symptoms have been a sudden drop in blood pressure accompanied by a sudden increase in my heart rate (which causes me to black out) and severe fatigue. Until this episode, I 'd dealt with the other symptoms but hadn't had Vertigo in several months.

I've seen teams of doctors over the past months and they all agree that my "condition" is Autonomic Failure but nobody knows what causes it and the meds aren't handling it as well as they should. (Yes, they have tested me for the thing you're wondering about :) AF can be caused by many things, from the manageable to the terminal. For those who've asked why I'm being sent to Vanderbilt Hospital in Nashville, I'm going there because they have an Autonomic Center. Doctors send people to Vandy from all over the U.S. because the doctors there have seen practically any disease that can cause AF. The medical people here in Atlanta believe they should be able to give me a definitive diagnosis and I'm praying that's the case.

Because so many people are sent to Vanderbilt, my appointment isn't until March, 2013. However, a doctor in Florida who has been impacted by my ministry has put in a call to a key person at Vanderbilt to try to get my appointment moved to an earlier time. That's what we're praying will happen. Needless to say, this whole thing has become very, very debilitating to me.

Thankfully, I've been able to keep up the Sunday Preaching program and with my writing. I thank God for that because those two things have helped me to not feel completely disconnected from "the outside world" these days.

I'm not felt one second of fear about this. I have a wonderful family and friends who I see and talk to frequently who are a real grace-gift in my life. I find tremendous encouragement right now from them as well as from reading theological books (right now, it's Frank Viola/Len Sweet's book, "Jesus: A Theography), listening to music and meditating on my Father and the things His Spirit is teaching me, and... ready for it... watching Doc Martin on Netflix :)  (Melanie said, "I can't believe you're watching this. You don't watch anything on TV anymore!) 

As any human being would do, sometimes I find myself allowing my thoughts to drift to the future with "What if?" questions but overall I live in this moment. The biggest frustration for me is that I'm a Type A personality who is used to a very active lifestyle and finding myself at a place right now where I can't "go and do" like I'm used to is something I hate. The Apostle Paul learned "to be content in whatever condition I'm in." I haven't quite gotten there yet.

Finally, why do I post all these personal things publicly? It's not because it's my nature to do so. Truthfully, as a local pastor for 21 years, I kept personal things private for the most part. But when I began to understand grace, the Holy Spirit showed me that it isn't a book or pulpit or camera that is a man's platform for ministry. It's his life. Grace is best seen in the day-to-day ups and downs of living in this world.

So, as much as I can, I try to be transparent about my personal life in an attempt to say: "This is how grace looks. It doesn't shine with a bright luster on a perfect life. It is best seen in the brokenness, the pain, the doubts and the struggles of life. Grace can't be seen in religious professionals who attempt to project that we're all grinning our way to glory-land. The strength of grace is best seen in the trenches, amidst the mud of misery and mystery. Grace reaches down to where we are and doesn't always lift us up out of our situation, but rather holds and hugs us right where we are. Grace knows where I am and where you are. He was tested in every way, like us. So, having been here, He knows how to guide us through it until we find ourselves on the other side. In the meantime, the Gentle Hug of Grace sustains us with the certain sweet assurance, "I will never leave you or forsake you." And oddly enough, at times like this, that assurance is enough.

Facing Fear

It is often popular in mainstream Christianity to suggest that it is wrong to ever feel fearful. That faulty perspective has compounded the problem of fear in many people by adding feelings of condemnation to the feelings of fear they already have. Now they have two problems instead of one. 

 It is ridiculous to think that we won’t ever experience feelings of fear in life.  While it is true that God has not given us a spirit of fear (See 2 Timothy 1:7), don’t think it won’t show up on your doorstep anyway.  The question is, “What are you going to do with it?”

Listen carefully to this statement and take it to heart: It is not a sin to have feelings of fear come upon you. Again, the focal point isn’t whether or not you ever feel fear. You will. Sometimes we think, “I shouldn’t feel this way.” No, feelings come involuntarily because of circumstances we face. Feelings of fear are normal in certain circumstances. The issue at hand is deciding how you will handle it when it comes.

When Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemene on the night before His crucifixion, you will never convince me that He didn’t experience feelings of fear. What else would cause Him to sweat blood and ask His Father, if there was any way, for Him to take away what was to come? The pivotal moment in the biblical account of Jesus in that garden was the way he faced his fears.

Jesus faced his fears, then acted in faith. He didn’t succumb to them. Instead, He moved through them toward the Divine purpose the Father had for His life. He refused to give in to feelings of fear and, instead, moved forward.

Our greatest threat is not fear. The greatest threat is inactivity because of fear.  You will feel fear at times. The question is “will you face your fears and move through them, trusting God as you go forward with knocking knees or a nervous stomach.

General Norman Schwarzkopf once said:

What is bad is when you allow that fear to turn into panic, and you allow that fear to petrify you to the point that you cannot perform whatever duty you have to do. That's the thing that's wrong with fear. But there's nothing wrong with being afraid. And true courage is not not being afraid. True courage is being afraid, and going ahead and doing your job anyhow, that's what courage is. 

The Apostle Paul once wrote, “I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling” (1 Corinthians 2:3).  When Paul faced the daunting assignment to go to Corinth and establish a church, he felt fear, but he acted anyway. Courage is acting boldly in the face of fear.  That’s what Paul did. He faced his fears and then acted bravely.

When Moses led the people of Israel out of Egypt, the time came soon came when they faced a threatening situation.  After Pharaoh released them, he changed his mind and sent his army to chase them down. The Jews quickly found themselves trapped, with the Red Sea in front of them and an army quickly closing in from behind them.

The people immediately were gripped by fear. They cried out, accusing Moses of bringing them out into the wilderness just to die. They were horrified at what they believed was about to happen. I can imagine them crying out to Moses, “What are we going to do? What are we going to do?”

Note how this great leader responded: he immediately said to them, “Do not fear! Stand by and see the salvation of the Lord which He will accomplish for you today . . . the Lord will fight for you while you keep silent.” (Exodus 14:13).  His was an impressive response, don’t you think?

However, the next verse tells the rest of the story. “Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Why are you crying out to Me? Tell the sons of Israel to go forward” (14:15).  Never has the Bible given a more honest picture of leadership by showing us this behind-the-scenes look at what really happened.

Robert Lewis Stephenson once said, “Keep your fears to yourself, but share your courage with others.” To his credit, that is apparently what Moses did. He did the right thing outwardly by telling Israel not to be afraid, but then he leaves them, and must have gone behind a rock and cried out to God, “What are we going to do? What are we going to do?” To paraphrase God’s answer, Moses was told, “Why are you giving in to your fears? Get up and take the people forward!”

So he did and you know the rest of the story. Pharaoh’s army was swallowed up and Israel reached their destination on the other side of the sea. In a situation where the people and the leader felt great fear, they chose to face their fears and move forward in faith and, as a result, their objective was met. They reached the other side.

Nobody has ever successfully moved forward in life that has not had to face their fears and determine to move forward in spite of them. Don’t wait until you feel no fear to move ahead or it will never happen. Every new endeavor is embedded with the potential for being afraid. If you wait until you feel courage, you may never act.

You Father has not given you a spirit of fear, so don’t allow it to become your companion. Because of God’s Spirit in you, there is no sensible reason to ever give in to fear. You can face them because you have an omnipotent Father who loves you and who has already written the plan for your life. The Bible says “the days of my life [were] all prepared before I’d even lived one day” (Psalm 139:16, The Message).

We have a loving Savior who gave Himself so that we might experience life to the fullest degree possible. He said, “I came so that they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of!” (John 10:10, The Message) Make no mistake about it, His desire is for you to experience life to the fullest.

We have a guiding Spirit who dwells within us, giving direction to our thoughts and actions as we move through our day. To think that the Holy Spirit is disinterested in what we do discounts His great love for us. Of course He is interested and is attentive to our every need as we live our lives.

Do you feel fear about certain situations? Welcome to the human race! However, you don’t have to surrender to fear. Instead, face it and then move ahead with confidence that your Father will guide you each step of the way.

Your Natural Habitat

For in Him we live and move and exist, as even some of your own poets have said, 'For we also are His children.'
                ACTS 17:28

    Refuse to think of yourself as separate from God. Your relationship to Him is equivalent to the relationship of marine life to the ocean. He isn’t simply involved with your life. Your Father isn’t even in your life. He is your very life. It is your union to Him that defines you. Independence is an illusion that will keep you from experiencing life as He intends for you to know it. God isn’t outside you but lives in you and you in Him in this present moment.
    You are His child and have His DNA coursing through your being. He isn’t a spectator who watches you and stands by to offer His help when you need it. His life is the sustaining force and source of your being. He longs for you to experience the flow of daily living coming from His life within. Learn to see yourself living in union with your Father and believe that He will animate your thoughts, words and deeds as you go through your day.

All Is Grace

I couldn't sleep last night so I began to read Brennan Manning's new book, "All Is Grace." I became so engrossed in it that I read the whole book before turning out the light. If you're a fan of Brennan's books, as I am, I highly recommend

it. It's a touching story of his upbringing with an alcoholic dad, an seemingly-psychotic mother and Brennan's lifelong struggle with alcohol addiction.

Brennan's books have spoken more to me about our Father's love than any other author or teacher. Now, in his late seventies, he is totally dependent on his caregiver to take care of every need.

Here's the poignant poem that Brennan ends the book with:

Now there's no more crowds and no more lights,
still all is grace.
Now my eyes are wrapped in endless night,
still all is grace.
Now I pace the dark and sleep the day,
yet I still can hear my Father say --
"all is grace."

It was easy as a younger man
To squander in the far off land
Where sin was sin, like black is black.
But older brother sin is white,
this doubt that creeps me up at night--
"does Jesus love me still?"

Now I take my meds and hear the game,
still all is grace.
Now old friends drop in and bless my name,
still all is grace.
Now a prodigal I'll always be
yet still my Father runs to me.
All is grace.

 

 

 

One Mediator

For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.

                                                                      1 Timothy 2:5

            Jesus became a man to unite Himself with mankind and act as the conduit through which we enter into Divine Life. He has situated us in the embrace of the Trinity. Today, there is a man in heaven who mediates our earthly lives among the Godhead.

            In Christ Jesus, we will throughout eternity enjoy the experiences He has with His Father through the fellowship of the Spirit. That has been the plan from the beginning. The incarnation of Christ makes no sense apart from that plan. He is the One who has brought us back together with the Father.

            As the God-man, Jesus knows what it is to be human. He has lived in your world and faced the same pressures and temptations that you face. He also knows what it is to be Deity. He has eternally lived in union with the Father and the Spirit.

            He lives inside you now to mediate the life of God through your humanity. You are an expression of Him in your own unique form. You haven’t been deified but you do possess Him at the core of your nature.

            Live each day as one in who resides divinity. His divine life will act through you humanity to reveal the Father’s life and love to all you meet.

Prodigal Humanity

Recently somebody on Facebook posted this question:

Hi Steve. What is your 'breakdown' of the word Reconciliation? When we were reconciled to the Father, what did that encompass?

I guess what I'm asking is; what words (do you believe) are included under the Reconciliation banner? (e.g. forgiveness, redemption, salvation, righteousness etc.).

Thanks Steve. I appreciate you.

My response:

 Good question, Grant. Maybe this illustration will provide the best answer I know how to give: When the prodigal son (Luke 15) was in the far country, who had the problem? It wasn't his father. It was him. He needed to be reconciled to his father. The father's heart toward him had never changed at all but he *believed* his father's heart had changed. In fact, one might say that he was "alienated in (his) mind" (Col 1:21).

When was he reconciled to his father? The Bible says that he came home to his father with a prepared speech about how he badly he had sinned and that, if his father would just accept him, he would become his lifelong servant. (See Luke 15:18-19)

But when he actually got there, the father wouldn't even listen to the speech. Instead, he fell on his son, hugging him. Was the son reconciled to his father then? YES! Did he know it? No, because he still tried to give his silly, "I'm sorry. I'll do better" speech.

His father would *not* let the boy give that speech. He shouted over his son's attempt, 'Bring out new shoes! Put a ring on his finger! Prepare the steaks for a big barbeque! We're gonna party like it's 99!"

So the boy was reconciled to his father, but he hadn't yet accepted it, so he benefited nothing at this point. Despite the fact that it was "finished" as far as the father was concerned, the son had to accept/believe/receive in what his father had done. Namely, forgiven him, embraced him, and totally accepted him.

Because we know how the story progresses, we understand that there did come a moment when the son *did* accept his father's acceptance. He gave up the silly notion that he had to do something to get back into his father's favor. He finally simply *melted in his father's love and accepted his (the father's) acceptance.*

The Bible says that "God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself, not counting their trespasses against them" Was He simply making it possible for the world to be reconciled or was He actually *reconciling* the world to Himself? Of course, it's the latter.

We have all been reconciled to the Father by the finished work of Christ. We are "in the hug" of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

However, nobody can personally experience/enjoy that reconciliation without believing/receiving it. That's why the Bible goes on to say (after telling us that God was reconciling us all in Christ) that we are to appeal to people to "be reconciled to God!" In other words, stop resisting your Father's hug and stop trying to impress Him with promises about how you're going to do better. Just stop and melt in His loving embrace! Accept His acceptance! THAT is when reconciliation is what our God intends for it to be.

There's nothing left for Him to do. He HAS reconciled us all to Himself. Now we appeal to unbelievers to "be reconciled" to Him by simply accepting the truth about the matter, namely that we are all "accepted in the Beloved" (Jesus).

What comes with reconciliation? The same thing that came to that younger son in Luke 15. The whole farm. But, as the older brother showed us, it means nothing unless you know it's yours, stop struggling to prove something or earn something and just enjoy what has been yours all along.

A Word of Explanation For Those Who Have Asked

Grace Walk consists of a great team of people who work together to spread the message of our God's grace all over the world. In the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Argentina, El Salvador, Pakistan and Australia we are blessed to have National Coordinators and team members who share the message with great passion. We also have healthy working relationships with friends of our ministry in many other countries around the world.

After a few of our Grace Walk team leaders taught the message of grace in Bogota, Colombia this past week, a friend asked me if I would reaffirm to the dear people in Colombia what we are and aren't saying in our teachings. It's so important to us to be clear in how we share this wonderful message of Divine unconditional love and grace.

In a nutshell, we teach the finished work of Jesus Christ for all humanity. We believe that our Triune God chose, before the foundation of the world, to create mankind for the very purpose of sharing in His life and love. That's why you and I exist - to participate in the circle of intimate love and life that has been and will forever be known among the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Early Church Fathers called this relationship perichoresis, a word that refers to, "the mutual inter-penetration and indwelling within the threefold nature of the Trinity." In other words, "a dance of intimate union." We were made to participate in that Divine Dance.

When Adam sinned in the Garden of Eden, he took us all down with him. Just as mankind's biological roots are found in Adam, so were our spiritual roots. When he became a sinner, we became a sinner. (See Romans 5:12) However, Adam's fall didn't surprise our God. In fact, He had already solved the problem of sin before it reared its ugly head. (See Revelation 13:8; 1 Peter 1:18-20; Titus 1:2)

The Incarnation wasn't an afterthought on God's part. The eternal plan had always been for God to become man and as the God-Man to bring God and man into union through our adoption in Jesus Christ. (See Ephesians 1:5; 1 Timothy 2:5) The word, "incarnation" refers to the vicarious life, death, burial and resurrection of Jesus on behalf of all humanity. In other words, He didn't simply live and die for us as our substitute. While He did that, He also lived and died as us. His obedience to the Father is our obedience. His death was our death. His resurrection and ascension is is our resurrection and ascension.

When Jesus cried, "It is finished!" from the cross, we believe that is exactly what He meant. Having died for all mankind, He has finished the necessary work to complete the reason for His coming in flesh. He came to take away the sin of the world (see John 1:29) and He succeeded. It is finished! He came to bring forgiveness. When Jesus was dying, He prayed for those who crucified Him to be forgiven by the Father. (See Luke 23:34) Notice that He prayed that prayer apart from those who crucified Him personally asking to be forgiven. He sought forgiveness on their behalf while they saw Him as an enemy? Yes! Was Jesus successful? Yes! It is finished! What He did for them, He did for us all.The sins of all humanity have been forgiven.

"God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them. . ." (See 2 Corinthians 5:19) The sins of the world have been dealt with by the finished work of Jesus. God has reconciled the world to Himself. He does not count our sins against us. Because of Jesus, it is finished!

It may be hard for some to accept that all are forgiven even before they ask but to think that we must do something to finish the work of Jesus Christ is an insult to Him and His work. To proclaim the gospel is to announce the finished work of Christ. God has committed to us this message of reconciliation. (See 2 Corinthians 5:19). We joyfully share this truth and challenge people to believe it! (See 2 Corinthians 5:20). In Jesus, the Father has reconciled us to Himself. It really is finished! The appeal of the gospel isn't to trust God to do something for us, but to receive and believe what He has already done.

Here's an example: God has given us all His love. Correct? Are you loved by Him whether you receive it or not? Of course you are. You may choose to live your lifestyle outside the experience of His love, but the absolute truth is that He loves you whether you receive it or not. That is an eternal truth. His love for you is factual whether or not you know it to be your actual experience.

The same can be said of all that has been given to us in Jesus Christ. What He did on the cross was for all of us and the benefits of the cross are real whether or not they are realized by a person. If any benefit of the cross (like forgiveness) is true regardless of whether or not we accept it, then every benefit of the cross is true for us. We can't piecemeal the work of the cross and argue that one benefit of the work of Christ is true whether or not we believe but other benefits are only true if we believe. It really is finished and what God has done, He has done whether we believe it or not. Just as Adam took us all down, Jesus Christ has brought us all up.

What has He done for us?

He has forgiven us. (See Ephesians 1:7) We aren't forgiven because of what we do - say "a sinner's prayer," be confirmed, take our first communion, join a local church, or anything else. Forgiveness comes from the cross. It was finished there. We don't finish it now by something we do. 

He has justified us by His blood. (See Romans 5:9) It isn't what we do that brings justification, but what He has already done.

He has reconciled us to Himself. (See 2 Corinthians 5:19) God was in Christ "reconciling the world to Himself" when He died on the cross. Did He succeed or fail in His work? Did He really finish it? Or did He simply start the process and it's up to people to finish it by their own personal decision?  Jesus said, "It is finished." He didn't say, "It's your move now."

He has made us righteous. Romans 5:19 says, "For as through the one man's disobedience (that man was Adam) the many (How many? All!) were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the One (Jesus) the many (The same "many?" Of course!) will be made righteous."

Did Adam's disobedience affect everybody but the obedience of Jesus affected only those who allow it to affect them? Not according to this verse. It is finished!

He has given us His life. Romans 5:18 says, "So then as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men, even so through one act of righteousness there resulted justification of life to all men." Adams' transgression brought condemnation (by sin, not God) to all men. What result did one act of righteousness bring? The justification of life! To whom? To all men!

You may be thinking by this point, "Yes, but there are other verses in the Bible that plainly teach that we are forgiven when we receive it!  One verse teaches we are justified by faith! Another verse tells us to challenge people to "be reconciled to God!" Another says we must believe to be righteous! Other verses say we are dead in our sin until we believe!

Those statements are true. There certainly is a tension in the Scripture about these issues, but the question presents itself, "Are we to disregard and reject those verses that plainly teach about the effect of Jesus' work on all humanity? Was Paul wrong when he wrote that God was in Christ "reconciling the world to Himself." Should he have written that "God was making it possible for people to be reconciled?"

Do we accept Romans 5:19 when it says that in Adam all were made sinners but reject the last part of that same verse when it says that in Christ all are made righteous?

Since the Bible is true in totality, must there not be a way that verses like these that seem to contradict may be reconciled together? Yes, there is. The answer is in recognizing and affirming that all the Bible is reliable and trustworthy. The Scripture isn't a buffet where we can pick and choose what we want to believe and what we will reject.

It's true that in Adam all were made sinners. It's also true that in Christ all were made righteous. It's true that forgiveness has been given to all mankind because of the work of Jesus Christ. It's also true that we must receive that forgiveness.

Eternal truth is real, whether we believe it or not. On the other hand, in order for us to benefit from the eternal truth of all that Jesus Christ has done for us, to us and in us, we must believe it. The writer of Hebrews wrote, "For indeed we (believers) have had good news preached to us, just as they (unbelievers) also; but the word they (unbelievers) heard did not profit them, because it was not united by faith in those who heard" (Hebrews 4:2).

Do you see the point in this verse? It's the same truth that is shared with those who believe and those who don't believe. It is truth before we even believe it. Our belief doesn't make the message of the gospel true. The truth is the truth whether we believe it or not. It is an objective reality. It is factual. It is eternal. It is real!  Faith has nothing to do with whether it is true or not. It is true.

However -- in order for a person to "profit" (benefit) from the truth, they must believe it.  We are all loved by God but unless we believe it, we will live as if we are unloved. We will spend our lives trying to find a love that, in reality, we already have. All mankind is forgiven. We have been reconciled to God. We have been justified. Christ has given Himself to us. It is finished! These things are true!

When we teach this objective aspect of the work of Christ, we aren't suggesting that it isn't necessary to believe and receive it. To the contrary, the only way anybody will benefit from the finished work of Christ is to believe it, but our unbelief doesn't nullify the reality of what He has done. Objective truth is grounded in an "object." It's real. It's something concrete.

For that truth to become subjective, we must subject ourselves to it by believing and receiving it. Otherwise, that which is factual won't become actual to us. Although it is real, it won't be personally realized. While it remains an eternal truth, we won't know it as an experiential truth.

Because we teach the eternal truth that "It is finished!" and affirm that in Christ it all has already been done for all humanity, does that mean we don't believe or teach that every person needs to receive and believe? No!

Here's what we are teaching: There's nothing left for God to do for anybody because it has all been done in Jesus Christ. People simply need to believe the good news, personally receive it and be transformed by it.

To seek to avoid confusion among some, here's what we are NOT teaching:

Everybody is going to heaven.
There is no such thing as hell.
How people behave doesn't matter.

When people aren't accustomed to hearing the objective side (eternal truth) of the cross taught and are only familiar with the subjective side (experiential truth), they sometimes have a knee-jerk reaction to the universality of the work of Jesus - the reality that every person has been affected by His incarnation. They sometimes frantically seek to find a mental folder to file away the teaching that is new to them.

Unfortunately, they often have no file for the objective truths of the gospel so they "misfile" what they hear. The result is that they think we are teaching Universalism or denying the existence of hell or saying that faith in Christ is unnecessary. Nobody who works with Grace Walk is saying these things.

Our goal and earnest effort is to teach both the objective and subjective truths of the gospel. We want people to see that the benefits of the cross are factual even before they become actual. We desire to proclaim what is real even if people don't realize it in their own lives.

Some who hear us teach are set free by the completeness of the message of the gospel. These are the ones who become excited and with enthusiasm join us in sharing the message of grace. I pray these will increase in number and in boldness.

Others who hear us are skeptical. They haven't heard the objective aspects of the cross before and, because it is new to them, they don't know what to think. Sometimes they encounter others who warn them against our teaching, telling them it's error, false doctrine or even heresy. Sometimes they meet people who encourage them forward in their journey. I pray that these will search the Scriptures and trust the Holy Spirit to lead them into all truth.  

Still others weigh out what they hear, study the Bible for themselves and come to a different viewpoint than the one we teach. I respect these people for taking the time to seriously consider a different viewpoint from the one they hold and pray for them to be blessed richly as they move ahead in the direction they believe they are being led.

Finally, some will not listen. They believe that the content of their understanding about grace is the right way and they won't consider anything else. They hurl inflammatory accusations like "heretic, false teaching, unorthodox, dangerous, etc." against us. They are afraid. They have vested too much in the house-of-cards theological position they hold and they don't want to see it threatened. These can be very "ungracious" in their "defense of grace." Sadly, they believe they are doing God a service with such attitudes and actions. I pray for these, that the love of the Father will rise up big within them and that they will be overwhelmed by His love. It's interesting how a person's perspective can change when that one thing takes place.

I've written this explanation by request. I know it is lengthy but much is at stake in the culture of the modern church and, for that matter, even within that group that some have called "the grace community." The heart of our Father is always one of reconciliation and loving respect. While we at Grace Walk readily acknowledge that we don't know everything and don't claim to have infallible understanding, we speak and minister from where we believe our God has brought us. We will give our lives to this work.

If you agree with the gospel we proclaim, join us in sharing it. If you aren't sure, join us in exploring it. If you believe we are in serious error, join us in praying the Holy Spirit will lead us into an ever growing understanding of the truth.

We want to be known as a ministry of love for everybody. Where we have failed, forgive us. Where we have succeeded, pray that we may accelerate on that pathway. We will be loving but we won't compromise what we teach. We will be respectful but we will not water down the gospel for the sake of finding common ground. We are flawed, frail and may behave foolishly at times, but our hearts are to put relationships above being right. Listen to us. Pray for us. Then join us in showing others that our unity is grounded in our common union to our Father and nothing else.

Helping Others Overcome Addictions

Do you know you have a Father who has promised to meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus (Phil. 4:19)? For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father. The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs--heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory (Romans 8:15-17, NIV).

Do you realize who you are? Do you realize that you are a joint heir with Christ? Do you realize that Christ is your life and your life is hidden with Christ in God (Col. 3:3, 4)? What else do you need? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all — how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?  (Romans 8.32).  The good news is that unlike the prodigal son you do not have to travel anywhere to return home. You are already there. All you need to do is believe the truth of whose you are, who you are and where you are. You belong to the Father, you are His son and you are in Christ and He lives in you. Believing this truth and living in this reality equals freedom and victory.

So what do we need to do? Watchman Nee says, “Oh, it is a great thing to see that we are in Christ! Think of the bewilderment of trying to get into a room in which you already are! Think of the absurdity of asking to be put in! If we recognize the fact that we are in, we make no effort to enter”. Jesus says Remain in me, and I will remain in you (John 15:4). If you tell your dog to “stay” and remain where he is, what act do you want him to perform? If you tell your child to “remain here for a minute”, what action do you want him to take? Watchman Nee says, “The sin is always to do something”. So what do need to do to live free?

In living in the truth and abiding in Christ we are not trying to make ourselves do right and avoid sin, we are just acknowledging the truth that we are righteous as Christ is our life and we are dead to sin and alive to God. That’s what Rom. 6:11 means when it says, In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. We do it because it is true. The proper procedure is (1) Know the truth. The truth is you are loved and accepted, so (2) Believe the truth. You can do it. You believe that Jesus died for your sins and He lives in you and you can believe the truth that you are a unconditionally loved and accepted child of God, who is dead to sin. You may not feel like it, it may not look like it, but it is true, so believe it. (3) Act on the truth. Reckon it to be true. Consider it so and count on it because God said so. And what God says is the truth regardless of your feelings or circumstances. Appropriate it for yourself and chooses to trust what God says. (4) Then you will begin to feel like it. Well sort of, kind of, maybe sometimes, but our feelings will never completely measure up with the truth. When you woke up this morning you probably didn’t feel dead to sin, righteous, holy and blameless, but it does not alter the truth that you are.

Excerpted from "Helping Others Over Come Addiction" You can get the book here: http://gracewalkresources.com/item.asp?cID=&PID=775

No Remembering Sins

 For I will be merciful to their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more.  Hebrews 8:12

The promise that God will not remember our sins anymore doesn’t mean that He forgets. The assurance is much greater than that. To refuse to remember our sins shows how merciful our Father is toward us.

Consider this example: Your finger is a member on your hand. If you were to accidentally cut off your finger, it is possible that somebody could pick it up, pack it in ice and rush you to the hospital with your severed finger. You would most likely be rushed into surgery where the surgeon would seek to “remember” your finger by reattaching it to your hand.

That’s the meaning of the word as used in this verse. You can be confident that your sins have been severed from you through the finished work of Christ on the cross and they will never be “remembered” again. Your sins are gone and you have the personal commitment from God that He will never remember them again.

Walk into this day in the joy of knowing your sins will never be remembered!

The Extent And Efficacy Of The Life And Work Of Jesus Christ

James Fowler has released what I predict will be a very helpful book in leading people to understand the objective and subjective truths of the gospel. The Extent and Efficacy of the Life and Work of Jesus Christ particularly meets a real need in the grace community in that regard.

For nearly eight years I’ve been teaching about the objective side of salvation in comparison to the subjective side. Objective truth is that which is true whether we know it, receive it, or personally experience it. It is truth that is valid whether we believe it or not. Subjective truth is that which we personally recognize and embrace. Objective truth is factual while subjective truth is that which becomes actual to us personally. Objective truth is eternal while subjective truth is experiential.

In his new book, Fowler explains the nuance between these two views of salvation. The primary strength of the book is the simple and easily understandable way that the objective and subjective truth of the gospel are presented. While many other books appear to be directed toward the scholar, this book has a popular reading style that will make it easily accessible for the average reader.

In the modern climate of the church where charges of unorthodoxy at the least and heresy at the worst are being hurled, Fowler does a good job in showing the value and importance of both sides of the “gospel coin.” He writes:

“The dialectics of Christian thought involve two seemingly contradictory or opposing ideas that are both biblical tenets and must be held in tensioned balance one to the other. The contrasts do not pose a polarized either/or dichotomy, but rather a both/and tension in which the two tenets may appear to be in conflict, but must always be maintained in a complimentary balance.”

It is from that starting place that Fowler sets forth with clarity the meaning of the gospel in a way that disarms those who accuse others who stress one side of the gospel over the other of missing the mark. The book is well organized in that it sets forth the objective side of the work of Christ, which Fowler calls “objective universal” and then presents the subjective aspect that he calls the “subjective particular.” 

In the third chapter he shows the danger of minimizing the objective-universal tenets of the gospel by explaining the fallacy of “paricularism,” the viewpoint that overemphasizes  the responsibility of man in salvation. The ditch that one may fall into with this error is Calvinism, a view that places such a distorted emphasis on God’s sovereignty that it diminishes the place of human response to the gospel.

In chapter four, Fowler does an admirable job in showing how that Universalism is the other aberrant extreme that comes when the subjective-particular aspect of the gospel is understated. He clearly shows that our faith in Christ is not “a work” that contributes to our salvation but is simply a grace-based response to the good news of the Incarnation (life and work of Jesus).

This book is a sufficient answer for any of us who minimize or dismiss one side or the other of the gospel. It shows how that both the objective aspect of Christ’s work (what Christ has done on our behalf before we even believe it) and the subjective aspect of his work (the imperative call for our individual faith response) both are twin towers of truth in understanding His finished work.

Since toward the end of the book, Fowler mentions me by name, along with C. Baxter Kruger, Paul Young and Malcolm Smith, I will respond to what I believe are sincere but misguided understandings of what I teach. He wrote that, “When Steve McVey (who had been affiliated with the Exchanged Life Ministries group) began to share with his followers that he had changed his theology, a tempest in a teapot began to brew.” Apart from a minor detail, his observation about that period of time is fairly correct, but six pages later he incorrectly states a few things regarding our teaching that bears mentioning.

Fowler is troubled by the word, “Trinitarianism” and charges that “the movement has hijacked the orthodox terminology of “Trinitarian . . .” I disagree and believe that the Cappadocian Fathers as well as other early church leaders would be completely comfortable with our use of the word, “Trinitarianism.” Fowler prefers the phrase, “Evangelical Calvinism,” a phrase whose creation he seems to attribute to Myk Habets and Bobby Grow. While I believe there are many early Church Fathers who would have no problem with the word, “Trinitarianism,” I suspect it would be a needle-in-a-haystack-search to find a true Calvinist who wouldn’t be offended by labeling what I and others teach as “Calvinist” in any form. He also mentions the name “Trinitarian Universalist,” a pejorative phrase used primarily by those who oppose Trinitarian thought in an attempt to indict those who hold Trinitarian views with the label of “Universalists,” a blatantly false charge. (In the broader theological world, the phrase is sometimes used to distinguish "Christian Universalists" from "Unitarian Universalists.)

Fowler states that “the Evangelical Calvinists . . . might state that:”

"All humanity "is drawn into fellowship and participation with the Triune God via the humanity of Jesus."  While I’m tempted to respond on behalf of the others mentioned by name, I will restrict myself to answering only for what I teach. I don't believe or teach that all are drawn into fellowship and participation with God via the humanity of Jesus.

What I do believe is that we are all within the perichoretic circle of the Trinity, but the only way we will personally experience the "fellowship and participation" in that Triune life and intimacy is through personal faith. In other words, while I believe the objective reality is already there, a subjective response must exist for fellowship and participation to be realized. 

His suggestion that we teach all humanity "is relationally 'in Christ,' i.e. has a relation with God by the life and work of Jesus" isn't something I believe or teach in the sense he uses the phrase. While all the cosmos is indeed "related" to God through Christ, we must believe the gospel in order to experience relationship. Again objectively, yes- all things are related to God in the sense that he both created and sustains all things. All things are "in Christ" in that sense. (See Colossians 1:17) However, a "personal relationship" is only realized through faith in Jesus Christ. 

The suggestion that Trinitarians teach that all humanity "had the choice made for them, when Christ chose to become Man and life 'as us'" is a statement that needs clarification. If the statement suggests that there is no choice to be made by us, then I deny and reject that view. Again, I believe everybody, without exception, must believe on Jesus Christ in order to be a Christan and/or go to heaven. It is "(His) faith unto (our) faith" (Romans 5:17). In other words, Jesus is our "faith source" but we must align our faith with His in order for the efficacy of the cross to have personal meaning to and transforming impact in us.

The suggestion that Trinitarians believe that all humanity "has exercised faith in God by 'the faith of Christ' - Christ is the faith-er for all mankind" is both a yes and no for me. Yes, I do believe it is the faith of Christ but I also believe that faith must be actualized in each individual. The faith of Jesus isn't a unilateral action toward the Father that automatically becomes personally efficacious apart from our "acceptance" of Him and His faith.

Perhaps the most disturbing statement for me personally is Fowler’s assertion that Evangelical Calvinists can disregard all the religious threats of hell - ain't no such place, and nobody's going there."

I have had this charge brought against me many times despite the fact that I have repeatedly said that I believe in hell. It seems that in the climate of Western Evangelicalism, if one suggests another view of the nature of hell than the traditional Augustinian, infernalist, retributive version of the nature of hell, we become suspect for not believing in hell. I can't speak for others but I do believe in hell and have done a teaching about my understanding of hell in my series "Important Things I Didn't Learn in Sunday School." My view is more of an Eastern Orthodox view and one that often doesn't set well in the conservative Evangelical world in North America. Do I believe hell is of the Dante/Augustinian order? No, but I do believe in hell nonetheless and teach that those who don't believe the gospel will experience that hell.

 
I appreciate Dr. Fowler’s honesty and fairness in the book and believe that one statement he made may account for the divergence of emphasis between grace teachers. He wrote on page 170: "I admit that I have had a tendency to "camp out" on the subjective-particular emphases of the indwelling presence of the Triune God. I still believe that is the missing element in Protestant thought that God has called me to teach."

 
That makes perfect sense. His experiences with the church world have led him to believe that the objective aspect of the finished work of Christ has been emphasized to the neglect of the subjective necessity of personal faith. Thus, he "camps out" on the subjective-particular aspect of the indwelling presence of God.

 
My experience is different. My opinion is that in the conservative mainline Evangelical church world (particularly non-liturgical churches), the emphasis has been unbalanced by an emphasis on personal responsibility to the neglect of the objective nature of the finished work of Christ. In other words, there's so much talk about the importance of "being saved," of "asking Jesus into your heart," of "accepting Jesus Christ as your personal Savior," that the objective nature of His finished work is largely unknown. That's why some people have falsely called me a Universalist. They are only familiar with the subjective imperative of believing but have little or no knowledge of the indicative biblical teaching that our belief doesn't cause God to do something but it simply aligns our experience with an eternal reality that already existed even before we believed.

 
Because of my experiences in the church world and my view that the objective aspect of the gospel isn't known by many (including those in the exchanged life community), I "camp out" on that side of the gospel. 

 

Having identified these few areas that I think are honest misunderstandings on Fowler’s part, I want to end this review by stating that I wrote ‘Amen!” by almost everything else he wrote in the book. If you are one who has been caught up in the discussion of the differences between objective and subjective truth, I can’t overstate how valuable I believe you may find this book to be. Even if these concepts are new to you, I heartily recommend the book as a great introduction toward moving into a deeper understanding of the gospel.We will never plumb the depths of God's grace expressed in Jesus Christ, but for those who enjoy diving into the Scripture and going deeper, you will find The Extent and Efficacy of the Life and Work of Jesus Christ to be a guide toward greater wonder and amazement over the gospel message.

To buy the book, click this link:  http://www.amazon.com/Extent-Efficacy-Life-Jesus-Christ/dp/1929541422/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1344761092&sr=8-1&keywords=The+Extent+and+Efficacy+of+the+Life+and+Work+of+Jesus+Christ