Free The Church

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A child of God is immature, but sons are responsible and inherit the kingdom.

Why There is Evil

“If God is good, why is there evil in the world?”  Frankly, I have never heard a good answer. But the answer is basic and foundational to our lives in Christ.  First, let me reaffirm that God does not create evil, nor does He do any evil (James 1:13).  Yet He takes full responsibility for the existence of evil.  He fulfilled His responsibility for allowing evil into His creation on Calvary.

Evil was a calculated consequence of giving life free will, and specifically mankind.  He counted the cost (Luke 14:28) of this calculation which is why He was slain from the foundation of the world (Rev 13:8).

Evil can be summed up in one word: selfishness.  The essence of godly love (agape) is selflessness: i.e., other centered. Whereas the essence of worldly love is self centered; i.e., what’s in it for me?

So, why is there evil? Read the rest of this entry →

How do we know the truth when so many lie?

I said in my haste, “All men are liars”. (Ps 116:11 KJV)

I am continuing to meditate on what it means to have root in oneself.   I am convinced that this is essential for discerning truth from lies.   Its bottom line is one’s trust in one’s own senses.  But it is not just trust in the 5 senses for the physical world,  but  also includes one’s spiritual senses.

Our spiritual senses are developed as we listen to our heart and gut feelings.   Sensitivity to the spirit increases as we meditate on the meanings of our dreams.  It develops as we sense right and wrong through our conscience.  It develops as we learn to trust our instincts.

Developing root in oneself must occur before salvation.  Everyone who comes to Christ has developed some roots in themselves, otherwise they would not believe in Jesus.   Belief is the foundation of knowledge.  All that we know is what we genuinely believe.   To know something is the completion of faith.  Mental assent is the beginning of knowing but it is not knowing.   To know something is to be fully convinced in the conviction of what one knows.  It is completed faith. Read the rest of this entry →

When we build our views on the opinions of others we precipitously see only the tip of the iceberg.

This Word has been growing in my heart for several weeks. I wanted to write this earlier, but my business had kept me quite busy.

A few weeks ago in teaching gymnastics at my Christian Gymnastics School one of my children was practicing a handstand to a bridge.   She fell on the landing mat without doing the bridge.  I told her to push up the bridge.  She said, “Yes,” then began to stand up.  I told her to get down on her back and push up the bridge.  She looked at me perplexed then realized I meant “now”.  So she pushed up the bridge.

I stopped the class and told all the students that unless they do the movement for themselves, they will not learn to do gymnastics.  I asked the children, “Where in the Bible do we have this command?”  None of the kids knew.   One of the moms sitting watching raised her hand, and said, “I know, I know!”  So I let her answer.   “In James. We are to be doers of the Word, not hearers only.”

So I turned back to the kids and told them, unless you make Jesus your own God, He will remain the God of your parents, not you.  You have to believe Jesus for yourself and test Him for yourself, so that you will know that His Word to you is true. Read the rest of this entry →

After the death of their husbands, the wives forgave the Ecuadorian Waodani and brought them to Christ

Because organized religion is part of the world system, it is difficult for those of us who have left it to understand what is the Way of Jesus Christ.  The organic church is not house church meetings, but the organic life of God Himself within the heart of every born again believer.  Being led by the Spirit is the foundation of the Way of Jesus Christ.

But for the last few weeks, the Lord has impressed upon my heart the admonition of Paul to overcome evil by good (Rom 12:21).  The way of the world is so infused into church thinking that we do not realize that we are trying to “fight” the world with the weapons of the world.  Having our minds renewed means discerning the difference between the ways of the world and the way of Christ. Read the rest of this entry →

God has to deconstruct before He can rebuild

Jer 1:9-10
9 Then the LORD put forth his hand, and touched my mouth. And the LORD said unto me, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth.
10 See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant. (KJV)

The Didache is receiving renewed interest.  I had it brought to my attention again by Brother Maynard who shared on a new issue of the document in a book by Tony Jones.

This document has been available for years online, and I have provided my own PDF version of it in my own website.  I agree that this document has a timely application today.  With so many people forsaking the clergy system they are looking for alternatives to Christian living either in house church gatherings or else where.  The Didache or Teaching of the Twelve Apostles is an early church document that gives practical advice on following Christ before the clergy system developed. Read the rest of this entry →

Traditions are still used to nullify commands of God

Wisdom comes from being grounded in the truth. Knowing the truth and being grounded are not the same thing. How many people, who have known the truth, nevertheless yielded to peer pressure to fit in? Those who are grounded in the truth have no interest in fitting in. They are more concerned with reality than imagination. Those who are rooted in themselves and grounded in the truth will stand alone against the crowd because they can. These are men and women who love God more than men. And because they love God, they will speak the truth to men.

Peer pressure creates compromise.  Those who are not rooted in themselves,  and do not know truth for themselves,  rely on conventional wisdom.  Since so many people seem to believe it,  it must be true.  So what they might have believed for themselves is changed to fit public opinion.  Those swayed by the opinions of others are at the control of others. When asked a question, the natural reply is directed by the question. Lawyers use this (backed by the court) to manipulate witnesses in building their cases.   Jesus was never controlled by the question. Many times He ignored the direct question by addressing another issue, more pertinent to the heart matter. This was a point of great frustration for the Scribes, Pharisees and Sadducees because it circumvented their various traps. Read the rest of this entry →

Jesus never reacted, but always responded

As I have continued to meditate on the need for us to have root in ourselves, I am naturally drawn to the example given to us by Jesus.  Jesus, more than anyone, had root in Himself.  He knew who He was. While addressing the Pharisees who were trying to find fault with Him, He said to them:

John 8:43-46
43    Why is my language not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say.
44    You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.
45    Yet because I tell the truth, you do not believe me!
46    Can any of you prove me guilty of sin? If I am telling the truth, why don’t you believe me? (NIV)

He knew He was sinless.  He knew He was the Son of God by the time of His Bar Mitzvah as demonstrated in Luke chapter 2.  It would be a mistake to think the devil never tried to assault his identity before the wilderness trial.   The accusation of being a bastard began in infancy.

But, more than that, wisdom requires humility. Humility is an honest assessment of truth.  The humble are teachable.  Pride is a defense mechanism that hinders truth because it is too busy defending its error.  Truth needs no defense.  Because he is the Truth He was able to empty Himself.   These verses are often misunderstood regarding Jesus: Read the rest of this entry →

Honesty is needed in knowing one's self

In a previous post I came to realize that a lot of foolish thinking is coming from people who do not have root in themselves.  These people  do not have certainty regarding their own lives and experiences because they have looked to the wisdom of others.  Too many of these people confuse transparency with authenticity.   This error is illustrated by Ricky Gervais in his movie, “The Invention of Lying,” which I considered a waste of my money in viewing.

A wise reader, Melville, commented that we need self honesty to develop root in oneself.  He further said,

… getting back to being real and following what God had put in our hearts to do, part of the problem is that the role models set up in Christianity are so typically those of missionaries and preachers, so that people are led to get into ministries before they have had or learned real and direct dealings with God.

This is a trap that I fell into, as well.  I came to Christ through gymnastics, and left the sport to follow God in the “Ministry”.  It was years later that I realized that God never intended for me to leave gymnastics.  My coaching was my “ministry.”  The Scriptures make the same statement: Read the rest of this entry →

It is a mistake to expect blessings as an obligation of God

For the last few weeks I have been entering data for my business that I began three years ago. I finally found a class management program that suited both my needs and my price. Reviewing what I have done over the last three years has given me a big picture perspective that I am using to plan my future business practices.

For new readers, I run a Christian gymnastics school and all my clients are Christians. Anyone may come into my program, nor do I discourage non-Christians from participating.  However, I make it clear to all who enroll that I always speak from a Christian world view, and speak freely to the children and parents regarding Christ and His Church.   If they do not accept that, then they can find another school that appeals to their world view.  Consequently all my customers trust in Jesus Christ.

The point of this post is to address the attitude that Christians have regarding God blessing them.  We are all familiar with Christians who out right manipulate others by worldly means, bouncing checks,  looking to be the exception to the rule.  There have been several families that I had been grieved by who would pay late, or expect some other special favor.  I would struggle as a Christian businessman in how I dealt with them.  I wanted to minister grace to them as fellow heirs of the gospel, but would end up resenting them for their taking advantage of me.  Nonetheless, I know that my Father will take care of me no matter what behavior I encounter from my customers. Read the rest of this entry →

Having root in one's self

Jesus said in the story of the sower and the seed:

16 And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground; who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with gladness;
17  And have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time: afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word’s sake, immediately they are offended. (Mark 4:16-17 KJV)

In a recent discussion on theology as the problem of the Church, I came to a realization of what is the real problem in the American Church.   The discussion I was in blamed theology as the barrier to a personal relationship with God in the heart.  I disagreed and made the case that we need both a mental theological understanding of God as well as a heart sensitive relationship with God.    The people in the discussion are the “gratefully disillusioned”  who have left organized religion, and blame the professional clergy for telling them that they were to live by biblical principles.   They are now “liberated” and living in a “Spirit-led” relationship with Father.  Even though I have placed quotes around “Spirit-led” I do believe that many of them are truly experiencing a fresh relationship with God.   The reason for the quotes, however, is that I know from personal experience that what we think is God can sometimes be our own imagination, or even demonic, if we do not test the spirits against the Scriptures. Read the rest of this entry →