People try to say that life is not all sunshine and rainbows (even most believers say this). They try to say it’s not all a bed of roses. Well mine is. Yes, and I’m not in denial and I’m not living in some fantasy land. I’m just lifting my eyes a little higher than yours are, seeing every spiritual blessing I have, in Heaven, in me. Call it a bed of roses or call it what you like, but I’ve got it.
Psalms 23:2 (KJV) He maketh me to lie down in green pastures… [pasture = inheritance]
Believers, stop trying to praise God DESPITE your circumstance. If your circumstances are that bad, then God doesn’t deserve any praise or thanks.
But perhaps, God did something through Jesus that you’re not accounting for. Maybe that’s why you think your circumstances are so bad. And maybe all you need to do is realize how redeemed from the earth you are and you would realize your circumstances, as a believer, are actually quite good. And then you could start praising God BECAUSE of your circumstances, instead of DESPITE your circumstances. That would make more sense.
Any time you pass by a cemetery or a memorial site, there’s not a single name carved in stone that you can’t raise. Not a single one.
Most Christians say about the Bible “I’ve read the back of the book and there’s a good ending!” What blasphemy. They say it ignorantly, but what horrible blasphemy. Let me tell you, “I’ve read three quarters of the way through the book and there was already a good ending!” The end of all tribulation took place three quarters of the way through the book, on a hill, in the death of Jesus, not at the end. If you’re looking at the back of the book to find it, you’ve missed it. You’ve completely missed it.
John 19:30 (NKJV) So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished [the end]!” And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.
I’ve got glory in me. I’ve got everlasting life in me. Shoot, I’ve got enough to sustain the whole universe, much less my body. If you ask me, no matter what my body seems like at the moment, I’m the picture of perfect health. How could anyone with eyes to see come to any other conclusion?
Jesus, on the cross, is our example of everything He saved us from. Jesus, in His resurrection, is an example of everything the cross has provided to us.
What a simple principle, and despite the fact that almost every Christian would nod to this, we completely do not understand this. The way we describe the life a Christian looks a heck of a lot more like the suffering’s of the cross than it does Christs’ glory and resurrection. There’s a problem here.
Positive thinking is not the same thing as Christ-centered thinking, but when you get Christ-centered in your thinking, you’re going to feel pretty positive.
“When people watch documentaries about outer space and the universe, they say it makes them feel so small. Not me. A documentary on the bounds of the universe is just a documentary on my jurisdiction.”
Joshua 1:3 (NKJV) Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given you…
In regards to the “cherishing memories” post a few days ago: If you’re getting to know Jesus, the Bible says you’re being transformed from glory to glory. That means from you are transformed from one state of glory to an increased state of glory, and so on, and so on. That means that nothing you’ve experienced in the past is better than the potential manifestations you can experience in your future.
If we’re still reminiscing about “the good old days, then we simply do not believe the term “from glory to glory.”
2 Corinthians 3:18 (NKJV) But we all… beholding… the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory…
Stop longing for the past. Jesus already died. His best is already in you. And you could say “the best is yet to manifest” as you learn Jesus.
Cherishing memories and looking longingly at the past is sheer ungodliness. It’s an admission that we think there is some good thing in our past that we can’t have now. There’s no such thing for a believer.
Let me tell you, through Jesus, God has put every good thing inside of every believer. You have every good thing in you and the ability to see that manifest through knowledge. So what are you longing for in the past? Stop looking backwards. You’ve got everything now. Everything. And you’ve got every good manifestation to look forward to through Jesus.
Philemon 1:6 (KJV) …That the communication of thy faith may become effectual by the acknowledging of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus.
Trying to find out who you are in Christ by what you see is like trying to measure the temperature with a ruler. You need a different instrument to see spiritual things. His name is the Holy Spirit. You need to listen to Him. He’ll tell you who you are and what you have in Christ. He’ll tell you the things your eyes are not able to.
1 Corinthians 2:14 (NKJV) But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
John 16:8-9 (NKJV) And when He [the spirit] has come, He will convict the world of sin… because they do not believe in Me…
This is the ONLY kind of conviction (exposing of fault) the Holy Spirit is doing today. He convicts THE WORLD (not believers) of their sin. And even for the world, He is only convicting them of the sin of not believing in Jesus! That’s it!
A feeling of remorse or a churning in your stomach is NOT the conviction of Holy Spirit. The church has completely made that up! That’s called your conscience — it’s your own mind beating you up over sin that Jesus was already beat up over.
1 John 3:20 (NKJV) For if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things.
How bad should you feel after you do something wrong?
Well, go ahead and feel whatever hurt or guilt Jesus didn’t already feel for your sin at the cross.
That is, unless you think Jesus felt ALL the hurt your sin deserves. In which case, I guess you can just thank God for Jesus and feel pretty darn good about that.
If someone told you that you had to do something to prove your trust in Jesus before you could receive salvation, would you believe that? Hopefully not. We believe that we receive savlvation by faith in Jesus alone. Works follow later as a result, but are not a prerequisite for salvation, right? And yet, in the church today we teach that you need to give a percentage of your income in order to prove your trust in God, THEN you’ll receive blessing in your finances. Sounds like a double standard to me.
It’s important to support any ministry financially if we receive from it, but that’s a far cry from attributing the blessing of God to some action you take.
Colossians 2:6 (NKJV) As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him…
Let’s live by the same principle that saved us. It’s all about what Jesus has done, through faith in what Jesus has done. Period. That’s how we receive.
Revelation 1:17-18 (KJV Strong’s)And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not… I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen…
Everything Jesus has, we now have. In fact, we know ourselves by looking at Jesus. That’s why when John was afraid of dying, Jesus simply said “I WAS dead, behold, I am alive for evermore…” John remembered who John was, by seeing who Jesus is. Measure yourself by what you see in Jesus.
Ever heard someone say “I don’t want to be so heavenly minded that I’m no earthly good.“ Well, the very good that the earth needs is heaven in you. So go ahead and mind it.
It’s funny how most Christian music feels the need to include verses about their struggles against “the waves,” “the fire,” and “their mountains” like that’s normal. Struggle may be common in the experience of today’s average believer… but that doesn’t mean it’s normal.
It would be great to hear more about how Jesus delivered us so completely 2,000 years ago that we can now walk around in so-called “fire” and come out without even the scent on us. That’s actually normal for us! We just don’t think it’s normal because we allow our experience to dictate what’s “normal” to us rather than who we really are inside, in Christ.
No hurt. No problems. No struggle. That’s normal. And that’s all thanks to the Fourth Man. We just don’t talk about Him much.
Daniel 3:25 (KJV) He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.
Thanks Jesus for our new normal!
There may be struggles you’re going through. There may be heartache your dealing with. There may be sickness or pain you are experiencing for now. But don’t worry, there is a day when all of that can disappear. There is a day when all your tears can be wiped away, a day when all sorrow can be removed, a day when all sickness and pain can forever dissipate. There is a day when we can experience heaven in all of its glory. Thank God for that day! And of course we know what day I am speaking of, right?
Hebrews 4:7 …again He designates a certain day, saying in David, “Today”…
Yes, He said today. Stop waiting for something that’s already done. Your Christ was already crucified. Today is the day to enter your inheritance. All you need to do is start learning about it.
John 11:23-25 (NKJV) Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” Martha said to Him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.” Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life…”
We posted yesterday about the raising of the dead. Also the healing of the sick, etc. But how does one access these things? How does one see these things come to pass in their life? Easy! It will take some time depending on your learning, but easy! The Gospel does it. Just learn the truth of what Jesus actually provided and when you grow in that understanding (that’s called faith), the life of God inside of you (if you’re a believer), springs out!
The message of the Gospel, when heard and believed, allows the Spirit of God inside of you to act outwardly in your life. Grab a Bible, get to a Jesus-centered church, and most importantly listen to Jesus. Get meditating on the Gospel and all these things will follow (Mark 16:17).
Here’s a cool symbolic passage about how the MESSAGE of the Gospel stirs up [allows the action of] the living water in us. And anyone who comes in contact with that water gets healed of any ailment they have. But it all gets started by the message:
John 5:2-4 (YLT) …and there is in Jerusalem by the sheep [gate] a pool that is called in Hebrew Bethesda, having five porches, 3 in these were lying a great multitude of the ailing, blind, lame, withered, waiting for the moving of the water, 4 for A MESSENGER at a set time was going down in the pool, and was troubling [STIRRING UP] the water, the first then having gone in after the troubling of the water, became whole of whatever sickness he was held.
John 7:38 (KJV) He that believeth on me… out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.
Has anyone you’ve known ever “passed away”? Did you know that it’s no different then if they’d simply caught a mild cold? It’s no different. Death isn’t anymore permanent than the flu or falling down and scratching your knee. Jesus died for all, which encompasses sickness, hurt, and death. It’s no problem. And if you get to know the real Jesus, you’d realize that there’s nothing that is a problem for you anymore!
Thanks Jesus for taking it all! Thank you for making our life so light. We love you!
Matthew 11:5 (KJV) The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them.
This is how the church has taught us to receive finances and physical wealth from the Lord:
1) By tithing
2) By being a good steward of what you already have
3) By being generous with others (“if God can get it through you, He’ll get it to you”)
… etc.
Now this is how the Gospel teaches us to receive the power of God unto wealth:
1) By the finished work of your Savior Jesus, through faith in Him. PERIOD. Nothing more.
Think about this: Does a message have to fit in with traditional Christianity for it to be true?
Most people are so hung up on what they’ve traditionally heard that they just won’t accept anything that strays too far beyond the boundaries of their own mind. it’s so sad that we as believers compare truth with tradition before we’ll believe it.
These days it’s popular for churches (especially in youth groups) to hold purity classes. Churches want to inform people on how to stay pure. So RC decided to join them and write up it’s own purity class. It is important that we all understand purity — both how to get pure and stay pure.
Impurity is rampant today and we, as God’s people, should know exactly how purity works. So below is everything you’ll need to know about staying pure. Enjoy.
PURITY 101 – By Reform Church
2 Corinthians 5:21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
This concludes PURITY 101.
Purity is a gift, not by works, but through the sacrifice of Jesus. If you’ve believed on Jesus, you’re already purified, once for all time. And when you mess up, just thank God your purity comes from Him, not from you. And then you’ll see that purity manifested in your life. Isn’t it great knowing Jesus?
Today just remember, if you face any obstacle or hardship whatsoever, God will NOT give you the victory… because that happened a long time ago!!
Colossians 2:13-15 (NKJV)
He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, TRIUMPHING over them in it.
You can’t be defeated because the contest is over. There’s nothing to win — despite what’s you’ve heard in church before. Stop asking for victory and start learning what Jesus already won! Get used to it. Then that victory will merely be seen in your life. And that’s a promise (Jn 11:40).
Some people say “God’s not looking for you to live perfectly…” But wait, that’s where we need to pause. God’s not looking for you to live for Him at all! It didn’t work under the law and sure isn’t going to work now! Learn Jesus with all your heart and enjoy your rest!
Galatians 2:20 (NKJV)
I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.
