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 →

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 →

Blogging through the Year

Since blogging is both a public and private journal, it seemed like a good idea to review the year to see where my thoughts have gone. Read the rest of this entry →

The blood of Jesus has been transfused into our system.

I asked Christ into my heart in the bedroom of a Messianic Jew on a Friday, then on the following Sunday morning I made a public confession of Christ at an Assemblies of God congregation in front of 500 people.

So the AOG has had an early influence upon my understanding of salvation.  One of the songs that was frequently sung in that congregation was a song written in 1878 by Elisha Hoffman called, “Are You Washed in the Blood?“  The lyrics to the chorus are as such:

Are you washed in the blood,
In the soul cleansing blood of the Lamb?
Are your garments spotless? Are they white as snow?
Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?

The song draws its inspiration from the book of Revelations:

Rev 1:5
And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, (KJV)

Rev 7:14
And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. (KJV)

These verses address two different aspects of the cleansing of the blood.  The first is internal and the second is external.  The first deals with our sin nature and the second deals with our works of righteousness. Let’s consider the first  verse. Read the rest of this entry →

Last night I was invited to meet someone in a home near my home.  This person was referred to me by a friend who has his thumb on people in the house church and free range networks.  She and her family live 30 minutes from my wife and I, so we had difficulty meeting.  She sent me an email saying that she wanted to visit a speaker that she knew of near our home. So we agreed to go.  When she shared in her email that there would be fellowship, followed by worship and then the teaching, my heart choked. Read the rest of this entry →

The “Armour of God,” as described in Ephesians 6:11-17, is known by every Pentecostal Christian, and, I believe, every Evangelical Christian. It is often used in a superstitious way of chanting in prayer that one is putting on the whole armor of God. There have been many who point out that it is not a superstition, but a representation of how we live our lives.

The breastplate of righteousness is stated in verse 14.  It provides a glimpse in understanding what godly righteousness really is.  But to catch that glimpse we need to jump to Thessalonians. Read the rest of this entry →

I love every time the Lord shares something with me.  Sometimes what He shares does not sink in immediately.  Last week while praying outdoors Father dropped into my spirit that I am righteous not just positionally but in reality because of Romans 8:28.  In theology we have a positional righteousness because Jesus is righteous, and Father has attributed His righteousness to us because of our faith in His Son.

Righteousness means that we are right (Prov. 12:5).  Positionally, then, we are able to be in the presence of God because He sees His Son’s righteousness instead of our own.  Theologically it is understood that our sanctification is how we press in to obedience to God.  So, while we are righteous positionally, we are not consistently righteous in sanctification. Read the rest of this entry →

American Evangelical Christians embraced the Republican party over the last decade thinking that our nation can be changed through political means.   I am not going to argue against Christians involvement in politics.  We should be because it is a part of our stewardship responsibilities that we will be accountable to God for on the day of judgment.  Rather I am addressing the subtle difference between the law and righteousness.   This point is the nucleus to the issue of law and grace.

First of all, we need to remember as Christians there are two laws that we are affected by, that are not related.   The first law is the law of Moses that is the covenant between God and Israel.   As gentile believers in the Son of God, who is the God of Moses, Jesus Christ, we are not part of that covenant. We are in the New Covenant made to all mankind who will accept the forgiveness of sins given us through the atonement made by God when He became the second Adam.   We are not under that law. Read the rest of this entry →