Broken Pieces

I have a dear friend that has been rejected, abused, violated, and abandoned by people that should have cherished and loved her. As I was worshipping the Lord in church this past week the Lord showed me a picture and told me it was for my friend.
I saw in this picture broken pottery pieces scattered on the ground. I could tell those broken pieces had been there a long time for the edges were no longer sharp. They had been worn smooth with time. The Holy Spirit told me to look closer, as I gazed on the pottery pieces I saw a variety of beautiful flowers growing up through the broken pottery pieces.
The next morning I was prompted to call my friend and describe the picture I saw.
When I got her on the phone and started describing the picture God gave specifically for her, the Holy Spirit burst forth with a beautiful word for her. I can't even remember all that was said. The gist of it was that God created beauty within all her brokenness. This beauty God created shows His glory in what He can do with a life that has been broken in so many pieces by the selfishness of this world. She started crying and told me she had just been praying and was asking God what He could do with all the broken pieces of her life!

Later that week as I thought of that picture I asked the Lord why He didn't remove all the broken pieces, and I was reminded of His hands and feet. He was broken for us and when we see His scars we see the glory of God!

Here is a little poem I wrote.

See the broken pieces Lord
Scatter on the ground
Look at all the brokenness
Scatter all around

He said look again
Tell me what you see
I saw beauty bursting forth
Coming from the pieces

But why my Lord did you not
Clear away the broken pot
Why the scars Lord for all to see

Then He showed me
His hands and feet
It was then, I finally saw
All the beauty of the scars

It was in His broken pieces that
He was glorified and when we look
at Him we see the beauty of the scars

Now I look so differently
At the wonder of His plan
Now I see the beauty
in all the broken pieces.

We are one

John 17
²² The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one; ²³ I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me. ²⁴ Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory which You have given Me, for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.
²⁵ “O righteous Father, although the world has not known You, yet I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me; ²⁶ and I have made Your name known to them, and will make it known, so that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.”

Every day I pray for the Lord to show me a little more about Himself. It is as we know Him that we grow and function as the human creature that God made us to be. Last night I had a peculiar dream. I saw a lone man and I saw the Holy Spirit enter into that man and took on the shape of that man. The man had been walking, but now he was walking with the Spirit within Him. Since the Spirit was invisible (don't ask me how I could see the invisible, it was a dream after all), the man and Spirit were operating as one. The Spirit and the man were communicating with one another without even using words. Strange dream. I'm not sure the words here are adequate to convey what I actually saw, but it gives you something to think about.

There is a sweetness to the above scriptures that conveys to me that God is eager to impart this glory to us, that His Holy Spirit is within us. The Trinitarian God is within us. We then are joined to each other as a body of Christ, as one! Beautiful. Think about it!

Is God really the Judge?

Is God really the judge?

Many times through my Christian life I have heard the illustration of God being the judge and we're guilty standing before this judge and Jesus is the prosecuting attorney who takes our place and receives the punishment that we should have gotten instead.

This has some aspects to it that are true, but is this truly the character of God. As I read the New Testament,  I come away with a different idea of who this God is.

This Judge and attorney presents me with a Legal Gospel. Jesus is the exact representation of God our Father in Heaven. So when we see Jesus we're seeing how God really is. This is what He said.

John 3:17-19(NASB)

¹⁷ For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. ¹⁸ He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. ¹⁹ This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil.

It sounds to me that Jesus is more like the Father searching the horizon for his son to come home. Jesus is the Good Shepherd that goes on a search and rescue mission to retrieve back just one lost sheep. We were created to live in the love of God, receiving it and sharing it with others. It's a different picture then the courtroom. It's more like the family home with the table set with a feast and loved ones sitting all around it, enjoying just being together.

The sinner washing Jesus' feet with her hair and tears

My pastor preached on the prostitute washing the feet of Jesus with her tears and hair. I can't seem to get that picture out of my mine this week. As I meditate on this story Holy Spirit illuminated my understanding.

Here is the scriptures for this story:

Luke 7:37-49 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

³⁷ And there was a woman in the city who was a sinner; and when she learned that He was reclining at the table in the Pharisee’s house, she brought an alabaster vial of perfume, ³⁸ and standing behind Him at His feet, weeping, she began to wet His feet with her tears, and kept wiping them with the hair of her head, and kissing His feet and anointing them with the perfume. ³⁹ Now when the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet He would know who and what sort of person this woman is who is touching Him, that she is a sinner.”
⁴⁰ And Jesus answered him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” And he replied, “Say it, Teacher.” ⁴¹ “A moneylender had two debtors: one owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. ⁴² When they were unable to repay, he graciously forgave them both. So which of them will love him more?” ⁴³ Simon answered and said, “I suppose the one whom he forgave more.” And He said to him, “You have judged correctly.” ⁴⁴ Turning toward the woman, He said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has wet My feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. ⁴⁵ You gave Me no kiss; but she, since the time I came in, has not ceased to kiss My feet. ⁴⁶ You did not anoint My head with oil, but she anointed My feet with perfume. ⁴⁷ For this reason I say to you, her sins, which are many, have been forgiven, for she loved much; but he who is forgiven little, loves little.” ⁴⁸ Then He said to her, “Your sins have been forgiven.” ⁴⁹ Those who were reclining at the table with Him began to say to themselves, “Who is this man who even forgives sins?” ⁵⁰ And He said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”

Please take your time reading this passage and let the Holy Spirit work in you the message He has for you. As I thought of the Pharisee I couldn't help but be reminded of the times I have judged sinful people, and then as I turned my attention to the woman I realized that I had been a sinner too. Here she is broken by her sin. She just had to get to Jesus. She barged right in to this 'religious' person's house just to reach Jesus. This is the thought that came to mind as I meditated on this. I saw my own sinful self in that picture in desperate need for God's love and acceptance. God became a man to allow sinners to touch him! He didn't rebuke the sinful woman. He rebuked the religious person. Without God becoming man there is no way a sinner could reach out and touch God for God is invisible and He is holy. Jesus the God/Man allowed this sinner to touch him! This is the beauty folks. A Holy God is accessible to us, for the sinner to touch and to see and to hear. I wept with my own tears of joy as I realized this marvelous understanding of the significance of the God incarnate. This is how much God loves us. He limited Himself to man's world to become one of us so that we, sinner that we are can know the One true God. The beauty of this story is that Jesus rebuked the religious one (the self-righteous one) and praised the sinner. He told her, "Your faith has saved you; go in peace."

Just like that! She had been forgiven much. Her sins were wiped away. It's in our brokenness that we come to Jesus, and He ACCEPTS us. Oh, my dear Father in Heaven, forgive me for the times I have judged a sinner. Please let me see them as you do, as I am one of them. Love the sinner through me. Let my hands reach out and love them as you did this woman. Amen!

Calvinism, the other Gospel

I didn't realize the extent of John Calvin's teaching until I attended a Bible Study a couple of Sunday Nights ago. We were watching an old video teaching of RC Sproul and he was teaching out of Romans. As I sat there listening I was horrified at what he was saying. He started reading scripture halfway through the 9th chapter of Romans. If you was just to read those scriptures out of context then it would seem God chooses to hate certain individuals and love others. Several years ago, if you read my book, Legalism the Other Gospel, then  you'll know how we came out of a church with a pastor that preached heresies. I always regret that I never confronted the man and tried to reason with him. As I sat there a boldness that I normally don't experience came over me.

 The Holy Spirit gave me insight during that moment that the scriptures Sproul was quoting were referring to the nation of Israel and the nation of Esau. The prophesy was given to Rebekah that she had two nations within her womb. The older one would serve the younger. Also, in the Bible and Hebrew mind, hate means to love less, not to literally mean hate as we know hate in the English language. It means that God chose the nation of Israel over the nation of Esau. Not because one was better than the other, but because it was to fulfill His purpose and to accomplish what He wanted to accomplish.  When I got home I read the entire chapter of Romans and yes, it confirmed what the Holy Spirit had already revealed to me that Paul was talking about his fellow Hebrews. He was lamenting that they were separated from Jesus and how God had chosen the nation of Israel to bring forth the promised seed of Eve down through Abraham, then Israel  (Israel is the name God gave Jacob). God chose the nation of Israel to work out His purpose and His will. That is for God to become flesh and dwell among us. For this Jesus Christ of Nazareth to reveal to mankind who God really is.

Another thing this man was saying was John 3:16 meant God really only loves the elect of the world. Blasphemy! He said this all with a big ole smile on his face and we're not to question God and be ok with God creating people to hell and others to be His elect! There are two opposing viewpoints. One is Calvinism and the other is Arminianism. To be honest I cannot fully embrace either one. We need to add another category. So what can we call people who pray and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to us what God is really like? How about Truth Seekers? These two men who came up with their doctrines put God in these little theological boxes and say this is how God is.  But I open my Bible and it says that God is Love.  That Jesus died for the Whole World. That if we just believe we will be saved.   That this is eternal life that we know the Father and the Son Whom He sent.  That He will never leave us or forsake us, no not ever, He will not! That He lives within us!!!! When you see Jesus you see the Father. So I implore you to seek God for revelation of Himself! I'm warning you. When you do this whole heartedly you will be knocked off your feet when it dawns on you the passionate love God has for His created human beings. Amazing!

When I was a young person living at home with an abusive alcoholic step father I always thought that if I could just move out and get away from him I'd be happy. Once out on my own I discovered that there was still something within me that wasn't quite complete. I knew as a Christian I was suppose to have joy and peace, and in some measure I did like when I was with my Christian friends or when I was at church. It wasn't until mid-life did I realize what was lacking in my Christian walk back then and why that continuous joy was lacking in my life.  My understanding of God was flawed. I thought God's love for me was conditional. As long as I did what my church taught me I could expect God to love me and bless me.

Once I discovered the error in my understanding of God and that He loves me unconditionally and that it's what He did for us by dying on the cross and spilling His own blood for my sins that allows me to be acceptable to Him I have a joy that is constant. It isn't dependent on my circumstances. I don't have to strain in my brain to have the right kind of faith. Jesus is the author and completer of my faith.

So when preachers tell you to "fake it till you make it" please don't take that advice. Remember God knows if we're faking it. I'm talking about faking a joy or peace that really isn't there. Be completely honest with Him even if you feel you can't be honest with fellow believers. Seek Him to know Him and ask Him to reveal to you why you don't have joy. Because the joy that comes from our Lord is NOT dependent on our circumstances. It is a continuous, everlasting joy! Jesus said that He came to give us life and life everlasting!

Preachers preaching on works rather than on Jesus

It seems to me there has been a great emphasis on Christian working for Jesus! Some preachers use positive re-enforcements, telling us what a wonderful person we are, building us up and then sending us out to find a need and fill it. Other preachers use guilt, that the whole world is going to hell and it's up to us to witness and do good works in order to win the lost for Jesus. I'm not saying that we shouldn't be encouraged to do good works, but before a person can go out and witness for Jesus they need to know WHO He is. If a pastor is preaching Jesus then a person's faith is built up, and it's not built up in their own abilities and talents, but In God. When I see Jesus as my shepherd I realize that He is a good shepherd, looking out for me, providing for me and doctoring me when I'm hurt. He gives me rest when I'm tired, comfort when I've been emotionally hurt.

I had been listening to some old preaching tapes on Jesus when some Mormon missionaries had come to my door. I asked them if I could share with them before they started in about Joseph Smith and the Mormon church. I presented the gospel to them and was able to answer their questions using teaching I had learned from the tapes I had been listening to. This type of teaching equipped me to be a more effective witness. Of course, even that couldn't have been possible without the Holy Spirit bringing to my mind the things that needed to be said.

It's not that Christians don't want to witness, it's simply a matter of not being equipped to witness. If all the emphasis are on doing something for the Lord and not on the Lord then we having nothing to give to those around us. The whole Bible pivots around Jesus. He is the Alpha (beginning) and the Omega (the end).

I was reading one of those kindle Christian free books on the Kingdom of heaven. I've been pondering the significance of what the Kingdom is all about for several years now so I was eager to read this book. I wasn't too far into it when I read the author's perspective on the talents. If any of you are familiar with this parable Jesus talked about handing out different measures of talents to several servants. The ones that used their talents were given more and the one servant that buried his talent in the ground was thrown out into everlasting darkness where there is wailing and gnashing of teeth. Pretty scary right? Typical of the messages I've heard over the years was the idea that we must use our talents for God or else! But this is so far from the truth. Actually the word 'talent' does not mean human ability or works. It is a Greek word that means a measure of money. You can read more about it in my book, "Legalism the Other Gospel", but basically the servant that is hiding his 'talent' is burying a huge amount of money. The master told the wicked servant you could have at least put it in the bank to earn interest. Jesus spoke in parables for a reason. The parables are designed to make you think and to seek God for the answer. Jesus said in John that  the works of God are Believing in the Father and His Son whom He sent. Ephesians says that we are not saved by works lest any man should boast, so I don't believe Jesus was contradicting His own words. What he was saying is that we are all given a measure of a conscious knowledge of God. Deep down we all know He exists. So when we deny there is a God and ignore our own conscious knowledge of right and wrong we are essentially burying the "talent".  The darkness is a place where God is not allowed. Our world is full of these places. Jesus says that He is the light. He came to pierce that darkness. When Jesus, the God of Love is forced out then the darkness takes over and the atrocities that man commits against one another is horrific and it will definitely be a place of wailing and gnashing of teeth.

Looking through the history of man we see that our world is plunged into this darkness. Without knowing the true God men worshipped false gods that are actually demons in disguise., These demon gods led men to do some horrific crimes against humanity including human sacrifice, prostitution of their daughters, polygamy, and many more. If you think we're far removed from this you need only to enter into an abortion clinic where a baby big enough to live outside its mother's womb is forced to be delivered and before it's little head breaches the birth canal the doctor reaches in with a sharp instrument and pierce's the baby's skull and sucks it's little brains out. This barbaric procedure is practiced in our modern society. But now instead of killing this baby on an altar of Baal or some other blood thirsty god it's done in the name of convenience. This is that darkness that Jesus came to dispel, to show us the way to love, to value every human life. There are those that prefer the darkness because they love the darkness more than the light, so they reject the light. They are the servant burying their talent (conscious).

Those teenage boys that went into Columbine High School specifically targeted Christians. They hated the light. They were entrenched in the darkness of this world. There was definitely wailing and gnashing of teeth for those parents that lost their beloved children in that massacre. This is what the parable was talking about. It is not to scare Christians into doing some sort of work for God or else you miss out on eternity without Him. It is directed toward those that reject the gospel message and remain in their darkness.

Legalism is a lot like pole vaulting. The athlete runs toward the horizontal bar and pushes himself with a pole up and over the bar. If he makes it the bar is raised just a little bit more and he tries a little harder to get over the raised bar. The bar keeps getting raised until the athlete reaches his physical limitations and then the bar comes crashing down around him. That's what legalism did to me. I reached the end of my self-improvement efforts and happily gave up my self-reliance. Now I totally depend on my Lord Jesus to do the work in me that He desires for me.

Last Saturday I went to a conference for women and to church on Sunday. Both meetings emphasized doing works for the Lord. In the past these messages would have left me feeling like somehow I had let God down by not working enough. But this time as I sat in these services I asked the Lord in my heart am I wrong about the works issues. He gently reminded me that it's in relationship with Him that the works flow from. Without that understanding the enemy will taunt us that we haven't done enough. There will always be that nagging doubt that we aren't working enough. I can't help but wonder, what would happen in churches if the messages were all about Jesus and every essence of his person? I know for me as I have studied Jesus to come to know Him more fully and to understand His character more clearly, that the works do flow naturally, not contrived by my own fleshly reasoning. I simply want to share this wonderful, awesome God that we have, that loves us so much, with everyone I meet. Witnessing is natural now and it flows from the God of the universe dwelling within me.

I'm not saying that ministers shouldn't encourage people to do good works, but first make sure a foundation has been built first that we are not saved by works, and we are loved unconditionally by our God and he demonstrated this love for us through Jesus Christ taking our sins upon Him when He was crucified on the cross. In His resurrection we now have life, and in His ascension we have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit to guide us and comfort us.

First we must know we are accepted to God because of what Christ did on that cross, and firmly putting our faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God. This is what makes us acceptable, not by anything we do or by how well we perform as Christians. Once this is firmly established in our hearts and mind, and then as we grow in the understanding of God, then our works are works of love that flow from a heart that has been changed. My friend, this why we were created, to be loved by our Creator and to love each other.

Selah!