Wrong side of the Cross!

      Are you on this side of the cross looking backward, or still on the other side of the cross looking forward.  On this side of the cross we can say with Jesus,  "it is finished".  On the other side we can only say "I hope it is finished".   It isn't hard to see which side of the cross people are grounded.  Let a natural emergency happen, such as the Haiti earthquake,  the sunami of a few years ago, or hurricane Katrina and there they are, leaders declaring God did it to punish people.  Some even said the crazy Muslims flew into the trade center because God was angry with America.   Wrong side of the cross, folks!  Wrong side.     That same mentality creeps into pulpits all the time, preachers declaring,  "God is gonna git ya",  for this or that sin or weakness.  No - He already has you.  Without Christ, you are already going to "hell". What worse thing could He do?  It is a settled issue and settled in Christ alone.  With Christ, heaven is yours.  Without Him, hell is yours.

    There is a key word in the New Testament.  It is "propitiation".  It is an act whereby anger is turned to mercy.  That is what the blood of Jesus did for Almighty God.  It satisfied, forever and for all,  His demand for penalty of sin and turned His heart to mercy.  It is our redemption.  It is our justification.  Justification means that while we were still sinners, a sufficient price being paid by another, God extended His love toward us.  He is no longer angry. The power of the blood is still the power that speaks, in heaven, better things than the blood of Abel (Heb. 12:24).    Court has been held, judgment has been passed, sentence handed out.  Jesus bore it all.  All of God's anger, wrathful judgment - Jesus bore it all.  Now, all who accept Jesus as Lord can come in to the family, a sufficient price having been paid for you.  Punishment for sin still remains for all those who do not come under the blood of Jesus.  You are already judged, if that is the case, and a horrible fate awaits you.  It is called "hell".  You don't have to lie, cheat, commit adultery or sin a single sin and "hell" awaits, if you are without Christ the Lord.  Live your best, do your best, but hell awaits without Christ the Lord.  It is already decided.

    To punish anyone for sin with something less than "hell" is, in a way, a reprieve from the awful judgment of "hell".   Sin is all equal.  Punishment for all sin is also equal.  It is called "hell".  If God chooses to punish Haiti for some pact with the devil, or punish New Orleans because of the sin down there, then God must apologize for not wiping out San Fransisco, Ca. and Washington, DC. and me and you.   For Him to strike out in judgment, to display such anger now, on saint and sinner, means the blood of Jesus was not effective.  That means we are all lost.  That means all is a cruel charade.  That means that "whoso ever will" is without meaning.  It means mercy was not granted and if mercy was not granted, there is no such thing as grace.

    It is true that actions have consequences.  Children playing in the street might get hit by a car.  But, don't tell me God allowed that little child to get hit by a car because He was upset over the behavior of the child's parents.  Haiti, New Orleans, etc., may suffer for decisions made, consequences may arise, but don't blame it on God.  He, in fact, is in motion to redeem us from our wickedness, wicked ways and even consequences we have brought on ourselves.   Yes, sin has consequences.  It is a terrible, horrible disease among men.  Left alone, it will bring misery in this life and eternal life in "hell".   However, there is a cure.  The precious blood of Jesus has redeemed us. That means a price has been paid for us.   That redemption means forgiveness is ours to claim daily.  That redemption means heaven is our destiny, not hell.  

    On this side of the cross, on which Jesus was made a curse for us, we can have the divine blessing, the divine favor of Abraham and the promise of the Holy Ghost.  That is a one-on-one, loved-based, family-oriented relationship with the Holy Ghost, God on earth.  Will God "chasten" us?  Of course, but never accuse God of chastening with evil.  People who think that way,  no nothing of a walking talking loving relationship with God whereby with His voice, His Word, His Spirit, His grace, He can chasten us freely.

Move to the right side of the cross.  It is over here that grace is abundant.

   

Do we argure over salvation or concepts of Salvation?

   Much of the division in the church world, for centuries, has been fruitless and foolish. Why?  For the most part we are arguing over a concept of salvation, not salvation.  Some like this concept, others favor another and we draw lines of division. One group says "saved forever" and worries no more.  Another group says "saved momentarily" and then has to continuously get re-saved.  Another group says "may be I am saved but not sure" and spends forever trying to make sure.  And, of course, all are sure the other is dead wrong.  One group says "I am saved because I was born again" and puts all his faith in an act of God beneficial to his eternity.  Another group says "I am saved, all my sins are forgiven".   He too is trusting in something he can only verify by his feelings or the words of man.  Another says "I am saved for I am a good man and do good deeds".  This man is trusting in his own deeds to save him.  And, of course, all are sure the other is dead wrong.   In truth, each man is putting his faith in a concept of salvation he happens to favor.  And, he can pull proof verses out of the Bible to prove his concept. And, there is truth in each of these and other concepts, of which there are many,  presented to us in the Bible.  These concepts are like facets on a beautiful diamond. All good, all beautiful but they are not the whole diamond.  Sadly, people will worship a concept, a facet and miss the diamond.  They will pledge allegiance to and be willing to die for a concept, and miss the diamond. 

     The truth is, we are unwise to ground our faith in a "concept", not when we can have God as close as our breath.  Jesus came, lived a perfect life, went to the cross, shed precious blood, and ascended with His blood which was judged sinless.  As a result of all this he was crowned Lord of Lord, the absolute basis of our hope (Phil. 2).  To prove it the veracity of all, He poured out the Holy Ghost on all who would believe and thirst (Jo. 7:37-39).  He did all that He did in order to pour out the Holy Ghost in baptismal measure on each of us.   It happened first in Acts two and has been happening ever since.  The power to be a "witness" comes "after" this experience.  You are not a witness that He is Savior, but that He is Lord.  And, the Spirit of God walks in relationship with you as deep as you want to walk.  He, the Holy Ghost, is the "earnest", the security deposit, the beginning of what Jesus died to give us.  A one-one-one relationship with God just as Abraham had (Gal. 3).  As the psalmist said "God has become my salvation".  Our faith is to "stand'  of the demonstrations of the Spirit and the power of God (1st Cor. 2:4-5).  It is the presence of our Salvation we are resting our faith upon.

   In order for us to have this salvation, this one-on-one with God, the new birth had to happen, sins had to be removed, surrender on our part had to be made, but none of these are our salvation.  These are things that made it possible to have Salvation, the Holy Ghost, and to be able to say,  "Behold God is my salvation".  This is why Jesus made it plain that those who worship God would have to worship Him as Spirit (Jo. 4:24).

What is a moderate?

     Some time ago I heard a radio commentator say that a "moderate" is one with no convictions about anything.  He was speaking of those in the political realm but my mind quickly grasped the broader spiritual implications.  There is a place, in personal conduct, where to moderate yourself is good, but there is also danger if we are not careful where we choose to "moderate".   I am afraid that "moderation" as we are seeing it, has not only brought ruin to the political world we live in, which was that commentator's point, it is bringing ruin to the church, and ultimately will bring ruin to individuals.  There is a time and a place to practice being moderate, but it is a slippery slope.   There are some things, some truths that ought to be black and white to us;  no interpretation needed.  Firm, sure, unshakeable truth and truth's convictions.  There should be truths so important to us we won't let go of them for anything.  There should be convictions about loving God  so much we would die for Him, if so called to do.  Yet, today, many are saying we no longer are required to love God with all our being, that we are to just love people.  That is deadly moderation.  There should be convictions about sin so strong we will never surrender. When we try to play "moderate" with sin,  as some now do, before long, down the slope we go and the whole idea of sin has little or no meaning.   Today, preachers are refusing to use the word "sin" or "sinners".  According to them we are all victims, hurting people, mis-guided folks, but never "sinners".   Today, as a result, you don't have to be re-born, just  be "nice", smile a lot, join the church and you are considered saved.   

    One of my favorite movies was "Lonesome Dove".  It was great western but also a great story about men with convictions.  They had such a conviction about rustling and crime that they hung one of their best friends for making the mistake of traveling with,  and falling in with men who were rustlers and murderers.  The story was magical to me because that theme.  They were not perfect men and some of their convictions might cause our eyebrows to be raised today, but they were men of convictions, men of integrity.  They lived and practiced their convictions.  When we look at the church, politicians, businessmen, pro-athletes, do we see that today?  If you have watched politicians sell their souls, even their so called "pro-life" position for money in the recent health care debate, you have seen a sickening sight.  You have seen what moderation does.

        

      Even more alarming than the spectacle of politicians with a "for sale" sign on their forehead,  is preachers with the same look about them.  They have moderated to the point that the only truth they preach is the one that is "convenient".   When we look at preachers, spiritual leaders, etc., do we see deep convictions?  Do we see men living and preaching their convictions?    In the matter of truth, a long time ago men started down this slope.  They watered down, rejected and re-defined truths from the literal New Testament until what is truth now, in much of the church, is as it  is in the world - whatever you want it to be.  I remember one such person, on television, defending her version of Christian in which abortion is quite acceptable, declaring "we each read the Bible and come to our own set of truths".  Really?  Truths chosen from among truths, at the whim of man, is not truth at all.  It is an act of self-will made comfortable by a charade.  It is iniquity.  Many will miss the rapture, not because they were bad people, but because they did not receive a "love of the truth",  2 Thes. 2:10.

    The slide away from truth, in the church world, has been going on a long time.  Preaching convictions with conviction often makes people uncomfortable - challenging and confronting.    The people-friendly church of today can't have that.  Their measurement of success is by counting heads and if they make people uncomfortable, they might lose some heads.  And those heads will take their money with them.  About the only challenge people are presented with is "be nice".   Even Pentecostals are reluctant to preach Holy Ghost baptism, the very thing that makes them pentecostal,.  Why?  It confronts people.  It makes them uncomfortable and after all, the comfort of man is what matters.   The Holy Ghost is being squeezed out of many churches, even so-called "spirit-filled" churches.   Why?  His presence demands something of us.  It confronts us about where we are with God.    The Holy Ghost has come to "convict" us.    Did you know that "faith" is otherwise known as a "deep inward conviction"?  When Jesus comes, will He find any?