Hi all,
When
Barb and I were in high school she was a 'flag girl' with the marching
band, one of several assigned a flag on a long pole that would perform
synchronized maneuvers during breaks in athletic events.
One
night after a football game we were driving to her house so she could
change clothes and then we'd get some pizza: I remember it like it was
yesterday - the uniform was like a cheerleader's, bright red and blue of
the school colors, with the flag pole was sticking out the back window
as we drove along, the warm night...
Suddenly, a
police officer going the other direction passed us, then did a U-turn
as he turned on his lights and siren, and pulled us over. I knew I
wasn't speeding and assured Barb it would be okay.
He
was very business-like and his flashlight ('torch' for UK influenced
friends) shone directly on our faces, then around the car, then back to
us...finally he said a white 2 door car like mine had been involved in a
gas station robbery a few minutes earlier, with a man and woman, and we
fit the description. I calmly replied we'd come from the football game,
my girlfriend was a flag girl as he could see, and we were headed to
her house from the game, not from a robbery. Wonder of wonders he
believed the obvious, and we went our way.
At
first my heart had been beating pretty fast, but at the same time I was
secure in the fact we had done nothing wrong - not speeding, not
driving reckless, and we certainly hadn't robbed a gas station. If my
conscience hadn't been clear, I would have been afraid of the law, but
instead I was at peace because inside I knew we were righteous in the
eyes of the law, secure you might say, in that grace.
Sanctification
Paul
asked the Galatians if having begun in the Spirit, were they now being
matured by the law? The answer is no, of course. Paul was urging them to
be secure in Christ and the truth of the new creation of the human
spirit in Him, rather than be afraid they were missing God because
people were telling them they had to obey x and y rules.
Paul
said if you love God and love your neighbor as yourself*, you are
fulfilling the law - so rest in that grace of Christ in you. It's that
simple. Don't complicate your faith - He also said it is the devil's
tactic to complicate our faith** by seducing us into a more complicated
faith. *Romans 13:8-10, **II Corinthians 11:3-4
The
basic logic of sanctification goes like this: We are born again, but we
have to allow the life in our spirit to flow out of our spirit to renew
our mind (thoughts/emotions) and then to our body, which becomes a
living sacrifice to walk in God's ways. No problem so far. Living from
spirit to soul to body.
Paul's
issue with the Galatians was that people were manipulating (witchcraft)
believers by telling them what they could and could not do to please
God, rather than directing them to obeying Christ from the inside out.
For example
Back
in 1986 I was an Associate pastor in Boulder, Colorado helping a young
woman trying to save her marriage. Her husband had become involved
through a co-worker, with a local church that was part of the Church of
Christ denomination. They believed unless you were baptized in water in
their church you could not be saved.
The
husband of this young woman wanted to serve God, and even though he was
born again and was baptized with the Holy Spirit, he became concerned
for his salvation due to his co-worker's constant arguing their doctrine
all work week long. Badgered into submission coupled with his fear of
missing God, he gave in.
But
simply being born again their way wasn't enough. Now he had to become
'sanctified'. The elders of that church went through his wife's closet,
throwing out any clothing they said was too suggestive, flattering, or
sexy. The husband was told to burn the clothes rather than donate or
sell them, lest he cause other women to sin as (they said) his wife was
doing.
Next,
they demanded they get rid of the TV because it could open him up to
sin. Then it was the removal of all newspapers, magazines, and books
from the home except the Bible and their church magazine and teachings.
When the elders found out he and his wife went to the community swimming
pool they outlawed that, saying other women in swim suits might cause
him to lust after them.
All
that was done in the name of 'sanctification'. Now that he was born
again according to their standards, he must be sanctified, and you can
clearly see from last week's teaching how this is a perfect example
of witchcraft - the manipulation of God's Word and people for the
purpose of external control. They ended up divorcing because he said,
his wife was now unsaved and refusing to submit to him. He began in the
Spirit, but believed the lie he would be made mature and complete by
'the law' - the flesh's efforts to please God.
But wait, there's more
A
few years later in another church, a lady expressed concerned for her
unsaved husband. She ran off a list of things she was doing in the
church: She volunteered with the children's church and with the
Christian school, she was active in the women's ministry, never missed a
church service, was in charge of the church nursery, tithed off her
household allowance...and she wanted to know why God hadn't answered her
prayer for her husband's salvation. Should she fast 1 day a week? What
could she do to be more holy that God might be inclined to answer her
prayer? She was trying to be 'sanctified' so her prayers would be
answered.
My
advice was grace - I told her to stay completely away from church for 1
month and take the time she would normally be involved in a church
activity to be with her husband and their children - the husband can't
compete with God, so bring God in her to him and show him the love and
attention he and their children deserve, for the Lord is in that first
and foremost. On a Sunday morning 3 weeks later,
the whole family walked through the door, the husband having decided to
believe on the Lord and serve Him when he saw the change in his wife -
and they were active during the rest of our time at that church.
Are you living from the inside out, or from the outside in?
Having
begun in the Spirit, we must be matured in the Spirit. We don't begin
by the Spirit but then matured by legalism and its external rules and
regulations. (Galatians 3:1-3)
Legalism/law is simply this - trying to gain acceptance or forgiveness from God though your own efforts.
Sanctification
is this - a lifestyle of living from the inside out in a series of
small decisions for righteousness, from a position of grace and
peace, with the certainty that Christ is in us guiding every step and
decision submitted to Him.
We
live in, and then out to our lives from a secure position in Christ,
loving Him from the inside out, maturing because we want to, because we
love Him, not because we fear if we do something wrong we've opened the
door to some disease, disaster, or tragedy.
Fear
SO
many people are involved in various religious activities just because
they are afraid of 'missing God' or 'opening themselves up' to disaster,
disease or tragedy. They don't know or ignore Romans 5:1-5 that says we
are at peace with God and He with us, and we live in grace. Fear is
often the root of religious efforts.
An
many just want to learn more to draw them closer to God, whether that
knowledge is Jewish roots, or attending conferences and meetings of
various subjects to learn they hope, the single key that will open
heaven for them so they can have an answered prayer. Christ is in us -
get with Him in there.
My
experience has been that nearly all miracles I've seen in my life have
flowed from my intimacy with Him, and never from doing this or that
ABOUT or FOR Him, but rather spending time WITH Him. Be aware that
Christ is in you. You have the mind of God in you. Live by the rule Paul
told the Galatians - the new creation is what matters, and if you do
this, peace and mercy will be upon you.
We have Christ in us - what more could we want? New subject next week.
Until then, blessings,
John Fenn
www.cwowi.org and email me at cwowi@aol.com
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