 July
2006
My purpose is to share
the Good News of Jesus Christ in a way
you can understand it. On a recent visit,
a new friend named Steve said, "I
never saw it that way!" He saw that
receiving Christ is not about doing religious
works, but receiving the work of Jesus
Christ. Jesus came to make us right with
God through His work -- His death, burial
and resurrection. 1
The Problem With Religion
The problem I saw with
"church" as a kid was how boring
it felt. I didn't know that being a Christian
was all about having a relationship with
my Father in heaven. God looks down from
heaven on the entire human race. He looks
to see if there is even one with real
understanding, one who seeks for Him.
2 Jesus died that
He might bring us safely home to God.
3 Be exalted, 0
God, above the highest heavens! May your
glory shine over all the earth. 4
What a miracle it is
for me to share this Good News with you.
Just think, today I'm writing in prison
and in a few days, these words will be
shining over the whole earth by satellite.
I am humbled that God would lead you to
listen to a message He speaks through
me. As King David prayed: "That I
may publish with the voice of thanksgiving,
and tell of all His wondrous works."
5 I am His servant
desiring to fulfill His purpose for me.
A.W. Tozer says in his
book The Pursuit of God that
"...the presence of God is the central
fact of Christianity. At the heart of
the Christian message is God Himself waiting
for His redeemed children to push in to
a conscious awareness of His presence.
This type of Christianity, which happens
now to be the vogue, knows this Presence
only in theory. It fails to stress the
Christian's privilege of present realization.
According to its teachings we are in the
presence of God positionally, and nothing
is said about the need to experience that
Presence actually." Are you actually
experiencing the Presence of God? If not,
I have Good News for you.
The Presence of God
The blood sacrifice always
proceeds the presence of the Holy Spirit
taking up residence in the temple. In
the Old Testament, the blood of bulls
and goats were sacrificed before the glory
of the Holy Spirit filled the temple.
Jesus promised to fill us with the Holy
Spirit, so we would not be left alone
after His death. He said: The world at
large cannot receive Him [the Holy Spirit],
because it isn't looking for Him and doesn't
recognize Him. But you do, because He
lives with you now and later [the Holy
Spirit] will be in you. No, I will not
abandon you as orphans -- I will come
to you. 6
The Holy Spirit comes
into our heart to live when we receive
Christ's work on the cross. The Apostle
Paul said: Don't you know that your body
is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who
lives in you and was given to you by God?
You do not belong to yourself, for God
bought you with a high price. 7
The high price that God paid for your
sin was the blood of His Son, Jesus Christ,
making you right with Him. Is there any
doubt that God loved you? Look at what
He has done!
I am often asked how
to experience the presence of the Holy
Spirit or the present awareness of a realization
of God as Brother Tozer mentions in his
book The Pursuit of God. Not that I feel
I can be a greater blessing than his book
has been to me, but I counsel those who
ask, to look to the blood of Jesus Christ.
It is the same spirit of faith [the act
of believing and speaking the blood of
Jesus] that originally made us righteous
in Christ. 8 Faith
in Christ keeps our hearts free to experience
the presence of God. It is good for every
believer to refresh their hearts daily
by meditating on the Word concerning the
blood of Jesus, building yourself up on
your most holy faith, praying in the Holy
Ghost. 9 As you
hear yourself speak the Word, the Spirit
of faith will overflow from your heart,
causing you to experience God's presence.
For the Blood of Jesus Study Chart with
the Daily Steps, Click
Here.
A Royal Priesthood
I realize that meditating
the Word of God daily may seem like a
lot of work. But within a few weeks you
will find yourself addicted to the joy
the Holy Spirit brings. The Psalmist David
said: "You [God] will show me the
path of life: in Your presence is fulness
of joy; at Your right hand there are pleasures
forevermore." 10
As you meditate the blood
Scriptures, you will recognize that you
were bought with a price and brought into
the presence of God. As you confess the
word with your mouth, God's glory and
presence will follow. King David recognized
that at God's right hand there are pleasures
forevermore. You will too, praying from
your throne room position in the Name
of Jesus Christ. As you pray, praise God
for the revelation of being seated with
Christ in heavenly places. 11
There you will find grace to help in time
of need at the throne of grace. 12
It is good to live in
the presence of God. This means whether
we are at home, work, church or at play,
the blood of Christ is to be upon the
meditations of our heart. It will take
awhile to achieve this desired flow of
discipline, but it will be the most rewarding
pursuit of your life.
The Apostle Peter proclaims:
We are redeemed with the precious blood
of Christ, as a lamb without blemish and
without spot. We are a chosen generation,
a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His
own special people. That you may proclaim
the praises of Him who called you out
of darkness into His marvelous light.
13 The Apostle John
shared this act of praise saying: Unto
Him [Jesus] that loved us, and washed
us from our sins in His own blood, And
has made us kings and priests unto God
and His Father; to Him be glory and dominion
forever and ever. Amen. 14
Let us say the same thing the Apostles
say!
The Revelation of God's
Love
It is the blood of Jesus
that brings you into the revelation of
God's love. What the Bible calls a veil
is removed from your eyes, revealing the
love of God after all these years of blindness.
The eyes of your understanding is enlightened
so you may know the hope of His calling,
the riches of the glory of His inheritance
in the Saints, and the exceeding greatness
of His power to us who believe according
to the working of His mighty power, which
God worked in Christ when He raised Him
from the dead, and set Him at His own
right hand in heavenly places. 15
It is the Holy Spirit
that causes this revelation to become
reality in you. It becomes clear that
it is only because of Christ that you
are securely sitting in heavenly places.
It is His calling, His inheritance and
His power that has made it possible for
your salvation. He made us alive in Christ
all because of His great love. 16
For God so loved the world that He gave
His only begotten Son, that whoever believes
in Him should not perish but have everlasting
life. 17
We understand that Abraham
is the father of many nations. Jesus Christ
is the promised seed of Abraham, Who inherited
all God's blessings for us. 18
For this to happen, the curse that the
Law of God demanded for your sin went
upon Christ, so that the blessings of
Abraham might come on you; and that we
might receive the promise of the Spirit
through faith. If you are Christ's then
you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according
to the promise. 19
Religion or Relationship
This may sound like religion
to you, but let me assure you, it is the
only way to have a relationship with God.
Man is a sinner, and he cannot save himself.
It is only by the blood of Jesus, and
the indwelling of the Holy Spirit that
you can be brought into a relationship
with your Heavenly Father. There is salvation
is no one else! There is no other name
in all of heaven for people to call on
to be saved. 20
There are heresies recorded
in the New Testament of groups who refused
to believe in the simplicity of the Good
News of Jesus Christ. One sect of false
believers were called the Gnostics, originating
from the Greek word gnosis or knowledge.
It refers to the concept of a hidden,
secret, or special knowledge. The "Gnostic
Gospels" are where much of the fictional
information was derived for the book The
Da Vinci Code.
Scholars agree that Dan
Brown's unreliable information about the
life of Jesus was written in the late
2nd to 4th centuries. Whereas, it is well
documented that the canonical Apostolic
Gospels [Scriptures that were accepted
by the early Churches as God-breathed,
or inspired] were written from 60 to 90
A.D. by men who walked with Jesus. Sadly,
modern-day Gnosticism is challenging the
beliefs of those who do not have a sound
Biblical foundation.
Here's The Answer
The Gnostics believed
they had no sin nature. The Apostle John
addressed the Gnostic heresy when he wrote
The First Epistle of John, saying: If
we are living in the light of God's presence,
just as Christ is, then we have fellowship
with God, and the blood of Jesus, His
Son, cleanses us from every sin. If we
say we have no sin, we are only fooling
ourselves and refusing to accept the truth.
But if-we confess our sins, He is faithful
and just to have forgiven us our sins
and to have cleansed us from all unrighteousness.
If we claim we have not sinned, we are
calling God a liar and showing that His
word has no place in our hearts. 21
It is time for you to
claim Jesus Christ as your Savior, Lord
and King! The problem is the sin of one
man, Adam, caused death to rule over us.
But all who receive God's wonderful, gracious
gift of righteousness will live in triumph
over sin and death through this one man,
Jesus Christ. Yes, Adam's one sin brought
condemnation upon everyone, but Christ's
one act of righteousness makes all people
right in God's sight and gives them life.
22
There is fact. There
is fiction. You decide online. The mix
of fact and fiction in The Da Vinci
Code is reason for great concern.
The film, based on the best-selling novel,
is causing audiences to question the Bible's
message and its impact on history. The
website, The Truth About Da Vinci
sponsored by Westminister Theological
Seminary, incorporates the best resources
available to set the record straight and
commend the historic Christian faith.
Click
here.
A Prayer For You...
Father, I need You. Thank
You for the sacrifice of Your Son, whose
blood brings forgiveness of my sins and
for offering me Your righteousness and
resurrected life. I now accept by faith
Your gift of salvation. Through Your Holy
Spirit, teach me about Your love and grace
and about the new life that You have given
me. Begin the work of making me into the
person You want me to be. Amen!
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