Church Paul taught us that “Those who receive the abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ“ (Rom. 5:17). Everything God has given us is by grace through faith, if we’ll simply receive the fact of the Now Indwelling Kingdom of God that is ours IN Christ, how radically different our lives will be. How tragic to live in the Kingdom of our Lord and Christ and not even know what has already been accomplished for us by His finished work!

Paul a great example of a New Testament apostle many times defended his apostolic calling but his message was not about apostolic he preached Christ. “Him we preach;” he didn’t write books for profit, he worked with his own hands not asking for offerings but graciously receiving them when they were given.

Am I wrong in thinking that far too many are much more caught up in promoting their apostolic or prophetic ministry than in simply preaching Christ?

Mr. Egret has been in the river almost all day looking for a catch, as I watched him he didn’t seem to have much luck; searching here, searching there, behind rocks, almost everywhere but without success.

Finally as I watched he ruffled up his feathers, I knew then he was about to move to another place. As I reflect I remember Jesus telling His disciples one time if you enter a city and they don’t receive you, or perhaps you don’t get a catch, “shake the dust off your feet” and move on. Well Mr. Egret doesn’t have any dust on his feet but here we see him ruffle up his feathers in preparation to move on to another place to go fishing.

It’s true whether we’re fishers of men or as in the Egret’s case just trying to make a living, if we aren’t successful where we’re at don’t give up maybe it’s time to move on. In life we may suffer some failures, but these failures can be our biggest springboards to success if we don’t give up and keeping moving forward.

No matter how bad things may be IN Christ we’re not failures IN Him the Victory is won, don’t ever give up remember He has promised never to leave us not forsake us. So no matter how bad things may seem nothing can separate us from His love. When we are weak He is strong, learn from Paul His grace is sufficient “Keep on Trucking!”

All of us in life’s journey can relate to the dark stormy times when nothing seemed to be going right. We’ve all seen the Lighting crashing and have heard the thunder roll; but in even the most severe of life’s storms we have a Promise.

Paul told us in Romans 8:28 that “All things work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose.” Then we stop and don’t consider verse 29 that reveals the purpose of God allowing us to go through stuff that is very often unpleasant; God uses our circumstances the things that life throws at us for His divine purpose and that is to “conform us into the image of His Son.”

I don’t know many believers that haven’t prayed “I want to be more like Jesus.” Perhaps God is working that out in our lives by allowing us to grow up in our obedience to Him and to His word by allowing us to go through things in order that like Paul we might find our strength to endure in the grace God provides so freely to us.

Paul discovered; “That when I am weak , then I am strong.” He discovered his strength lay not in being an apostle or in all of the great revelation he had received but in learning that no matter what; “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” (1 Cor. 12:7-10)

God’s creation is diverse; many birds, many types, many shapes, many forms but all created by God for His purpose. It is the same with us as New Covenant believers we have all become members of His Body, His Ekklesia, over which He is the Head. There are many members to His Body and we all have different functions and He has given all of us the grace needed to perform those functions.

Eph. 4:7 “Yet grace was was given to each of us individually…not indiscriminately, but in different ways; in proportion to the measure of Christ’s rich and bountiful gift.”

The beauty of an abandoned cat’s love for her kittens is a joy to behold but even that does not give me the joy I feel when I think of God’s love for us as revealed IN Christ Jesus the Son.

I’m so tired of all the political and yes the religious debate that I’m going to change my focus. God’s great love His amazing grace given freely to all you believe on and receive the Son is much more edifying than all the theological debates and  political unrest and hate that has divided not only America but the nations as well. There will be no political messiah who will rise up and heal the nations that will only happen as His called out ones take their rightful place IN Christ and reveal His love for ALL the nations to see and know the glory of God.

Read the words of Christ concerning the Holy Spirit:

John 14:16-17. And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Comforter (Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, Strengthener, and Standby), that He may remain with you forever—The Spirit of Truth, Whom the world cannot receive (welcome, take to its heart), because it does not see Him or know and recognize Him. But you know and recognize Him, for He lives with you [constantly] and will be in you.

The Holy Spirit according to Jesus is the Spirit of Truth not one fond of uncertainty which would certainly make us suspect of what is the truth..

Again the words of Christ concerning the Holy Spirit: John 15:26. “But when the Comforter (Counselor, Helper, Advocate, Intercessor, Strengthener, Standby) comes, Whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of Truth Who comes (proceeds) from the Father, He [Himself] will testify regarding Me.”

For some reason I can’t see Jesus giving us The Spirit of Truth who is fond of uncertainty.

Lately I’ve been wondering about some of the ways we the New Testament Church use Old Testament Scriptures in what sounds like a good way, but in reality could be very misleading to immature believers. I believe that one of the greatest problems facing the Church is educating both new and old believers as to who we are in Christ and just what He has accomplished for us. But many of us seem to like to hang out in the Old Testament picture story book instead of moving on into the reality that is in Christ. (I’m not saying here we should not read the Old Testament, but that we should not live in the Old but in the New). A classic example that I can remember is having people pray that I would supernaturally receive the wisdom of Solomon, sounds good, huh? We all know the Old Testament speaks of Solomon as being the wisest man who ever lived, but if we read the New we also know that in Christ a “Greater than Solomon has come” (Matt. 12:42). Paul teaches us in very clear words that “of Him you are in Christ Jesus, Who became for us the wisdom from God, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption” (1 Cor.1:30). The Greater than Solomon lives within me by the Holy Spirit why do I still need the wisdom of Solomon, I just have to by faith believe and accept what I have in Christ, and again by faith begin to believe that wisdom resides in me. Does that mean I reject the Book of Proverbs? No, there is still much to be gleaned from Solomon’s writings, but Solomon’s wisdom failed as he turned from God’s truth to follow the desires of his flesh, the wisdom that resides within me is eternal as I allow the Lordship of the Spirit’s working in my life.

Since I became a Bapticostal charismatic type person back in the 80′s I’ve heard over and over about the Elijah generation as well as the Spirit of Elijah coming upon believers for the ministry of reconciliation. But as sacred as that cow might be it must be questioned in light of New Testament revelation. First of all Jesus never promised me greater works than  Elijah, He promised me in John 14:12, “He who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.” Wow! The Greater than Elijah has come and promised me that I would do greater works, not greater than Elijah’s, but greater than the works Jesus did! If I ever stand in your prayer line please pray that I receive the greater works than Christ anointing, for the Greater One has come. We must remember that the verses that speak of God sending Elijah the prophet was written to the Old covenant back-sliding nation of Israel and were fulfilled in the ministry of John the Baptist who came to turn the hearts of the children back to the God of their fathers. This is shown clearly in Scripture, first in Luke’s Gospel as the angel of the Lord (Gabriel) as he spoke to Zacharias John’s father.

“He will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the      fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” (Luke 1:17). Which was to become the fulfillment of what Mal. 4:5-6 spoke of.

Also in Matt. 11:14; Jesus in speaking of the ministry of John the Baptist told His disciples, “And if you are willing to receive it, he is Elijah who is to come.” Out of the New Testament Scripture both Gabriel and Jesus spoke of John as the fulfillment of that Old Testament prophecy. But you might say, ” Elijah’s ministry is the ministry of reconciliation to turn the hearts of the fathers toward the children and the hearts of the children toward the fathers.” True, but in the New Testament the greatest reconciliation is in the person of Jesus and what He has accomplish for us in the Atonement. Our reconciliation is in Christ, and in Christ we are all ministers of reconciliation. “Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation.” so the ministry of reconciliation is not reserved for some elite Elijah company of saints, but all believers are to minister in this capacity, or anointing. What do we really want, an Elijah generation,or a Jesus Generation, and Elijah, or even an Elisha double portion anointing, or a Peter or Paul anointing, or even better a greater works than Jesus anointing? True Elijah and Elisha both did mighty works in Old Covenant Israel, but the Early Church turned the known world of their day upside down in the power of the Holy Spirit, the Jesus anointing. (Have you ever wondered why no one ever wants a John the Baptist type ministry, even though Jesus spoke of him as the greatest prophet the Old Testament brought forth? Perhaps, just maybe, it’s because he lost his head. The same Jezebel spirit who tried to kill Elijah, killed the last of the Old Testament prophets and IN Christ a new day dawns).

Another popular teaching is on Joel’s Army. I don’t know why we can’t have a Jesus Army, or a Peter or Paul Army, but for some reason it has to be Joel’s Army. I remember in the 80′s and early 90′s almost every Sunday we sang “Blow the Trumpet in Zion, Sound and Alarm on My Holy Mountain,” it was great and we all danced and got happy, sometimes we even had a run away or two, but the reality of Joel’s Scripture was much different than what we imagined, or thought it to be. I don’t care how many times I read Joel chapters one and two they still say that the reason the trumpet was being blown in Zion was to call God’s people, apostate Israel to repentance before God sent His army of heathens to execute His wrath upon the nation. That’s not some great Christian army climbing on the walls like men of war, in chapter one it’s an invasion of locusts, and in chapter two it’s probably a picture of the mighty Roman army under Titus who fulfilled Jesus’ prophecy of Matt. 24 on the nation of Israel. The days of God’s vengeance spoken of in Luke 21:20-22. Yes, we are the army of God, we are His mighty army, but not the one spoken of in Joel’s prophecy, more like the one who follows the Lamb wherever He goes in Rev. 14:4, or the army in Rev. 19:11-16. We are an army that triumphs in the victory already won and attained for us in Christ, because He won we win. “We are more than conquerors through Him who loved us” (Rom. 8:37). The Old Testament type makes for  good and exciting preaching, but the New Testament reality gives me faith to disciple nations.

Recently I read a prophetic word that God was going to raise up another Moses to lead His people out of the wilderness. But again we deal with the same issue as before. the Greater Than Moses has come. Moses was not able to lead the Old Testament congregation out of the wilderness, but Jesus the Prophet like Moses not only has come, and in Him we are already in the land, we just need to renew our thinking a little (a whole lot) to realize just who we are in Him and what He has already accomplished for us in His death, burial, resurrection, and the pouring out of His Holy Spirit. So I ask you what do you want the spirit of Elijah, or the Greater works of Christ, a Joel’s Army, or to follow the Lamb wherever He goes? I no longer want to live in the types and shadows I want to live and minister in the reality that is Christ.

Paul speaks of Grace in his letter to the Romans.

Romans 1:1-7 (New King James Version)

Greetings

Rom.1: 1. Paul, a bond-servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God 2. which He promised before through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures, 3. concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh, 4. and declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead. 5. Through Him we have received grace and apostleship for obedience to the faith among all nations for His name, 6. among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ;7. To all who are in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul didn’t call himself an apostle here he was speaking not of his title, that might be his servant-hood in the Body of Christ, he saw his apostleship more as his function not his official position. Paul stated here as did Peter in 1 Peter 1:9-12 that then Old Testament prophets were looking ahead to Messiah’s Day for the fulfillment of the words the Lord had given them.

One such prophet was David who long ago spoke of the fact that; “Because he was a prophet and knew that God had sworn to him with an oath to seat one of his descendants on his throne, he (David) looked ahead and spoke of the resurrection of The Christ, that He was neither abandoned to Hades, not did His flesh suffer decay.” Peter went on to say: “32. This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses. 33. Therefore being exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you now see and hear.

34. “For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he says himself:

The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit at My right hand,
35. Till I make Your enemies Your footstool.”’

36. “Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.” (Acts 2:30-36).

Both Paul and Peter saw the resurrection of The Christ, The Messiah, The Anointed One as the time when He received the Kingdom from His Father. “Jesus declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead;” and Peter’s address on the Day of Pentecost; “This same Jesus you crucified God has made both Lord and Christ,” When? At His resurrection.(Ps. 2:6-7 explained by Paul in Acts 13:32-39).

Based on the fact of His resurrection and His now being seated at the Right-Hand of Power Paul declared the grace and apostleship that was given him to take this Good News and preach it among all the Gentiles not so he could have an enduring name, but for the Lord’s sake.

For many of us who came out of the WOF movement grace was a term not often heard in fact I don’t believe I ever heard any teaching on grace until I heard Duane Shaffer (sp?) from Durant, Oklahoma in the mid-nineties just before my wife and I with very little money and a 1966 Dodge that I had bought from a salvage yard for $500.00 pulling a U-haul trailer made the first leg of our journey to Japan from my hometown of Lawton, Oklahoma. It was Duane’s teachings on grace that gave us the willingness to trust God completely for the trip and He did much more abundantly than we ever imagined possible before we learned that faith is good but when we learn to let that faith be the conduit for God’s amazing grace to flow into our lives nothing is impossible.

Paul viewed grace as much more than just “God’s unmerited favor” and it is of course unmerited, surely we didn’t earn it it is freely given; but if it were strictly unmerited then Jesus our Lord would never have needed grace as the Bible speaks of him as “Being God’s Beloved Son in Whom I AM well pleased.” Paul saw grace as the ability of God in our lives to be what God has called us to be and to do what God has called us to do. Many of us seem to feel “grace through faith gets us saved” but then we’re on our own so we resort back to a works mentality; but Paul saw grace a an every minute of every day part of our walk as believers.

Paul told us in Eph. 2:5-6; “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast” but Paul doesn’t let us stop there he tells the believers in Colossians 2:6: “ As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him.” I gather from that just as I was saved by grace through faith then everyday of my Christian walk I am to live by faith in God’s amazing grace.

Paul gave us a tremendous example of this in his life and ministry; he said and I paraphrase in 1 Cor. 15:10, “I am what I am and I do what I do by the grace of God.” Before I close out this 1^st installment on Paul’s understanding of grace consider; we just like the Church at Rome are called to be saints not by what we’ve done or accomplished but because of what Christ has done for us. It’s not by our good works or by keeping Old Covenant Law or denomination rules it’s God’s free gift to us.