Il Divo sings Amazing Grace

I think this is awesome. (Thanks to Mark Vilen for sending this to me.)

God Sometimes Works In Not So Mysterious Ways

I'm in the Tampa airport early this morning, on my way to Macon, GA to conduct the funeral service of Marjorie Sims. Marjorie and Jim have been dear friends and I served as their pastor almost 30 years ago. I conducted Jim's funeral a couple of years ago and now Marjorie joins him.

I was thinking this morning of how God used them and other friends to bless my family back then. One particular incident that happened with them still makes me smile today.

I was a struggling pastor in a small country church, barely able to keep food on the table and pay my bills. My four children were all still very young. There was a time when they became obsessed with a desire to go to Disney World and asked if we could go.

I told them that we didn't have the money to go there, but that we would pray and ask the Lord to make a way for us to go sometime. Immediately, they all started praying for that desire. Every night, when our family prayed together they would each pray, "Lord, please give us money so we can go to Disney World." Night after night, their prayer was the same.

As summer came and the weeks passed, it began to be apparent to me that we weren't going to be able to go to Disney World. Melanie and I tried to distract the kids from the idea by doing other things with them, but they kept praying. I hated to see their prayer go unanswered but there was nothing I could do about the situation.

One day there was a knock at the door. When I answered, there was Jim Sims (Marjorie's husband) and Clarence Ivester. I invited them in. We sat down in the living room, when Jim suddenly stood up, walked over to me and dropped five hundred dollars on my lap. "Take your kids to Disney World," he said in a matter-of-fact way.

"What made you do this?" I asked in disbelief. "Well," Jim answered, "it's just something that Marjorie and I and Clarence and Shirley want to do." I was amazed.

That afternoon I went to the bank and exchanged the larger bills for one dollar bills That night, before we prayed I took out the cash and began to throw it up in the air around my children. "Look!" I said to them. "The Lord answered our prayers!" We were all thrilled.

An amazing answer to prayer, don't you think?

Well, here's, as they say, the rest of the story. Later we learned that our oldest daughter, Amy was going to Sunday School every week where Shirely Ivester was her Sunday School teacher. And every week, when the children prayed in Sunday School, Amy would pray aloud, "Lord, give us the money to go to Disney World!"

Shirley heard that prayer week after week and told Marjorie. The ladies talked to their husband and the result was five hundred dollars on my lap days later.

Did God answer my children's prayer? Of course! He used the compassion of Jimmy and Marjorie and of Clarence and Shirley. The result was that my children were able to take their first trip to Disney World.

God does work in mysterious ways sometimes. At other times, we discover it wasn't so mysterious after all. Either way, it's Him.

As I think of my friends, Marjorie and Jim, this morning, I know they are together again in heaven. And I'm thankful for how they both enriched my family's life - not just with our first trip to Disney world, but in many ways.

The Most Controversial Subject I've Taught About

What would you guess has sparked the most opposition of anything I've taught in the past years? Think about it before you keep reading. I'll give you a hint. If you've watched my "101 Lies Taught In Church Every Sunday" videos on YouTube, it's one of them.

The topic? Keeping the Sabbath day. On YouTube, Lie #101 was that "Sunday Is The Christian Sabbath." That one brought the house down in anger - at least the Sabbatarian House (those who believe we still must observe Saturday as the Sabbath Day).

I've been amazed how many people have become outraged with me for daring to suggest that Jesus Christ is our Sabbath rest now and that we aren't under a law to observe the seventh day of the week as a Sabbath Day anymore.

The point of the video was to correct the faulty view held by many Christians that Sunday is the new Sabbath Day. The Sabbath Day is the seventh day - Saturday. I didn't imagine what a can of worms that video would open. Some have emailed me, telling me that I'm going to hell. Others have said I'm destroying the church. Others have accused me of denying the Word of God. Wow, all that for saying it's okay to go to the mall on Saturday? :)

What's amazing is that those who so vehemently argue that we must still observe the Sabbath seldom do it themselves. Do they drive? Take more steps than "a Sabbath Day's journey" would allow? Cook? Spend money for anything? Do anything at all that any serious Orthodox Jew would recognize as a violation of the day? Be assured, they all break it no matter how loudly and proudly they tell you otherwise.

And on that note, why are they so big on the Sabbath Day while ignoring or at least minimizing the other Laws? One whole denomination is built around the idea that we should worship on Saturday and many believe if you don't, you've taken the mark of the beast. Why doesn't somebody start a church built on the idea that we shouldn't commit adultery, or steal, or bear false witness, etc? You might can slide on those but, boy-oh-boy, when Saturday rolls around you'd better be in your place.

I don't mean to sound ungracious in this post, but it irks me to see how many people are living in bondage because of this teaching. Besides, grace sometimes takes a harsh approach. If you don't believe it, ask the Apostle Paul. Or better yet - Jesus, who didn't mince words with Pharisees.

The Apostle Paul wrote, "Therefore no one is to act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day - things which are a mere shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ" Colossians 2:16-17.

There's no doubt about it - a lot of C.R.A.P. (Christian Rules And Procedures) is being taught out there, but this is the one that's in my face today. Hence, this blog :) Maybe I just need a nap....

Living As A Nonconformist

The excerpt below is from my new book, Walking In The Will of God. The book will be released by Harvest House Publishers on April 1. The first people who will be able to buy it will be those attending the Radical Sonship Conference in Atlanta on March 27-28. I'll have a few pre-release copies available then.



Living As A Nonconformist

As we present ourselves to God, the Scripture says, “Do not be conformed to this world.” What does it mean by “conformed?” It causes me to think of times I’ve seen concrete pourers prepare to pour a driveway or sidewalk. The first thing they do is to build a form that will hold the concrete so that it takes the shape they have designed. That’s what the world tries to do to us; even the religious world does it.

Structures are laid out and we are taught to stay within the bounds set for us. “If you want to know God’s will, there are certain things you must do. You have to do your part.” So we are told.

If you act outside those bounds, you will be sanctioned. Jesus ran into this challenge constantly. Everybody, including the religious world of His day, thought He had lost His mind because He didn’t go with the flow in terms of how they believed things ought to be. He was a nonconformist and his nonconformity provoked those around Him.

Paul is telling us something very important about how to know God’s will with certainly. It’s this: don’t stay inside the world’s form. Don’t be con (with) formed by the world. Get outside the box they have built for you. You don’t have to jump through a series of religious hoops to know God’s will. That’s nothing but a bunch of religious hype.

Take Paul’s advice and don’t allow the world, even the religious world, to press you into its mold so that you approach things in the same way. The Bible says that apart from God doing His work in us, our attitudes and actions will be formed by others. How we think and how we live will take shape because of influences other than Christ.

What practical implication does this biblical nonconformity have on your potential to know God’s will for your own life? The answer to that question varies from person to person. What prerequisites have you been told are necessary in order for you to know God’s will in your life? I’ve already given you one that I taught for years – that you should become holy although, in reality, you already are.

What other faulty ideas have “formed” the way you have thought about how to know God’s will that you now realize are wrong? Remember, knowing God’s will isn’t a hard thing. Religion will try to make it that way, but your loving Father certainly has no part of that. His yoke is easy.

We take on the philosophies, beliefs, values, and habits of the worldly and religious cultures in which we live. In another passage, Paul warns against being taken captive. “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” (Colossians 2:8).

There are many traditions that we are taught are necessary to know God’s will, but many of them are empty deceptions consisting of the philosophy or man. If we allow it, these will influence the way we think about God’s will. They aren’t God’s way, but they attract those who believe knowing God’s will is a hard thing.

It is interesting to see how many Christians take a defensive stance against the behaviors of the culture around us — things like dress, music, entertainment, or other external things — while remaining seemingly unaware of the dangers of the world’s ideas. And yet, from our thinking, flow all the rest of our life’s decisions and actions. We must be aware and on guard, because the worlds of both the unrighteous and the self-righteous will surely try to conform us to their shape.

Living As Transformed People

Do you remember Trans-Continental Airlines? Their name reflected their flight routes. They flew across (trans) the continent. That’s how the Bible says we are to live in this world. A mold has been poured in which we are told to stay but, by the power of Christ, we have been set free and enabled to step across the form laid out for us. We are transformed people who don’t approach life the way others do.

You can know God’s will if you will live as a transformed person. Don’t buy into the snake oil they are trying to sell you. Knowing God’s will is easy when we trust the Christ within us who is the very personification of God’s will for our lives.

Don’t get bogged down in trying to know God’s will. This isn’t rocket science. You don’t have to be a theologian or a genius to know what He wants you to do. Consider the questions raised in this chapter as a starting place. What do you want to do? What are your interests? What are your strengths?

If you move ahead with both your heart and your eyes wide open, the Holy Spirit will make it clear to you where to go and what to do next. Just live one day at a time, trusting Him to make it all clear in His way and His timing. The big picture will most definitely start to become clear to you.

Your role is to yield yourself to Him. Don’t allow others to complicate this for you. Step across the traditional, demanding ways you’ve been told reveal God’s will and just live in simple faith in Christ. When “the fullness of time” according to God’s agenda comes, you will discover the plan He has for you growing in your heart and being evidenced in your circumstances

Radio Programs In Africa

For the past few days I've been recording radio programs to be broadcast across Africa and possibly other places. My relationship to Trans World Radio through my friend, Bill Mial, has been the hand of our Father at work. God is using Bill and Joan Mial to impact people around the world with the message of the grace walk.

The plan is to produce radio programs which will air in numerous languages. The content for the programs will come from the 101 Lies Taught In Church videos I did on youtube and am now working on in book form.

The approach in the programs is to follow the path Jesus took when He said, "You have heard it said that . . . but I say to you." I'm starting the programs with "You may have heard ... but the Bible says..."

The first two foreign languages being discussed are French and Vietnamese. It's thrilling to see how passionate our loving Father is about spreading the message of His loving grace.

Here's one of the chapters from the working manuscript:

Our Sins Are “Under The Blood of Jesus”

Just as there are trite statements in all cultures that sound true on the surface, but don’t necessarily convey the truth, so it is in the church world. We’ve heard some things said in church that have been stated so often and sound so logical that we believe they must be true. This is one of those statements. Take a close look at that statement: Your sins are under the blood of Jesus. What could possibly be wrong with that affirmation?

There’s a very good question you should get in the habit of asking, that will help you cut through the fog of vague and confusing talk. It’s simply to ask, “What do you mean by that?” Ask people what they mean by a phrase or term, and you’ll finally be able to pinpoint what the controversy or teaching is really saying. Often you’ll discover that you actually agree with what a person is trying to say, even though you disagree with how they say it. Other times, you’ll discover that what sounds good on the surface actually disguises a serious error beneath. Either way, you’ll not discover what you’re really dealing with until you ask people to clarify what they mean. Many of our shorthand expressions and clichés serve to promote errors and reinforce misunderstandings.

In this case, what someone usually means by saying that our sins are under the blood of Jesus is that we are forgiven. I would certainly do nothing but agree with that assertion, but I do have a problem with this way of trying to say it. It communicates a serious misunderstanding about the work of Christ.

TAKE A FRESH LOOK AT THE SCRIPTURES

It is important to understand a major difference between the Old and New Covenants and how they describe the process of sacrifice and forgiveness. In the Old Testament period under the Law of Moses, forgiveness was indeed offered people of faith, but the dominant concept was that of atonement. Atonement literally means “a covering.”

You may remember how the priests would offer sacrificial animals for the sins of the people. There were many, many types of sacrifices, offered continually. There were daily, weekly, monthly, and annual sacrifices. The most important day of worship for ancient Israel was the annual observance called Yom Kippur, literally, “The Day of Atonement.” This was the one and only day of the year when a human representative, the High Priest, would enter the Holy of Holies, the innermost room of the Tabernacle or Temple, and approach the Ark of the Covenant.

The Ark represented the foundation of God’s very throne. When the blood of an innocent animal was poured on Ark, the Judgment Seat became the Mercy Seat. Men’s sins were considered “covered” by the blood, and the people were counted forgiven by God — for now only, however, because no sacrifice under the Law ever provided for tomorrow’s sins. At best, they were temporary and up-to-date.

However, things have changed with the coming of the new covenant. The Law’s observances were only shadows and previews of the work of Christ, who would accomplish a far greater work.

Therefore it was necessary for the copies of the things in the heavens to be cleansed with these, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.Hebrews 9:23

Jesus’ offering of Himself was truly a “better sacrifice,” but that’s not all. Remember the scene when Jesus showed up at the Jordan River where John the Baptist was baptizing? John said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world!” (John 1:29). That Old Covenant prophet, John, understood better than many Christians today that Jesus came to do something different than previous priests had done. He didn’t come to hide away our sins from God’s sight by putting them under the blood of a sacrifice. He came to do away with them completely. As John wrote, “And you know that He appeared to take away sins” (1 John 3:5).

The book of Hebrews teaches that Jesus was an infinitely better sacrifice than any of those offered in the Old Testament. In fact, He was the perfect sacrifice. When He offered Himself for our sins, His shed blood didn’t just “cover” our sins. By His sacrifice, our sins were taken away.

Hebrews 9: 26 says,But now once at the consummation of the ages He has been manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.

The words “put away” are one word in the Greek language, which means “to disannul, to do away with, to completely destroy.” Jesus didn’t come to cover your sins. He came to take your sin away, and that’s exactly what He did.

As if to make this point unmistakably clear, this contrast is described:

Every [Old Covenant] priest stands daily ministering and offering time after time the same sacrifices which can never take away sins; but He, having offered one sacrifice for all time, sat down at the right hand of God … For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified. Hebrews 10:11-14

CLARIFY YOUR THINKING

So it’s actually great news to know that your sins are not under the blood of Christ. His blood doesn’t cover them. The blood of Jesus Christ has taken your sins away! Some have said that the doctrine of justification is the teaching that because of Christ’s finished work, our status can be described as “just-if-I never sinned.” It’s really more than that, but that’s a good start. In the eyes of your heavenly Father, you have an unblemished record. He isn’t overlooking anything. He has rewritten your history by taking away the sins of your past and giving you the history of Christ Himself.

Believing that your sins are “under the blood of Christ” doesn’t truly honor the finished work of Jesus. Ironically enough, it actually diminishes His sacrifice. What He did is much greater than most Christians have understood. He doesn’t condemn us for our sins now because there are no sins to condemn. The cross has obliterated them! Your sins have been blotted out and you have been given the righteousness of God in Christ. You don’t ever need to be bogged down with a preoccupation about sins again.

Instead, you can now walk in the confidence of knowing that your life isn’t defined by sin anymore, but by the righteousness of the Christ who has become your very life.
So, though it sounds good to say that our sins are under the blood of Jesus Christ, it is a lie. The Bible says our sins have been taken away from us, forever, by the finished work of Christ at the cross.

How Far Does The Love of Christ Reach?

This picture is definitely a radical expression. I suspect it stirs up an "Amen!" with some and a "Yeah, but..." with others. It makes me both feel uncomfortable and give thanks to God at the same time. What's your take on it?

Valentine's Day

There are varying opinions as to the origin of Valentine's Day. Some experts say that it originated from St. Valentine, a Roman who was martyred for refusing to give up Christianity. He died on February 14, 269 A.D., the same day that had been devoted to love lotteries. Legend also says that St. Valentine left a farewell note for the jailer's daughter, who had become his friend, and signed it "From Your Valentine." Other aspects of the story say that Saint Valentine served as a priest at the temple during the reign of Emperor Claudius. Claudius then had Valentine jailed for defying him. In 496 A.D. Pope Gelasius set aside February 14 to honor St. Valentine.

I'm not sure about it's origin. I'm only sure of one thing - if you're a married man, there'd better be flowers or candy at your house before the day is done. I brought the flowers in yesterday, just to be safe.

Seriously, Melanie has been "my only Valentine" in life. From the time she was 15 years old, we've spent the day together celebrating our love. Today, we plan to go to Orlando where Mickey Mouse will remind us of how much we love each other (??? ... It all makes sense to a woman. Men just have to shut up and go with it.)

When I was a kid, we would make and then give red, paper hearts to each other. The tradition puts me in mind of what God said to His people about giving a new heart. ""Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh" (Ezekiel 36:26).

You don't have the same old sinful heart you used to have. By His grace, God has given you a new one. You have a heart that longs for Him and loves Him and the things He loves.

So, today, celebrate the reality of having received a new heart. But don't forget the flowers for your wife. You may not get as much grace from her as you do from God.

Grace And Sin

Does teaching pure grace encourage sin in people's lives?

I've offered the following quote many times because I love it. The great Bible expositor, Martyn Lloyd Jones wrote:

The true preaching of the gospel of salvation by grace alone always leads to the possibility of this charge being brought against it. There is no better test as to whether a man is really preaching the New Testament gospel of salvation than this, that some people might misunderstand it and misinterpret it to mean that it really amounts to this, that because you are saved by grace alone it does not matter at all what you do; you can go on sinning as much as you like because it will redound all the more to the glory of grace. If my preaching and presentation of the gospel of salvation does not expose it to that misunderstanding, then it is not the gospel.

Works -- it always has been a hot topic in the church. It was the subject that triggered the revolution that led to reformation in Martin Luther’s day and it’s the subject that the growing grace revolution hinges on today, five centuries later. Despite the fact that the Apostle Paul himself said that works and grace are impossible to mix, those who speak out boldly against works-righteousness as the basis of Christian living had better be prepared for resistance. The religious world hasn’t changed since Paul’s day or, for that matter, even Luther’s day when he addressed the subject as it relates to salvation.

Some have argued that “going too far with grace” can cause people to grow lax about sin in their lives. They imagine the Summer Youth Trip at the Local Community Church turning into a “Girls Gone Wild” video. That kind of assumption is totally ungrounded in reality. It ranks right up there with “There’s a boogey-man under my bed.”

Grace doesn’t cause people to go wild in sin. That’s a ridiculous idea perpetuated by two groups of people: (1) Those who are fearful because they don’t trust the Holy Spirit inside other people to lead them and (2) those who are afraid that they will lose control over other people if they actually begin to believe this grace teaching is true.

You can’t go too far with grace. That’s like saying, “don’t go too far with Jesus.” Paul wrote in Romans 5:17 that it is by the abundance of grace that we learn how to reign in life. The real threat to the church isn’t that we will go too far with grace, but that we won’t go far enough. Paul told Titus that the grace of God teaches us to deny ungodly behavior and empowers us to live like the righteous people we are. Show me somebody who is sinning and calling it grace and I’ll show you somebody who is telling a blatant lie. They’ve embraced disgrace and have given it a slanderous new name.

Do you feel an inner defense mechanism suddenly kick in when you are told about how works aren’t the basis of the Christian life? If so, I encourage you to ask yourself why. Is it because you’re afraid that grace might cause people to become lazy or even passive? Grace won’t do that. The Apostle Paul commented on his own level of work when he said, “I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me” (1 Corinthians 15:10).

Paul was willing to put his works ethic in the Christian life up against anybody. What was it that he said gave him such a strong motivation for works? It was the grace of God at work in him. You don’t have to be afraid that grace will make people lazy. True grace never does that. To the contrary, it motivates us toward authentic righteous works as opposed to mandating artificial religious works that only masquerade as being righteous.

It's Not About Us

Have you ever noticed how that when we read the Bible we try to make it be about us? The bent of the flesh toward taking the prominent place is consistent, if nothing else. Take the way we read the parables as an example.

In the story of "The Good Samaritan," what is the most common application you've heard of that passage when it has been preached? Probably what I used to teach about it - that we ought to be Good Samaritans. The point of the story, though, isn't that we ought to become something. The Good Samaritan is Jesus. We were the one who was lying on the side of the road, broken and bleeding. We were the one that religion and the Law couldn't help.

Or consider the story of the pearl of great price. Matthew 13:45-46 says, "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it."

Many times it has been said that the Pearl of Great Price is Jesus and that we ought to be willing to give up everything for Him. There's one glaring problem with that application though: this pearl was bought by the one who ended up with it. Obviously, you and I didn't pay anything to have salvation through Christ. It is a free gift. On the other hand, Jesus did pay everything to have you. The amazing thing is that you are the pearl of great price. The story is about His goodness in buying us, not our goodness in seeking Him.

A similar story exists in Matthew 13:44. "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man had found, he hid it, and for the joy thereof goes and sells all that he has, and buys that field." Many have believed that Jesus is the treasure, but that doesn't fit. You are the treasure and He bought you.

Over and over again we can see how self-centered our traditional interpretations have been. One more example: We say it's the story about The Prodigal Son and that we need to come to our senses, get up and come home. The fact is that it's the Story of The Accepting Father who embraced his son without giving him a chance to make his empty promises.

We want to make the hero of the stories be ourselves, but the fact is that we're not the heroes. Jesus is. The Bible is a book that shows His greatness, not the need for us to call forth some imaginary inherent goodness we fancy ourselves having.

It's not about us. It never has been. It's all about Him and the amazing grace He has poured down on us all.

An Upcoming Grace Walk Resource

I made the decision not to travel as much this year so that I'll have more time to produce materials to help people grow in their grace walk. This is the newest resource I'm working on at the moment. It's called Journey Into Intimacy. The book is formatted like the Grace Walk Experience book. It consists of an eight week study divided into five daily studies for each week. There will be videos to accompany the book for small group use. It will be available within a few months. The next resource to be released is my new book, Walking In The Will of God. (To be released by Harvest House Publishers on April 1)

Who Accepted Whom?

It may be that the greatest single misunderstanding about the nature of salvation is the teaching that its essence revolves around a person accepting Christ into his life. "Won't you accept Christ into your life?" unbelievers are so often asked. The idea that Christ wants to come into our lives is almost universally taught in most evangelical and charismatic churches.

"What's wrong with that?" you might wonder. "Doesn't He want to come into a person's life?" The startling answer if we really take biblical teaching seriously is "no." Salvation isn't about us accepting Him into our lives. Instead, the gospel is the proclamation that Jesus Christ accepts you into His life." "You did not choose me, but I have chosen you," Jesus told His disciples.

The flesh loves to cling to the notion that we cast our vote for Jesus at salvation and that He then moved in and has been thankful to us ever since. The essence of salvation isn't that you accept God, but that God has accepted you. Think about it - this triune God who has enjoyed eternal intimacy within the Godhead has brought us into the inner circle! He has accepted us in the Beloved!

Apart from Him, we have no life in which He could possibly dwell. In our co-crucifixion with Jesus, our old self was crucified with Him in order that the source of sin might be destroyed. (See Romans 6:6) You have been crucified with Christ and you no longer live. (See Galatians 2:20) Now Christ is your life and in Him you find your very existence. (See Colossians 3:4 and Acts 17:28)

Christ in your life? Not a chance. We have entered into His life and now share in the koinonia of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. When we were God-hating, self-centered, blind-as-a-bat and dead-as-a-doornail sinners, Christ died for us. (See Romans 5:8) By His grace and through His finished work on the cross, the eternal God has brought us into the eternal lovefest. We weren't seeking God. Let's not flatter ourselves. Nobody seeks Him, not one of us. (See Romans 3:11) But he clothed Himself in the garment of humanity and came here to bring us home, where we belong. He came to seek and to save us while we were lost. (See Luke 19:10)

He chose you. He came for you. He died to reconcile you to Himself. He raised you from a walking death. He made you alive and has seated you at the right hand of the Father, squarely situated in the middle of the eternal party that will never end. Only one response fits such a reality - Hallelujah!

Is There Not A Cause?

When David saw his brothers cowering before Goliath, he was troubled that nobody had confronted him and brought an end to his brutal regime. Goliath had caused the people of God to become overwhelmed with a sense of their own inadequacy. He had caused them to forget that the source of their victory was their Heavenly Father. He had caused them to act like scared little girls instead of like the soldiers they were. He had paralyzed them in their progress.

Does Goliath sound familiar? Look again at the things I've described he did to them. Those are the exact things that legalism does to God's people today. Legalistic religion towers over us, causing us to feel inadequate, to focus on our own inabilities instead of on God's ability, forgetting our true identity and bringing us to a standstill in our grace walk.

When David questioned them about the problem, they turned on him as if he were the enemy. "Who do you think you are?" they sneered. The same often happens to grace revolutionaries to stand up today and speak out against the legalism that intimidates God's people.

David wasn't deterred by their criticism though. He asked them, "Is there not a cause?" He knew there was a noble cause that cried for a response. The enemy had to be confronted. The people had to be set free from its tyranny. God would do it if somebody would trust Him, rise up and go forward. So he did, and you know the rest of the story.

You may be criticized at times when you speak out against legalism. Your brothers may accuse you of pride and think you are arrogant to take a position different from theirs. But, remember, there is a cause. Christians are being persecuted by the heavy hand of legalism. We must stand up and come out against it "in the name of the Lord." Our God is on our side. Be bold. Stand strong against the legalistic culture of the modern church. You may be opposed by some, but do it anyway. Is there not a cause?

Sunday Preaching

Our Sunday Preaching broadcast is going very well. Last week there were 671 computers that logged on to watch the message. We can't know exactly how many people are watching the messages since there are sometimes groups who watch together. Here are a few of the encouraging emails I've received about this new ministry.


We are around 15-25 people, and it's so inspiring to see what the grace of God is doing in each and everyone's lives. What you teach about healing in lives through the grace teaching is so correct. The old is gone, it’s a new life, new freedom, it’s a Holy Spirit life.It's the goodness of God which leads people to surrender to Him. So, Christ has really set us free. Fantastic, THANK YOU, Steve. - Oddmund and Bente in Norway

Back on August 20, 1983 God gave me this promise from Habakkuk 2:3..."But these things I plan won't happen right away. Slowly, steadily, surely, the time approaches when the vision will be fulfilled. If it seems slow, do not despair for these things will surely come to pass. Just be patient! They will not be overdue a single day." Here 25.5 years later, we are seeing and hearing with your Sunday night preaching, the fulfillment of that promise. We can now see and hear, what we only could believe (and sometimes doubted) would happen, for so many years. We are spreading the word to as many as we can. (Not an easy task up here in the Northeast) We believe this is only the beginning. The best is yet to come. In Christ's Love, Dot and Bill Schroeder

My wife and I listen every Sunday, we live in Longview, Tx., where there is no Grace Walk teaching, so it's a great delight to hear from you on Sunday. - Cliff & Pat Hill

Hi I’m in Parksville British Columbia, and this is church for me. I know I’m not perfect and if there was a perfect church, when I got there it no longer would be. You don’t need the long dreary story. I would just like to say THANK YOU VERY MUCH, AND GOD BLESS YOU. Heather

Hello, I have been watching your Sunday video stream every week from San Diego CA. Its been been a real blessing; as far as I know they're aren't any churches in the area teaching the grace walk message. Is there any way to view past Sunday video messages? Thanks, and keep it coming. T. Sullivan

In the beginning of your speech on Sunday 25th, your wanted to know where we watch your teaching from. Well, I'm from Norway. I know several Norwegians linked to your blog on their blog, so I guess there's more people than me watching.
Thank you a lot for uplifting words! With regards, Werner Skaug

Watching the internet broadcast from Pensacola, FL.We are at the Career Development Program www.waterfrontmission.org Praying about attending Mar 27 in Atlanta. Dave Clarke

Now, on the "other side of the Jordan", I hunger to hear words of encouragement as I live this new supernaturally empowered life. My friend, who facilitated the Gracewalk series two years ago, mentioned your weekly sermons posted on your website. Today, I listened for the first time. As you said, my experience is the same as most in that we only receive messages of dead legalism week after week. Thank you so much for your words of grace that are so refreshing to my heart. Geographically, I live in Woodstock, Ontario, Canada which is located about two hours west of Toronto. Thank you, thank you, thank you, Ellis Henricks

I am listening to your teaching here in Laramie Wyoming. Thank you so much for sharing your struggle in learning to use your mind as you entered the grace walk I too was struggling with doubting maybe I had been listening to some strange doctrine. However it just brings you deeper into Jesus to see His beauty, and feel his warm embrace, Your are an encouragement and a Blessing!!!!!!!! In Christ, Bryden Wilson


Because of different time zones and with the desire for more people to access the teaching, I will be leaving the message I share each Sunday online until the next Sunday. My hope is that you will gather others together with you in a group, listen to the message together, pray, minister and share with each other together. We all need encouragement and being with other like-minded grace walking Christians is a great way to find that.

You can access the online Sunday Preaching on the home page at www.gracewalk.org

Making Excuses

In John 5, Jesus approached a man lying by the Pool of Bethesda who had been paralyzed for 38 years. The Bible says that occasionally an angel would come down and stir the water and whoever was the first one to get into the water was healed. When Jesus approached the man, he asked him, "Do you want to get well?"

At first glance, that seems like a strange question to ask a paralyzed man. "Do you want to get well?" One might guess the man would answer, "Of course I want to get well!" But that's not what he said. Instead, he answered, "I don't have anybody to put me in the pool when the water is stirred." Jesus hadn't asked the man why he hadn't already gotten into the pool. He asked him if he wanted to be made well, but the man responded with an excuse.

I've counseled people for over 35 years and have found that not everybody wants to be well. If they were well, they couldn't blame other people for their problems. They couldn't blame their circumstances. They couldn't blame themselves. They would have to assume responsibility and began to move forward in life. No, as strange as it may seem, not everybody wants to get well. Some would rather live as martyrs who think they just can't catch a break.

This man had given up hope. He had been in that same place for so long that he made the mistake of assuming his future would be just like his past. It was outside the realm of his paradigm that Christ might step onto the scene and change everything in an instant.

Many today make the same mistake. We think that nothing will ever change. After all, life has always been this way and we can't imagine why it won't keep being this way. When we adapt this mindset, we have lost sight of the greatness and grace of the One to whom we belong.

Maybe you've been given to making excuses in your life. Perhaps you've lost hope in the midst of debilitating circumstances. Take heart! Jesus sees you in your need and wants to help you. Cast off your excuses, trust Him and rise up and walk.

(This blog was taken from a message I shared a few weeks ago on Sunday Preaching. Last week there were over 500 computers logged in to watch the message. Some people gathered together in groups to watch. Join us this week at www.gracewalk.org at 5:00 EST for Sunday Preaching! If you can't join then, I leave the message up all week for you to watch at your convenience.)

What I've Been Reading

I just finished reading The Soloist by Steve Lopez. It is the true story of Los Angeles Times staff writer Steve Lopez friendship with Nathaniel Ayers.

Lopez first encountered Ayers when he saw him on Skid Row in L.A., playing a two-string violin. Thinking there may be a story there, he met Ayers and began to uncover an amazing story about the mysterious street musician. More than thirty years earlier, Ayers had been an up and coming classical bass student at Julliard. Little by little, he lost his ability to function as he was overcome by a mental breakdown.

Lopez sets out to change Ayers' life, only to experience one frustrating experience after another as he learned how hard it was to deal with Ayers mental illness. The book shows how that, in the process of selflessly trying to change Ayers' life, his own life is profoundly changed.

In the end, Lopez learns that the most important thing of all is to show love to Ayers. One doctor tells him, "Relationship is primary. It is possible to cause seemingly biochemical changes through human emotional involvement. You literally have changed his chemistry by being his friend."

This true story is a wonderful example of the redemptive power of love. It shows how unconditional love has the power to transform people's lives, even if it's a street person with serious mental problems.

The story will be told in a movie by the same name, opening in theaters in March. I certainly plan to see it.

Terrorized By The Law

I recently began to wonder what the actual meaning of the phrase, Al-Qaeda is so I looked it up to find its literal definition. The meaning of the phrase is "the base." Of course, it's the place from which terrorists plan and carry out their attacks against innocent people across the world.

As soon as I discovered the literal meaning of the phrase, my thoughts turned to the passage in Romans 7 that I have taught so many times over the past two decades. It's where the Apostle Paul talked about the law and how the power of indwelling sin uses the law to defeat us in our walk. In verse eleven, he said: "For sin, taking an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me."

If you look at the word "opportunity" in a Greek Lexicon (a book that provides the literal meaning of Greek words), you'll discover that the Greek word used in this verse is aphorme. The literal definition of the word as it's used in Romans 7:11 is "a place from which a movement or attack is made, a base of operations."

What an interesting fact. The power of indwelling sin that resides in our body uses the Law of God against us to set up a base of operations to terrorize and defeat us. Indwelling sin in our bodies is the Bin Laden against our souls and the flesh is Al-Qaeda.

Remember that there is nothing wrong with the Law of God. God's Law was given to open the eyes of the self-righteous to their own unrighteousness. The fact is, though, that you and I have been released from the Law (See Romans 7:6) through our death with Christ on the cross. By His grace, we saw our own unrighteousness and, by His grace, we repented of the folly of our sin and turned to Him in faith. At that moment, we were born again and now have no connection to the Law whatsoever. (Read Romans 7:1-6 for the biblical explanation.)

If we don't realize that we have moved out of the bondage of Babylonian captivity, we will still live under the terroristic threats of legalism. But you have been delivered from Babylon. You aren't under the Law anymore. The religious Al-Qaeda have no rights or authority over you anymore. Your Liberator has set you free and "He whom the Son sets free is free indeed."

On this Martin Luther King day, maybe the best way to describe your condition might be to use His words. You are indeed, "Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, free at last!"

Sunday Preaching Every Week At 5:00 Eastern Standard Time

I want to make you aware of something I've begun doing that I hope will encourage you in your grace walk during the coming months. Every Sunday from now until the end of June, I plan to share a grace filled message online at five in the afternoon. (Eastern Standard Time)

I'm thankful for our Grace Walk Group Leaders who are studying with their groups each week. I see that as a sort of Sunday School approach to learning the grace walk. How these Sundays meetings will differ is that I am sharing a sermon each week, from a grace based perspective that I hope will encourage you.

Some are inviting others to their homes to watch the messages online together and then are discussing them afterward. I encourage you to think about getting a group together and being a part of this "online church service" every week.

You can watch me share the message on our home page at www.gracewalk.org. I just checked the counter on the console of the player and last week 335 people participated. That's a small church! Will you join us today at 5:00 EST as we move forward together to grow in our own grace walk? And let other people know about this opportunity.

The growing grace revolution will gain momentum as we each reach out to other people at every opportunity to let them know about ways they can grow in the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Do You Know Your Own Heart?

I like this. Thanks to Ana Vincent, from Grace Walk Canada, for sending it along.

The Paraclete And The Marathon

My oldest daughter, Amy, and my youngest son, David ran a marathon in Orlando this past weekend. The distance is 26.2 miles. Amy is a personal trainer and had run a marathon last year. This was 29 year old David's first time. He had trained to do this for a year.

We arrived there at 5:00 AM and David's anxiousness about the race was palpable. He was fidgety and nervous as we approached the drop off point. Due to various circumstances, he had only been able to run 18 miles on his last long run. He should have been able to build up to 22 by then. Could he make the distance now? He had tossed and turned, finding it hard to sleep the night before. He hoped he would be able to finish the race, but doubts haunted him now that the morning of the marathon was here.

Amy took her cell phone with her to keep Melanie and me posted about their progress along the way. At 6:00, the phone rang. "We're off," Amy said, with obvious enthusiasm in her voice. After that the phone would ring every five miles. We would encourage them and onward they would run.

At 10 miles, Amy called. "David said he would speak to you, but he swallowed his tongue two miles back," she joked. At 13 miles, she called back to tell us that his shirt was rubbing the nipples on his chest raw and he was bleeding. The fun was wearing off of this event. He kept running.

At 18 miles, the phone rang again. By now they were both tired - too tired to laugh and joke as they had been doing.

At 23 miles, it all unraveled. David said it felt like he was running on shards of glass and that every muscle in his body hurt. He consciously had to tell his feet, "Step, step, step." His thoughts began to bombard him with the belief that he had to quit. "I hate to stop after coming this far," he thought, "but I can't make it."

Being an accomplished trainer, his sister Amy knew what to do. "You can go for 30 seconds more, can't you?" she asked. He thought he could, so they kept running. And he did. Then Amy said, "Only a mile more, David. Can you go just sixty more seconds?" With tears streaming down his cheeks, he did.

"There's the finish line ahead, David!" Amy said. "Don't stop now! There it is!" David forced one foot in front of the other. "Everything seemed so surrealistic," he would later say. "I only saw the finish line." He pushed himself a little more and finally, David and Amy crossed the finished line together. Now the tears were tears of joy.

The Bible teaches that the ministry of the Holy Spirit in our lives is much like that of Amy toward David during the race. In John 14:16, Jesus promised that another paraclete would come to help His disciples. The word "paraclete" comes from the Greek word paráklētos and refers to a helper who comes to enable us to finish the task.

The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Christ. He lives in us, empowering us to keep on moving forward through the course of life even when it seems that we can't take another step. Looking toward the finish line, the Apostle Paul said, "I have finished my course,
I have kept the faith. Finally there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness,which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved his appearing" (2 Timothy 4:7-8).

As you and I move toward the finish line in this life, we have someone who runs the race with us. Or to be more specific, He runs the race through us. All we need to do to finish the race is to depend on Him.

I'm proud of my children. How long did it take them to cross the finish line? I don't have a clue and couldn't care less. They ran over 26 miles! The point wasn't their time. The point was to succeed by finishing. Many quit along the way. Some were carried away on stretchers. My kids kept going and kept going and kept going. And they finished. Finishing well - that's the victory of the race - not just on the race course but in all of life. Depend on the Spirit of Christ within you to empower you to keep running. Even when you feel like giving up, He will be with you to guide you across the finish line.

What I've Been Reading

Written by a clincial neuroscientist, psychiatrist and brain imagining expert, this book is a medical, scientific explanation of the power of our thoughts to change our life.

I recorded a teaching series last year called "Think About It." The subtitle is "How changing the way you think can transform your life." I wish I'd read this book before I recorded the teachings. Author, Dr. Daniel Amen (no kidding) explains in medical terms many of the things the Bible teaches.

For instance:

Five Steps To Improve Your Brain And Reality:

1. Do Not Believe Every First Thought You Have
Feed your brain accurate information, not just your gut feeling. Correct your perceptions and change your brain.

2. Realize That Your Thoughts Are Extraordinarily Powerful
Every time you have a thought, your brain releases chemicals. A positive thought releases chemicals that help you feel better. When you think miserable, negative thoughts your brain works less efficiently.

3. Recognize That Thoughts Lie, Are Easily Distorted, And Can Rob You Of Joy
People who suffer from depression, anxiety, and panic disorder are filled with automatic negative thoughts (ANT). If you suffer from this problem, it is important to develop an internal automatic anteater to rid yourself of these pests and their nests.

4. Use Your Placebo Effect
Your brain takes what it sees and makes it happen. Change your beliefs, change your brain.

5. Tell Your Brain What You Want, And Match Your Behavior To Get It
Take a sheet of paper and write down your major goals. Next to each heading, write down what's important to you in that area. Let your brain help you develop and implement your life goals.

I don't know if Dr. Amen is a Christian, but at many points in this book he clearly states biblical truths from a medical standpoint.