Head of All Principality and Power by Chip Brogden Some will ask, if Jesus is indeed head of all principality and power, how is it that the devil and his demons are still able to do so much? Jesus is Lord of All, but we do not yet see all things submitted to Him. Jesus is Savior of All, but we do not yet see all people believing in him. Similarly, Jesus is Head of All Principality and Power, and yet “we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Eph. 6:12). What is the explanation? Click to read more: http://theschoolofchrist.org/articles/head-of-all-principality-and-power.html

The Real Meaning of Baptism

“As many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.”
GALATIANS 3:27

What does it mean to be baptized? It is to go down into death and to come back up into Life. We were baptized into Christ. The water of baptism does not merely signify the washing away of sins, but the death of the sinner. We go down into the water, and we are brought up out of the water. If we were to stay under the water for long we would surely die. But we are quickly lifted back up out of the “grave.” This represents death and resurrection.
The outward sign of water baptism is meant to represent an inward spiritual truth – that I am baptized indeed, not into water only, but into Christ. I died with Him, and I was raised with Him. If I am one with Him then His death is my death; when He is raised, I too am raised. God has placed us in Christ, and since we are joined to the Lord, we are one spirit with Him. The Branches will go the way of the Vine. The Body will go the way of the Head.
Source: Embrace the Cross by Chip Brogden

Financial giving gives us the opportunity to connect with God’s grace in partnering and investing for eternity.

The Grace of Giving, Part 1 by Jim Carpenter

The Grace of Giving, Part 1

By Jim Carpenter And you Philippians yourselves know that in the beginning of the gospel, when I left Macedonia, no church entered into partnership with me in giving and receiving, except you only. Even in Thessalonica you sent me help for my needs once and again. Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that increases to your credit. ~ Philippians 4:15-17 (ESV)
READING: Philippians 4:14-20
We church planters know what it’s like to trust God for finances. And nobody knew more about daily dependence upon the Lord than the Apostle Paul. He was in prison in Rome when he wrote to the Philippian church to thank them for two encouragements: the visit of Epaphroditus and monetary support. Paul’s gratitude also gives great instruction about the grace of giving. He teaches us five lessons. We’ll cover two today and three tomorrow.
First, financial giving makes us partners in the gospel. In v. 15, Paul says no other church entered into “partnership” with him. The Greek word is fellowship, literally, “common life.” Financial giving means we stand together to share the gospel, to pray, to shoulder burdens. Together.
Second, financial giving is an investment in eternity. Paul tells them in v. 17 that he doesn’t seek the gift but “the profit which increases to your account” (NASB). More than the money itself, Paul is thankful that their gifts do eternal good. It brings the gospel to save people from hell, it equips believers with God’s eternal Word, and it does a work of grace in the hearts of the givers.
Financial giving gives us the opportunity to connect with God’s grace in partnering and investing for eternity.
Lord, Show me how to teach, and to model, the grace of giving. Amen. 

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4 MODEL GEREJA

4 MODEL GEREJA
1. GEREJA SETAN
Menilik sebutan Gereja Setan, tentunya gereja model ini memiliki karakteristik dari Iblis itu sendiri. Kita dapat menilik dari contoh yang paling ekstrim, yaitu gereja (kumpulan orang percaya) Setan yang didirikan oleh Aleister Crowley di Inggris dan Anton Szandor LaVey di Amerika Serikat. Mari kita kupas kehidupan mereka.
Aleister Crowley lahir di Inggris pada 12 Oktober 1875, ia merupakan anak seorang pengkhotbah keliling. Ayahnya merupakan anggota kelompok fundamentalis Kristen bernama Plymouth Brethren (Persaudaraan Plymouth). Secara umum, khotbahnya berisi kupasan-kupasan tajam mengenai doktrin kekristenan. Ironisnya sejak kecil ia bertingkah dan berbuat hal yang buruk. Hingga suatu ketika sang ibu sendiri memanggilnya The Beast (berdasarkan Wahyu 13:1). Setelah dewasa, ia mengadakan perjanjian dengan setan dan menyebut dirinya The Great Beast, bahkan ia dengan beraninya mengklaim dirinya sebagai Anti Kristus (Why 13:18).
Crowley dikenal sebagai orang yang konsisten. Kehidupan dan pengajarannya sangatlah berpadanan. Perbuatan-perbuatannya tidak pernah terlepas dari filosofi hidup yang ia percayai. Pengajarannya dapat diringkas dalam apa yang ia namakan hukum Thelema (thelema berasal dari bahasa Yunani yang berarti “kehendak”). Isi dari Hukum Thelema adalah buku yang meletakkan sebuah kode perilaku sederhana. Perbuatlah apa pun yang engkau inginkan dan itu akan menjadi keseluruhan hukum. Kasih adalah hukum, kasih di bawah keinginan. Tidak ada hukum di luar lakukan apapun yang engkau inginkan).
Crowley dan pengikutnya merupakan pecandu obat-obat terlarang dan penyimpangan seks yang tak wajar. Dalam dua buku yang ia tulis berjudul Confessions dan Magic in Theory and Practice, ia menerangkan citi-citanya, yang tidak lain tidak bukan adalah menghancurkan kekristenan dan membangun apa yang ia namakan agama Thelema sebagai gantinya. Jelas sekali ia seorng tokoh gereja setan yang membenci kekristenan.
Saat terjadi Perang Dunia 1 (1914-1918), Crowley bermigrasi dari Inggris ke Amerika Serikat. Ia meninggal pada usia 72 tahun dalam kondisi ketergantungan terhadap obat-obat terlarang dan tak mampu berkomunikasi secara koheren (kalau berbincang sering tidak nyambung).
Generasi penerus pergerakan ini adalah Anton Szandor Lavey, ia merupakan tokoh yang memberikan perkembangan meluasnya gereja setan. Ia-lah yang memproklamrikan organisasi agama baru, The Church of Satan) alias gereja setan, yang terlahir pada 30 April 1966 di San Fransisco, California. Ia disebut pengikutnya The Black Pope (Paus dunia kegelapan).
Mengapa ia menjadi “pemimpin gereja setan”, menurut pengakuan LaVey pada bagian awal buku The Satanic Bible, ia mengutarakan pengalaman pahit dengan orang Kristen:
“….Pada suatu malam minggu, aku melihat sekelompok pria yang mengumbar hawa nafsu dihadapan gadis-gadis setengah telanjang yang menari di karnaval. Dan pada hari Minggu pagi, ketika aku bermain organ di gereja, di akhir kebaktian itu aku melihat pria-pria yang sama, sedang mengikuti ibadah bersama istri dan anak mereka. Pria-pria itu meminta ampun pada Tuhan dan meminta Tuhan untuk melepaskan mereka dari keinginan dosa tetapi minggu berikutnya mereka pergi lagi ke karnaval. Sejak itu aku tahu bahwa gereja Kristen sedang mengembangkan kemunafikan….”
Ke dua tokoh ini secara jelas dan terang-terangan membenci dan menyerang kekristenan secara frontal. Biasanya orang Kristen sangat terfokus pada “pergerakan yang satu ini”.
Namun ada pula “gereja setan” yang tersamar dan hanya dapat kita ketahui dari “sifat-sifatnya”. Di dalam Yohanes 8:44,” Iblislah yang menjadi bapamu dan kamu ingin melakukan keinginan-keinginan bapamu. Ia adalah pembunuh manusia sejak semula dan tidak hidup dalam kebenaran, sebab di dalam dia tidak ada kebenaran. Apabila ia berkata dusta, ia berkata atas kehendaknya sendiri, sebab ia adalah pendusta dan bapa segala dusta.”
Yohanes 10:10a, “Pencuri datang hanya untuk mencuri dan membunuh dan membinasakan.”
Gereja yang “gemar mencuri” (dikenal sebagai gereja vacuum cleaner) anggota jemaat lain dengan mengiming-imingi fasilitas dan kemudahan bila menjadi anggota “gereja”nya. Tanpa rasa malu dan sungkan kelompok dari gereja ini dapat mengirimkan transportasi dari gereja mereka ke lokasi yang berdekatan dengan gereja-gereja tertentu yang menjadi target mereka.
Tuhan memerintahkan kita untuk pergi dan menjadikan segala bangsa muridNya. Tetapi kelompok ini lebih suka mengambil ikan dari akuarium saudaranya sendiri daripada mencari ikan di laut yang luas. Padahal ikan di lautan jauh lebih banyak dan kaya jenisnya daripada yang ada pada saudara kita. Tuhan mengajarkan pada kita melalui hukum yang kesepuluh dari Taurat Tuhan,” Jangan mengingini isteri sesamamu, dan jangan menghasratkan rumahnya, atau ladangnya, atau hambanya laki-laki, atau hambanya perempuan, atau lembunya, atau keledainya, atau apa pun yang dipunyai sesamamu.” (Ulangan 5:21).
Gereja yang “membunuh”, sering kali sebagai anak Tuhan, kita menyatakan bahwa kita tidak setuju dengan gossip apalagi fitnah tetapi seringkali kita “membunuh” saudara seiman atau pendeta/pelayan Tuhan yang mungkin berbeda doktrin, organisasi dan perbedaan lainnya melalui perkataan kita. Seringkali kita bahkan membalutnya dalam kemasan yang sangat rohani, “ini bukan gossip tetapi beban untuk kita doakan dan ini hanya diantara kita saja.” (pada kenyataannya “beban doa” tersebut tidak hanya sampai ke surga tetapi juga seluruh ujung bumi). Ketika kita berbicara hal yang negatif tentang saudara seiman kita bahkan menyebarluaskan hal itu, kita telah membunuh dia, paling tidak karakternya.
Gereja yang “membinasakan”, saya melihatnya ada dua hal paling tidak yang dapat dikategorikan dalam kelompok ini. Yang pertama, gereja yang menjelekkan organisasi gereja lain dan menyatakan mereka sesat. Yang kedua, gereja yang menolak orang berdosa masuk karena dianggap dapat merusak harmonisasi komunitas yang sudah ada (gereja stereotype, hanya mengizinkan seseorang bergabung bila ia mau mengikuti “budaya” setempat).
Gereja yang “sombong”, Iblis dibuang karena ia sombong dan bahkan hendak mengkudeta Tuhan. Yesaya 14:12 "Wah, engkau sudah jatuh dari langit, hai Bintang Timur, putera Fajar, engkau sudah dipecahkan dan jatuh ke bumi, hai yang mengalahkan bangsa-bangsa!14:13 Engkau yang tadinya berkata dalam hatimu: Aku hendak naik ke langit, aku hendak mendirikan takhtaku mengatasi bintang-bintang Allah, dan aku hendak duduk di atas bukit pertemuan, jauh di sebelah utara.14:14 Aku hendak naik mengatasi ketinggian awan-awan, hendak menyamai Yang Mahatinggi!14:15 Sebaliknya, ke dalam dunia orang mati engkau diturunkan, ke tempat yang paling dalam di liang kubur.
Kita dapat melihat lebih jauh “gereja sombong” ini di dalam Kejadian 11:3 Mereka berkata seorang kepada yang lain: "Marilah kita membuat batu bata dan membakarnya baik-baik." Lalu bata itulah dipakai mereka sebagai batu dan tér gala-gala sebagai tanah liat.11:4 Juga kata mereka: "Marilah kita dirikan bagi kita sebuah kota dengan sebuah menara yang puncaknya sampai ke langit, dan marilah kita cari nama, supaya kita jangan terserak ke seluruh bumi."
Gereja yang “sombong”, merasa dirinya paling benar, paling baik, menghendaki penyeragaman, menjadi yang paling besar, memiliki nama besar hingga terkenal ke seantaro dunia. Di mana “mereka” merasa semua orang harus belajar pada mereka, sebab mereka yang paling sukses dan tahu kehendak Tuhan. Gereja ini beroperasi seperti sebuah perusahaan rohani raksasa dan memiliki franchise dimana-mana, memiliki sistem pelayanan yang distandarisasi dari pusat.
2. GEREJA KUBURAN
Gereja yang berpegang teguh pada tradisi dan tak mau berubah sama sekali. Tuhan kita adalah Allah yang dinamis tetapi “gereja” model ini statis. Tradisi gereja menjadi yang lebih utama daripada kebenaran Alkitab. Pengajaran atau doktrin yang diberikan oleh pendiri denominasi atau organisasi menjadi lebih utama daripada Alkitab itu sendiri. Biasanya gereja model ini lama kelamaan ditinggal oleh para pengikutnya….sebab kita seharusnya menjadi pengikutNya.
Gereja terutama di dunia Barat dewasa ini telah beralih fungsi menjadi restoran, motel, rumah tinggal, mesjid, “gereja setan”, bar and night club. Akibat kehilangan jemaat demi mempertahankan tradisi hingga seiring dengan kematian “para pengikut tua”….mati pula gereja tersebut.
Gereja yang eksklusif, merasa diri paling benar dan memiliki standar yang sangat tinggi. Kelompok ini bisa saja sekelompok orang percaya yang memiliki “pengajaran” ekstrim hingga tidak mudah orang menerima mereka atau sebaliknya dimana orang sangat sulit bergabung akibat mereka mematok standar yang sangat tinggi hingga cukup mustahil orang dapat memenuhi standar tsb.

3. GEREJA HIBURAN
2 Timotius 4:4 Mereka akan memalingkan telinganya dari kebenaran dan membukanya bagi dongeng. Ada begitu banyak orang percaya yang “kurang suka” makanan sehat dan lebih menyukai “junk food”. Sebagaimana bila orang mau menonton film mereka akan melihat dulu tema film dan siapa aktornya, gereja sekarang pun diperlakukan seperti itu, orang-orang akan menanyakan tema khotbah atau seminar (KKR)nya dan siapa pengkhotbahnya (darimana, apa pendidikannya). Tema favorit di gereja masa kini adalah kesembuhan ilahi, nubuatan pribadi, akhir zaman, hidup berkelimpahan harta, bebas hutang, keluarga dan rumahtangga yang harmonis dll. Tidak ada yang salah dengan tema-tema tersebut tetapi bila orang percaya hanya mau mendengarkan apa yang ia kehendaki maka hal ini yang menjadi masalah besar dalam gereja. Alkitab mengajarkan agar kita belajar segala sesuatu yang Tuhan Yesus ajarkan (Matius 28:20).
Gereja model ini biasanya hanya memberikan “susu” dan “makanan ringan yang manis” bagi jemaatnya. Selalu menyatakan bahwa jemaat yang digembalakan belum siap menerima “makanan keras” dan seluruh kebenaran, meski jemaat itu sudah puluhan tahun menjadi seorang Kristen.
Dari gereja model ini terlahir generasi orang percaya yang bukan menjadi pengikut Kristus tetapi “Fans/penggemar” pendeta tertentu seolah sumber kebenaran hanya ada pada pribadi orang tersebut. Padahal kita perlu mengerti bahwa “sumber” kebenaran hanya ada pada Tuhan, seorang pendeta sekalipun bisa salah melangkah atau mengajar. Seharusnya gereja mengajarkan jemaat bagaimana caranya untuk secara pribadi dapat terhubung pada “sumber” atau Allah itu sendiri, bukannya bergantung pada pada “pendeta” tersebut.

4. GEREJA API
Gereja yang telah dan terus dimurnikan oleh Tuhan, bukan sekedar memiliki pengajaran mengenai Roh Kudus tetapi hidupnya “dimiliki dan dipimpin” Roh Kudus. Yohanes 14:15 "Jikalau kamu mengasihi Aku, kamu akan menuruti segala perintah-Ku.14:16 Aku akan minta kepada Bapa, dan Ia akan memberikan kepadamu seorang Penolong yang lain, supaya Ia menyertai kamu selama-lamanya,14:17 yaitu Roh Kebenaran. Dunia tidak dapat menerima Dia, sebab dunia tidak melihat Dia dan tidak mengenal Dia. Tetapi kamu mengenal Dia, sebab Ia menyertai kamu dan akan diam di dalam kamu.
Gereja yang telah mengalami pengujian dan pemurnian hingga pribadi Kristus makin nampak dan besar dalam kehidupan orang percaya. Yohanes 3:30 Ia harus makin besar, tetapi aku harus makin kecil.
Gereja yang hidup dalam kekudusan. 1 Petrus 1:14 Hiduplah sebagai anak-anak yang taat dan jangan turuti hawa nafsu yang menguasai kamu pada waktu kebodohanmu,1:15 tetapi hendaklah kamu menjadi kudus di dalam seluruh hidupmu sama seperti Dia yang kudus, yang telah memanggil kamu,1:16 sebab ada tertulis: Kuduslah kamu, sebab Aku kudus. Begitu pula dalam 1 Yohanes 2:6 Barangsiapa mengatakan, bahwa ia ada di dalam Dia, ia wajib hidup sama seperti Kristus telah hidup. Tuhan Yesus sendiri menyatakan dalam Matius 5:48 Karena itu haruslah kamu sempurna, sama seperti Bapamu yang di sorga adalah sempurna."
Gereja yang berdampak sebagai terang dan garam, sebuah gereja yang mentransformasi lingkungannya, kotanya, bangsanya. Matius 5:13 "Kamu adalah garam dunia. Jika garam itu menjadi tawar, dengan apakah ia diasinkan? Tidak ada lagi gunanya selain dibuang dan diinjak orang.5:14 Kamu adalah terang dunia. Kota yang terletak di atas gunung tidak mungkin tersembunyi.5:15 Lagipula orang tidak menyalakan pelita lalu meletakkannya di bawah gantang, melainkan di atas kaki dian sehingga menerangi semua orang di dalam rumah itu.5:16 Demikianlah hendaknya terangmu bercahaya di depan orang, supaya mereka melihat perbuatanmu yang baik dan memuliakan Bapamu yang di sorga."

A Spiritual Symphony

“I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one.”
JOHN 17:23

When a symphony performs, each musician has something different to contribute. The title of each piece of music is the same, but there are many different parts that make up that one piece. A musician may be an extremely talented soloist, but playing in harmony with others requires a great deal of practice, preparation and group rehearsal. It also requires each musician to submit to the direction of the conductor. If that means playing “second fiddle” then so be it. Working together takes time and patience – two things that most people do not have an abundance of.
I trust you can see that even in this simple illustration, pride, egotism, and an unwillingness to work with others disqualifies even the greatest musicians from becoming viable members of a symphony. Christ, the Master Conductor, seeks a spiritual harmony among all His disciples: “that they all may be one… that they also may be one in Us” (John 17:21).
Source: The Irresistible Kingdom by Chip Brogden

What is Faith?

By Dionne Carpenter Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished! ~ Luke 1:45
READING: Genesis 15:1-6
Volumes have been written to parse the meaning of the word “faith.” Here, let’s look at one small aspect that particularly applies to us as church planters. Although divided by centuries, Abraham the Patriarch and Mary, the mother of Jesus, graphically illustrate the essence of faith, as understood by the Hebrew mind.
Webster’s dictionary defines faith as “a confident belief in the truth or trustworthiness of a person, idea or thing.” The Hebrew word for faith is aman, which means “to regard as true, to realize, to believe.” Notice that both definitions talk about truth and belief.
The Hebrew word aman implies the idea of receiving a message from someone – a statement, a warning, a promise or a command. We “aman” by believing the message to be true. Abraham believed God’s promise to give him a son. Mary believed the angel’s message that she would conceive a child by the Holy Ghost.
Abraham and Mary each stood in that moment holding nothing but the message. Both of them could readily think of many logical and valid reasons to reject the truth of it out of hand. But in that fateful moment, they chose to believe, they chose faith.
If you are a church planter reading this, you once stood in a similar place when the Holy Spirit spoke to your heart and called you to serve Him. In your mind’s eye, you envisioned a new church where there was no church. You exercised faith. “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see” (Heb. 11:1).
What you did, when you chose to believe, was a holy thing.
Father, Bless me abundantly because I choose to believe Your promise. Amen. 
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February 13 God's Eternal Design "[Abraham] was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God.." HEBREWS 11:10 ESV An artist sees a new painting before he picks up the brush to create it. A musician hears a new song in her head before she picks up her instrument to compose it. A writer conceives ideas, concepts, and things to be conveyed to others in his heart long before he sets words to paper. An architect designs the building before construction begins. The creative process is the progressive, orderly arrangement of things until what is seen outwardly lines up with what has already been seen inwardly. God is the Ultimate Creator. We find that He established an order of things before He ever brought them into being – an eternal purpose that He purposed in Christ. The crucifixion of Christ was not God’s startled reaction to the unforeseen and unimaginable fall of Adam. God envisioned things straight through to the end before He set them in motion. Source: The Irresistible Kingdom by Chip Brogden

Overcoming the Fear of Man "The righteous are bold as a lion." PROVERB 28:1 Jesus sought to thin out the crowds with a difficult word, saying, “You must eat My flesh and drink My blood if you wish to be My disciples.” At this saying, the multitude and many of His disciples turned aside and no longer followed Him. Instead of running after them in an effort to make Himself understood and accepted, He watched them go. Then, turning to the Twelve, He said, “Do you also want to go away?” Here is a Man who is not afraid to be misunderstood because He is not afraid of people, what they will think, or what they will say about Him unjustly. To overcome the fear of man, we must not only be willing to be misunderstood and unappreciated, we should expect it. Then we will be free to speak what God has given us and will not be troubled should others fail to grasp the significance of it. Source: Fear No Man by Chip Brogden

Our Loss, HIS Gain

"Whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ."
PHILIPPIANS 3:7 ESV

The Lord will allow Self to run its due course, just like the tree
whose branches fill the earth and whose height reaches to the
heavens (Daniel 4:10-12). But a day of judgment is coming.

Now, those who love Self will hate judgment; but those who hate
Self will love judgment. If our heart is "not I, but Christ," then
we will rejoice whenever we are decreased and Christ is increased.
We will submit to the Lord's dealings with us. Our focus will not
be on what Self loses, but on what Christ gains, for our loss is
His gain.

Source: "Embrace the Cross" by Chip Brogden
http://theschoolofchrist.org/books/embrace-the-cross.html

Right Investment of Time

"Now as [Paul] reasoned about righteousness, self-control, and the judgment to come, Felix was afraid and answered, 'Go away for now; when I have a convenient time I will call for you.'" ACTS 24:25 When the time is short we must make the most of every opportunity and waste nothing. Ordinarily if we speak the Word to someone and they send us away, the best advice is to leave. Unfortunately, Paul was in prison and could not get away. Felix sent for him often but nothing ever changed. In this manner Paul witnessed to Felix for two years without any result whatsoever. Clearly this was a ruse of the enemy designed to frustrate the gifted apostle and sap his strength. Paul the prisoner had no choice but to come when Felix called for him; we who are free ought to be careful lest we find ourselves spending all our time talking to a Felix when there is a Cornelius praying to hear us speak the very words that Felix takes for granted. Source: "The Church in the Wilderness" by Chip Brogden http://theschoolofchrist.org/books/the-church-in-the-wilderness.html

DOING FLOWS FROM BEING

"Put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness." EPHESIANS 4:24 What is the Christian Life? It is leaving our ground altogether and coming onto the ground of Christ. It is deeper than a changed life - it is an exchanged life. Over time we can accomplish a change, but we can do nothing to exchange our life for His Life. This, from start to finish, is God's work, and it is a work of grace. What, after all, is Righteousness? What is true Holiness? Christ is not righteous because He does righteous things; He does righteous things because He is Righteousness. Christ is not holy because He does holy things; He does holy things because He is Holiness. His "doing" flows out of His "being" - and OUR "doing" flows out of His "being" as well. Source: "Lord of All" by Chip Brogden http://theschoolofchrist.org/books/lord-of-all.html

LOVE YOUR ENEMIES

"Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you." MATTHEW 5:44 The nature of the Kingdom of God is quite different, and its character reflects that difference. There is not a kingdom on the face of the earth that could ever adopt a philosophy that says "love your enemies." If you accept the premise that Jesus really is a King then you are compelled to acknowledge that this King and His Kingdom are truly not of this world. A national defense policy based on "Love Your Enemies" would be political and national suicide for any earthly government. This Heavenly Order is such a radical departure from the ways of the world that it requires some rather deep experiences with God before a person can really enter into the service of the King, because that service is so unlike anything anyone has ever seen or experienced. Source: "The Irresistible Kingdom" by Chip Brogden http://theschoolofchrist.org/books/the-irresistible-kingdom.html

WHOM SHALL I FEAR

Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time." 1 PETER 5:6 When we are submitted to the Lord, we find Grace. We find Peace. We find Rest. All things are in His hands, and He does all things well. We need not fear what any devil or any man can do to us. To be submitted to the Lord is to be under His care, under His guidance, under His power, under His protection. Whom shall I fear? What can man do to me? What can the devil do to me? If I have humbled myself beneath the mighty hand of God then He will exalt me in due season; He will justify me; He will defend me; He will fight for me. If our submission to God is complete, if our surrender to the Lord is total, then victory is assured. Source: "Embrace the Cross" by Chip Brogden http://theschoolofchrist.org/books/embrace-the-cross.html

HEAVENLY SOLUTIONS

"You have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem." HEBREWS 12:22 All the prophets pointed to Jerusalem as the place where the Messiah would rule and reign. On the surface this seems self-evident. The trouble with this is that the nature of the Kingdom is spiritual, and so the location of the Kingdom is likewise spiritual. A spiritual kingdom is not going to have an earthly capital. Neither will it have an earthly temple, an earthly priesthood, or an earthly King. It will be in the earth, but it will not rise up from the earth. Earthly problems cannot be solved with earthly solutions. Earthly problems require Heavenly solutions. The fact that John saw the New Jerusalem coming down out of Heaven and settling upon the earth shows that this is something established by God Himself, quite beyond the command and control of man. Source: "The Irresistible Kingdom" by Chip Brogden http://theschoolofchrist.org/books/the-irresistible-kingdom.html

SO WALK IN HIM

"As you received Christ Jesus the Lord [the Narrow Gate], so walk in Him [the Narrow Path]." COLOSSIANS 2:6 ESV We come to the Lord admitting that we cannot save ourselves, and He does the saving. That is the Gate. Now we come to the Lord every day, admitting that we cannot enter the Kingdom, and He does what it takes to conform us into His image. That is the Path. Hence, I have no secret for the Christian Life, but Christ. I have no key, but Christ. I have no method, but Christ. I have no formula, but Christ. I have no technique, but Christ. I have no life, but Christ - for it is no longer I who lives, it is Christ Who lives in me (Galatians 2:20). In Him, through Him, because of Him, and by Him we may enter the Kingdom. Source: "Embrace the Cross" by Chip Brogden http://theschoolofchrist.org/books/embrace-the-cross.html

ALL THINGS SUBDUED TO HIMSELF

"He is able even to subdue all things to Himself." PHILIPPIANS 3:21 What a mighty God we serve! Exactly how the Lord goes about bringing all things into submission unto Himself is... how can we describe it? It is an art. It is a science. There is a process at work in this universe. Do you see it? It is a process through which the Lord is continually refining, purging, molding, chastening, disciplining, judging, and conforming all things. This process is working itself out on every level, from galaxies, to nations, to the innermost recesses of the souls of men, right down to the very last disciple and sinner. Throw yourself onto the Rock and be broken; or wait for it to fall on you and be ground into powder (Luke 20:18, Daniel 2:34,35). Either way, sooner or later, the Rock wins, for "He MUST increase, but I MUST decrease" (John 3:30). Source: "The Irresistible Kingdom" by Chip Brogden http://theschoolofchrist.org/books/the-irresistible-kingdom.html

free indeed

"The Truth shall make you free." JOHN 8:32 The Cross must be embraced and taken up daily as a principle of living. This is the practical application of taking up the Cross. If we ever lay down the Cross and attempt anything in our own power then we will be defeated. But as we continually reckon ourselves "dead indeed to sin but alive to God in Christ" (Romans 6:11) then what is true in principle eventually becomes true in our experience: sin begins to lose its power to control us, and we begin to see that we do have a choice. We will begin to see that we are no longer slaves to sin, but "if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed" (John 8:36). Source: "Embrace the Cross" by Chip Brogden http://theschoolofchrist.org/books/embrace-the-cross.html

HE WILL BE IN YOU

"You know Him; for He dwells with you, and will be in you." JOHN 14:17 Just as Testimony follows Revelation, so Life follows Light. We simply know what to do because He Himself is doing it through us. If we have put on the Lord Jesus then we need not look to the past, or to the future. We need not look up to the heavens, or down upon the earth. We need not look outward at all, for the Kingdom of God is within us. The One Who said, "I am with you, and will be in you" has now taken up residence within all who believe. Source: "Lord of All" by Chip Brogden http://theschoolofchrist.org/books/lord-of-all.html

Christ in Context

Posted by miltrodriguez in Christ, Christian Life, Church Life But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak of His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine; therefore I said that He takes of Mine and will disclose it to you.” John 16: 13 – 15 One of the results of the fall is that our minds now have a strong tendency to taking ideas, concepts, and even persons, and then chopping them up and pulling them out of their proper context. For example, we have done this with Jesus Christ Himself. The Segmented Christ We have taken Christ and chopped Him up into little pieces. I have written about this previously in an article called The Holistic Church. We take a slice out of Christ and then make it everything. We have done this with just about every aspect of the person and work of Christ. For example, we have taken evangelism, gifts, healing, miracles, social action, deliverance, love, peace, joy and many other aspects of Him and taken them out of their proper context (Christ Himself) and then blown them up to be everything. Yet our glorious Christ is all of these things and so much more! But that is what the fallen, un-renewed mind does. So our revelation and life experience must shift to the whole Christ so that we can express the fullness of Christ. But what is the context of Christ Himself? Seeing Christ in His Environment This is moving to another mountain altogether. It all begins with “seeing,” that is, revelation of this Christ within His context. Seeing all of the aspects of Christ as all parts of the whole Christ is one thing (and it is wonderful), but what about seeing the context of this Christ Himself? Did you know that Christ has His own context, His own environment that He lives in all the time? Do you realize that we have done the same “splicing” of Christ out of His context as we have done with the many aspects of Christ? So exactly what is the context for the Son of God? It’s simple; the context for Christ is God Himself! What is His environment? Where does He live? He lives inside of the Father through the Holy Spirit (See Jn. 17). In other words, the context for Christ is the Triune God or Godhead. That’s His native habitat. He came from and went back to God (Father, Son, Spirit). He never has nor will He ever live “one solitary life”! He is not a lone individual. Even while on the earth, He was living in, by, through, and to His Community – the Triune God. He lives in the glorious context of Community life. His life doesn’t even make sense outside of the fellowship of the Father and the Spirit. Just read the gospel of John and you will see this very clearly, that is, if you are really looking. The One Dimensional Christ You could say that seeing Christ the way that we normally see Him is like seeing Him one-dimensionally. People are really into 3D movies nowadays. Why? Because now, instead of just watching the film with height and width, you can actually see depth! What a difference depth makes. I personally dislike those funky glasses. We have been viewing Christ one-dimensionally. Yet He is really a three-dimensional Lord. He is one with the Father and Spirit. Three dimensions? Well, actually much more . . . three Persons! Yet each one of these Persons is unlimited in Their vastness. And the three unique and unlimited Ones are even greater than that because of Their oneness. The oneness of God is not just a doctrine or theology, but it is an actual life that has been lived out for eternity. Jesus called this life – eternal life (Jn. 17:3). This is the life of oneness, the life of eternal fellowship, the life of community. If you will sit down one day and read through the gospel of John chapters fourteen through seventeen, you will see it more clearly. The Son is part of the fellowship or community. We could call this community the divine fellowship. When he became a man and lived on this earth he was still living in and by this divine community. He told us that He lived by the life of His Father (Jn. 6:57). At His baptism the Father spoke from heaven and the Spirit descended as a dove. He cast out demons by the Spirit. The words He spoke came from the Father. The three divine Persons of the Trinity were working in tandem the whole time. Three Dimensional Church Life Now this divine fellowship and community that is shared within the Godhead has everything to do with us as believers. The Lord didn’t just share these things with the disciples to give them some new radical theology. Even though as Jews they didn’t even believe in a Triune God! What He was sharing in these chapters of John’s gospel was the actual foundation of the eternal life that He was giving them. This life would soon be in them and they would learn to live by this life. This eternal life is nothing less than the very same life that energizes the community of the Godhead. “And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Him whom You have sent, Jesus Christ” (Jn. 17:3). “That which we have seen and heard we report also to you that you also may have fellowship with us, and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ” (1 Jn. 1:3). This life, this community life, is not only the model for the church. It is also the very life by which the church lives. This fellowship within the Triune God is the life by which He wants to live in and through the believers. Jesus Christ is the embodiment of the fullness of the Godhead (Col. 2:9). And we are in Him. We are not in Him just as some kind of ethereal vague theory. We are in Him so that we can fellowship (actually participate) in that life. We are in Him so we can fellowship but also so we can express. He wants us, as the corporate body of Christ, to express the actual community life within God Himself! He wants that life to be our lifestyle. Our Context Just as Christ has a context in the life of the Triune God, so do we. Our context as believers is Christ Himself. And that context is corporate to the core. We all are in Christ by the Spirit and Christ is in the Father. And the Father is in the Son. Isn’t that a wonderful place to be?

For Dreams to Come True

Just because we walk and talk does not mean we are truly awake. Zechariah was not sleeping when an angel roused him "as a man who is awakened from his sleep" (Zech. 4:1). Perhaps we too need to be shaken from our slumber to possess the promises of God! Amazingly, in spite of all the signs, wonders, and warnings announcing that we are truly in the last days, Jesus said there will also be a mysterious drowsiness that we must discern and overcome. Indeed, immediately after highlighting the various evidences of the end (Matt. 24), He compares the church to virgins who "all got drowsy and began to sleep" (Matt. 25:5). Virgins sleeping at the end of the age? It seems incomprehensible with the coming "wonders in the sky above and signs on the earth below" (Acts 2:19), not to mention the powerful, worldwide herald of the gospel of God's kingdom. Yet this phenomenon of spiritual slumber, of losing our God-seeking hunger, is something we must guard against. When this slumbering spirit approaches, it first dulls our perception. Soon, our zeal for the things of God diminishes. We still love the Lord, of course, but our vision sits in the back seat as other less important aspects of life set the direction for our lives. Indeed, from the beginning, the voice of Satan has had this seductive, lulling effect on mankind. Eve's excuse for disobedience? "The serpent hath caused me to forget" (Gen. 3:13 Young's Literal Translation). This sense of spiritual forgetfulness, of drowsiness, is the cloud of blindness that we each must discern and overcome. It was in regard to this that the Holy Spirit spoke to my heart through the following dream: There was a temple standing in an open field. My view of the temple was from its side, about 200 yards away. I could not see its front, yet it must have been completely open because great light flashed out from the inside; it pulsed like lightning yet was solid like sunlight. The block of light coursed straight out, and I knew this light was the glory of God. The temple was so close, just across the field, that I knew with just a little effort I could enter the glory of God. His holy presence was clearly within my reach. There were others also in the dream who were directly in front of me, people I recognized from church. Each one seemed busy. And while the temple and its light were visible and readily accessible to all, every head was bent downward and turned away from the light; each was occupied with other things. I heard one person say, "I have to do laundry." Another said, "I have to go to work." I could see people reading newspapers, watching televisions, and eating. I was sure everyone could see the light if they wanted to – even more sure that we all knew His glory was near. There were even a few people reading the Bible and praying, but everyone maintained the downward thrust of their gaze; they all had a mental barrier of some kind between them and the place of God's presence. No one, in fact, seemed capable of standing up, turning, and steadfastly walking into the very near glory of God. As I watched, suddenly my wife lifted her head and beheld the temple in the field. She stood and walked without pausing toward the open front. As she drew closer to the light, a garment of glory formed and thickened around her; the closer she went, the more dense the light surrounding her became. Finally, she stepped in front of the temple, turned, and stood in full view of the blazing glory of God. Then she entered the temple. Oh! How jealous I felt. My wife had entered the glory of God before me! At the same time I realized that there was nothing stopping me from approaching God's presence – nothing except the multitude of things to do and responsibilities that, in truth, ruled my life more than the voice of God. Pushing the weight of these pressures from me, I determined to rise and enter the temple myself. But, to my great regret, in my dream as I rose up, I suddenly woke up! The longing and disappointment within me seemed unbearable. I had been so close to entering God's presence. How I wanted to enter the temple and be swallowed up in His glory! I cried, "Lord, why did You let me wake up?" Immediately, the word of the Lord responded. He said, "I will not have My servant's life fulfilled by a dream. If you want your dream to come true, you have to wake up." Breaking Passivity; Setting Priorities Beloved, today God is awakening us to the reality of His presence. The promises the Lord gives us in the Scriptures must become more to us than dream-like realities reserved only for the hereafter. Moses frequented the glory of God. Israel's seventy elders ate and drank in God's resplendent glory (Exod. 24:9-11). Jesus unveiled God's glory to His key disciples on the Mount of Transfiguration! Paul says that beholding the glory of the Lord is the very means of our transformation (2 Cor. 3:18). For this reason the Scripture says, "Awake, sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you" (Eph. 5:14). If we truly want Christ to "shine" upon us, we must arise from the distractions that entomb us in lethargy and spiritual drowsiness. Right at this moment, the presence of the living God is near enough to hear the whisper of our hearts. But if we want our dream of standing in the presence of God to come true, we must wake up. Awaken my heart, Lord. Open my eyes to all that You are and everything we can be together. Lead me to Your presence and show me how to truly keep You first in my life. Show me what will have lasting significance. I want all of You, and I want to experience Your glory!