The Spirit of Love, Truth and Wisdom

I was reading Chapter 8 of T. Austin-Sparks' wonderful book "The Arm of the Lord" and came across this definition of the Holy Spirit:

"The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of love: no one who lives in the Spirit will have any other than the Spirit of love, will fail to observe the laws of love, will violate love."

Sparks goes on to say:

"The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth: no one who lives in and by the Spirit will be untruthful, in any sense - and untruthfulness covers not only the saying of things that are not true, but everything in the life that is not absolutely true and real and genuine and honest and transparent. The man or the woman who lives in the Spirit will be a man or a woman of truth, one who is real. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of wisdom, and those who live in the Spirit will have a Divine wisdom governing their lives."

Beautiful. Just beautiful.

May you be blessed with the Spirit of love, truth and wisdom.

Agape,

Steve

UnChristian

I've been making my way through a book I purchased recently titled, "UnChristian," by David Kinnaman and Gabe Lyons. Both authors are well respected in the Christian community. David is president of the Barna Group and Gabe is founder of the Fermi Project.

UnChristian is an indepth exploration of how people outside of Christianity think and feel about Christians today. What non-Christians see and what impression they have of Christians is obviously an important issue to the Christian community. Do people see Jesus or do they see other things?

The extensive research done by Kinnaman and The Barna Group shows that many of those outside of Christianity, especially younger adults, have little trust in the Christian faith, and esteem for the lifestyle of Christ followers is quickly fading among outsiders. Tellingly, they admit their emotional and intellectual barriers go up when they are around Christians, and they reject Jesus because they feel rejected by Christians.

Read that last sentence again. Non Christians reject Jesus because they feel rejected by Christians. Are you surprised by this finding? I am not.

As I've stated before in many previous posts on this blog, love is largely absent from Christianity today. God is love (1 John 4:8), but Christ and His love are missing from Christianity. We have a religion about Christ, but His loving Spirit is not present. That is the fundamental problem with Christianity. Perhaps Christians can't see it, but non Christians see it very clearly.

The lack of love is the telltale sign that Jesus is not in the hearts of those who call themselves Christians. Anybody that has read the Gospels knows that Jesus embraced and loved sinners while at the same time the Lord blasted the religious Pharisees. Jesus loved sinners. All sinners.

Kinnaman and Lyons quote one outsider from Mississippi that they spoke to for their study. The man said this:

"Christianity has become bloated with blind followers who would rather repeat slogans than actually feel true compassion and care. Christianity has become marketed and streamlined into a juggernaut of fearmongering that has lost its own heart."

Let's contrast this statement to one Jesus said about the Pharisees nearly 2,000 years ago:

"Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind. And if a blind man guides a blind man, both will fall into a pit" (Matthew 15:14).

Pretty striking, isn't it? Can you see the irony? Man has done precisely what Jesus intended to be undone with Judaism. Love fulfills the law, and becomes the foundation of all humanity. Thy kingdom come. But instead, man has taken something profoundly spiritual, rich in love and grace - that is, Jesus Christ - and created a religion that is devoid of the very thing it is supposed to represent.

Christianity has become the same thing Judaism was when Jesus walked the earth! A religion devoid of love.

What advice did the Lord give to those who were concerned with unloving religious leaders? Jesus said, simply:

"Let them alone."

I remember crying out loud to the Lord a while back about the state of Christianity. My heart was aching. I was depressed. I did not understand all the denominations, dissension, hatred and acute lack of love I saw in Christianity. Many of the Christian evangelists I saw on TV appeared to me as wolves in sheep's clothing.

I asked the Lord to illuminate to me how man could have created a religion in His name, and yet, be utterly devoid of Him. At a moment of desperation, when I could not stomach any more of organized religion, I simply let Christianty go.

Yesterday, as I was reading the Gospel of Matthew, I came across verse 15:14. What Jesus told His followers about religious leaders went through me like a lightening bolt:

"Let them alone."

That's exactly what the Spirit led me to do last summer. I didn't realize it at the time, but I did the same thing Jesus told his followers to do nearly 2,000 years ago.

After further reflection on Matthew 15:14, I recalled an email I sent last summer to a friend who is a pastor running a church nearby. The email had one message: "Goodbye Christianity." I was giving up on organized religion. I was going to focus all my heart and energies on Christ. I realized there was a profound difference between Christianity and Christ. My heart was with Jesus - not with Christianity.

Fast forward back to today. I am reading "UnChristian," and I see the authors discussing many of the things I have found so disturbing since being blessed with the Spirit almost five years ago. There is something profoundly wrong with Christianity.

I may have lost whatever little faith I have ever had in Christianity as an organized religion, but I have great faith - GREAT FAITH! - in Jesus. I believe in the power of His love and grace more today than I ever have in my entire life. Everyday I wake up with a burning desire to grow closer to the heart of God.

It took me a few years of praying, reading and listening, but I now understand that The Lord is building His Church. I also clearly understand that I am a living stone in His Church. I further realize that His Church bears very little resemblance to the churches we see here on Earth. Jesus' Church is built upon a foundation of love. The love I desire to carry in my heart is His never-failing love. We go to the Cross daily because that is how our hearts become filled with His perfect love.

For all those seeking to fill their hearts with God's love, there is one thing and only one thing you must do above all else. Jesus told us the answer:

"But seek first His kingdom." (Matthew 6:33)

"Seek first His kingdom," said Jesus, "...and all these things will be added to you." That is the way to the heart of God - a heart filled with the most awesome love in the universe. His kingdom is built with love and grounded in love. As Paul told the Galatians:

"The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love." (Galatians 5:6)

Somewhere along the way, Jesus' message in Matthew 6:33 and Paul's Holy-Spirit-filled message to the Galatians got lost. Men and women have gotten lost in many things that are not of Christ. They have lost The Way.

This is one of the key findings of "UnChristian". It sheds light on why millions of people are leaving their churches. People are seeking Christ outside man-made churches because they aren't finding Him in man-made churches. Makes perfect sense to me.

I know this is not the kind of news church leaders want to hear, but the truth is Jesus has His Church to build and He is going to build His Church regardless of what man thinks and does. We know the only Church that will be around in the end is His Church.

May you find the strength to seek His kingdom first.

Agape,

Steve





















I can't say I'm surprised by the results of their study.

Love Untamed

Here is a follow up blog to the one I posted earlier (see: "A Lovely Mosaic") on Erwin McManus' book "The Barbarian Way." It is a terrific read. I highly recommend picking up a copy.

Toward the end of the book Erwin says something that resonates strongly with my heart. He states (note: bold added for emphasis):

"Barbarians are entrusted with the gospel - not a message of judgment and condemnation, but good news from God to humanity. Yet the opposition and persecution came with a force that could not be expected or even imagined. Ironically Jesus was crucified not in spirit of His love, but because of it. Somehow love incited both love and hate with equal force. The mission of Christ would be so easy to embrace and carry out if love always resulted in love, but it does not. It seems the world insists that love be proved. So then those who claim love are required to endure hate's most brutal tests. Wherever the love of Christ would be spread by His disciples, they encountered rejection, persecution, suffering, and even death.

Anyone who chooses the barbarian way will learn quickly that love and sacrifice cannot be separated. This is perhaps why so many of us who know love fear love. We know that love is not the absence of pain. If anything, love is the promise of pain. No one has loved more deeply than God. Has anyone ever been more betrayed? God would not know suffering if He did not know love. But because He is Love, He chose to suffer on our behalf. Without love there is no glory in suffering.

The suffering of Christ glorifies God because it elevates love. Compelled by love, God would go where He knew suffering was certain. Love always moves to sacrifice, which is exactly where He calls us to go. If we are to be like Him, we must always risk for love. The call of God is more than a leap of faith; it is a life of faith. Even when it seems beyond our abilities, we should not be surprised when God tells us to jump."

There is much light here. I would urge you to meditate on these passages.

May your heart be filled with the love of Christ.

Agape,

Steve

The Irresisitble Kingdom

I would like to bring to your attention a new book by Chip Brogden, who runs The School of Christ. Chip's new book is titled, "The Irresistible Kingdom" and can be purchased at the link below:

http://www.theschoolofchrist.org/books/kingdom.html

You can download the Table of Contents and the opening chapter of Chip's book for free at this link:

http://www.irresistiblekingdom.com/download.html

I highly recommend ordering Chip's new book and other teaching materials.

May you see Christ as all in all.

Agape,

Steve

38,000 and counting...

I came across an astounding statistic today that speaks volumes about what is profoundly wrong with Christianity today. According to the Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, there are more than 38,000 Christian denominations in existence.

38,000 Christian denominations! My goodness! If that statistic does not break your heart, I am not sure what will. Oh, how the Lord must be saddened by this sorry state of affairs.

May you learn to stay clear of Christian denominations and see His Church - The Ekklesia - as the one true Church.

Agape,

Steve

Love and The Arm of the Lord

I just finished reading Chapter 5 of T. Austin-Sparks book "The Arm of the Lord." It may be the finest essay I have come across in my travels with the Lord. My only desire today is that all those people who desire the Arm of the Lord in their lives read the essay and meditate deeply.

I've reprinted the entire contents of Chapter 5 below. Enjoy the wonderful ride!

The Arm of the Lord
by T. Austin-Sparks

Chapter 5 - Building Upon God's Foundation

We have seen that, with chapter 54 of Isaiah's prophecies, there commences a movement of God toward recovery and rebuilding. The Cross has cleared the way for this new prospect. From chapter 54 onwards, a number of bright, hopeful notes are struck. For instance, at the beginning of chapter 60:

"Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee."

The way having been opened, the ground cleared, and the foundation laid by the Cross, the Lord is facing the whole matter of the recovery, restoration, and rebuilding of His people. There is a new prospect, a new hope, a new message of encouragement. But, with it, a new note is struck. In these later chapters of Isaiah, there are both lights and shades in this new prospect. The sun shines: "Thy light is come... the glory of the Lord is risen" - it is like the sun rising on an early summer day; and then it is as if a heavy cloud comes over the face of the sun. It may be only passing over, it may be only temporary, but you wonder whether the whole prospect is going to change; whether the bright time is passing, if that is the end.

It is just like that in these later chapters of Isaiah. The sun - the glory of the Lord - has risen; there is a bright prospect; but then, here and there, you come on darker things, such as chapter 58, beginning:

"Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and declare unto my people their transgression..."

From time to time there are these dark clouds, that seem to pass over the face of the sun, even in the presence of this new prospect; and they bring to the heart a feeling of uncertainty. Is this 'radiant morn' too soon to pass away? We are conscious of mixed feelings: we do not yet feel assured that all is going to follow through on this new prospect, to work out according to the seeming promise.

From the Lord's side, of course, there is no question: the Lord has for Himself His new ground, and He shows Himself as One who means to be positive. He is not of two minds , there is no shadow cast by His turning or changing. Everything from the Lord's side shows Him to be One who is out for something - really after a new day, a new situation. Yes: for His part, the Lord is positive.

A Check on the Arm of the Lord

But it would seem that He is having to go carefully. He wants to go right out, to have no reserves, but... but... there seems to be something that is still holding His Arm in check; He just cannot go right ahead, as He indicates He would do. The old ground has suffered a fiery purging in the Cross; all that stubble, all that tangle and network of thorns and briars, has been dealt with by the fires. He has come in and got His foundation: but... there seems still to be a question. You cannot read through these chapters without feeling: 'We are not through this business yet; we are not right out on the other side; we are not sure how it is going to work out yet.' The Lord is pretty sure; the Lord is encouraging; the Lord is saying that, as for Himself, He is not holding back for any reason from His side; but there is something that He is encountering.

Let me put it like this. The ground has been cleared, and the foundation has been laid; but now comes the question: What is going to be built upon that foundation? And that is just where the uncertainty comes in, not as to the foundation, for that is settled in the Cross - but as to the superstructure: what is going to be imposed upon the foundation? The Lord is not sure what His people are going to put upon His foundation.

So far as the Old Testament is concerned, the more immediate answer to the question as to the new building on that new ground is found in what we call the post-exilic prophets, the prophets after the Exile - Zechariah, Haggai and Malachi. We see there what the people would put upon the foundation; the new building, 'of what sort it was'. But if you should raise the objection, again, that that is 'Old Testament', let me remind you that I said in the previous chapter that the counterpart of this can be found in the New Testament, in our very own dispensation. We saw that Isaiah 53 finds its parallel in the letter to the Romans, where the Cross encounters all the rubbish and evil and tangle, deals with it in fiery judgment, and clears the ground for a new prospect. That new prospect is brought into view in chapter 8 of Romans; God has now got His foundation. But what is the counterpart of these later chapters of Isaiah?

Right and Wrong Building Illustrated in 1 Corinthians

The counterpart - so patent as you look at it - is in Paul's first letter to the Corinthians. Writing of his first arrival in Corinth, the Apostle said: "When I came unto you... I determined" - the language is: 'I deliberately made up my mind' "not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ, and Him crucified" (1 Cor. 2:1,2). The foundation has been laid: "As a wise masterbuilder I laid a foundation" (3:10), and the foundation is Christ crucified. The Cross, as Paul so clearly sets forth in his letter to the Romans, has provided the foundation; and that foundation has been laid in Corinth. But as you read on in this verse (3:10), your heart almost stands still. You hear Paul saying: "I laid a foundation; and another buildeth thereon." He shows that it is possible to build on this, either "wood, hay, stubble", or "gold, silver, costly stones"; and that every man's work is going to be tried by fire, to discover what sort it is. If any man's work is burnt up - what happens? Well, "he himself shall be saved" - he will just get in - "yet so as through fire"; he will have lost everything.

So there comes this very big question: What are you going to put upon that foundation? what are you going to superimpose upon that ground of the Cross? Are you going to bring back things that are absolutely contradictory to the Cross? If so, you see what happens.

Now in this first letter to the Corinthians there is much about building, in many connections. It is perhaps a little unfortunate that, in a number of passages in the New Testament, and consistently throughout the letters to the Corinthians, the original words for 'build' and 'building' have been rendered 'edify' and 'edification' - although the Revised Version often gives 'build' or 'build up' in the margin, and the compound verb, 'build upon', is usually - for example in 1 Corinthians 3:10-15 - translated thus. But during the 300 years since our Authorised Version was made, the word 'edify' has lost some of its force, and present-day usage might tend to give us the idea of the acquisition of head-knowledge, which of course is not Paul's meaning at all. The root meaning of the word survives in our word 'edifice', and Paul is all the time talking about spiritual building - the building up of true spiritual character.

I would suggest to you that you should follow through the nine occasions in this first letter where the words 'edify' or 'edification' are used. The whole matter of spiritual gifts, for instance, is summed up in that one word - Do they build up? If they do not, they are of no value in the purpose of God; they can be ruled out; they have missed their point - for even Divine gifts can miss the point or be side-tracked; we shall have to touch on that again. It is the spiritually constructive side of things which receives such emphasis in this first letter to the Corinthians. The foundation - Christ crucified - is laid. Now for the building!

What God Will Not Allow on His Foundation

And, when you come to the building, a real battle starts up. The question is: What is God going to allow to be put on His foundation? For right through this letter we find a long series of 'No's' - things to which God says: 'No, not that on My foundation, please; I have no place for that. You may spend your whole life on that, but it will all go up in smoke. It is not suitable to My foundation; it is not according to the Cross of the Lord Jesus.'

Now, it would take a long time to consider all the things in this letter to which God says: 'No'. We will just touch on two or three, as representative of much more. As we read the letter, with this in mind - Will God allow anything like that to be put on His foundation? - and as we see the answer, surely our reaction must be: Very well, let us have the Cross deal with that immediately. We don't want that to be held over until it is too late, and we just scramble into Heaven, without anything that we can take with us of a lifework - for that is the issue. We don't want to postpone or refuse the operation of the Cross until it is too late to save our life-work, to save the fruit of all our energies.

(1) Carnality

We begin with chapter 3: "And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, as unto babes in Christ. I fed you with milk, not with meat; for ye were not yet able to bear it: nay, not even now are ye able; for ye are yet carnal: FOR" - this is the description of carnality - "for whereas there is among you JEALOUSY..." Let us weigh it, even if it be to our own judgment and condemnation; it is better that the Cross come right in now. 'There is jealousy among you'? God says 'No' to that: 'I cannot have that on My foundation. My foundation is the Cross, and it says No to that.'

Paul continues: "There is among you jealousy AND STRIFE..." Strife! We must think this through and face it honestly. It may seem very elementary, but we are not facing the world, the unconverted, here; we are right in the Church, amongst believers; we are dealing with those amongst whom God's foundation has been laid; with those who are "called to be saints" (1 Cor. 1:2); that is, who are regarded by God as His own people. Strife? God says 'No' to that on His foundation. Is that found among us? You know what is going to happen? Sooner or later, it is going to be exposed as wood, hay and stubble - that is the value of it - and it is going up in smoke.

"Are ye not carnal, and walk after the manner of men?" You are not allowed to walk after the manner of men on God's foundation - you are just not allowed. God says 'No' to "the manner of men" on His foundation. "For when one saith, I am of... and another, I am of..." Here we must fill in the appropriate names ourselves: names that are right up to date; names right in our own circle, in our own assembly; names of our own Christian world, or historic religious names. 'One says, I am of... and another, I am of...; and yet another, I am of...' They all express human partialities, human preferences, human likes and human dislikes, which produce divisions. God says: 'No, not on My foundation; that is not My Church, not My building. I never build with material like that, and neither may you. You may have a wonderful set-up - of your own making - with stuff of that kind: but it is all going up in smoke. However much you may have seemed to have, in the end you will have nothing.'

(2) Worldly Wisdom

And how much there is here in this early section about "the wisdom of the world" (1:20) - the wisdom of man, man's mind about things. God says: 'None of that on My foundation; there is no place at all for your mind on My foundation, there is only place for the mind of the Spirit.' If we have not got the mind of the Spirit, we have no right to be doing anything on God's foundation. But after all, are not these the very things, the very troubles, that are blighting Christianity today? They are! And do not let us think of Christianity in a detached, objective way. This comes very close to home. These very things may be causing mischief, even amongst ourselves: we may be bringing on to God's foundation a mind, a mentality, which is not the mentality of the Spirit. For that is what it amounts to - a mentality. "Who among men knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of the man, which is in him? Even so the things of God none knoweth, save the Spirit of God" (2:11). These are two different mentalities, you see - the natural mind and the spiritual mind. God says: 'None of the natural mind or mentality at all on My foundation.'

Paul here calls this the 'world' coming in, and constructing something upon God's foundation; and God says: 'There is no place for the world in any form on My foundation.' If you look at it closely, you find that this searches out so much: the world's standards or judgments or values - how the world thinks, how the world does things. These Corinthians were trying to make an impression, and moreover by natural means. The Cross of Isaiah 53 is not a very 'impressive' thing, judged by worldly standards, is it? There is nothing there that would popularise the Gospel - rather does it cause offence.

(3) Soulish Appeal

Are you trying to make the work of God sucessful by an appeal to the natural man? Now, I hold no brief for ugliness or for crudeness; I believe that God is a God of beauty. But if we think we are going to make God's work successful or acceptable by display, by appeal to the soul of man - artistically, aesthetically, and so on - we are on wrong lines. Let me put it another way: the source of any 'appeal', any 'impression', any 'grip', any 'overwhelming', must lie essentially and only in spiritual values, of an inward kind, not in what captivates or gratifies the natural fancies of people. The Arm of the Lord will not be revealed to the 'natural man' or to the 'world' in any way for its good; only against it.

As we move on in this letter, we find that the Cross touches so many other things. It touches our feelings - our natural emotions, our natural passions, there is much about that here. And, as with our mentality, so also with our emotions, the Lord says: 'None of that on My foundation, none whatever.' There is so much here to which the Cross says 'No', as to building. I invite you to look at it more closely; it is not my purpose to give an exposition of the letter to the Corinthians. I want to come to the positive side.

For there is a positive side to this letter. What is it that God says may be put on His foundation? It would be very pathetic, would it not, if the letter were all negative, all: No, no! never! Take note of that, because you may recall that I said, earlier, that you can never come into God's 'Yes' until you have accepted God's 'No'. But there is a very mighty 'Yes', in this letter. What is it? Perhaps we think we know it. Well, maybe we do know it, as to the words; but I suggest that we know practically nothing of the thing itself.

Misapplied Spiritual Gifts

Let us look, then, at Chapter 13. Here the Apostle writes off everything that is not spiritually constructive. It may have been something that God gave, but it has been taken hold of by man and used for man's satisfaction, gratification, pleasure, or even glory. The mentality and emotion of the natural man have been brought to bear upon Divine things - spiritual gifts, such as tongues, and so on - and have robbed them of their value to build up, and made them just occasions for display. There has been glorying in these spiritual gifts. The Apostle here writes that all off, and says that they were never given for that; even though given of God, they amount to 'nothing' - that is the very word he uses here - when it comes to building. "If I... have not love, I am nothing." Paul dismisses these things; but notice that he is all the time reaching after the positive through the negative.

"If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am become sounding brass, or a clanging cymbal." Exeunt spiritual gifts which have failed to fulfil their purpose in building the House of God. Let us not cling to anything that does not serve that purpose.

"And if I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains..." That is quite scriptural - that is what the Lord Jesus said: "if ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove" (Matt. 17:20). That is perfectly scriptural; and yet you can be perfectly scriptural and have faith like that, and it can mean nothing. If it fails to build up the House of God, if it does not result in this scriptural structure, it becomes negative. Exit all knowledge of mysteries, and secret lore, and faith that removes mountains. 'Out you go if you do not build up! That is the value of you - nothing!' "If I have all faith... but have not love, I am nothing". With all that, I am nothing!

"And if I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and if I give my body to be burned..." If I am a philanthropist, and am most charitable, even sacrificial, in my giving; even if I am a martyr, and give my body to be burned; that can all be done without any constructive value in the building of the House of God. If I do all these things, "but have not love, it profiteth me nothing".

That, then, is the showing out of court of things - wonderful things in themselves - but which have failed to serve the purpose for which they were given, namely, 'spiritual building'.

What God Will Allow on His Foundation: Love

Now for the positive. Let us bring in that to which God says: Yes! He says 'No' to that, and to that, and to that; but now, where does His 'Yes' lie? Here it is - Love!

"Love suffereth long..." There were some who, because their rights were injured or taken from them, dragged their brethren before the magistrate, right away. "Love suffereth long, and is kind..." You may put that on the foundation; that is something constructive, is it not? "Love envieth not..." When you quietly work your way, like this, into and through every clause, do you not want to stop and say: 'Say no more - that finds me out too much'? But we must go on, for, after all, it is what God is calling for.

"Love vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up..." Go back to the beginning of chapter 8, and you will read this: "Knowledge puffeth up, but love buildeth up". There is a great deal of difference between 'puffing up' and 'building up'. 'Love is not puffed up': there is nothing false, artificial, make-believe, pretend, about love. The false thing is like a rubber balloon: you can blow it up pretty big, but you have only to put the tiniest point of a needle in it - and where is it? It is gone. Paul says it is no use putting that on God's foundation.

"Love... doth not behave itself unseemly..." Unseemly behaviour: we could spend much time on that, could we not? Is this seemly? does it become a Christian? does it become the Lord Jesus? does it become that holy House of God? does it become the Cross of the Lord Jesus? Love is seemly; it does not behave itself unseemly. "Love... seeketh not its own" - does not want its own way, does not work to its own ends; does not draw to itself; "is not provoked, taketh not account of evil; rejoiceth not in unrighteousness, but rejoiceth with the truth; beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Love never faileth..."

You may think that I am not saying very much, but I am saying a great deal. I would like to give you that passage in a translation which I think a classic:

"I may speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but if I have no love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal; I may prophesy, fathom all mysteries and secret lore, I may have such absolute faith that I can move hills from their place, but if I have no love, I count for nothing; I may distribute all I possess in charity, I may give up my body to be burnt, but if I have no love, I make nothing of it. Love is very patient, very kind. Love knows no jealousy; love makes no parade, gives itself no airs, is never rude, never selfish, never irritated, never resentful; love is never glad when others go wrong, love is gladdened by goodness, always slow to expose, always eager to believe the best, always hopeful, always patient. Love never disappears."

You may put that on the foundation, for God says Yes to all that. To whom is the Arm of the Lord revealed? To that; just to that.

There is a most pressing need that we should face this matter of what the Cross sets aside, and what the Cross brings in; what may be put on God's foundation, and what may not. It concerns every one of us quite seriously, as to what there will be at the end: not what there is now, however showy and popular, and however enjoying of man's approval and applause it may be. God is moving to build up: He shows what He cannot and will not use in His building, and then He says: 'This is what I will use; this is the material for the building of My Church. This is what really builds: "Love buildeth up".'

May the Lord smite our hearts, if need be, to enlighten us as to what the real values are. Not even spiritual gifts are the real values, unless the effect of them is real spiritual increase amongst the believers. That is the test. It is not the things themselves, not their presence, not even the fact that the Lord gave them. The test of every gift is: Does it really build the Church? does it really build the House? is it really resulting in a larger measure of Christ?

For these things may be an obstruction to Christ. This letter to the Corinthians makes it so clear that the possession of spiritual gifts is no guarantee of spiritual maturity. Here you have the most immature of the churches - Paul says: 'I have fed you with milk; you are still babes' - and yet characterized by all these gifts. It is not that the gifts are wrong, but that they have been sidetracked; they have not served the purpose for which they were given - that is, bringing to the full measure of Christ. That is the object, and that object is only achieved by love.

May the Lord give us that kind of love! This is not natural love; this love springs out of the Cross. It is the love which comes right out of the work of the Cross within us. We cannot get it by striving after it; but, as the Cross does its work in our hearts and in our natures, it will rise and grow. The Lord increase our love!

****************************

May His love fill your heart.

Agape,

Steve

Release of The Spirit

I have been asking the Lord to reveal to me the process by which people receive His Spirit. This is a fundamental issue. The Spirit transforms a religious heart into a loving heart. Perhaps the best example of this is Saul of Tarsus, the Pharisee who became St. Paul and whose letters (The Epistles) make up a large share of the New Testament.

I wrote a short summary of my spiritual regeneration back in June 2007 in my post titled, "I Am Love." As I said in my post, I was searching for God my whole life, but did not realize He is love. (1 John 4:8) God revealed Himself to me as true love. My life since then has not been the same.

My spiritual regeneration experience was different than Saul's, but the result was the same: we both had a revelation of Christ and we were both blessed by the Spirit. Unlike Saul, I did not have a lot of religious baggage to lose, but there was (and still is) plenty of work to do on the cross. Time will tell how the Spirit works through me during the rest of my time here on Earth.

The importance of having His Spirit in our hearts cannot be overemphasized. It is the Spirit who produces the fruit that fills our hearts. It is the Spirit that guides us and lights our way down the narrow path. Without the Spirit, it is impossible to walk the narrow path with Jesus. Without the Spirit, The Bible is incomprehensible. The Spirit is a precious gift, second only to God's grace in our universe.

Over the past several years, I have come across some powerful books that discuss the process by which people are blessed with the Spirit. Watchman Nee's book, 'Release of the Spirit' is full of wonderful insights.

Nee says the key to receiving the Spirit revolves around what he calls 'brokenness.' God cannot use us until we are completely broken. As Nee states in the opening chapter of his book:

"Anyone who serves God will discover sooner or later that the great hindrance he has in the Lord's work is not others, but himself. He will discover that his outward man (soul) is not in harmony with his inward man (spirit). Both tend to go toward two opposite directions for each other... The basic difficulty of a servant of God lies in the failure of his inward man to break through his outward man. Whether our works are fruitful or not depends upon whether our outward man has been broken by the Lord so that the inward man can pass through this brokenness and come forth." (bold added for emphasis)

Nee goes on to say:

"The moment our human spirit is raised from the state of death, we receive the Holy Spirit."

In other words, the moment we are completely broken, the Spirit is released. Our hearts become united - entangled - with God's loving heart. Equipped with our new faculty, our regenerated Spirit allows us to comprehend God's Word and follow Jesus. As the Lord said,

"God is Spirit, and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit." (John 4:24)

T. Austin-Sparks also has a lot to say on this important subject (by the way, you may be interested in knowing that Watchman Nee spent a good deal of time with Sparks in England). His book, 'Spiritual Sight,' is a gem. I would like to take a closer look at what Sparks has to say in his book. As we will see, it is similar to what Nee says in his book.

On page 40 of Spiritual Sight, Sparks tells us how people hinder the Spirit. Here's what he says:

'There is the big question which is always confronting us as to why is it that some leap into the light and go on, and others do not, but always lag behind, and never seem to see any more? Is it that there is a selectiveness on the part of God, a kind of elect of the elect that He has, is it that He has favourites? I do not think so.'

Here Sparks is telling us that we are all capable of receiving the Lord's light. How wonderful! Hallelujah!!! Let us continue on:

"I think a great part of the answer lies here, namely, in what God finds He has to deal with, whether people mean business with Him or not, whether He has a clear way or not, whether the ground is occupied or not already by that which is an obstruction to Him. I do not think anybody will fail to get all the light the Lord wants them to have if they really do mean business with God. The Holy Spirit knows us. He looks right deep down into our hearts and knows whether we mean business. He sees exactly what there is to hinder Him and how far He can go; for the Lord is not going to coerce anyone. If we are taken up with ourselves, occupied with ourselves, circling round ourselves, centering in ourselves, then the Holy Spirit has not a chance. We have to come to an end of ourselves. That is the trouble with so many. They have got a self-complex set up, and all the time it is a continuous going round in a circle and coming back to the same point at which they started, and it is all round themselves, and they are wearing themselves out. Before long they are going to have an awful crash that involves all that for which they are supposed to stand and represent for the Lord, and it will come down with them. The Holy Spirit has not a clear way.

We have to get out of the way, so far as this self-occupation is concerned, if we are going to move straight on, and to go on. He knows exactly where we are, whether we are tied up in them that we are not open to the Lord to consider any further light at all. We have got it all, or our people with whom we are associated have got it all, and we are a part of that! You know what I mean. The Holy Spirit cannot do much with folk who are in a position like that; and He knows. His attitude is, It is no use, I cannot do much there, they are too tied up. But, if we are prepared to put everything into the water, then the Lord can go on and get a clear way."

Here Sparks tells us that there are a few things we must do in order to receive the Lord's light. Firstly, we must be sincere in our hearts that we want God to change our lives. As Sparks puts it, we must mean business with God. In other words, there is no time for messing around with the Lord.

Secondly, we must get out of the way. We must end this preoccupation with ourselves. We must lose our self-centeredness and come to the realization that the world does not revolve around us, but instead around God. Realizing this is what brokenness is all about. Until we are broken, we cannot surrender to God's will for our lives. Our will overrides His will. Thus, the Spirit cannot move in our hearts. We can bear no fruit.

Sparks goes on to say:

"The Holy Spirit knows. He knows you and He knows me. He knows us a great deal better than we know ourselves. We may have thought that we meant business and have been praying very much a long time and crying to the Lord to do something, while the Holy Spirit knows quite well that we are not at an end of ourselves and our own interests yet. Something more has to be done to bring us to despair before He can do what He wants. But He knows: that is the point. He knew this man. He knew that He had not a great deal to do to make a start with every prospect of a clear way, and He took the opportunity presented, and He was able to act sovereignly. He did that in order to meet this need."

Here Sparks tell us that the Spirit knows our hearts intimately. The Lord cannot be fooled by our actions that on the outside seem to indicate that we mean business, when on the inside, our hearts say otherwise. God works through us from the inside out. He wants our hearts - our whole hearts. Everything must be surrendered to Him.

Everything!

I will have more to say about this important topic in the future - much more...

May the Spirit bless you and may you walk in His light.

Agape,

Steve

The Meaning of Shine

It is often the case that the Spirit moves in my heart well before I have a clear understanding in my mind what is really going on. I am sure this is the case with many other Spirit-filled hearts. The Lord gives us a revelation, and then, with great faith and trust, we come into deeper understanding of the meaning over time.

When Christine and I were working on 'Shine,' the Lord was beginning to move greatly in our hearts, and we allowed the Spirit to flow through the music. When I was inspired to write the lyrics to the title track, I knew in my heart that the concepts of 'believing' and 'shining' were important, but I had not fully grasped their meaning.

Recently, I came across a short book by T. Austin-Sparks titled, "Things of the Spirit," that illuminates the whole concept of what it means to shine. In this post, I would like to highlight certain passages from Sparks' book. I will start with the section titled "New Birth: A Lamp Re-lit." Here, Sparks says:

"This aliveness to God involves what the New Testament speaks of as 'new birth,' being born anew. But what is that? It is the re-birth of a certain faculty by which man is able to have this aliveness to God. The Word of God has this phrase: "The spirit of man is the lamp of the Lord" (Prov. 20:27). Now a lamp is a very definite and concrete object. A lamp is something in itself. It is not just something abstract. A lamp is a definite object. "The spirit of man is the lamp of the Lord." When Adam was disobedient, that lamp went out. The spirit of man was no longer the lamp of the Lord in that man. The light went out."

Don't you just love Proverbs 20:27? The spirit of man is the lamp of the Lord. When the Lord is in our hearts and we are following Him, our lamps are shining brightly. How wonderful!

Let's continue. Sparks goes on to say:

"And so right through the Bible it is assumed and declared that man by nature is in darkness, man by nature is blind, man by nature is without understanding, man by nature has not the knowledge which is life. The Lord Jesus built His whole coming and ministry upon that fact. "I am come a light into the world" (John 12:46). "(I came) into this world, that they which see not may see" (John 9:39). "This is life eternal, that they should know thee the only true God, and him whom thou didst send, even Jesus Christ" (John 17:3). It is assumed and taken for granted that man is in the dark, blind, without knowledge, and without understanding."

Here Sparks is telling us that the natural man cannot see the Lord. Until the eyes of our hearts are opened, we are spiritually blind. Sparks continues with a discussion of the deep things of God:

Now, the great passage which gathers all that into itself is the verse from which we have taken the title of this message - 1 Corinthians 2:14.

"Now the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him; and he cannot know them, because they are spiritually judged. But he that is spiritual judgeth all things."

We ought really to read the whole chapter, and I suggest to you that you read this chapter very carefully as soon as possible. What have we here? Well, in verse 10 we have this phrase: "For the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God". Now that is said in connection with what has just gone before. "Things which eye saw not, and ear heard not, and which entered not into the heart of man, whatsoever things God prepared for them that love him. But unto us God revealed them through the Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God."

Now the statement broken up is just this. There are the deep things of God. Those deep things of God are "things which no eye hath seen, no ear hath heard, things whereof no vision ever dawned on human heart, all those things which God hath made ready for those who love Him." That is how Wey puts that verse very beautifully. And the covering statement is that the natural man is shut out of all that. He just cannot know the deep things of God, for the natural eye has not seen, the natural ear has not heard, the natural heart has not conceived or perceived anything of this. All that was closed down to man when Adam disobeyed God. The natural man is utterly at a discount, entirely incapacitated, in the realm of the things of God. That is a very thorough-going, very drastic, very comprehensive statement."

Here Sparks is pointing out the difference between the natural man (Adam) and the spiritual man (Jesus). The natural man is incapable of following the Lord. Following Jesus requires becoming a spiritual man. According to Sparks, when we are blessed with the Spirit, our faculty gets renewed and this fundamentally changes the very fabric of our being. Here's what Sparks says:

"Something, then, has got to be done in man, if he is to come back into the realm where all that is open to him, where to him the deep things of God are an open book - a marvellous thing to say: where the things which eye never saw, ear never heard, heart never perceived, are all open, the heritage and the inheritance of man. Something has got to happen to change that state and make that true. But here it is! It is stated not as something that is going to be later on. This does not belong to the Hereafter, to Heaven, when we shall see. No, this is something which came in on the day of Pentecost. "God hath" - not is going to - "God hath revealed them unto us by His Spirit": 'unto us', says Paul, 'did God unveil them by His Spirit.' The lamp has been re-lit, the light has been re-born; the faculty, which is the lamp of spiritual life, light, understanding, knowledge, perception and inheritance, has been brought into new life.

That is the new birth. It is the spirit of man, which lost its power of knowing God and the things of God, brought back into life as from the dead, brought back into the light as out of darkness, brought back into knowledge as out from ignorance, brought back into sight as out from blindness. This, dear friends, is the very beginning of the Christian life. Oh, if that were entered into and apprehended, and really were true of every Christian, am I not right in saying that much of that which exists would not exist? and that is putting it very mildly. So we begin in nature with a man incapacitated in regard to God and all His things, and then, with the coming of the Holy Spirit and the work of the Holy Spirit in new birth, the incapacitated man is capacitated. He has a faculty that he never before possessed in nature; he is quickened and made alive.

Now, this whole matter, as I suggested, relates first of all, initially, to a faculty. We have got to realise this, for it is a point upon which so much hangs. It concerns a faculty, renewed, quickened and energized by the Spirit of God, for knowing the deep things of God. It is not just a matter of information from without. It is not just a matter of what you get in addresses, teachings, ministries, messages and books. You can cram yourself with information about God and the things of God, you can read it up and get all that kind of knowledge and give it out as though it were your own, and yet it is secondhand. What the Spirit of God does is to make everything original, firsthand, in us; and if it is not that, we are simply living on something objective, outside of ourselves, whether it be sermons, addresses, churches or what not. There has to be a lighted lamp within us to illuminate the things of God."

When we receive the Spirit, our lamps become re-lit. How wonderful! How marvelous! In other words, when the Spirit enters our hearts, we possess the ability to shine. This is the very beginning, says Sparks, of the Christine life. The very beginning!

That's exactly how Christine and I feel about "Shine." The whole record is about the beginning of a spiritual journey into the loving heart of God. Our lamps have been re-lit. We can walk in love. We can bear Spiritual fruit. We can SHINE!

When the Spirit moved me to write the lyrics for the title track to "Shine," here's what came out:

Receive
The kingdom
Conceive
The love to come
Born anew
Two become One
Eternal life
Forever’s begun
Surrender
It's time
Go on your way
Believe
And shine

The simplicity and beauty of a new birth comes through loud and clear in those lyrics. The truth is I could have never written these lyrics prior to being blessed with the Spirit, or if, by chance I did, I would not be able to understand their meaning.

As I know now and as Sparks explains in his book, the Spirit unlocks the door to the heart of God. When we are blessed with the Spirit, we enter His kingdom - we receive it. We cannot buy it. It is a gift from God - the most precious gift in the entire universe. Having that gift allows us to fill our hearts with His love - a never failing and eternal love. New love is born in our hearts - a kind of love that our minds cannot comprehend. It is far greater than any human love. It is the kind of love that Jesus spoke of to His disciples - the kind that allows us to love our enemies (God loves our enemies).

Once blessed with the Spirit, we become One with God ("born anew, two become One"). It is a blessed union of hearts. Here is what Sparks says:

"But we spoke of a 'vital' union with God. That is indicated in further words in this chapter from 1 Corinthians. "Who among men knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of the man, which is in him?" May I illustrate by addressing my male readers for a moment? You and I, brethren, can understand one another - up to a point at any rate! - just because we are fellow-men. We know how men think and how men feel and how men act; and if we know other men, we know what to expect from men and what not to expect from men. We are men, and there is something in us which we have in common which is a man's life, which gives us ability to understand one another.

"Even so", says the Apostle, "the things of God none knoweth, save the Spirit of God." Only the Spirit of God understands the things of God, because They have everything in common. Now the natural man does not understand God or the things of God. We know that. Even though we are Christians, how our own natural life limits our understanding of God! We have got to have some knowledge and understanding of God that we do not possess naturally, otherwise we are fogged and defeated and baffled. Only the Spirit of God understands God, because They are God in common.

Now, if the Spirit of God comes into us and begins to operate in us, we are lifted on to a higher level altogether than the 'natural man' level. The Spirit begins through this renewed faculty to make us able to understand the things of God, and that is the experience of every one to whom the Spirit reveals. It begins with a faculty in us. Oh, it is a wonderful thing, a wonderful thing, this faculty - I think the most wonderful thing in the whole Christian life, apart from the grace of God. It is a tremendous thing to have the key, the secret; in union with the Spirit of God to have a faculty in yourself for seeing through - for grasping the things of God. It is a wonderful thing to have that faculty, the greatest thing that we can possibly have. Just think of all this that is closed to the natural man - the deep things of God and all that is said about the deep things of God - and then follow on and say, "God hath revealed them unto us". And it is because He has done something in us."

Having the Spirit - this faculty that allows us to understand God - is the most wonderful thing in the whole Christian life, apart from the grace of God. As Sparks says, it is a TREMENDOUS thing to have the key, the secret - the ability to grasp the things of God.

We should all be shouting 'Amen!!!' after reading these passages. "AMEN!!!"

May the Spirit fill your heart and may your re-lit lamp shine.

Agape,

Steve

Expecting Miracles

It's Sunday morning. Like most Sunday mornings, I am engrossed in spiritual readings as classical music permeates the air around me. I treasure mornings like these. There are no distractions. It seems easy to hear the Lord. His voice comes through loud and clear, like rays of sunlight glistening through the pines after a heavy snowfall.

I had a very interesting week last week. Things at work were chaotic - extremely chaotic! I can sense changes on the horizon in my work environment, but I do not know what they will be or when they will occur. The Lord knows, of course, but He hasn't revealed His plan to me yet. I walk forward in faith expressing itself through love. That is what following Christ is all about, as Paul told the Galatians over 2,000 years ago (see: Galatians 5:6).

As my chaotic week was coming to an end on Friday, I had one more thing to do. Earlier in the week, I had scheduled a conference call with my new friend Jim, who was introduced to me recently by another friend, Andrea. She thought Jim and I would hit it off. Boy, was she right on the money! I do not know Jim very well yet, but I feel like I have known him my whole life. Jim has an amazing spirit. Love pours out of his heart. We are entangled with the Spirit.

My late afternoon conference call on Friday was arranged by Jim. He wanted to introduce me to a dear friend of his, Michael, who is a literary agent in Hollywood, California. Michael represents award-winning television/feature writers, producers and directors. There is a strike going on in Hollywood and I knew things were more hectic than usual on Michael's end so I wanted to keep our call focused on spiritual things and limit the small talk. Shortly after 3 p.m., Michael, Jim and I began speaking.

Following a brief intro by Jim, I told Michael the story of my spiritual regeneration (see my previous post, "I Am Love") which Jim had heard six weeks earlier when we first met. I gave Michael some additional background, mentioned the work Christine and I were doing with Sweetbird and mentioned some other events the Lord had orchestrated in my life. I could sense Michael was connecting with what I was saying, and I wanted to know more about his heart. I asked him a direct question:

Michael, did you have a revelation of Jesus or did you make a conscious decision to follow Him?

Michael immediately replied: "That is a interesting question."

I responded by saying I have noticed a profound difference in people that had seen Jesus through the eyes of their hearts (that is, had a revelation of Christ), versus those that were doing things for Jesus and in His name through works of the flesh. I mentioned to Michael that the former group of people were always intensely spiritual and filled with much fruit, while the latter were religious and bore little if any fruit, like the Pharisees.

Michael agreed with my description and told me that he had seen Jesus. There was no doubt in his mind. He told me that his story of spiritual regeneration was published in a book several years ago titled, "The Day I Met God." I told him I had purchased that exact book several months ago and read it with great interest. When Michael gave me a summary of the chapter, which was titled "Free Fall," I told him I recalled reading it and being moved by it.

I will leave it to readers to check out Michael's wonderful story of spiritual regeneration. We finished up our conference call and all agreed to stay in close contact. Suffice it to say that Michael, Jim and I are kindred spirits.

Shortly after our call, Michael sent me an email with a one line sentence:

"I am expecting miracles."

I smiled when I read it. The Lord is moving greatly in our lives. We are far more powerful collectively than as individuals. As the Lord said:

"For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them."
(Matthew 18:20)

The Lord is making connections that will serve His purpose. Hollywood is about as far from Christ as you can get. Michael has a tall order, but He has great faith in the Lord.

I often think of Hollywood as a modern day version of Corinth - the place where the Spirit moved Paul to write the best definition of love that has ever been written - 1 Corinthians 13 - the Scripture that spoke directly to my heart on December 7, 2002 when the song "I Am Love" was born and I was blessed with the Spirit.

Michael, Jim and I know that it would take nothing short of a miracle to have a place like Hollywood become transformed through the love of Jesus. America and the world would change in a heartbeat. Love would cast out fear. Light would replace darkness.

A week of chaos at work ended on a note of love and light. As I shut the lights off in my office to head home, I closed my eyes and gave thanks to the Lord for introducing me to Jim and Michael. I have no idea what lies ahead, but I have great faith and trust in the Lord. Like Michael, I am expecting miracles.

May you have great faith and trust in the Lord.

Agape,

Steve

Our Great Life

I mentioned a while back in a blog that Christine and I were gearing up to go back in the studio and record new music for a project we are calling "The Great Life." We still have a good deal of work ahead of us to finish composing the new music, but the project is shaping up to be Sweetbird's most adventurous yet from a spiritual perspective. The Lord is moving greatly in our hearts, as the music on "The Great Life" will hopefully testify.

In the spirit of the next Sweetbird record, I reprint below a short essay by T. Austin-Sparks that captures the essence of "The Great Life." Please meditate on what Sparks' has to say in his essay. There is much light!


Christ Our Life
by T. Austin-Sparks

One of the main objects of the Holy Spirit is to get believers really identified with Christ as the risen and exalted Lord, and to make His risen life real in their experience. As the age moves toward its consummation - the manifestation of Christ - two features will become increasingly evident. On the one hand things, men, movements, institutions, organizations, etc., will predominate and draw multitudes after them, and will attach the crowds to themselves. On the other hand, with a growing disappointment and disillusionment over these, a minority will turn to the Lord Himself to find Him alone as their life.

Three elements will inhere in all this. One is the unmistakable development of the principle of Anti-christ; that which will definitely supplant Christ, or intend to do so. The second is the alternative to the whole Christ in man-made Christianity, an imitation life born and carried on by its own momentum. The third, a deep and genuine quest for reality, truth, and inward knowledge of the Lord Himself. In the first case it will be naked worship of man in human power: a tremendous overflow of humanism, the wonder and glory of man. The third will be Christ altogether as the life.

If the Christian is attached to some thing, such as a teaching, a tradition, an institution, a movement, or person, the end will certainly be a limitation of life and eventually confusion and disappointment, perhaps worse. The New Testament makes it unmistakably clear and emphatic that the destiny of all is to be "Christ all and in all." We must learn that a true work of the Spirit of God is to attach everything to Christ Himself. He, Christ, must be the life of our spirit, the "inner man," so that we are strong in the Lord: not in ourselves, nor in others, nor in things. We shall have to survive adversity by His strength within alone.

Christ will have to be the life of our mind. Perplexity will find us without the power to explain and understand, but the Spirit will teach and lead. Christ will need to be life for our bodies. There is such a thing as Divine life for the physical body. Not always does the Lord choose to heal the body, but He does always want to be its life, even in suffering, to fulfill His purpose.

It is the Lord Himself, and for this to be so, it often has to be against a background of natural inability. The power of His resurrection is the law of union with Christ from beginning to end. Days of terrific pressure are upon the Lord’s people. Their enemy is taking very little off-time. The only sufficiency is in the Lord Himself as our life.

Barnabas exhorted the believers at the beginning that "with purpose of heart they should cleave unto the Lord" (Acts 11:23). There is an utterness about this that will be pressed upon us until the time "when Christ who is our life, shall be manifested."

*********************

May Christ be your life.

Agape,

Steve

A Lovely Mosaic

I have been reading a book by Erwin Raphael McManus titled, 'The Barbarian Way.' Erwin is the founder of Mosaic and the author of several books, including one of my favorites, 'Soul Cravings.'

Erwin's 'The Barbarian Way' is filled with material that resonates strongly with my heart. I want to highlight a few passages below that I found to be filled with much light. Here's a gem that begins on page 5 (please note I added bold for emphasis):

"The invitation of Jesus is a revolutionary call to fight for the heart of humanity. We are called to an unconventional war using only the weapons of faith, hope and love… Strangely enough, though, some who come to Jesus Christ seem to immediately and fully embrace this barbarian way. They live their lives with every step moving forward and with every fiber of their being fighting for the heart of their King. Jesus Christ has become the all-consuming passion of their lives. They are not about religion or position. They have little patience for institutions or bureaucracies. Their lack of respect for tradition or ritual makes them seem uncivilized to those who love religion. When asked if they are Christians, their answer might surprisingly be no, they are passionate followers of Jesus Christ. They see Christianity as a world religion, in many ways no different from any other religious system. Whether Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, or Christianity, they're not about religion; they're about advancing the revolution Jesus started two thousand years ago."

That may be the best description of my heart I have ever come across. I am sure it resonates strongly with other Spirit-filled hearts. But there is more to this wonderful description of the heart of God. Erwin goes on to say on page 13-14:

"If I know nothing else about you, if you are a follower of Jesus Christ, I know this without question: there is within you a raw and untamed faith waiting to be unleashed. When we come to the living God, He consumes who we are and gives us life that is fueled by His presence. You have been recreated to live in a raw and primal spirituality. Jesus came to ignite a fire within you that would consume you and ignite you. Jesus the King came to fight for your heart. If He has won your heart, then to follow your heart will always lead you to follow the heart of God. He will always lead you to advance forward behind enemy lines to win the hearts of those who do not yet know Him or love Him."

Consumed by the heart of God! Could there be anything greater than this in the universe? But there is a very big and pressing problem, and Erwin identifies it on page 17. He says, rightfully so:

"Jesus is being lost in a religion bearing His name. People are being lost because they cannot reconcile Jesus' association with Christianity. Christianity has become docile, domesticated, civilized. We have forgotten that there is a kingdom of darkness stealing the hopes and dreams and souls of a humanity without God."

Jesus - lost in a religion bearing His name. Could there be anything more heartbreaking than this?

I look forward to finishing Erwin's book and hope to be blogging more on it in the days ahead.

May the eyes of your heart be opened to see Christ and all in all.

Agape,

Steve

What's Wrong With The Church?

I spent last night listening to Chip Brogden's recently released teaching series titled: What's Wrong With The Church? A Word of Explanation, Warning and Hope. Chip is the founder of The School of Christ, an organization he and his wife started that are doing great things to illuminate Christ and the Kingdom.

Chip's new teaching series is one of the best he has ever done in my humble opinion. He tackles a very difficult subject in a clear and precise manner. It is a heart-felt message that every Christian should hear, although I suspect there will be quite a few people that will find it difficult to digest. After you finish listening to the teaching series, you'll understand why Christianity is in the shape it is in today. Suffice it to say, it is not a pretty picture.

If you are curious about the state of Christianity - perhaps you've just left your church or you have been blessed with the Spirit and are bewildered by all the darkness you see in organized religion - I highly recommend picking up a copy of Chip's new CD.

"What's Wrong With The Church" may well be one of the best investments you'll make this year.

Here's the link to purchase the 2-CD teaching series:

http://www.watchman.net/audio/cds130.html

May you see Christ as the only reality and may your heart be filled with His never-failing love.

Agape,

Steve

The Only Reality

I was reading a short essay by T. Austin-Sparks this morning and was taken aback by its simplicity and power. I was blown away! After I finished the article, I thought to myself: How many people that call themselves "Christians" would truly understand what Sparks is saying?

Later in the afternoon, I had the opportunity to discuss the essay with Christine. Before I got going on the article, Christine mentioned that on her way to work today, she kept thinking to herself: "Christ is the only reality." Christine is in the process of renewing her nous (i.e., her mind). She is making huge strides with the Lord, and today was further evidence of this fact.

As it turns out, the title of Sparks' essay I had read this morning was: "The Only Reality." It was on the same topic that Christine had been thinking about this morning! A coincidence? I think not. It is the Spirit moving. I just love how the Spirit moves.

In recognition that the Spirit is moving in our hearts, I have reprinted Sparks' essay in its entirety below. I would encourage readers to meditate on his powerful message.

The Only Reality
by T. Austin-Sparks

Among the many designations given to responsible servants of God in the Bible is that of 'Watchman'. The function of the Watchman is so well understood that the time need not be taken to describe it. In a word, it is to be aware of both movements and their portents, and to make these known for the well-being of those for whom he has a responsibility. This was one of the functions of the Old Testament Prophets, and this aspect of prophetic ministry is implicit in the anointing of all servants of God at all times.

But this particular aspect has meant, and will always mean, that the Watchman lives before the time when that which he sees will eventuate or materialise. The New Testament Apostles were of this kind. They truly lived for their own hour and day, but they lived even more for a day to come. As Watchmen they saw the trend and significance of certain 'signs' or portents, and in this respect they lived before their time, and were only vindicated long after their departure from this earth.

We make no claim to prophetic foresight or Apostolic prevision or inspiration, but there are at the present time certain signs and indications, the significance of which, for various reasons, may not be immediately recognised; and it could be that the declaration of their meaning, as by a faithful watchman, might mean the difference between salvation and disaster for multitudes of people.

If there is one thing upon which the Bible is clear and emphatic, it is that, in all His sovereign government, God works toward reality at the end. The end of every phase of the progressive purpose of God has been marked by a sifting, challenging, and testing of things as to their reality.

This can easily be seen as the eye is cast over the various stages of the Old Testament. It is manifest again in the crisis of Christ's first advent, which, in the first instance, was a consummation of the whole Old Testament dispensation, and His judgment of that is found most pronouncedly on the very face of His life on earth. The test was that of reality, and in the balances of reality that whole system, as represented by its official class, was found so wanting as to be 'cast into the fire and burned'. The end of the New Testament sees an exact and final repetition of this judgment, this time beginning with Christianity - if you like, with the Church.

Thus, the 'eyes which are as a flame of fire' are looking for reality. They pierce through many things.

In the first place, they pierce through traditional and formal religion or 'Christianity'. Their interrogation is - Is your religion a matter of attachment or adherence to a system, a historical tradition, a family inheritance; and so on? Or is it born - is it a birth in you; is it something that has happened to you; is it your very life, your very being?

Secondly - and I concentrate more especially upon this for the moment - they pierce through temperament and disposition. They demand to know whether the reason why you are where you are, are concerned for what you are concerned for, are connected with what you are connected with, and are disposed as you are, is because your particular temperament leans that way. You are artistic and mystical in your tastes and constitution: therefore you choose or make your religion after your own image. Your temperament is melancholic, and so the more abstract, profound, serious, intense, introspective, and speculative, appeals to you and finds a natural response in you. You make God, Christianity, Christ, the Bible, after your image.

Or again, you are of the practical temperament. To you everything is only of value as it is 'practical'. You have no patience with these contemplative people. You are irritated by the 'Marys', for 'many dishes' are your concern. To you, how the end is reached is of much less importance than the end itself. You are not bothered much with imagination, and you would put all the value on things done - how much there is actually to show for your day. Your God and your Christianity are entirely, or almost entirely, of the practical kind, after your own image. And so we could go on with all the other temperaments.

But this will not do, for Christ is not any one of these; He is different. He may combine the good in all, but that does not wholly mean Divine nature. He is different. All this is the human soul, but the essential nature of Christ and true Christianity is of the Divine Spirit - it is heavenly! If new birth means anything, it means this, that another nature and disposition is born into the believer, so that he or she is 'carried whither they (naturally) would not'. In the hands of the Holy Spirit one thing becomes increasingly clear: it is that our temperaments or dispositions cannot carry us through the terrific testings and adversities which come peculiarly to Christians; and that another life, power, grace, is absolutely essential to our survival. The greatest, strongest, and most richly endowed servants of God have ever found this to be true.

Reality, with God, is more than sincerity, earnestness, devoutness. It is not our reaction to God at all. There could be no greater mistake, no more serious misdirection, no more mischievous counsel than to advise people to select the church association which best suits their temperament.

Christ and man (naturally) belong to two orders, and there is no passing from the one to the other by 'selection', or choice, or preference. And certainly not by natural affinity, for there is no such thing! With God, Christ is the only Reality, and that is not temperamental, mystical, not a matter of plain or ornate, ritualistic and ceremonial, or bare and simple. Christ, revealed by the Holy Spirit in the heart, as by a Divine fiat, corresponding to the "let there be light" of creation, is the only Reality!

For the present my space is gone. But I return to the governing issue. The end will be marked by an intensifying sifting, testing, fiery ordeal to find out what is real - that is, what is truly Christ - and to expose what are the artificial accretions and appendages of Christianity. This ultimate "judgment" has commenced and is verily moving over the earth. May there be found a maximum of "gold", "silver", "precious stones", and a minimum of "wood", "hay", "stubble".

********************

May you see Him as Reality.

Agape,

Steve

Put on Love

I had a conversation this morning with a loved-one about how to deal with a broken personal relationship. Feelings were hurt and I sensed a broken heart. What should she do now? What course of action should she take?

I closed my eyes for a moment, I searched my heart for the right words, and gently said: I would do what Jesus would do. I would take the high road. I would love with all my heart. If you did anything wrong, ask for forgiveness. Let your loving heart shine in the darkness.

As I finished the conversation and walked into my office, I asked the Lord to provide me with guidance on whether my counsel was wise. The Spirit led me to Colassians, Chapter 3, where I read:

"Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful." (Colossians 3:12-15)

There are many lovely passages in the Bible, but Colassians 3:12-15 has to rank as one of the greatest of all. Can you imagine a world where hearts followed the Spirit in this manner? It would be heavenly.

May you put on love and may the peace of Christ rule in your hearts.

Agape,

Steve

The Changed Life

I was reading Oswald Chambers "My Utmost for His Highest" and thought today's message was very illuminating. See for yourself:

If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. (2 Corinthians 5:17)

"What understanding do you have of the salvation of your soul? The work of salvation means that in your real life things are dramatically changed. You no longer look at things in the same way. Your desires are new and the old things have lost their power to attract you. One of the tests for determining if the work of salvation in your life is genuine is - has God changed the things that really matter to you? If you still yearn for the old things, it is absurd to talk about being born from above - you are deceiving yourself. If you are born again, the Spirit of God makes the change very evident in your real life and thought. And when a crisis comes, you are the most amazed person on earth at the wonderful difference there is in you. There is no possibility of imagining that you did it. It is this complete and amazing change that is the very evidence that you are saved.

What difference has my salvation and sanctification made? For instance, can I stand in the light of 1 Corinthians 13 , or do I squirm and evade the issue? True salvation, worked out in me by the Holy Spirit, frees me completely. And as long as I "walk in the light as He is in the light" ( 1 John 1:7 ), God sees nothing to rebuke because His life is working itself into every detailed part of my being, not on the conscious level, but even deeper than my consciousness."

May you stand with great faith in the light of His never-failing and ever-lasting love.

Agape,

Steve

Resources for the Spirit

I was thinking about all of the wonderful people that Lord has brought me into contact with over the past several years and how blessed I am for these gifts. Among the gifts I have received in addition to the Holy Spirit (see my blog, "I Am Love" for more on my spiritual rebirth) are some illuminating writings that have helped me better understand and comprehend Jesus and His loving heart.

I wanted to share a few of these resources with you today. Please note that each item below is hyperlinked to make it easier to find out more about them. My hope is that you find these resources as helpful as I have over the years.

Before I present my list of helpful resources, please note that there is no greater source of Christ than the Bible and the Holy Spirit. Jesus referred to the Spirit as the "Helper" (John 4). Here's what Jesus said:

"I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you." (John 4:16-17)

The Helper is the "Spirit of truth." There is no greater Spirit in the universe. Let His Spirit guide you, always. He will never lie to you. You have His Word.

With that little preface, here is my list of helpful resources for your love walk:

- BibleGateway.com: This is a free online Bible that includes most translations (my favorite is the New King James version, but I enjoy looking at all the translations).

- T. Austin Sparks: TAS's writings are without peer in my humble opinion. At his request, they have been made freely available to anybody on the planet. There is a lifetime of reading here. You can order the complete TAS library for free from the Emmanuel Church (please consider sending an offering from your heart in memory of TAS).

- Living Stream Ministry: Watchman Nee's books and articles can be found at this website. Like TAS, he sheds much light on many important spiritual subjects.

- The School of Christ: Run by Chip Brogden, The School of Christ is a great resource for all things spiritual. I would encourage you to spend much time at Chip's website. His articles are superb (and made freely available) and his recorded teachings and instruction material are wonderful.

- My Utmost for His Highest: Oswald Chambers inspirational writings go great with a cup of coffee or tea in the morning.

For the women who are reading this blog, Christine has found Joyce Meyer to be helpful in her love walk. Joyce has a popular TV program and has a large volume of teachings and instructional material. I have observed that Joyce resonates with women who have been abused (whether physically or mentally) and are longing to be healed by the Lord's loving Spirit. I have also noticed that women are often considered second-class citizens in organized Christianity, and many (religious) men seem to disapprove of women in ministry. However, Spirit-filled hearts know the Lord loves women as much as men and the Holy Spirit does not discriminate between men and women. Interestingly, the Scriptures tell us that Mary Magdalene was the first disciple Jesus visited after His resurrection (John 20:18). How lovely!

Christianity is Christ in our hearts, and the Lord has created all of us to possess hearts capable of being filled with His love (1 Corinthians 13) and His Spiritual fruit (Galatians 5:22-23).

I hope these resources are useful to you.

May you see Christ as all in all.

Agape,

Steve

All Things in Him

Since my spiritual regeneration in late 2002, I have been asking the Lord to illuminate the truth about Christianity. I openly confess that I do not understand all the different labels Christians use to describe themselves. What good are they? What purpose do they serve? I find this thing called 'Christianity' very confusing.

There have been several Christians I have met over the years that have told me that I need to be doing all sorts of things to fulfill my role as a Christian. While I hear and respect what they are saying, my heart tells me otherwise. The truth is, all I can see is Jesus and His loving heart. I trust the Spirit to guide me and show me the way.

Today, I came across an essay by T. Austin-Sparks titled 'All Things in Christ.' Sparks addresses head on some of the questions I have been pondering over the past several years. In this blog, I would like to take a closer look at what Sparks has to say (please note that I have bolded certain parts for added emphasis.)

All Things in Christ
by T. Austin-Sparks

We take the Epistles and we think of them as having to do within the building of the Church and the churches, the superstructure of Christianity, and so we take the technique of the Acts and the Epistles as a technique, as a system of doctrine and a system of practice, a system of Christian order, and the Epistles become - and have become for so many and for Christianity in general - a crystallized system of practice, order, form, teaching; and the weakness in the whole position is just this, that that is something as in itself and the Lord Jesus has just been missed and lost.

Sparks opens his essay with a strong message - that man has taken Jesus and created another religion (i.e., a system of practice, order, form and teaching). In the process of doing this, we have lost Jesus. It is a heartbreaking message, but one that is still true today. Let's look at the next several passages:

I wonder if you detect what I mean by that? You see, the Holy Spirit's way is to take Christ and open up Christ, to the heart, and show that Christ is a heavenly order; not that the Epistles set forth as a manual a heavenly order, but that Christ is that order, and everything in the matter of order has to be kept immediately in relation to the living Person. If it becomes some thing, then it becomes an earthly system; and you can make out of the Epistles a hundred different earthly systems all built upon the Epistles. They will support any number of different systems, different interpretations, represented by Christian orders here, and the reason is that they have been divorced from the Person.

Sparks tells us that we are guided by the Spirit through our hearts and that everything is in relation to a living Person - that is, Jesus. What man has created with Christianity is a thing with a number of different systems, interpretations, but these things in reality are divorced from Christ. These are strong statments with much truth. Let's keep reading:

You see, beloved, there are numerous things, numerous subjects, themes, teachings. There is 'the kingdom of God,' there is 'sanctification,' there is 'eternal life,' there is 'the victorious life,' 'the overcomer' or 'the overcoming life,' there is 'the second coming of Christ.' These are but a few subjects, themes, truths, as they are called, which have been taken up and developed out of the Scriptures and become things with which people have become very much occupied, and in which they are very interested as things.

So certain people hive off around a sanctification teaching, and they are the sanctificationists, and it becomes an 'ism.' Others hive off; and they are bounded by the hedge of Second Adventism, the Lord's coming, prophecy, and all that. So you get groups like that. I want to say that would be utterly impossible if the Person of the Lord Jesus was dominant.

Sparks is saying that people have taken things out of the Bible and focused on them, and in the process of doing this, they have lost focus of Jesus. Let's continue on with the essay:

What is the kingdom of God? It is Christ. If you get right inside of the Gospels, you will find that the kingdom of God is Jesus Christ. If you are living in Christ, you are in the kingdom, and you know, as the Holy Spirit teaches you Christ, what the kingdom is in every detail. The kingdom is not some thing, in the first place. The kingdom, when it becomes something universal, will simply be the expression and manifestation of Christ. That is all. You come to the kingdom in and through Christ; and the same is true of everything else.

What is sanctification? It is not a doctrine. It is not an 'it' at all. It is Christ. He is made unto us sanctification (1 Cor. 1:30). If you are in Christ and if the Holy Spirit is teaching you Christ, then you are knowing all about sanctification; and if He is not, you may have a theory and doctrine of sanctification but it will separate you from other Christians, and will be bringing any number of Christians into difficulties. Probably the teaching of sanctification as a thing has brought more Christians into difficulty than any other particular doctrine, through making it a thing, instead of keeping Christ as our sanctification.

Here Sparks is saying that focusing on things such as sanctification as a doctrine is the cause of much difficulty among Christians. Christ is our sanctification. It is something we possess through our relationship with Him. He goes on to say:

I am only saying this to try to explain... that it is in the School of Christ that we are to be found, where the Holy Spirit is not teaching us things; not Church doctrine, not sanctification, not adventism, not any thing or any number of things, but teaching us Christ. What is adventism? What is the coming of the Lord? Well, it is the coming of the Lord. And what is the coming of the Lord? Well, such a word as this will give us the key: He shall come to be glorified in His saints, and to be marveled at in all them that believed (2 Thess. 1:10).

You see, it is the consummation of something that has been going on in an inward way. How then do I best know that the coming of the Lord draws nigh? Not best of all by prophetical signs, but by what is going on within the hearts of the Lord' s people. That is the best sign of the times, namely, what the Spirit of God is doing in the people of God. But you are not interested in that. You would far sooner know what is going to happen between Germany and Russia, whether these two, after all, are going to make it up and become a great confederacy! How far does it get us? Where has all the talking about the revived Roman Empire got us? That is adventism as a thing.

Sparks notes in these passages that people are not interested in the one thing the Lord is interested in, and that is: What is going on in our hearts? That is the crux of the matter. Are our hearts connected to His heart? As Sparks has observed elsewhere, Christianity is Christ in our hearts. Apparently, this is not enough for many Christians. They need more things, as Sparks points out from a discussion of one of his trips to to the United States:

If only we keep close to Him Who is the sum of all truth, and move with Him and learn Him, we shall know the course of things. We shall know what is imminent. We shall have in our heart whisperings of preparation. The best Advent preparation is to know the Lord. I am not saying that there is nothing in prophecy; don't misunderstand me. But I do know that there are multitudes of people who are simply engrossed in prophecy as a thing whose spiritual life counts for nothing, who really have no deep inward walk with the Lord.

We have seen it so often. I shall never forget, on a visit to the United States, going into one of the big cities where I was to speak for a week. Everything was so arranged that my first message was timed to follow the last message of a man who had had a week before me, and he had been on prophecy for the whole week. I went into the last meeting where he gave his final message on the signs of the time. Notebooks were out, and they were taking it all down, fascinated. It was all external, all objective; such things as the Roman Empire revived and Palestine recovered. You know the sort of thing.

Then he finished and they were waiting for some more, and the notebooks were ready. The Lord put it right into my heart that the first word was to be, 'And every one that hath this hope set on Him purifieth himself, even as He is pure' (1 John 3:3); to speak on the spiritual effect of that spiritual hope. They were not interested in that. The notebooks were closed, pencils put away; there was no interest as I sought in the Lord to be very faithful as to what all this should mean in an inward way, in adjustment to the Lord, and so on. They were only longing for the meeting to close. When I finished - they hardly waited for me to finish - they were up and out.

Here we hear about Sparks giving a spiritual talk to Christians in America and being rejected. Sparks tried to touch hearts through the Spirit, but he couldn't reach any. How sad!

Can you see, beloved, the problems with Christianity? From what I can tell, things haven't changed much since the time Sparks was writing and speaking. We have many things today - more things than ever - but the thing we need above all else, the one thing that is required above all, is missing: Christ. That's what my heart has been telling me. Sparks' essay hits the proverbial nail right on the head.

May you see Christ as all in all and may He reign supreme in your heart.

Agape,

Steve