Love vs. Grace

The other night at church, I found myself frustrated while a group of believers were lovingly speaking truth to someone who was discouraged.  They were surrounding this guy with love and making him feel good.  But, in my mind, they could have mentioned even more powerful truths!!

Haha, wow.  How did I get to this place?  This place where I care more about “pure” grace and truth, than love.  I feel like somewhere along the way, I missed the whole point.  So I told Holy Spirit I didn’t like what I had become, and was immediately comforted and encouraged by him; very gently.  He made me feel loved, yet again!  Here’s what he told me.

We were created to be loved by Dad.  He is love.  Every fiber of his being is love.  He didn’t create us for grace and truth.  Grace and truth came through Jesus to support his love.  For us!! 

Dad was so excited when he created us!  All he wanted to do was walk and talk with us, in the cool of the day.  In the back of his mind, he wasn’t thinking, “Boy, I sure hope Adam falls so I can show him grace and truth.”  No; he never wanted that.  But when Adam did fall, he didn’t freak out.  His plan guaranteed we would always stay with him, no matter what.  That plan was grace, also known as Jesus.  But his son was never the focus.  We are the focus!  Jesus simply allows us to stay in a place where we can receive Dad’s love.  Unconditionally.  100% of the time; no matter what!  And what’s even more exciting is that Jesus loves us too.  Just as much as Dad!  Now that’s a lot of love. 

Today, a lot of people are getting excited about grace, which is good.  But grace is not exciting by itself.  The only reason grace is exciting is because it allows us to receive Dad’s love, and ignore thoughts telling us we have to “earn it”, or that we can “lose it”.  Grace is the vehicle that brings us, and protects us, in Dad’s love.  But the destination is love!  Love is what we were created for; not grace.

“If I have the gift of prophesy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, but do not have love, I have nothing” (1 Cor 13:2).

Understanding ‘grace and truth’ falls under the knowledge category.  Yes, it’s highly beneficial to understand what Jesus did.  He did an amazing thing, and continues to do amazing things.  But if his finished work did anything, it was simply to protect us; so we can receive Dad’s powerful love, all the time.

People don’t want doctrine.  People want to be loved.  If your doctrine is getting in the way of loving people, ditch the doctrine.  And if your doctrine makes it hard to receive Dad’s love, read the bible again.  That book will give you the confidence and assurance to do nothing but receive Dad’s love.  Every second of every day. 

He loves us soooo much!!!  He's completely infatuated with us.  He's very proud of us and loves to make us happy, because we bring him so much happiness.  Jesus’ finished work is our safety bubble to do nothing but soak in Dad’s love forever, and ever, and ever!!

Once Saved, Always Saved?

I’m excited about this post.  This was a big question I had growing up, and no one could answer it with confidence. So I feel very honored and privileged to have the answer today:

YES!!!  WITHOUT A DOUBT, YES!!

Once saved, ALWAYS saved!

Dad loves you!!!  He is love! He created you because he wanted someone else to love…forever!!

Here’s the truth.  Only Dad can help you.  Only Dad can give you everything you want.  Only Dad can make you feel good, every minute of every day.  He doesn’t want you to be afraid of him; he wants you to feel safe and secure!  He is obsessed with you and loves to tell you how awesome you are.

But you won’t go to Dad if you think he’s mad at you.  Or disappointed; or has forsaken you.  So let’s get rid of that fear!

“Never will I leave you nor forsake you.” (Heb 13:5).  Never means never.  But then there’s the argument, “Well, God won’t forsake me, but I could choose to forsake him!”  Really?  You sure about that? 

Let me ask you this question: “Don’t you know that you are a temple of God, and that his spirit dwells in you?” (1 Cor 3:16).  How are you gonna kick him out of the house he made inside you? (John 14:23).  Ooh, I know!  Maybe with sin?! 

Haha!!  That would probably draw him even closer (as if he could get any closer)!  The world was full of sin when Jesus came.  “Where sin increased, grace increased even more” (Rom 5:20).  Good luck kicking him out with sin! 

And speaking of sin, what about this verse: “Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more!” (Heb 10:17).  How could he send you to hell if he doesn’t remember your sins?  You might say, “Well, that’s ridiculous!  Of course he remembers our sins!”  Uh, no.  God is God.  He can do anything he wants.  If he chose to forget our sins, he did!

And what about this verse: “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.  The old has gone, the new has come” (2 Cor 5:17).  You’re a new creation!  You were never going to hell because of what you did anyways; you were going because of what Adam did (Rom 5:19).  Now, you’re going to Heaven (for sure!) because of what Jesus did, not because of what you did!  You’re a butterfly now!  Not a caterpillar.  He made you a new creation; unable to change back into a caterpillar! 

Finally, John 14:16-17 (this is Jesus talking): “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever…he lives with you and in you”.  Dang.  That sounds pretty permanent to me!

Listen, I know why people are focused on eternal salvation, which is why I wrote about it.  But Jesus didn’t come so that we can just go to heaven.  “I have come so that they may have life, and life more abundantly” (John 10:10).  He came so that we can have everything…right now!  If all you’re doing is waiting for Heaven, that’s ok.  But you could be pulling Heaven down here, on Earth!  Things like hearing Dad’s voice audibly, feeling his presence intensely, getting drunk off his Spirit daily, raising people from the dead, prophesying, getting raptured up to Heaven weekly, teleporting around the world, and so much more!

Eternal life is not Heaven, it is knowing Dad (John 17:3).  Increase your confidence of Dad’s love for you so that you can move past the “Heaven/Hell” discussion and experience everything that’s rightfully yours…today!!

Top 10 Lies of Religion: The Finale

God wants to make you feel good; every minute, of every day.

And he’s capable of doing it.

But you don’t go to him for pleasure, do you?  You go to other things.  Things like alcohol, marijuana, or sex.

But who said God didn’t create these things?  You think Satan created alcohol or sex?  Nope.  God created alcohol, sex and everything else.  He also created the desire for pleasure that’s inside you.  He loves to see you happy because you make him happy!  He gave you a powerful mind and a creative imagination, with unlimited freedom and protection to do anything you want!

Satan wants you to believe that certain pleasure-inducing actions are “off-limits”, and if you participate in such things, rejection from God will follow.

Well, God loves pleasure!  So why aren’t you going to him for it?  It’s because you’ve heard lies:

Lie #7.)  You can’t really get drunk from the Holy Spirit.  Love is not a feeling.

Since when is love not a feeling?  Turn on the radio.  Are people singing about doctrines?  Or about how they feel?!  “It was for the joy set before him that he endured the cross” (Heb. 12:2).  Not the “decision” set before him.

And just because you haven’t got wasted off the Holy Spirit, doesn’t mean you won’t.  When the disciples received the Holy Spirit, people thought they were drunk (Acts 2:13)!  So why did the church go to AA meetings and sober up?!  If you noticed, it was the Holy Spirit that got everyone drunk!  Should we have an intervention for him as well?

Lie #8.)  Once you’re a believer, you can no longer do anything you want.

Ha!  I used to think that too.  The truth is exactly the opposite: you can do anything you want, and you will be blameless!  If you’re unsure, read this post, or the New Testament. 

Wake up.  “It’s for freedom that Christ has set us free” (Gal 5:1).  If you want to snort cocaine your whole life, you’ll still be righteous and go to heaven.  If you want to commit adultery 50 times, God will still be pleased with you.  Serial killer?  You’re good!  (I’m talking to believers here, as unbelief is the one and only thing that will separate you from such an awesome, loving Dad.)  (John 3:18, 16:9). 

But why would you get addicted to cocaine, or hurt the wife who loves you, or kill people?  It’s because you think God won’t give you pleasure and has little to do with sex.  And, because you don’t know you’re just like him!  Loving.  Pure.  Clean.  Righteous.  Powerful.  Attractive.  Compassionate. 

  

Lie #9.)  God gives and takes away.

Before you go quoting Job, know that the guy was self-righteous (Job 32:1-2), bitter (Job 37:2), suicidal (Job 7:15), and didn’t really know God (Job 42:3).  Why not quote Paul who had the full revelation: “God’s gifts and his call are irrevocable” (Rom 11:29).  God doesn’t take gifts away because “you’re enjoying them too much”.  He loves you!

Lie #10.)  God’s different than me.

Nope.  “God created mankind in his own image” (Gen 1:27).  His son Jesus came down here to be fully man, and to forever emphasize with us on every level (Heb 4:15).  He knows pleasure, and is actually the source for the best pleasure around!!

God gives the most powerful, intense pleasure in the universe.  And it’s all for YOU!  

Pretty awesome, huh?

Top 10 Lies of Religion: Part 3

God wants you to know all about him.  He wants you to know his son Jesus.  He wants you to know his Holy Spirit.  This is your family!  You have a Dad who is very pleased with you; ready to give you anything you want (John 16:23).  You have a best friend named Jesus, who serves you; not the other way around (Matt. 20:28).  And a Holy Spirit who loves to get you drunk (Acts 2:13).

So why are you not interested in your family?  I know!  It’s because you heard lies…

Lie #4.)  Who can know the mind of Christ?  Not you.  Stop asking questions.

Two verses render this question.  The first is 1 Corinthians 2:16, “Who has known the mind of the Lord?”  But keep reading!  “We have the mind of Christ!”  The second is Isaiah 55:9: “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”  This is simply stating that God has better thoughts; which is encouraging because we have those thoughts now!  Dad’s not into keeping secrets (John 14:26).  The Holy Spirit was given “so that we may understand what God has freely given us” (1 Cor. 2:12).

The lie that God is mysterious brings false comfort after someone dies despite prayers.  So we frantically try to explain it.  But again, we don’t change scripture to match our experiences.  We continue in our relationship with Dad, and we hold onto his promises.  Believers will lay hands on the sick and they will recover.  Period.  End of discussion.

Lie #5.)  People with gifts of healing and prophesy are super rare and super special!

Negatron.  Once again, YOU are the one who is super special!  And as far as gifts go, you have all of them…right now (1 Cor. 1:7).  Why do you even want to grow in these gifts?  Is it because they will prove God exists and loves you?  Well, you don’t have to prove anything.  Dad loves you and is very pleased with you, period.  The enemy is just trying to take your eyes off Dad.

The truth is God doesn’t wait for you to mature, while he talks to other people.  He in fact talks to you right now (most of the time, they seem like just your “thoughts”).  And as for signs and wonders, you’ll get these too!  They’ll happen naturally.  But you don’t get fruit by focusing on fruit.  You get it by focusing on Dad’s love for you.   

Lie #6.)  God’s love is about recruiting.  Not receiving.    

Christianity: The Great Ponzi Scheme!  Once you sign up to become a Christian, you’re told to find more people.  Then those people are told to find even more people.  And on and on it goes.  You’ve got to witness!  But what are you telling people?  “Hey, let me tell you about a God I barely know so that you can join this ponzi scheme and do the same thing?” 

You are not a recruiter.  Dad wants to spend time with you (Eph 3:17) rather than watch you talk to other people.  Once you begin to feel his love and know him better, you won’t be able to contain yourself!  But this will happen as an overflow!  Once again, not something you focus on.

Listen, there’s nothing to do except receive!  God does all the work!  You have an awesome family: Dad, Jesus, and Holy Spirit.  Feel free to know them.  God has made you perfect.  He sees you without flaw!  He loves spending time with you and is always smiling; totally obsessed with…YOU!!

Thoughts?

Top 10 Lies of Religion: Part 1 (Profanity Included)

This post is for real, awesome people who are tired of hearing bullshit.

Although this might come as a surprise, your story is not unique.  It was my story too.  Here’s how it goes:

1.)  You heard how awesome Jesus was; so you went to church.

2.)  You were told you had to do a bunch of stuff.

3.)  Eventually, you stopped going to church.

4.)  You now enjoy life much more.

That last one is not sarcasm.  I honestly believe you enjoy life more since you stopped going to church.  Here’s what I have to say about that decision:

Good for you!  Seriously.  That was probably the best decision you could have made.

Now let me guess why you stopped going to church:

1.)  You’re not self-righteous.  You couldn’t care less about what other people think about you.

2.)  You wanted something real, and you didn’t find it.

3.)  The pastor was always hinting at good works.  Week after week, you felt condemned.  

4.)  It seemed like everyone was acting fake.  You’d rather hang out with real people.

5.)  You’re not an idiot.  You had a lot of questions about God, but no one could give you straight answers. 

6.)  You had no actual relationship with Jesus.

That last one was not your fault.  Why would you bother forming a relationship with Jesus, when he sounded so lame?  People told you that God wants you to worship him, but doesn’t really help with anything.  Screw that guy.  I wouldn’t want a relationship either.

But none of this is true!  If you really knew Jesus, you would know all that was bullshit.  But instead, the enemy fed you the following lies:

1.)  God loves the sinner; not the sin.  He withdraws his presence when you sin.

2.)  Jesus died for you, so now you owe him [with worship, good works and tithings].

3.)  Love is for other people.  Not you.

4.)  Who can know the mind of Christ?  Not you.  Stop asking questions.

5.)  People with gifts of healing and prophesy are super rare and super special!

6.)  You can’t really get drunk off the Holy Spirit.  Love is not a feeling.

7.)  God cares about morals, and desires Christ-like behavior.

8.)  God’s love is very soft.  

9.)  Why talk about Jesus, when you can talk about church!

10.)  Once you’re a believer, you can no longer do anything you want.

Wow, no wonder you thought God was lame.  I would too (and I did).  But don’t worry; it’s not your fault you believed those lies.  The enemy has been at this for a long time now.  His only real objective is to take your eyes off Dad; where all the power, love and freedom is found! 

Next week, I’ll unpack that top ten list I just mentioned.  For those of you who get excited about profanity, please stay tuned in.  Here’s a sneak peek of next week’s post:

Wake The Fuck Up.

Dad is bigger than all this bullshit.  His love is far more intense than you’ve ever felt.  Jesus is real, and if you’ve ever believed in him, he lives inside you.  He’s never left you!  He never will.  You’re stuck with the most loving, powerful person in the universe!  And he wants nothing!  …Except to love you and make you happy.

Stay tuned.  It’s gonna be awesome!!

Top 10 Lies of Religion: Part 2 (Profanity Included)

Dad loves you.  His love is very real and very powerful.  We’ve been led to believe that God loves us…but not too much.  His love is very reasonable, logical and fair.  He’s filled with joy when your life is fruitful.  However, when you sin, he gets sad and disappointed.  You break his heart.  Here are my thoughts:

Wake the fuck up. 

Get over yourself.  Your “bad deeds” didn’t make you a sinner (Romans 5:19).  Likewise, your good deeds don’t make you righteous (Romans 5:19).  Your standing with God has nothing to do with you!  I’m sorry if this stings your pride.  You were a sinner because of what Adam did, and righteous because of Jesus.  This means you can enjoy Dad’s presence whether you’re going to church or snorting a line of cocaine off a prostitute!  Either way, he’s looking at you with intense pride and unrestrained love.  How unfair is that?!

The only reason you’re thinking “That’s bullshit!” right now, is because you’ve heard the following lies:

1.)  God withdraws his presence when you sin.  He loves the sinner; not the sin. 

This subtle lie has the potential of doing the most damage to your relationship.  It’s self-righteous to think your sins can undo what Jesus did!  Are you more powerful than God’s love?  Why does God even hate sin?  Because it’s ugly?

No!  Because it causes separation!  What happened in the garden?  Adam got separated!  What happened at the cross?  Jesus got you back!  Let’s not make it complicated.  You think he withdraws from sin?  Not one inch.  He’s inside you; part of you now!  He’s already dealt with your sins on the cross.  Today if you ask for forgiveness, you’ll get a blank stare (Hebrews 10:17).  Followed by a smile.

2.)  God cares about morals, and desires Christ-like behavior.

Morals have nothing to do with God.  And Christ-like behavior is merely a fruit.  

Your good behavior doesn't impress Dad (Isaiah 64:6).  What amazes Dad is you!  He can’t take his eyes off you!  He sent his son to get you back; not to clean you up.  You got cleaned in the process!  But the main objective was to nullify that excuse for separation.  The next time the enemy condemns you with an accusation, just point him to your defense attorney, Jesus, who always justifies you (1 John 2:1)!

3.)  Jesus died for you, so now you owe him [with worship, good works and tithings].  

Haha, that’s funny.  I thought it was the gift of righteousness.  How self-righteous is it to think you could even pay God back?  

Worship is a response.  Here’s an example. Every day, I try to make my son smile.  Occasionally, he’ll say “I love you Dad!”  I never make him say that.  Why would I?  Similarly, you don’t “owe” Jesus any worship.  I’m pretty sure his angels do a much better job anyways.

Second, you don’t produce good works (Phil. 3:8).  They’re a fruit; a natural result of being connected to the vine.  And the fruit is for you!  It’s for you to enjoy, and also reveals your beliefs.  Here’s an example.  Encouraging other people feels good.  Enjoy that!  Additionally, the act of encouraging reveals you believe God encourages people!  Your behavior helps you see your beliefs about God!

And finally, tithing is a response.  If you aren’t excited about tithing, stop!  Dad doesn’t need money, and he no longer rewards good behavior (Galatians 3:25).

Dad loves you because he is love and is totally obsessed with you.  He doesn’t want you focusing on sin anymore.  Or good works.  Or even loving him back.  Nothing.  Just receive his love!

Believers Can Do Anything With Their Freedom

Believers are the most free and loved people in the entire galaxy.  God himself lives inside us.  We call him Dad; or friend, or brother.  His love for us is very powerful and very real.  Spending time with him, being held, is a relaxing and real sensation; unmatched by anything else.  We were made to live in his warm, intoxicating love…staring at him while he smiles back at us. 

The enemy hates how we feel when Dad smiles at us (which is 24/7).  We feel safe, desired, and loved.  The enemy can’t stand this.  So he accuses us; night and day.  And sometimes we hear these accusations.  These cause us to turn back within ourselves and away from that beautiful face that never stops gazing at us with love and approval.

So, let’s look at a few verses which give us permission to rest; allowing us to do what we really want: snuggle up with Dad as he holds us in his brilliant love.

A.D. 55.  Paul writes a letter to the church in Corinth (1 Corinthians).  These people had the pure message of grace from Paul for a year and a half.  After he leaves, however, the church condones sex with prostitutes, incest with mothers, court trials against each other, consummation of food sacrificed to idols…and its leaders do nothing.  How does Paul begin his letter to them?

I always thank my God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus.  For in him you have been enriched in every way…you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed.  He will also keep you firm to the end, so that YOU WILL BE BLAMELESS on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.  (1 Cor. 4-8)

(Of course, Paul goes on to tell the church their behaviors are not consistent with children who know they are dearly loved…but they still are, and will forever be, blameless!)

A.D. 62.  Paul writes a letter to the church in Colosse (Colossians).  Essentially, the church was beginning to stray from the truth that Jesus Christ did everything for everyone.  What does Paul say?

Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds, doing evil deeds.  But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, WITHOUT BLEMISH and free from accusation.  (Col. 1:21-22).

A.D. 75.  Jude (the brother of Jesus) also finishes his one-chapter book with the words:

To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence WITHOUT FAULT and with great joy… (Jude 1:24)

So, what’s the point of all this?  The point is you have permission to keep staring at Dad and never leave his presence (like we even could anyways).  We are allowed to continue soaking in his warm light.  We get to hear him defend us while we feel his unconditional love, acceptance and happiness towards us.  We get to have long conversations with him every day and feel his kisses on our necks.

Without this knowledge, the enemy would have you focus on a much more boring issue: Sin.  You will spend your days thinking about sin; constantly looking at yourself while you try to rid yourself of that filth so that you can be clean enough to enjoy God’s presence.  Well, here is the truth that most people are afraid to say out loud: You do have a license to sin!  You have a license to do anything you want!  If you get saved, but then live a life full of sin…nothing will happen to you!  You will get to heaven and be presented to God without fault.  You WILL be blameless! But why would you choose sin? 

I know why. 

You would choose sin because you think it delivers.  You think God doesn’t want you to be happy like that.  You think God only gives lame gifts, but sin has much more enticing things to offer.  You think God won’t give you ice cream.  Ice cream would be too dangerous for you.  God only gives vegetables that taste nasty, but are nevertheless good for you.  If you want ice cream, you have to get it yourself.  God will have no part in that.  Satan has ice cream, but God just has sugar-free, dairy-free popsicles sticks that are good for you. 

Here’s a news flash: sin never delivers. 

The enemy is a liar. 

Dad loves you very much! 

Dad gives you anything you want (Mat 21:22, Mark 11: 24, Luke 11:9, John 14:13, 15:7, 15:16, 16:23).  Love, peace, acceptance, happiness, pleasure, power and freedom.

You are the disciple who Jesus loves!  But you won’t experience this to the fullest unless you tell your mind how free you truly are!  You can do anything in this life (good or bad) and nothing will stop Dad from holding you every minute of every day; all the while smiling at you.  It matters not what the enemy tells you, or the preacher, or your spouse, or yourself…you will always be blameless! 

So why not chase the person who actually delivers?  The guy who doesn’t give just ice cream, but a double-fudge brownie covered with ice cream topped with cherries and whipped cream…made with an ingredient that prevents stomach aches and weight gain.  Why not spend time with an amazing Dad who is madly in love with you and will give you anything you want! 

“And if all this had been too little, I would have given you even more!” (2 Samuel 12:8). 

(Dad talking to King David at the height of his reign).