Monday, January 18, 2010

3 Simple Steps

Jesus greatest commandment while he was here on Earth was "Love one another as I have loved you"
(John 13:34-35) He also says "I have not come to abolish the Law but to fulfill them." (Matt 5:17) Because of Adams sin we were separated from God's love and grace as he had intended it to be. (Gen 1-3) God gave the law to Moses so that through ritual and "religious" duty that the people could be saved, but at the same time they were separated from that personal individual relationship that we have today. This was the OLD covenant. People were never and never will be good enough to live up to the Old testament standards, God knew this all along he gave us the Law to show that we cannot do it without him, so he sent Jesus to earth to not only show us what a regular man can do with a close relationship with God empowered with the Holy Spirit but also to be a ONE TIME sacrifice for us so that we were no longer held to the standards of the Law and we are now under the blood of his NEW covenant. Are we going to slip? Of course, but God loves us so much that now thanks to his Son we just have to ask with true humility and regret for him to wash our sins and we are white as snow. There are 3 basics to our Christian walk and it is simple and not complicated in the slightest. 1. Pray 2. Read your bible 3. Love people
If we do that, all the hard stuff will seem like yesterdays headlines.

Sunday, January 17, 2010

Imitation not intimidation: Unlocking the potential of a true child of God

Hey everyone! I was doing a study a couple months ago and I really felt God speaking to me to go deeper with it. So I began to study more and more and I really feel like God wants me to share my findings with you guys, so here it goes. Enter with an open heart and spirit and maybe God will reveal something amazing to you as he did to me. Let’s start make sure you got your bibles!

Ephesians 5
Be imitators of God
Imitate – the act or an instance of imitating
2. Something derived or copied from an original made to resemble another, usually superior material

Imitational – act, practice, or art of copying manner or expression of another.

Imitative reproduction, as of the style of another, echo, reflection.

Paul writes in Ephesians 5 we must be imitators of God, and live such as Jesus did here on Earth because he was our example of the Father. Live in love, and sacrifice just as Jesus did offering himself up for us.
This same passage tells us the things that make us not imitators of God and says that we have no inheritance of God if we follow in these things. Immorality, greed, lust, all that stuff is no bueno and it keeps us from our true potential. I want to go more into detail of the inheritance that Paul talks about in Ephesians. You see he never really clearly states what that inheritance is. When most people think of inheriting the Kingdom of God they think about eternity and the afterlife and being rewarded for being a good Christian ex: not sinning, tithing, helping the needy and other good works. But what if I told you that there is a way to possibly take part of that inheritance while you are still living and breathing here on Earth, any takers?

Matthew 6:9 – 13
In this passage from Matthew it clearly says “your Kingdom come, your will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven.” Remember in Ephesians when it talks about our inheritance in God’s kingdom? Let’s take a look at the word inheritance a little closer shall we?

Inheritance
a. The act of inheriting
b. Something inherited or to be inherited.
c. Something regarded as a heritage

All that stuff is pretty self explanatory right? Well it wasn’t enough for me and I kept digging deeper and I found a definition for Inheritance in terms of Biology you know all that scientific mumbo jumbo that I can’t really understand.

*The process of genetic transmission or characteristics from parent to offspring.

Now comes the fun part that is going to blow your mind. A little shake and bake if you will. We are all children of God, made in his image and also by asking Jesus to forgive our sins we have become direct inheritors of his kingdom. Now a lot of people will still probably say “yes but you don’t inherit the kingdom until your physical body dies and your soul goes to be with Jesus” I say that is not the case because the evidence found in the word seems to point to the actual opposite that by grace we as his children have not only inherited the rights of his estate such as a place in heaven, but his traits and characteristics as well right now in the here and now while we live and breathe on this Earth. Jesus was not only sent to Earth as a perfect sacrifice for our sins which was the main thing but he was also sent as an example to us what a person could do with the right relationship with God in turn Jesus had the keys to the Kingdom and the rights to the inheritance that he was entitled to by having a relationship with God through the Holy Spirit. Now back to the Lord’s Prayer for a second.

“Your will on Earth as it is in Heaven” clearly states that God wishes for life to be the same here on Earth as it is in Heaven. You might say “well that’s impossible” why is it though? Jesus lives in each of us when we fully embrace him. So wherever you are the kingdom is inside you. Jesus had the keys to the kingdom while he was here on Earth and when He died on the cross it enabled him to take the “wheel” from Satan so he has no control whatsoever on your life and go to the Father and speak on your behalf and allow us to have the “keys” inside of us through the Holy Spirit.

Now think about exactly what that means. Think about Heaven. In heaven there is no sadness, no sickness and only Joy, health, worship and praise. When we as Christians fully embrace Grace and when we understand our purpose as inheritors of the Kingdom and let the Holy Spirit be a constant factor in our life then we are living fully in the inheritance that God has given us. Where we go so shall it be as it is in Heaven, bringing forth the Kingdom to the world. Heal the sick, raise the dead, no stress, no strife, only joy peace and understanding as shall the continuing renewing of your mind through the Holy Spirit. It’s not physical, it’s not explainable, it’s a miracle.

Matthew 28:18-20
Jesus says that all authority has been given to him on Heaven and on Earth and in turn he has given us the same authority that he holds. It’s our inheritance that was paid for that day he died on the cross for all people to see the grace and love he offered us. Once you fully understand what you are meant to do which is bring forth and help establish the Kingdom here on Earth you will no longer want to do things that are not pleasing to him. The more you do these things the more benefits you unlock from the Father and what he has in store for your life and the impact you can make on a world left in darkness.