Sin consciousness, Works righteousness- The devil's playground!

Though most of us do not equate our state of mind in terms of work or rest, it is most certainly the case. If the mind is in a state of unrest, it is actually working overtime; which in turn affects our entire being. Ultimately determining such factors as to whether or not we live in gratitude, possess clarity of mind, or experience true peace. The minute we start to work at our freedom by observing the law, we become conscious of sin; and the minute we become conscious of sin, we become slaves to sin. The mind subconsciously working over time to eradicate that which is impossible; which of course is the indwelling sin of the flesh.

My friends, it is our Father's most sincere desire that we be free of the sin conscience; knowing that we have been cleansed and purified by the blood of the lamb should clear our conscience that we may boldly approach God unhindered by the accusation of sin; which in turn frees us to worship Him with a spirit of gratitude born of love. Phil. 4:6-7 states: Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and mind through Christ Jesus.

Heb. 10:1-4: For the law, having a shadow of the good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with these same sacrifices, which they offer continually year by year, make those who approach perfect. For then would they not have ceased to be offered? For the worshipers, once purified, would have had no more consciousness of sins. But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins.

Heb. 10:11-14: And every priest stands ministering daily and offering repeatedly the same sacrifices which could never take away sins. But this man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God, from that time waiting til His enemies are made His footstool. For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are sanctified.

Heb. 10:17-18: Then He adds, there sins and lawless deeds I will remember no more. Now where there is remission of these, there is no longer an offering for sin.

Heb 10: 22-23: Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.

May God richly bless you in the abundance of His gracious rest!!

Commentary by:

G. L. Miller

The veil!

Yesterday while listening to my wife talk to my daughter about the finished work of Christ, I couldn't help but realize that my daughter had no conception of the new covenant. Sure she danced around it, but the nature of her rhetorical questions were in direct conflict with the covenant itself; ultimately turning the conversation into a debate which from my daughters point actually refuted the finished work of Christ. Talk about frustrating.

Rather than sharing the sweet aroma of unity in the spirit regarding the precious gift of salvation; my wife and daughter spent most of there time arguing about whether or not it is finished. My wife adamantly trying to remove the veil over my daughters heart; my daughter, on the other hand, hopelessly entrenched by legalistic indoctrination.

My daughter has spent eight years in a well known and largely excepted international church; a church which advertises itself by citing the infallibility of it's teaching credentials by claiming to teach the bible line upon line, precept upon precept. Yet after 8 years, my daughter cannot explain even the simplest essential truths surrounding the New Covenant; let alone  having internalized what it actually means. To make matters worse, her husband is a corporate man seeking position in a corporate religion, so as a result we do not speak. Therefore, my daughter and I rarely speak.

I realize this whole affair is in the hands of the Master, so I am not writing this to complain, or even to seek answers. I am simply writing to share and to educate. To remind everyone that we are ministers of the New Covenant, that we must stay the course. II Cor. 3:4-6 states: And we have such trust through Christ toward God. Not that we are sufficient of ourselves, to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God, who also made us sufficient as ministers of the New Covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

Subsequent reading: II Cor. 3:7-18 Pay close attention to verse 7; and note the ministry of death. Also note verse 15, but even to this day when Moses is read, a veil lies on their heart.

Commentary by:

G.L.Miller

What is the definition of a Judaizer?

There seems to be an underlying belief system in the modern church that says, ‘In order to be considered a Judaizer, one must literally be teaching the circumcision of the flesh as a requirement for salvation.’ However, nothing could be further from the truth.

The fact of the matter is this, the moment we give our lives to Christ, we have instantly and inwardly been converted by the sacrifice of Christ; and have entered a new relationship with God based on a new and better covenant. This covenant is founded solely on the grace and mercies of God, and is unconditional. It is established and kept literally by the will of God apart from the requirements of the law; which He Himself fulfilled in Christ on man’s behalf. It is God who established this covenant, and it is God who will keep it.

In short, to be considered a Judaizer, would be to teach anything outside of this reality. To co-mingle the issue of law and grace, or to mix the old and new covenants would be considered a form of Judaism, or to Judaize. A primary example of this can be found in the misuse of 1 John 1:9, which has been widely misinterpreted in many christian circles for years; and misquoted, and misdirected towards the Christians need to confess for the ongoing forgiveness of sin; which of course the bible does not support, and in fact outright refutes. The book of Hebrews is very explicit regarding this matter. For further study on this subject, see Hebrews chapters 8-10. Note especially Hebrews 8:6-13, 9:11-28, and 10:1-23.

The problem with teaching 1 John 1:9 in it’s traditional fashion is that it brings the believer directly under the old covenant by inciting the same mentality experienced by the nation of Israel in the days of atonement. Which in turn drags the believer, be it ever so subtly, right back under the curse of the law. This is Judaism at its best, and these are the teachings of the modern day Judaizer.

Authors note: It is not my ambition to attack any one person or persons, or for that matter any particular denomination. I am simply exposing an erroneous assumption surrounding the definition of the word Judaizer. Hebrews 10:29 states: ‘Of how much worse punishment do you suppose will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant, by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the spirit of grace?’ Folks, there is no forgiveness left to be had! Why must we continue to count the blood of the covenant, (Christ’s blood), as a common thing, like the blood of a bull or a goat. Why can’t the Christian world just agree with God and admit that it is finished?

Commentary by:

G. L. Miller

The beautiful revelation of grace - Through what lens are we interpreting scripture?

Ok let’s get right to the point; if we are established in God’s grace, we will see Him clearly. If we are established in the law, we will not. The same holds true in regards to the way we interpret God’s word; or the way we respond to the living word, which of course is Jesus Christ Himself. If we are not established in the grace of God, we will have poor revelation on all fronts and will ultimately misinterpret both the author and His word.

Revelation given through the empowering and ever moving grace of God, verses revelation received under law is as contrary as night and day. Because while the law remains stringent, unmovable, and condemning; the grace of God moves to wrestle the leaves of humanity, and irresistibly bring life to the soul.

To illustrate this point, I am going to use a passage we should all know well. I am going to quote this verse from the old King James because I feel it is a better translation than the new regarding this particular verse.

II Timothy 2:15 – “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed rightly dividing the word of truth.”

Unfortunately for years, I had misinterpreted this scripture to mean that I was to study the word of God in order to gain His approval; in that I would not be ashamed in His presence for my lack of knowledge regarding His word; in other words, that my theology would be straight, and as a result, I would be well pleasing in His sight.

Of course I know now that this is not what this scripture means. That it’s correct interpretation is exactly the opposite; that what it in fact means is this: That we study the word of God in order that it may accomplish what it was designed to do; which of course is to lead us into a personal relationship through divine encounter with the person of Jesus Christ. That we may come to know and understand what great love He bestowed upon us through the sufficient finality of what God provided man via the precious gift of salvation. That we would understand with clarity the life, death, burial, and resurrection of Christ, and in that, come to know God Himself. To know that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ. That we are established in His loving grace and realize beyond a shadow of doubt that we are the righteousness of God in Him. That we have been perfected forever; that we are without spot or blemish and beyond accusation in His sight; that it is finished. That we have been saved completely to the utmost; and as a result, there is nothing to be ashamed of, either in our lives or in the proclamation of His word.

In short, this verse is not a call to be bible answer man; it’s a call to know the living God, and what He accomplished on our behalf. To understand that we have already been approved; that we may walk in that approval, and live victoriously in Him.

Authors note: II Timothy 2:15 – The New King James instructs the believer to be diligent at presenting him or herself approved to God, while the old King James simply states – study to show thyself approved unto God. Obviously upon close examination, there is a big difference between these two interpretations. The translation in the New King James points towards our diligent work as the mechanism by which we are approved of God; while the translation in the old points to the fact that we have already been approved. One of these translations is obviously works based theology, and the other is correct. While one points to the author and finisher of our faith, and what He accomplished on our behalf; the other points directly to our works in gaining God’s approval. Now which one of these interpretations do you suppose is correct? The one that points to Jesus or the one that points to us? Pretty simple I should think..Amen!

P.S. There is no end to the study of God’s word! With this in mind, wouldn’t this be an unfinished and never ending way to gain approval?

Commentary by:

G. L. Miller

America's Heritage - Erroneous political Christian science

The following is an excerpt from the American Bicentennial Edition of the bible (1776-1976). The first 139 pages of this bible are devoted to American history as pertaining to the bible- America’s precious heritage, the bible. America’s Christian heritage- Christian liberty comes to America- the Christian foundation of our nation- leaders of American liberty- the bible of the revolution- the pulpit and the American Revolution and so on.

Though it is not my ambition to belittle America or its founding fathers; it is my ambition to educate against anything that systematically undermines the core teachings of Christ.

Please pay close attention to what you are about to read. The slight of hand can be found in the author equating our unity as believers in the spirit of Christ with that of a military campaign against King George. This slight of hand historically is the means by which those in power have always called the faithful to an agenda. It’s important to understand that there is a fine line between wars fought for just peace resolution according the Geneva Convention and those fought for the purpose of seeking dominion. Remember, Jesus was not a patriot, or a national dominionist, and He had no loyalty but to the Father and the kingdom of heaven; which of course He declared to be comprised of every tribe, every tongue, and every nation; which is to say that there is only one nation under God; those who believe in the One true God, and Jesus Christ His Son. (John 17:3)

Excerpt Bicentennial bible (1776-1976):

As Americans, we possess a rich inheritance of “Property,” beginning in the first century of Christianity, when “liberty of conscience” became more important to men than their very lives. Our pilgrim fathers fled to this continent, leaving their homeland, rather than submit to infringement of their right of conscience.

Our Patriotic forefathers fought the war of independence in order to secure our God given rights- both internal and external property rights. During that crucial period of our history, Samuel Adams asked the question of the ages, “Now what liberty can there be where property is taken away without consent?”

Property rights- the right to life and liberty- are given by God and not by government. It is the responsibility of the structure of government to secure these rights, not to provide them. It was the original intent of the framers of the constitution to establish a form of government which would secure these God given rights to be preserved as part of the sacred property of man. Liberty is not mans invention. It is God’s gift!

PRINCIPLE OF UNION

The foundation stone of Christian unity is the Rock, Jesus Christ. “For by one spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free, and have all been made to drink into one spirit.”(I Cor. 12:13) “For as the body is one, and has many members, and all members of that one body, being many, are one body; so also is Christ.” (I Cor. 12:12) “Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, of the household of God; and are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone.” (Eph. 2:19-20)

The story of the Plymouth Pilgrims, recorded by William Bradford in 1647, is an account of true Christian unity from the days of our early history. When they began the settlement, “they shook off this yoke of anti-christian bondage, and as ye Lords free people, joyned themselves (by a covenant of the Lord) into a church estate, in ye fellowship of ye gospel, to walk in all His ways, make known or to be made known unto them, according to their best endeavors, whatsoever it should cost them, the Lord assisting them.”

The oppressive acts forced on the American colonies by the British government provided the impulse of uniting all the colonies for the first time in history. The manner in which the flow of christian support and unity of purpose cemented together the 13 colonies was true biblical christian unity, produced by the voluntary action of many communities and tiny towns. “Thirteen clocks were made to strike together; a perfection of mechanism which no artist had ever before effected.” Beneath the numerous diversities of the colonies was a “unity of spirit.” The colonists were united in a cause which they felt to be ordained by God. “Stand firm, and let your intrepid courage show to the world that you are Christians.”[1]

In short, the questions we must ask ourselves are these:

1: Are we American Christians or are we truly men and women of God?

2: Are we loyal to Jesus Christ and what He confirms in our spirit; or

3: Are we driven to and fro by every wind of doctrine according to tradition and the

    cunning craftiness of men?

Authors note:

The book of Romans was written around A.D. 57, and Emperor Nero was in power; and as we know, he cruelly persecuted Christians, throwing them to the lions, amongst other horrific things. Yet God’s word comes through the Apostle Paul in this way, “Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves.” My question is this; how can we use these scriptures one way, one day; and another the next? Wouldn’t these scriptures have included the reign of King George?

Here is one more thing to consider in regards to what we have just discussed and read; here is what the Apostle Paul had to say regarding circumstance- “Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content. I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Every where and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ Jesus who strengthens me.”(Phillipians 4:11-12)

“What things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ.”

(Phillipians 3:7-8)

In whom was Paul’s liberty based? And what rights did he proclaim?

Commentary by:

G. L. Miller

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[1] Holy Bible – American Bicentennial Edition – July 4, 1975 – Distributed by Jerry Falwell Ministries Aflame – Lynchburg, Virginia 24505 – Printed by Thomas Nelson Inc. 1975

Eternal security!

Unfortunately, the common dialogue surrounding the issue of eternal security in this age is that of mediocrity. First we are told that it’s ok for us to agree to disagree in that there are ample scriptures to substantiate both points of view. Then we are told considering the grand scheme of things that this issue is of little importance. That what we must do is to maintain those things, those works which accompany salvation; that we may be sure of our eternal hope. Now while the scriptures do substantiate this train of thought to some degree, the bible by no means establishes anything that even remotely resembles works righteousness. It is either all Christ, or it is nothing. It is either finished, or it is not! These questions cannot be left in the realm of mediocrity. For within the answer to these questions rest the essential truths of the Christian faith.

Here is some food for thought regarding this issue:

The devil is the author of doubt, and doubt produces fear. The bible tells us that one cannot be perfected in love with the presence of fear. So when we teach or preach that it’s possible for one to lose salvation, what are we really creating, and who is the author? Are we not creating doubt, which in turn produces fear; and is the devil himself not the author? Now one may argue that it’s a good thing to examine whether or not we are of the faith, and I would agree; however, it’s an entirely different matter once we are established in Christ to say that we can lose what we have. The apostle Paul did not ask the Corinthians to examine themselves, that they may not lose their salvation; he simply asked them to make sure they had it in the first place.

Authors note:

Adam and Eve were created with spiritual life; so the devils deception concerning them was to create doubt regarding death. We on the other hand, were born spiritually dead, so the devils deception concerning us is to create doubt regarding life. The script has flipped, and the devils tactics have changed. If he can hold our focus on sin, confession, and moral purity, or whether or not we can lose our salvation; he has in affect robbed us of the very thing God intended to give us in Christ; that we would enter His glorious rest!

P.S. Read 1 John 4:17-19 Notice the word torment; and who is known in the bible as the tormentor. You got it! Believe me, if the devil can’t get your soul, he’ll settle for keeping you in a state of un-rest.

Commentary by:

G.L. Miller

Why should we care?

Since the Lord has shown me that my head is not just to be used as a hat rack, and that truth about life on planet earth can be told outside of pastorialship, and even God’s word; my eyes have been opened to be able to see the big picture! My whole life has been spent concerned with my own little biosphere on this planet, and I sometimes get mad at myself for how many things I missed because of it. Oh well, I am not dead yet, so it’s not too late!

When I say the big picture, I am referring to the world and humanity as a whole, and at first it was so overwhelming I became distraught and would yell at my husband, “What does that have to do with preaching the gospel?” I have come to find out it has everything to do with it. Some may say this planet is perishing so how could it possibly have anything to do with it, and in my opinion that is a completely irrelevant statement that I myself have used, not to mention selfish. Another one that really makes my skin crawl, not only when I think of when I used to say it, but when I hear Christians say it in a round-about way, is, ‘Oh we aren’t going to have to deal with none of that, we’ll be raptured before anything gets really hard. That’s the hope we are supposed to encourage each other with.’ I was very clever how I would put it saying, ‘I sure am glad I ain’t gonna be here when that happens!’, in essence saying I don’t care about anyone else.

The excitement about not using my head as a hat rack anymore is that my gracious Father is now able to show me His incredible love and care for creation He is really trying to use us for. To be perfectly honest with you, I see more care and concern for humanity in the secular world than I do amongst the saints. Take all this talk about global warming for example. I am getting ready to start doing some documentaries, and I can hardly wait to see how much the Christian community knows or cares about it. Yes I have heard a lot of the arguments about this planet is self sustaining and it has been all this time. However, as the population grows, and more and more greed infiltrates man’s heart, consumerism is pushed and propagated so hard people are deceived into thinking that having a million things they don’t need is normal, we must face some hard realities that what the scientists are saying just might be true. There is so much media bias on the television now, that unless one has the internet to research out alternative media, it is no wonder we have so many barefoot and pregnant believers out there who basically worship people like Beck and O’Reilly, Hannity, the list goes on. Hell, I was hanging on there every word till like I said the Lord opened my eyes to the big picture.

America has enjoyed many freedoms that a whole bunch of people around the globe can only try to imagine, and for this we should be very grateful to our wonderful God who is the One who has given it to us. The problem with it now is that we have taken it to the extreme man always seems to go and have become arrogant, prideful, selfish, and intolerant. Even worse then that, the religious community is claiming we are a Christian nation, and however anyone feels about President Obama I don’t really care, he is saying we are not, along with others, and now I am understanding why. If we really were, we would stop trying to sin manage the world screaming, ‘My rights, my rights!’ which we don’t really have any in God’s eyes, and start loving on people. I was watching a documentary today, and the guy was talking about how close we are in carbon dioxide emissions in the atmosphere not being able to be converted, and that unless we get a hold of it, the sustainability of life, i.e. food production and water; will be to the point of no return. Our grain reserves are dangerously low, yes we have those, something I did not know or care about. The springs under the ground are being sucked dry, and the glaciers are melting that provide vital river sources for above ground water provision. I used to say, ‘Oh there they go fear mongering again!’ But people, if you don’t believe it go research it yourself. What would there agenda be for telling people to stop using up all the resources or total hell will break loose? Because they care about humanity maybe? Or maybe they realize something about this gift called a planet that God gave us to take care of that the average Christian quite frankly doesn’t care about because when it gets bad we won’t be here? I know full well this isn’t all there is! However, while we are here, and we don’t know the hour or the day that the Lord will change everything, does that mean we are just supposed to squander with no abandon what He has given us to enjoy in the here and now? Consequentially hurting many thousands of people living in hopeless and helpless conditions as we suck down our Latte’s and skinny carmel Machiado’s?

Look, I have said all that to say this; after the documentary was over, the Lord spoke so clearly to me about these issues with taking better care of this planet. It has to do with loving God and loving our neighbor as ourselves. As long as we run around chanting, ‘One nation under God!’, which I do not do anymore; for since the resurrection of Christ, there is every tribe, tongue, nation and peoples in God’s sight, (always has been really), the rest of the world will continue to feel alienated, and separate from us. Really we should not even be called United States of America anymore because we are so divided it is ridiculous; America fine, but not united! Since God gave us this planet and told us to take care of it, which is what He really meant when He said have dominion over it, not use it up and leave it purple and smoking, wouldn’t that in essence be loving God, and in turn loving our neighbor as ourselves.

I encourage everyone to really pray about this issue, think about how we can get on common ground with the rest of the world instead of looking like a bunch religious bigots! Maybe then we may have real opportunities to be the gospel to people around the world like our Savior; showing them the gospel instead of trying to convince them of it with a bunch of empty words! Isn’t there enough of that going on already?

Blessings….Lisa