The Revolutionaries

“Those who live by the sword will die by the sword.”

Your whole Christian life, from the moment of salvation to your last breath, should be a reflection, a story of God’s grace and God’s glory. When you live by the sword, and God’s word is our sword, you will die by the sword. Whether executed like Paul and Peter or dying naturally in old age like John, we will die for what we live.

We are called to a revolution, not a cultural, political crusade, but a revival of Spirit. We need to bring forth a massive repentance. One hundred eighty degrees, turning from darkness toward light. To do this we must be radical. Radix is the root; radical is back to the roots. The root of Christianity is Christ. We must go back to Christ. Not the theology of lamentation of the cross, or celebration of the empty tomb, but the theology of Christ the center must consume us. Without Christ, the cross and the tomb are merely props. We love Christ crucified and Christ risen, but always our hearts and minds and souls are for loving Christ.

The moment is now. Christ did not say, “It will be finished.” He said, “It is finished!”
God is not the I will be or the I ought to be. He is the I AM!!

And he is saying, “Choose now who you will serve. Today is the day of salvation.”

So our response is to obey, because to love Christ is to obey Christ. And he calls us to make disciples, to be witnesses, to teach the things he has commanded. The revolution is a viral movement of the Church, thriving in the margins, multiplying through the power of the Holy Spirit. It starts now. Are you in?

Satisfied by Righteousness

We are so satisfied by entertainment, by food and drink, and everything that the world has to offer us, we do not notice how unsatisfied we truly are. There is a rock in the wilderness from which water flows to the weary; there is a well with water that will make us never thirst again; there is a river of life flowing from heaven to the souls of men. Christ is that rock, he is that well, he is that river. He is mana from heaven; he is the bread of life; our food is the will of the Father.

Matthew 5 tells us to hunger and thirst for righteousness. In simple terms, that means don’t be satisfied by anything that is not righteous. What is righteousness? It is to be aligned with God’s plan, his perfect will. We cannot be aligned with God’s perfect will because we can never live up to God’s perfect law. So the Gospel, the Good News, is that we are not perfect; in fact, we are evil, unable to attain righteousness by our own merit. No matter how hard we work, no matter how much good we do, we will never measure up to God’s requirements for perfection. How is that Good News? Because we cannot gain righteousness on our own and because God loves us tremendously, He chose not to punish us for our imperfection, but rather sent Christ to take on the punishment.  1 John 2:1b-2  “We have one who speaks to the Father in our defense—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.”

So now what do we do? We’ve been on death row, and all the sudden the gates to all the cells are opened. We can either stay in the cell and receive our punishment, or we can leave the prison as free people and live a changed life. Our debt has been paid, our sentence is lifted. Is there anything more amazing than that? Yes. God is not done yet. Ephesians 3:11-12 says He has this ”eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. In [Christ] and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.”
So before, we were so bad, so unworthy we could not be in God’s presence because he just could not be around sin. And now, we are justified. We are righteous in God’s sight and we can approach him, anytime night or day, and talk to him freely and confidently. Imagine being a death row inmate, and the President sends his son to die in your place and tells you, “You are free to go. I will make sure you have your needs taken care of, and not only that, but you can come talk to me anytime you want. If you want to chat, or whatever, I am at your disposal.” That is just not real, it’s crazy. And that metaphor does not even scratch the surface. God offers so much more than that.

So we were unrighteous and condemned. Christ was perfect and blameless. He takes our sin, and gives us his perfection. We are justified in God’s sight, and have constant access to him. Now what?

We don’t stay the same, that’s for sure. This is the epitome of the cliche, “life-changing” and if you receive salvation it will change your life. Every time. You get this glimpse of holiness, a sneak peek at God’s grace, and you will say to yourself “I want that.” I promise you.

In this busy, confusing world, we always want something to do. And there are so many practical ways to use this. So many things this beautiful truth can inspire us to do. But that’s not the point right now. The point is to take a moment, and just sit down, shut up and be in awe of God. Take 5 minutes, set an alarm. And don’t say anything. Don’t have music on. Turn the phone to silent. And just meditate on God, how great he is, and what he is like. Let his glory, his love, his grace, his power, his peace, and his righteousness wash over you. Be satisfied in God.

Blogs I am Following This Year

These are a few of the blogs which I will be reading this year. Hopefully they will inspire me to write my blog(s) more consistently.


http://jamesmacdonald.com/blog/"I just hate this notion that we can be so clever and sophisticated that we can remove the offense from the gospel. It is foolishness to those who are perishing; it is the power of God to those who are being saved. It is the aroma of death to those who are perishing; it is the aroma of life to those who are being saved." 

http://www.jonacuff.com/blog/ Quitter and Stuff Christians Like


http://www.edstetzer.com Insights and statistics from a very Godly man.


http://trevinwax.com/ A blog about blogs, he does a lot of the leg work. Good interviews and book reviews.


http://donmilleris.com/ Excellent writing about the most excellent message.

Post-modernism and Christian Truth

While knowledge may be subjective, truth cannot be. Truth is defined as: the facts corresponding with reality. Reality is absolute; therefore truth is absolute; however, our knowledge of truth may not be absolute. Real Christianity ought not to say “My truth is better than your truth” but “I know the Truth, and I want the chance to introduce Him.”
"Tolerance of other views is one of the pillars of postmodernism. However, there is one group of people to whom this ‘tolerance’ is not extended... those who believe truth to be important!"
While I do value people who disagree with me, I do not believe it is right to expect that I validate a belief which contradicts my own as “another acceptable truth.” Nor do I expect them to validate my beliefs. Man, by other men, can only be held to standards he first holds himself to. But by God, man is held to God’s standards. So while truth is, in fact, relative to all things, it is not subject to human opinion. By that I mean, the claim to know truth does not necessarily mean truth is known.
I understand the cultural difficulty presented by claiming to have access to a truth which is absolute, because that means rejecting all other claims to truth as being false. But Christian principle must be built on the understanding that Christianity alone is truth, and that Christ is the one Truth and all other “truth” is idolatrous.
If “knowing” is replaced by “feeling”, idolatry is obsolete and principles are merely preferences.
There is no argument against post-modern thought which can “win” because through the lens of post-modernism, everything is acceptable as long as it does not claim to be “right”.
So, in a culture saturated by this style of thinking, how can one engage in dialogue, without losing their objective worldview? The answer is probably not simple, the idea of “love your enemies” comes to mind. Show grace and tolerance, offer hope, live in peace with people who disagree with you. It has never been the place of Christ’s followers to be the judge of anyone’s soul.
I understand the appeal of subjective reality. It removes moral consequence to whatever degree makes you comfortable.
I may be willing to change as my understanding of truth changes, but I am not willing to compromise my belief in truth as an absolute. I believe the Bible was inspired by a sovereign God who predestined the fate of all men and poured out His grace by the death and resurrection of His only son, Jesus Christ. I believe that one day all people will be judged by God, and they will be separated into those who will spend eternity in Heaven, and those who will spend eternity in Hell. The Bible is not politically correct; it actually says that it will be offensive to many.

Why I am Glad that I am Depressed

"But [Jesus] said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness."... For when I am weak, then I am strong."


"Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted."

"All things work together for the good of those who love God, and are called according to his purposes."


I take this to be truth. It is what gets me going. Because even though my human strength is gone, God is strong enough for me. And depression is that exactly, it is a season in my life when my own strength is so far gone, that I continue to breathe literally only for the grace of God. I understand it, and even though it hurts, in the moments of deep anguish, I am strong. I cannot imagine going through depression without the love of a sovereign God, and the sovereignty of a loving God. Because those are my joy, not the fleeting moments of man made happiness I strive for, and fail to gain all too often. 


The more deeply I understand the true meaning of God's grace, the more willing I am to trust Him in the darkness of this valley. God has me where He wants me and will lead me where He wants me. I do not need clarity; I need trust: hope and faith. Hope for good, and faith in good. Together they become trust that God is good. That He is planning good and doing good on my behalf.

Freedom Through Christ: The Gift and Good News of Grace

         Freedom in Christ is not freedom to sin but freedom from sin. And by that, I do not mean, when we accept Christ we will never sin again; rather, when we sin we are free from the eternal consequence of condemnation. Grace is a merciful acquittal. In Christ, there is no condemnation; and God's forgiveness will always be more that our failures.

       "Grace is not license to sin; it is license to live and love freely without fear."

Can a righteous king show grace to his undeserving servant? Can a just judge  show mercy to a criminal? God is both just and merciful. Where sin increases, grace also increases. God will forgive exponentially. Grace is the sinners' privilege; the self-righteous are deluded into believing they don't need it. All who accept forgiveness are forgiven.

"I feel like the message of grace is not that all are good, but that Christ is God's goodness for all." There are 2 major points in the Gospel. 1) Christ came for the sick. 2) Everybody is sick.

         Repentance is not a means of earning forgiveness; rather, repentance is out of acknowledgement that we have been forgiven. Jesus is proof God did not set us up for failure while expecting perfection, but rather God set us up for perfection and expected failure.
         Evil exists to create contrast for God's goodness. Like light which seems that much brighter in darkness.   If love stood unopposed, it would not really win. If there was no wrong, doing right would not be so amazing. It is when we choose, right over wrong that God is working in us.
         Getting along with sinners is good; Jesus did it, without judgment, extending grace and mercy. But let us not forget, we are all sinners.

"Even though my head knows Christ has won the war with sin and death, the battle in my heart rages on." God fought the war against sin and death which he won. Now he is asking all of us which side we want to be on. Are we for God, or against him?

         Fear of negative consequences, fear of shame, and fear of pain. These things, if we allow them, will paralyze us and stunt our spiritual growth. Comfort and familiarity are so often what we seek even as they are often at odds with God's desire for our lives.  Independence and self-righteousness are not true to God's calling for us. Rather we must depend on Him and find righteousness through Christ.

  Salvation is free; discipleship costs you everything.

         We all choose our second death; we die to our flesh and live in spirit eternally, or we live in our flesh and die spiritually for eternity.
I have not the right, ability, or desire to condemn. Only to love, forgive, and show mercy. If you are Christian, take this to heart. Live like you're already dead. There is nothing to fear. Because of God’s sovereign nature and our eternal life, we are either always in danger or never in danger. I believe it is the latter. Even though I am young, my body is falling apart. And that is alright. My flesh (human nature) died years ago. And if my heart stops, I will live on in God. Dying is the only way to live. Dead people have nothing to fear, no reason to doubt, nothing to lose and everything to gain.

        Unless you hunger for righteousness, you will loathe it. But if you do hunger for it, even the hardest parts will satisfy you.

         If God is love, and created love, doesn't that mean he defines love? If he does anything, it is out of love. We should match our love to his. I think that culture sometimes sees the gospel as Jesus saving people from God. But it isn't. It's God saving people from sin through Jesus. God claims He is love, that He is just, that He is faithful, and that He is sovereign. One thing He never claims to be is simple. God's too big to be held down by the principles of an era.

  God says, "I know what I want; I like what I want. I want somebody to praise me."

We struggle to understand Jesus' dual nature because we struggle to accept our own. The flesh and spirit are engaged in battle, separated. The duality of Jesus' nature: His spirit is God's Spirit, his flesh is of man. In the same way, our flesh is human, our spirit is of God. 

“It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.” 

“So now it is no longer I who [sin], but sin that dwells within me.”

         Love is unlimited, and economics only matter when there is scarcity. Love is not a commodity because there is more than enough for everybody.
God's character is extravagant love and abundant life. The wages of sin have been paid. Get out of the checkout line. Live a life of love. Culture tells us to withhold our love, giving it only to those who deserve it. That is powered by the false ideal that our love is limited. God's plan isn't Christ asking us to split the check. We can never earn salvation. We do good because we love God and love people. The Christianity that is about moralism or condemnation is a false religion. True Christianity is to love God and be loved by Him. Our relationship with God should be communal, personal, and intimate. Family of, friend of, and bride of Christ. God unifies all loves.

The context of "being all things to all people" is a context of love. Without love as the motive, behavior does not matter. GOD wants love.

         As Christians we tend to forget we are only bound to one law: Love. We keep adding rules and we forget to love God and each other. Love never fails. But failure is not falling; failure is not getting back up. Love is hard. We will stumble and fall. We must get back up.

When you begin to understand the magnitude of God's love shown through Christ, sacrifice becomes a reasonable act of worship.

God is a God of both justice and mercy. Truth and grace. He will give what you deserve or what you deeply need. Desire mercy, desire grace.
True love must include honest vulnerability. Despise immorality. Hold on to the things which are right as though your life depended on it.

In The Garden With God

All of nature tells of Your salvation

God, the wind whispers Your love

And Your grace rustles through the leaves

The branches dance to the music of Your joy

And the trees bow down before Your might

Your voice is in the thunderclaps

And we wait in anticipation for You to speak

Your mercy covers us like storm clouds

You inspire the flowers to beautifully bloom

You conduct the choir of the birds in their song

You are a master painter, working with the colors of the setting sun

But of all creation's wonders, You chose mankind

 To make in Your own image

And the whole world You have made

You gave to us as a gift

In the garden you have given us

You ask only for us

To walk with You

To talk with You

And to call You

Father, Friend, and Love