Love|Forward

In this episode, Derrick talks with Dr. Keenan Davis, an author, entrepreneur, activist, and Professor of Law at Northeastern University. They discuss some of the issues that have been revealed over the course of the Trump presidency, issues facing the black community, and some revelations that came from the last elections that Dr. Davis accurately predicted. They wrap up with some ideas on how the nation can heal going forward.You can follow Dr. Davis on Facebook at www.facebook.com/groups/oneinstitution

In this episode, Derrick talks with Author, Blogger, and Social Media Influencer, Rachel Beck. They discuss the need for encouragement in the world right now, the dynamic of being Indian and raised Jewish, the difference between confidence and determination, and the story behind her book, "Finding Your Way When Life Changes Your Plans." You can get her book here: http://www.citrinepublishing.com/books/finding-your-way/

In this episode, Derrick talks with Sandra Day, Minister, Mystic, Motivational Speaker, and Metaphysical Consultant and founder and CEO of "A Day In Your Life." She also happens to be my Big Sister! We cover family, politics, religion and society in general -- totally unscripted and unfiltered. If you like how my Sister and I engage on social media, you'll love this!You can reach Sandra at http://facebook.com/adayinyourlifemediaBe sure to like and subscribe to this podcast!We'd love to hear from you at comments@derrickday.comYou're also welcome to leave us a voicemail or text at 623.251.5160

In this episode, Derrick talks with Glenn Klein, founder and CEO of Life and Pleasure communications and host of the Sex in the Pews podcast. We cover sex and its role in religion and society in general - without any fluff or bullshit.You can reach Glenn at http://sexinthepews.com or http://coachglennklein.comBe sure to like and subscribe to this podcast!We'd love to hear from you at comments@derrickday.comYou're also welcome to leave us a voicemail or text at 623.251.5160

In this episode, Derrick discusses how Love positively impacts both the COVID-19 pandemic and Race Relations in America. The intersection is a waypoint in the future direction of this country. Be sure to like and subscribe! We'd love to hear from you at comments@derrickday.com You're also welcome to leave us a voicemail or text at 623.251.5160

Happy Father's Day!

Karl Forehand In this episode, Derrick interviews author, blogger, and podcaster, Karl Forehand about his new book, "Apparent Faith."

In this episode, Derrick deals with some of the foolishness that folks attempt to justify with scripture. "Fuckery" is synonymous with "bullhshit" but is much more fun to say!

In this episode, Derrick is joined by Kyle Butler and Aaron Abke, as they discuss Universalism, Inclusion, and the Gospel (Hint: God is Universal and He Includes everyone!

In this episode, Derrick talks with Antonio T. Smith, the author of "So Happy and Grateful - The Universal Laws of Happiness and You" about his book, reincarnation, quantum physics (yep!), and his candidacy for President of the United States!

When Jesus spoke of the law, He never referred to it as His law or command or the Father's law or command, He referred to it as "The Law of Moses" or "Your Law." In this special supplement, Derrick explains why Jesus referred to the law as He did!

In this episode, Derrick talks with Matthew DiStefano, the author of "Heretic!: An LGBTQ-Affirming, Divine Violence-Denying, Christian Universalist's Responses to Some of Evangelical Christianity's Most Pressing Concerns" about Faith, Fundamentalism, Freedom, and Fun! Episode on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/love-forward-e-7-heretic-w-matthew-distefano/id912141281?i=1000440819574 Episode on GooglePodcasts: https://play.google.com/music/m/Dwlwlhfl743xqa6yhhbmwdckupi?t=LoveForward_e7__Heretic_wMatthew_DiStefano-LoveForward

In this episode, Derrick talks with Aaron and Kyle about sex. Real talk. Nothing off limits. No holds barred. No filter. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/love-forward/id912141281#episodeGuid=http%3A%2F%2Fderrickday.com%2F%3Fp%3D6206

In this episode of the Podcast, Derrick speaks with Frank Sinclair, Professional Speaker, Consultant, and founder of the "Be Encouraged Group," one of the fastest growing groups on Facebook.

In this episode, Derrick talks with Keith Giles, author, podcaster, and blogger. Keith shares wisdom from his books, "Jesus Unbound" and "Jesus Untangled," along with two of his recent, controversial blog posts. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/love-forward-e-4-jesus-unbound-w-keith-giles/id912141281?i=1000437536648 https://play.google.com/music/m/Driotx5g3wyrp5uftmke6kpnzd4?t=LoveForward_e4__Jesus_Unbound_wKeith_Giles-LoveForward

In this episode, Derrick talks with Josh Greeson, author, scholar, and blogger. Josh has some amazing insights into the deconstruction of religion and the progress of theology. https://play.google.com/music/m/Dcysiwh6f4logudqht4rdrkhode?t=LoveForward_e3__Reboot_wJosh_Greeson-LoveForward https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/love-forward-e-3-reboot-w-josh-greeson/id912141281?i=1000436813743&l=fr

A new Corvette is coming. So is a new theology. Check out the latest podcast to understand the impact of both!

This podcast features Kyle Butler and Aaron Abke; discussing the difference between cussing, cursing, and swearing - and why they're not all the same!

Earlier this year, rapper Calvin Broaddas, aka Snoop Dogg released the album, “The Bible of Love.” This was his attempt at producing a Gospel album. After listening to it, I have come to the conclusion he succeeded mightily. First of all, a lot of what is called “Christian” or “Gospel” music is neither. It may be Biblically-based but it doesn’t rest on the Finished Work of the Cross. “Whoa, dude!” you say, “What do you mean by that?” Simple. When you’re begging for the spirit of God to show up. When you ask God to have mercy on you, a sinner. When you ask God to extend Grace to you. I could go on but He has done all of these things. God poured out his mercy and Grace to us and has spiritually taken up residence inside us. But back to the subject — People are mad because they say an unrepentant sinner such as Snoop has no business making a Gospel album. Really? Who judges Snoop? I know I don’t. And, I’m going to take a step out and say that Snoop was praising God even before he made this album. Whaaaaaat? God gave Snoop his talent and he shares it with the world. That’s what God gives us our talents and abilities for — to share them. It’s when we sit on them that I believe God is saddened. Listen, God is not so narcissistic that everything has to be an ode to Him. God was God and was satisfied with being God even before He made any of us. So God doesn’t “need” our worship as religion defines it but gets it by the expression of our gifts and talents. That said, there’s a plethora of Christian artists who participated in the production of this musical collection. The Clark Sisters. John P. Kee. Tye Tribbett. Rance Allen. Surely one or more of them might have an issue with Snoop’s thuggery or cannabis consumption. I used to judge people to be hypocrites when they produce music or other media that was “lewd” by the standards of religion, then turn around and “give God glory” when receiving an award. I realized that I was the hypocrite for judging them. Watch this, by expressing their talents, they are giving God glory. It doesn’t matter what the genre — as long as it doesn’t explicitly reject God! The Bible says “let everything that have breath, praise the Lord.” Because everything living is His creation, breathing praises God! Religious folks will say that Snoop is unqualified to preach the Gospel. By that standard, who is qualified? Who does the qualifying? The same people who think it requires a ThD and the same people who proclaim women can’t preach. The reality is that Mark 16:15 gives every believer the responsibility of preaching the Gospel. This means that every believer is qualified. Contrary to popular belief, God is concerned more with our belief than our behavior. So Snoop smokes weed? Where in Scripture is that even identified as a sin? It’s funny that some of the same people who criticize Snoop’s smoking are morbidly obese — and it has nothing to do with the size of their bones. Another point, who gets to decide who is actually a believer? John 13:34-35 says that love is the hallmark of discipleship, not behavior. Some of the people who don’t cuss, smoke, or chew, and don’t run around with those who do exhibit nothing that looks like love. So where is the love for Snoop Dogg? Instead of reminding him of how loved he is by the Father and blessing him for taking the Gospel places religion cannot, he is condemned and chided for having the audacity to “blaspheme God” by making a Gospel album. Matter of fact, most of the people who level accusations against him — which, by the way, is a tactic of the devil — have never even bothered to listen to his album or any interviews with him Right now, there are thugs and gangsters that are grooving to this mix. And the Holy Spirit is ministering to them in ways tradition and religion cannot. And instead of seeing the Body of Christ galvanized in support of this, what the unsaved sees is more division.

I watched the biopic on Bishop Carlton Pearson, “Come Sunday,” over the weekend. Since then, I’ve had an opportunity to digest what I saw, juxtaposing it with what I already knew about the man and the situation, and the firestorm of comments about the man and the movie. Here’s my take. First of all, I do not know Bishop Pearson personally. I cannot speak to his character. I do not claim to know what is on his mind. I only know that he is a gifted preacher, teacher, and singer. I know that he was successful in his calling and served as a model for many up-and-coming preachers. So, I cannot vouch for his character or his personal interactions — neither of which are my business, anyhow. That said, there was something said by the actor who portrayed him: “I heard from God.” There was a time in my life, not too long ago, where hearing these words from someone I considered suspect would cause my spiritual radar to go berserk. I mean, in order to hear from God, you had to be holy. You had to be righteous. You had be well-versed in Scripture and a theological pedigree didn’t hurt. I thought you had to be a special brand of special in order to hear from God. You had to be a Pastor. Or a Prophet. Or an Apostle. Or a Bishop. When I first heard from God (yes I did), I considered myself to be among the evangelical elite. I was a champion among charismatics and a Pentecostal poster-boy. Like many who heard from God, I thought I had arrived! But, when I came down from my high-horse, I realized that hearing from God is something that every believer can expect AND that hearing from God is always an edifying, albeit challenging, experience. I also learned that it was deeply personal. I have five sons. I have a unique relationship with each of them. And they are all different. And while I may give a blanket statement to the whole crew (e.g., “clean your rooms”), I relate to them uniquely according to their individual personalities. So what I say to each of them is different. My personality remains consistent between them but the words I speak are unique to each one. Any good parent knows that there’s no cookie-cutter approach to raising kids. I firmly believe God is a better parent than any of us. If anyone says, “I heard from God,” I process that as the personal experience that it is. And, as long as it doesn’t violate the loving nature revealed in Jesus, I trust that the individual is genuine in his or her testimony. So when I heard the person portraying Bishop Pearson say those words, I trust that He did, indeed hear from God. The big question, then, is did he hear clearly? So many folks are quick to rush to judgment, saying that what Bishop Pearson was saying was inconsistent with the Word of God. Really? Whose interpretation? After all, there are over forty thousand Christian denominations. And within those denominations, there are factions that disagree. Who, then, holds the monopoly on truth? The reality, here, is that Bishop Pearson simply said something that was contrary to an accepted standard. The Body of Christ is a funny creature — it cannot seem to agree on anything except patently visible “sins” (e.g., homosexuality and abortion) and perceived “heresy” (e.g., Inclusionism and Universalism). Bishop Pearson’s chief transgression, then, was that he proffered a theological position that ran contrary to someone’s interpretation of truth. Let me stop here and say, emphatically, I am neither an inclusionst nor a universalist. For the record, I do not believe in the construct of hell as a place of eternal conscious torment. I also believe that there will be far more people in heaven than most in mainstream Christianity suppose. Personally, I have learned to love to the degree that I hope everyone gets to spend eternity in the joyous presence of our Heavenly Father. I believe that, through Jesus, God has made this a present possibility that becomes a reality by our choice.

Christ in you, the Hope of Glory Jesus - God in flesh - the personification of God's unconditional Love and unlimited Grace. The mystery has been revealed. No need to seek after what you already have! via IFTTT

The character, Polonius, in Shakespeare’s “Hamlet,” uttered one of the most famous and parroted quotes, “This above all: to thine own self be true, And it must follow, as the night the day, Thou canst not then be false to any man.” This has become a rallying cry for both self-honesty and self-recognition. The merits of this quote have been debated for centuries but, suffice it to say, there is some truth to this. I’m going to tell you upfront, this is a Good News Message. This is a feel-good message. This is unicorns and rainbows, sugarplums and gingerbread houses. With the help of the Holy Spirit, I pray you leave feeling better about yourself than you ever did! 2 Corinthians 5:17 - (AMP) Therefore if any person is [ingrafted] in Christ (the Messiah) he is a new creation (a new creature altogether); the old [previous moral and spiritual condition] has passed away. Behold, the fresh and new has come! The first, and perhaps, the best news first: In Christ you are something that never existed before. You are unique and special. There is none like you. You are created in the image and likeness of God and there is none like him. You are more unique than a snowflake and more precious than rare metals and jewels. Psalms 139:14-16 (AMPC) 14 I will confess and praise You for You are fearful and wonderful and for the awful wonder of my birth! Wonderful are Your works, and that my inner self knows right well. 15 My frame was not hidden from You when I was being formed in secret [and] intricately and curiously wrought [as if embroidered with various colors] in the depths of the earth [a region of darkness and mystery]. 16 Your eyes saw my unformed substance, and in Your book all the days [of my life] were written before ever they took shape, when as yet there was none of them. You are fearfully (reverently) and wonderfully (extravagantly) made. You are created from the foundation of time to be great and to do great works! You are uniquely authentic. You are created with the very DNA of God and signed with the fingerprint of God. You are unique in all creation and authentic in your being! Here’s the challenging part — being authentic. You can only truly do what you know yourself to be. One of the reasons why people struggle in life the way they do is because they are doing things inconsistent with their being. It’s like trying to be a banker when you were purposed to be a baker — you’re dealing in the wrong kind of dough! In order to fully walk in your uniqueness, you must be authentically you. Jesus had a strong word for people who behaved inconsistently with their speech — hypocrites! The hypocrites were Pharisees and teachers of the law who preached one thing but their actions didn’t line up with their words. This is what law and religion produces: it is impossible to uphold the law in its entirety, so it’s adherents frequently have to fake it to keep up their religious appearances. In other words, law and religion cannot produce disciples — they can only produce hypocrites. But Love and Grace free you to be authentic. Grace acknowledges that you’re flawed in flesh but perfected in spirit. And Love reveals it’s unending capacity for empathy and compassion toward you. You are not a robot created for empty hollow worship, you are a child conceived in love to reflect the love of God in your being and to manifest this love to others. When you embrace this, authenticity flows from you and any vestige of hypocrisy is displaced from you! Now here’s the second part of the Good News, here — when you gain understanding of your true being, your doing will reflect the transformation. Legalism says Grace is a license to sin but it’s really a revelation of your holy and righteous nature or being. Once you realize this, you will recognize the goodness within you and you will reflect this goodness outwardly. In other words, once you realize sin has been defeated in you, it will manifest itself outside you with far less frequen...

In 1775, Patrick Henry penned and spoke his famous line, “Give me Liberty or give me death.” This has become one of the rallying cries of our Republic and a call to freedom. Recently, like many others, I went to watch the movie “Black Panther.” It’s an awesome movie and I’m not going to give any spoilers. However, there is one scene where the antagonist, “Killmonger,” played by Michael B. Jordan says, “Bury me in the ocean with my ancestors who jumped from the ships. Because they knew death was better than bondage.” I want to focus on one of my favorite passages of Scripture — along with these two quotes. (2 Corinthians 3:17) Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty [emancipation from bondage, true freedom]. A brief anecdote — when I began to heed my call into ministry, this was one of the verses that I memorized and took to heart. Not long after, I learned that it is inscribed on Detroit’s City-County building — behind the statue of the Spirit of Detroit. Little did I know that this verse would also change my life. Now, I’m going to start with something controversial — the only good slave is a dead slave. Because a man that doesn’t recognize his God-given freedom is no better than dead. And a slave, while alive, is only good for making more slaves and keeping the institution alive. The awesome thing about this seemingly offensive statement I just made is that, in Christ, you died. That’s right, the old you — the slave you — is dead and gone. And if you’re not in Christ, I’m going to tell you to drop dead, too — so you can be resurrected in freedom! There are two types of people who are opposed to freedom — masters and slaves. Slaves are opposed to freedom because they don’t know what it means to be free. And they are not just held by chains but they are held by fear. They are afraid of what will happen to them if they try to attain freedom and they are fearful of the responsibilities of freedom. Sound familiar? It should. Because that’s what religion strives to do to you. Masters are opposed to freedom for several reasons. One is that they have a material interest in either keeping slaves. These are the people who profit from making merchandise out of people or benefit from free labor. When Jesus drove the moneychangers from the temple, He wasn’t cleansing out the “sinners;” He was rebuking the merchants who held the people in financial bondage. Two, they uphold the institution. Those who uphold the institution are reminded that they are not like the slaves by the masters — and given the hope that perhaps, one day, they can have slaves of their own. The last group is the worst. They either trade in slaves or uphold the institution because they simply enjoy tormenting others. This group deny others pleasure and, ostensibly, take the moral high-ground, hiding behind religion. Frederick Douglass once said that “Knowledge makes a man unfit to be a slave.” This is why the teaching of God’s unconditional Love and unlimited Grace offends legalism and religion. Because it reveals God’s creative intent — to have children as free and creative and as loving as Himself. This is why our core Scripture and the quotes by Patrick Henry and the Killmonger character so resonate with me — because I understand, now, that I’m created to be free. I’m not merely set free — because that would subject me to conditions of freedom — I’m MADE free! My freedom is not derived from any conditions, I was BORN free! See, I have many friends who are immigrants. All of them are here with the hope of a better life. Some of them have become citizens. But their presence in this country are subject to conditions and, if the prevailing conditions change, they can be removed from this country. Me, on the other hand, I was born here. Even though some of my ancestors came here as slaves, I have all the same rights codified by the Constitution as anyone else.

I have a confession to make — I haven’t always been the most loving person. Over the course of the last year, I have introduced you to “Throat-Punch Derrick,” the guy I used to be before Jesus rescued me. Throat-Punch Derrick was more concerned with incapacitation than reconciliation and more concerned with destruction than discipleship. I even had a t-shirt that said, “Kill ‘em all, let God sort ‘em out.” I used to use the F-bomb a lot. You know, like “F-‘em” to people I didn’t like of people who, in my mind, did me wrong. But today I want to say F-‘em to a whole new group of people. I want to say F-you and I want you to go F some folks. Let’s see how Jesus did it: Luke 23:34 (ESV) 34 And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” And they cast lots to divide his garments. Some of y’all were on the edge of your seat, thinking I was gonna cuss! Forgive! In some Christian circles, Forgiveness has become just as volatile as the F-bomb. “How can we forgive those who persecute Christians?” “How can we forgive atheists?” “How can we forgive witches and pagans?” “How can we forgive radical Muslims?” “How can we forgive racists?” How can we forgive? I’m not going to lie and say this is easy but this is the straight gate and the narrow way Jesus spoke of. Broad is the way of destruction — in other words, the easy way is to hate who you dislike and to deny forgiveness to those who offend you. But Jesus in, Luke 6:27-28, said to love your enemies. To bless them that curse you. To pray for them who oppress you. Y’all this is hard. But this is love. Can you imagine that while Jesus was hanging on the cross that the thought didn’t cross his mind to condemn those who mocked, beat, and crucified Him? But he said, “Father, Forgive them…” Listen up, you cannot forgive without love. I humbly submit to you that it is impossible to forgive without the presence of love. If you say you forgive without manifesting love, you’re just paying lip-service — going through the motions without any devotion! Now, one thing I want to liberate you from is some Old Covenant baggage — Jesus said that if you don’t forgive, God would not forgive you (Matthew 6:14-15). He said this in His “Sermon on the Mount.” Now there was a point to the Sermon on the Mount that many people miss — that Jesus was preaching the law on steroids. In other words, He was showing the impossibility of upholding the law. Jesus was showing the desperate need for Grace. The Sermon on the Mount is not a guideline for living, it is a demonstration that there is no liberty in the law. Think about it, no one is plucking out their eyes of cutting off their hands, right? But watch this, Jesus demonstrated forgiveness to many. The woman at the well. The woman caught in adultery. Zachaeus. Peter. Jesus even allowed Judas to break bread with Him KNOWING what he was about to do. Jesus was all about forgiveness. He who has been forgiven much should forgive much. But we forget that when we feel offended. And, now, forgiveness has become as bad as a cuss word. “You wouldn’t forgive them, either, if you knew what they did to me…” This is often the rallying cry in the Body of Christ. Instead of trying to figure out how to forgive we strive to justify our feelings for holding grudges. But we are to be known by our love toward others as we love ourselves. That means letting go! Forgiveness is evidence of our love! Paul taught extensively on forgiveness. He taught that we have been forgiven by God and that we, too, must forgive. James and John also taught that God has forgiven us and that we, too, must forgive. Forgiveness is a product of love. In fact, you will never be more Christlike than when you forgive. Now don’t get it twisted, here — I’m not saying you should go become a snake handler after you’ve been bitten by a rattlesnake. You have the right to mark those who offended you and limit your exposure to them.

Longsuffering is patience with power, not enduring God-induced or God-sanctioned torment. via IFTTT

I have never been cool with others defining my identity. From childhood, I’ve always sought to be the one who would define me — for better or worse Growing up, I had a wonderful Mother who believed in me and made many sacrifices for me to do the things I wanted. I had an Uncle Bob who didn’t always understand my logic but always had my back. I had siblings who thought the world of me. I also had some teachers who believed I’d help to reshape the world. But I had detractors — some of them close family — who said I’d never amount to anything. I had people around me who literally cursed me and hoped for my failure. What I learned from this is that my desire to define myself was part of my coping mechanism — it kept me from sinking into defeat and despair. Then I found Jesus — actually, He found me because I was the one who was lost! Unfortunately, my encounter with Jesus was through the mechanism of religion. Religion told me that Jesus loved me — but that I was a dirty, rotten, lowdown, wretch of a sinner and that I would never be more than that in this lifetime. But, Oh, How He Loves Me! I got suckered. For the first time, I allowed someone else to define my identity. Did my coping skills fail me? Well, at least I’m letting my creator define me, right? After all, this is God, right? If He says it, He must be right; who am I to argue? Except that’s never what He said! God definitely wants us to humble ourselves but true humility is not what religion has taught us! James 4:6-7 (ESV) 6 But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” 7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. So I got on the treadmill of religion. I was running my race and going nowhere fast. I became self-deprecating, self-abasing, and self-loathing. I was convinced my flesh was evil and I began to despise it. I became a devoted rapture-watcher and prophecy-hound — longing for the day that I would be separated from this wretched flesh. When I saw the core text for the first time, I believed I had to crucify myself daily to be worthy of this Grace. That in order to be submitted to God, I had to assume a servant’s posture — I had to humble myself or I’d be humbled by God. Then I learned that Grace was UNMERITED favor! I couldn’t afford to buy it. I couldn’t work for it. And, in my own strength, I didn’t deserve it! Understanding UNMERITED changed everything! I learned that it was not my works or my behavior that warranted this Grace — it was the Gift OF God. It was God giving Himself to us in the person of Jesus. Then I learned that because God gave us Jesus as a dwelling place (John 15:4-7), that His Spirit abides in us (1 Corinthians 3:16, Romans 8:11), that in Him there is no sin (1 John 3:5). That in Him, I’m righteous (2 Corinthians 5:21) and holy (Hebrews 10:10-14). That I am now — in this world and in this time — exactly like Jesus is (1 John 4:17). Then it hit me — true humility is agreeing with what God says about me! At this point the chains fell off! I was completely free from what people said about me. I was completely free from what religion said about me. And I was completely free from what I thought about myself. Now, here’s the thing — the world doesn’t like freedom. The devil doesn’t like freedom. And your flesh has been taught not to like freedom. But you were created to be free! You were created in the image of God to LOOK like Him and the likeness of God to ACT like Him. Now ask yourself, “How many restrictions or restraints does God have?” David was called a man after God’s own heart (1 Samuel 13:14). Abraham was called a friend of God (2 Chronicles 20:7). Moses called himself humble (Numbers 12:3). Jesus called Himself equal to God (John 10:30). Some people would call this arrogance — but it is true humility! You see, we need to change how we SEE ourselves and what we SAY about ourselves!

Today, I want to talk about a fundamental – or basic principle – of discipleship. You may have heard in the past of the Faith ABCs: Accept, Believe, Confess. But I’d like to talk about a different faith ABC. A Better Covenant. A lot of what we were taught in our early Christian walk was taught to us in error. Many of us – at least I know this from my walk – were introduced to Salvation by Grace through faith but, then, we were discipled in the law. I’ve talked before about how I – and this is a common experience with other believers – got saved and was then given a Bible with a Ten Commandments bookmark. In other words, now that you are saved by Grace, it’s time to get discipled by the law. The problem with that is it creates what I call a schizophrenic Saint – one minute in the Grace of God; the next, in the law. As the old saying goes, you can’t have it both ways. James said “A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways” And, if you’re double-minded, the Scripture goes on to say, “the double-minded man can expect to receive nothing from God.” Before we get started, it’s important to understand what a Covenant is. Unlike a contract, where two parties agree to some terms, a Covenant is a contract or binding agreement whereby the greater party promises something to a lesser. Like God obligating Himself to do something for us. This is what Scripture has to say about the better Covenant: But as it now is, He [Christ] has acquired a [priestly] ministry which is as much superior and more excellent [than the old] as the covenant (the agreement) of which He is the Mediator (the Arbiter, Agent) is superior and more excellent, [because] it is enacted and rests upon more important (sublimer, higher, and nobler) promises. For if that first covenant had been without defect, there would have been no room for another one or an attempt to institute another one. (Hebrews 8:6-7 AMP) Here’s one thing we need to understand, though, that there were actually THREE Covenants, not two. First Covenant The first Covenant was Promise The Covenant of Promise began with Noah after the flood, which was first written in the sky (Genesis 9:9-12) and consummated with Abram (Abraham) when it was written in blood (Genesis 15:8-11). The Covenant of Promise remained in effect until the Hebrews came up out of Egypt. Why did it change? Because the Israelites forgot and forsook the first covenant Second Covenant God wanted to speak to His people. He wanted to have the same relationship with them He had in the Garden! Check out what He told Moses: Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people:for all the earth is mine: And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel. (Exodus 19:5-6) The people told Moses, “All that the Lord commands, we will do.” But that was not what was in their hearts. And the Lord said unto Moses, Go unto the people, and sanctify them to day and to morrow, and let them wash their clothes, And be ready against the third day:for the third day the Lord will come down in the sight of all the people upon mount Sinai. (Exodus 19:10-11)  And all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking:and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood afar off. And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die. (Exodus 20:18-19)  The Israelites handled the external preparation but not the internal. God was prepared to meet with them and speak with them directly but the Israelites hearts were hardened. So God gave them the Law and a mediator. He had to cut a new Covenant with them to purge the wickedness of Egypt out of them! Simply put, getting out of Egypt is not enough; you have to get Egypt out of you!

[vsw id="_Ss5ClfIvAg" source="youtube" width="425" height="344" autoplay="no"] Discipleship cannot be effective if it isn't made practical.

[vsw id="ta9Il8bvJ2A" source="youtube" width="425" height="344" autoplay="no"] One of the great challenges in the Body of Christ is whether obedience or liberty will rule in the manifestation of our discipleship. And when rules are discussed, they are usually done so under the framework of doctrine. For the record, doctrine is more about why we do what we do more so than how we do what we do, or what we do, itself. Doctrine was never meant to be rule bearing or burdensome (Galatians 4:1-5). But it has become so. It has become the heavy-handed taskmaster of discipleship. Today, I pray, we will break that bondage forever. Hebrews 6:1-3 (ESV) 1 Therefore let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, 2 and of instruction about washings, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. 3 And this we will do if God permits. This passage of Scripture is foundational because it is the gateway to deeper understanding. It urges us to grow beyond what gets us into the Kingdom to how we take the Kingdom into the world to influence and reshape it. The author of Hebrews is communicating to the reader that we should not get stuck in Kingdom Kindergarten. We need to be in a mode of continuous growth so that we can become teachers. That’s right, ladies and gentlemen, the preacher is not the only one to give instruction. We are all ministers of the Gospel and, at some level, we should be teaching others. That’s discipleship 101! Check this out: Hebrews 5:12-14 (ESV) 12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, 13 for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. 14 But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil. If we remain in the spiritual nursery, we never become mature or strong enough to go out and preach the Gospel. And, if we don’t preach the Gospel, we fail in the Great Commission. The Big Idea of discipleship is that we take on the nature and character of Jesus and impact the world with it. There are scientists that suggest that when man travels to Mars, that we implement a plan of “terraforming.” In this process, we take advantage of the fact that Mars’ atmosphere is mostly carbon dioxide, we can plant trees and vegetation that breathe in carbon dioxide and breathe out oxygen, thus making the atmosphere suitable for human life. Likewise we plant seeds of God’s unconditional Love and Grace to breathe in sin, law, and religion and breathe out love, peace, and liberty! Now, don’t get me wrong. Doctrine is important — but must be kept in its proper perspective. Doctrine is the explanation of why we do what we do, not a stepwise approach to doing it. When doctrine is viewed as instructional instead of explanatory, it tends toward legalism and works. Improper understanding of doctrine keeps saints on the treadmill of religion. The author of Hebrews speaks of things near salvation and greater than it: Hebrews 6:9 (AMPC) 9 Even though we speak this way, yet in your case, beloved, we are now firmly convinced of better things that are near to salvation and accompany it. So what are the better things that are near salvation and accompany it? Love. Love is greater than salvation. Love illustrates the goodness of God, which leads men to repentance. Love is the Chief Fruit of the Spirit. Love is greater than faith or hope. Love never fails. Love is is the identifying characteristic of the disciple of Christ to the world. Grace. Salvation is the manifestation of God’s Grace. Grace is God’s unmerited favor toward us and His unlimited power imparted to us. Grace is what empowers forgiveness. Grace is what empowers tolerance.

One of the greatest questions posed by any believer is, “God, do you hear me?” Likewise, one of the things that keeps the unsaved away from God is the belief that He doesn’t hear us — or at least He doesn’t respond. I’d like to deal with this question from the perspective of both the saved and the unsaved. (Spoiler alert: God not only HEARS you but He ANSWERS you!) John 11:41-42 (ESV) 41 So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. 42 I knew that you always hear me, but I said this on account of the people standing around, that they may believe that you sent me.” One of the things we discover from searching the Gospels is that Jesus was a man of prayer. He spent a great deal of time in prayer. Now, this is interesting because He is God in the flesh (Romans 8:3). He also said that He and the Father are one (John 10:30). This means that He had the mind of God. He knew God’s thoughts. And, in the core text, Jesus thanks the Father for always hearing Him! If this is true, why pray? But where this gets really deep is right here: John 5:19 (ESV) 19 So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise. Wait a minute — if Jesus had this amazing prayer life but He only did what He saw the father do, Whom, then, does the Father pray to. Before we continue, we need to stop and stand the traditional prayer paradigm on its ear. Prayer is not a religious exercise, it is conversation. It is how our heavenly Father communicates with us. We speak and He listens. God operates faster than the speed of thought — nothing escapes Him! Psalms 139:1-4 (ESV) 1 O LORD, you have searched me and known me! 2 You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. 3 You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. 4 Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O LORD, you know it altogether. Prayer is not a tool by which we bombard God with petitions until He responds. True prayer is a dialogue, not a monologue! When we jabber away at God without giving him a chance to reply, well, there’s a deep theological term for that… It’s called being rude! And rudeness is un-Christlike! So stop it. Just like music is just noise without the rests between the notes, prayer requires silence on our part so that we hear from God. Now that we’ve level-set on what prayer is, let’s get back to the original question — whom does God speak to? He speaks to His triune Self! Genesis 1:26 (ESV) 26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” He speaks to Angels: Psalms 91:11 (ESV) 11 For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways. And He speaks to people: Matthew 17:5 (ESV) 5 He was still speaking when, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” So, when Jesus prayed, He was simply doing what He saw the Father do! Because relationships require communication! We see now that God definitely speaks, but does He listen. He heard Abraham, Moses, and David and responded to them. He definitely heard Jesus and responded to Him. Which brings me to another question: where are you positionally? If you are in Christ, you are a joint-heir with Jesus (Romans 8:17). That means whatever Jesus has access to, you have access to! You can be fully persuaded that, because the Father hears and answers Jesus, that He will do the same for you! This is awesome news for those in Christ. But what about those who haven’t even reached a sliver of Chris...

As a student of finance and economics, I used to be enthralled with corporate raiders. People like Carl Ichan and T. Boone Pickens would scour the corporate landscape, looking for companies to devour and extract value from. I would realize later that they were largely vultures, feeding off the carcasses of near-dead companies. Now, this isn’t the testimony of all corporate raiders — there are some who actually come in and revitalize their targets. Today, I want to tell the story of two hostile takeovers — one that ended in the corruption of creation and another that ends in redemption from corruption. I have two passages of Scripture I want to work with: Luke 19:10 (KJV) For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost. Galatians 4:5 (KJV) To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. In the beginning, God created an atmosphere for His children and then created them in His image and His likeness. Because they were to look and act like Him, He gave them his Royal Nature — Dominion. The angels beheld this creation and said: Psalms 8:4-6 (AMPC) 4 What is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of [earthborn] man that You care for him? 5 Yet You have made him but a little lower than God [or heavenly beings], and You have crowned him with glory and honor. 6 You made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet: I humbly submit that the angels were at least a little envious of this lump of clay that God lavishes so much attention and affection upon. One of these angels was so enraged that he misappropriated the form of a serpent to seduce man into surrendering the franchise of earthly dominion. Now, contrary to popular belief, man did not give up his dominion when he ate the fruit, he gave it up when he failed to act according to his dominion mandate and accept responsibility for his actions and, instead, played the “blame game:” “The serpent beguiled…” “This woman you gave me…” Can you believe that, man actually tried to blame God. In case you’re wondering, this helped set the paradigm for religion — blaming God for things man should have authority over. But I digress… This was the first hostile takeover. Man was made to believe that he had surrendered the title deed to authority in the earth to satan. The devil, then crowns himself “god of this world,” and proceeds to wreak havoc for centuries. But, then, along comes Jesus! Jesus begins His earthly ministry telling people to “Repent and believe the Gospel!” Now, we know full well that repent doesn’t mean “confess your sins” as religion holds but “change your mind.” In other words, here comes some good news that darkness no longer has authority over you so change your mind and turn to and embrace the light! So Jesus comes and says, “For the son of man is come to seek and to save THAT which was lost.” Notice the pronoun, THAT. It is an impersonal pronoun speaking of an impersonal subject. What is the THAT. The THAT, my friends, is the Royal Authority bestowed upon man but thought to be surrendered in the garden! Kings are first concerned with the integrity of their Kingdoms. It is only by demonstrating power and authority that they may bless their subjects. Jesus came to show that, through Him, we have been restored to our position of authority in the earth. This is why Jesus chided His disciples for “little faith” on the boat (Mark 4:37-41) and with the boy afflicted by the spirit of seizure (Mark 9:17-29) — because they had the power and authority to fix the situation but, instead, they waited for Jesus! See, religion tells you to wait for a move of God — but Jesus came to empower the move of man by redeeming Him! This is the revelation Paul caught — that the law did not deliver mankind from the bondage of sin but, instead, strengthened it. Paul taught in 2 Corinthians 15:56 that the strength of sin is the law — this me...

One of the things that keeps people from getting to know Jesus or experiencing oneness with Him is the belief that God is, at best, an absentee father or, at worst, a deadbeat dad. The truth of the matter is that God is a Good, Good, Father. His Goodness is eternal and His Goodness is the only thing that will lead men to repentance (Romans 2:4). God Cares. And He Cares deeply for us. Luke 12:22-32 (ESV) 22 And he said to his disciples, “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on. 23 For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. 24 Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds! 25 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? 26 If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest? 27 Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 28 But if God so clothes the grass, which is alive in the field today, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith! 29 And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be worried. 30 For all the nations of the world seek after these things, and your Father knows that you need them. 31 Instead, seek his kingdom, and these things will be added to you. 32 “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. The Bible tells us (Psalms 139:13-14) that we are fearfully and wonderfully made. Because we know that God didn’t give us a spirit of fear, we can surmise that terror is not part of the equation. No, the “fearfully” here is “reverently.” I can see the torches and pitchforks now. Yep. I said, “reverently.” How can I say that? Because we were created in the image and likeness of God to rule and reign here on earth. Everything in the earth is created to be subject to our authority. Psalms 8:4-6 asks the question, 4 what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? 5 Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings (elohim) and crowned him with glory and honor. 6 You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet, Genesis 1:26-28 tells us that we have dominion over all the things in the earth. Romans 8:19 says all of creation is waiting for mankind to take its rightful place in the earth. God cares so much that when the world was completely upside down, God sent His only Son to die a horrible death for the express purpose of setting things straight. He cares so much that He allows Himself to be the burden bearer of our own cares and concerns: 1 Peter 5:7 (AMPC) 7 Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully. This is a reflection on Psalm 55:22. The bottom line is, God cares. He cares so much that the very hairs on your head are numbered (Luke 12:7). He cares so much that He knows the very fabric of your being. He cares so much that He sent Himself in flesh to exchange the potential for eternal darkness and death into eternal life and light! He cares so much that He takes up residence in our bodies, calling it His temple! God cares for us so much that He redeemed us to be reconciled with Him, and that He would never leave nor forsake us. God cares so much for us that He would replace a covenant that we couldn’t keep with a Covenant that He, alone would keep! We are the object of His affection. We are His crowning glory! When God created everything, He paused to call it “good.” But when He created us, God really patted Himself on the back, calling us “very good.”

In 1980, the new wave rock band, Devo, released their biggest hit, “Whip It.” It was intended as satire against American optimism and became an anthem of counterculturalism. It also had significant appeal in sadomasochistic circles. What’s interesting about the song is that it alludes to the premise that you can whip any problem — person, place, or thing — into the end-state you wish it to be in. Unfortunately, this mentality has crept into the church. Today, I want to talk about whips and how they have become a problem for the body of Christ. John 2:15 And having made a lash (a whip) of cords, He drove them all out of the temple [enclosure]—both the sheep and the oxen—spilling and scattering the brokers’ money and upsetting and tossing around their trays (their stands). Jesus made a whip. And He “violently” drove sinners out of the temple. This is the narrative that has been shared for this story. And while we see in the two verses that follows this, Jesus was upset because the temple had become a place of merchandise and that it was fulfilling of a prophecy that said zeal for God’s house would consume Him. I’m going to deal with these two verses in a few minutes but let’s review the nature and character of Jesus. First, Jesus was nonviolent. He told those who heard him that “an eye for an eye” was not the proper approach. He rebuked James and John for wanting to bring fire from heaven. He chided Peter for cutting a man’s ear off. In all the Gospel accounts, we never find Jesus causing or bringing harm to anyone. So Jesus would have been at odds with Himself to commit a violent act when He, Himself, was against violence. The rulers of the temple allowed moneychangers (usurious lenders and unscrupulous merchants) to operate in the temple. In other words, legalistic religion permitted this. These were not drunkards, prostitutes, or whoremongers — these were people with religion’s stamp of approval. And they were making merchandise out of the people of God. This is what got Jesus whipped into a frenzy! Not the temple, itself, but how the temple system was polluting the people. Jesus was showing us that sometimes, we have to chase things out of the temple of God — which is our bodies. Anything that can take advantage of you or others needs to go! Jesus was sweeping the law, the monetary system of the world, and religion out of the temple — in other words, he was giving us an example of renewing our minds! So, in this context, Jesus used this cord as more of a broom than a whip! If we continue further into the book of John, we see Pontius Pilate having Jesus scourged before going to the Cross. It’s here where we find what religion really likes. The purpose of the Romans scourging Jesus was to get him to confess to a crime he did not commit and to conform to the detente established between Rome and the legalistic Jewish leaders. Religion likes pain. Religion likes beating people into submission. Religion likes to hear confession. Grace refuses to hear any confession of wrongdoing and does not accuse anyone. Why? Because God said He’d remember our sins no more (Hebrews 8:12, 10:17)! Grace empowers us to confess our holiness (Hebrews 10:10, 14) and our righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21)! Grace enables us to recognize we are loved by God! Religion sees Jesus’ whip in the same context as the Roman whip. But Jesus’ whip was to demonstrate the removing of impurities while the Roman whip intended to beat purity into the one human being with no impurities! The Apostle Paul had a whip issue, too. In Acts 2:24-28, we find Paul arrested and about to be flogged. But Paul had an ace up his sleeve — he reminded his captors and tormentors of his Roman citizenship, which made it illegal for him to be beaten without first being tried and condemned. This is some good news for you, right here! The world, the enemy, and religion will try and beat you into submission.

[vsw id="CEVgqcDpNqs" source="youtube" width="425" height="344" autoplay="no"] There is no need to beg God for what He has already given us. We simply need to appropriate and use His blessings!

Teaching Saints that they have to confess sins is bad doctrine! There are some who believe that you not only have to confess your sin to be saved, but you must confess sin on an ongoing basis to remain “clean.” If you hang around church folk long enough, you will hear talk of a “1st John cleaning of your robe of righteousness.” Many of these folks are well meaning – their hearts are in the right place. But here’s where the concept of ongoing confession falls flat – let’s look at the text: If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9) I really think this is one of those passages of Scripture that dealt with something situational that, in turn, has had a doctrine developed around it. Think about this – there is nowhere else in the New Testament that confession is part of repentance. Moreover, there is no place where either Jesus or Paul required a confession from anyone. If you don’t know that you’re a sinner then you won’t see the need for a savior because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved (Romans 10:9-10) In order to be saved, we must repent of our sin, believe in our hearts Jesus died for our sins, and confess Him as Lord. That’s it. So if we confess our sin (once), he cleanses us from unrighteousness (eternally). This lines up with 2 Corinthians 5:21: For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. Now, if our righteousness is in Him, it is because we are in Him (John 15:4-7). The Bible says that in Him, there is no sin (1 John 3:5). If God cleans it, it is clean - period! As Jesus IS so ARE we IN THIS WORLD (1 John 4:17). If Jesus is clean, so are we! There is no sin in Him and we must be clean to abide in a sinless environment! The Bible tells us that the devil is the accuser of the brethren (Revelation 12:10) and that his aim is to steal from us, kill us, and destroy us. The bible also tells us on numerous occasions that our words have power (Proverbs 18:21). So what you release from your mouth has the ability to empower and embolden the devil to use what you say against you. Sadly, satan uses religion and its adherents to coerce a confession from you – and, if you don’t know your rights as a Kingdom Citizen, you may confess something you ought not. Don’t believe me? Just ask Job (Job 3:24)! Confession, as it’s taught by adherents to religion gives the devil ammunition to do his dirt against you. This can manifest in the worst kind of confession – confession of sin to other people. The go-to Scripture for this is James 5:16 – but I’m going to tell you something that’ll help you: We are to confess our FAULTS, not our SINS. What do you mean, preacher? Simply this – that if I have a fault, such as an anger management issue, I should tell someone. This way I have someone to pray with me because they know my fault. Now, if my anger management issue leads me to punch someone in the face because of a traffic altercation, I have let my fault lead me into sin. If I tell the wrong person about this, they can easily use this as a lever against me. See my point? Moreover, the Bible tells us that we are to have no more consciousness of sin (Hebrews 10:2) and God, Himself, said He would remember our sins no more (Hebrews 8:12, 10:17). In other words, we don’t have to confess that which we are to have no consciousness of! So, if God forgets it, who are we to remember it? Here’s where the rubber meets the road: if there is a requirement to confess sin, then those folks who tell someone who lost their child or their job or their home, that “it had to have been because of some unconfessed or hidden sin in your life…” are correct. Heaven forbid! And, sadly,

For some people, casinos are exciting places. There’s nothing like the sights and sounds of the game and the challenge of the games. About those games — make no mistake, these are games of chance. There are some, like poker and blackjack, that have an element of skill. However, it is mostly just luck — and luck isn’t a concept that is found in Scripture. And, while some Christians like to call gambling “sinful,” many of them look at their walk in faith as a game of chance. Give me a few minutes and I’ll tell you what I mean. Hebrews 11:1-3 (AMPC) 1 NOW FAITH is the assurance (the confirmation,the title deed) of the things [we] hope for, being the proof of things [we] do not see and the conviction of their reality [faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses]. 2 For by [faith—trust and holy fervor born of faith] the men of old had divine testimony borne to them and obtained a good report. 3 By faith we understand that the worlds [during the successive ages] were framed (fashioned, put in order, and equipped for their intended purpose) by the word of God, so that what we see was not made out of things which are visible. The first thing we need to understand is that faith has a source — and that source is sure. Hebrews 11:6 tells us that without faith, it is impossible to please God. A misunderstanding and misapplication of this scripture sends saints straight to the faith casino. They start pulling levers, spinning wheels, and flipping cards, hoping that they will come up with a winning combination to obtain the faith needed to please God. Then, there’s the possibility that they don’t do enough. Not enough giving. Not enough studying. Not enough praying. Not enough fasting. Not enough church. And they mistakenly believe if they don’t do enough, they will — at best — not receive the fullness of their heavenly reward in the afterlife or — at worse — be “blotted out of the lambs book of life.” These same saints that think gambling is a sin are reduced to mere gambler because his or her faith in their eternal security is, in their minds, uncertain. They step up to the spiritual gaming table and place their bets with the hope of winning that eternal crown. But one day — and I can’t put my finger on the specific day — God gave me a rhema experience on a couple of verses of Scripture that I’d seen, heard, and read many times: Ephesians 2:8-9 (ESV) 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. This blew my mind — I already knew that Grace came from God. But He showed me that Faith comes from Him, too! Romans 12:3 (KJV) 3 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. God has dealt or given this to us. It is part of the Gift of Himself He gives to us. It is His life, His mind, His nature that He imparts to us. Now, I taught a couple of weeks ago that the science of economics revolves around the concept of supply and demand but, in the Kingdom, God supplies what He demands. It is impossible to please God without Faith, so He gives us His Faith! Wow! God has a more certain source of supply than a mere “faith casino.” God has given us access to a Faith Bank! Watch this: Luke 12:32-34 (ESV) 32 “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. 33 Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. 34 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. First of all, Jesus is not telling us to take a vow of poverty. He tells us first and foremost that it is the Father’s good pleasure to give us the Kingdom.

[vsw id="RkwLIpv5sew" source="youtube" width="425" height="344" autoplay="no"] Will God condemn anyone to eternal conscious torment? Hell? No!  

I don’t know about you, but I love “Mob Movies.” From the “Godfather” trilogy, to “A Bronx Tale,” to “Goodfellas,” this genre of movies tell tales of loyalty and honor — albeit in a criminal enterprise. At the center of these films is something called “Cosa Nostra” — in Italian, “Our Thing” — an underground society that began, ostensibly, to protect its members from corrupt government. In order to be part of “La Cosa Nostra,” you had to participate in a blood-oath ceremony which codified “omertà,” a code of honor among between its colleagues (comparés) and superiors (padrinos). When you completed the ceremony, you became part of a “family” or a “crew” and what is known as a “Made Man,” at which time, you became — essentially — untouchable. Well there is no good news in criminal enterprise but, guess what, there is too-good-to-be-true-news in that — in Christ — you are a “Made Man!” John 8:31-38 (AMPC) 31 So Jesus said to those Jews who had believed in Him, If you abide in My word [hold fast to My teachings and live in accordance with them], you are truly My disciples. 32 And you will know the Truth, and the Truth will set [make] you free. 33 They answered Him, We are Abraham’s offspring (descendants) and have never been in bondage to anybody. What do You mean by saying, You will be set [made] free? 34 Jesus answered them, I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, Whoever commits and practices sin is the slave of sin. 35 Now a slave does not remain in a household permanently (forever); the son [of the house] does remain forever. 36 So if the Son liberates you [makes you free men], then you are really and unquestionably free. 37 [Yes] I know that you are Abraham’s offspring; yet you plan to kill Me, because My word has no entrance (makes no progress, does not find any place) in you. 38 I tell the things which I have seen and learned at My Father’s side, and your actions also reflect what you have heard and learned from your father. In the Mafia, you cannot become part of a family or crew without shedding of blood. The shedding of blood constitutes what should be an unbreakable oath. Unfortunately, the shedding of mere human blood for a mere human oath means both the blood and the oath are imperfect and subject to the imperfections of man. In Christ, though, a Perfect God-Man shed His Perfect Blood with a Perfect God-Father to make a Perfect Oath. In other words, imperfect man was taken out of the equation. In the Mafia, sometimes you have to kill to make a point. In fact, if you look at the history of the Mafia and how it is portrayed in cinema, murder is a way of life. In Christ, Jesus gave up His life so that we would not have to taste death! Jesus died on the cross so that we only have to die in the New Birth! The Mafia was created because justice could not be obtained through corrupt governments. Jesus came and rendered corrupt religions and governments powerless and overcame injustice with His unconditional Love, His unlimited Grace, His unfailing Faith, and His unshakable Hope! Religion and governments traded money for justice but God sacrificed Himself so that justice would prevail for all. When you become a made man, you become part of a family or a crew. In Christ, you become part of the family of God. You trade your sin for His righteousness and your base humanity for His divine humanity. In the Mafia, you become franchised to strong-arm anyone who opposes you. In Christ, you are upheld by the right hand of His righteousness! In Christ, you are submitted to God and can resist your opposition — in rest, not struggle — and fully expect him to flee from you. As a “Made Man,” you are virtually untouchable. If you are hurt, harmed, or killed, there are serious repercussions to those who would do these things. In Christ, even if a weapon is formed against you, it will not prosper. In the Mafia, you can request vengeance when you are abused. In Christ, you can obtain the ultimate vengeance in forgiv...

First let’s level-set by eliminating the obvious. Contrary to popular belief, lukewarm does not mean “wishy-washy.” Religion will tell you that lukewarm saints are those who have one foot in the Kingdom and one foot in the world. That ain’t what it means, folks! I want to start with an analogy. But, while this is good, this isn’t where I’m going to end up. Christians can be like tea. When we’re hot, we’re soothing. When we’re cold, we’re refreshing. In both cases, we’re thermostats, changing the environment around us. When we’re lukewarm, we merely assume the temperature around us and become thermometers. Lukewarm tea is neither soothing nor refreshing; it’s just plain nasty! That’s why Jesus spits them out. Now that’s a great analogy but there’s a greater revelation! Revelation 3:15-16 (ESV) 15 “‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! 16 So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. Cold — under law Hot — under Grace Lukewarm — mixture, poison, Trojan Horse Strict legalists try to obtain justification by works. Impossible but give them credit for trying Legalism will send no one to hell but it denies its adherents from the tangible benefits of living under Grace. The law is cold, hard, and rigid. That’s why it’s written on tablets of stone. • If it’s cold and rigid, it’s dead ? It assumes room temperature ? Therefore, it’s merely a thermometer • It is a scorecard that measures sin, giving it’s adherents a means to compare themselves with others. • It is a sin-amplifier, strengthening sin instead of eradicating it (1 Corinthians 15:56) The law could do nothing for the sinful condition of humanity except make it more sinful. Romans 3:20 (ESV) 20 For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin. It burned sin-consciousness into people’s hearts and minds. The followers of the law are not dead but they have a semblance of death because they are yoked to dead ordinances and dead works! But along comes Jesus… Jesus showed up because we couldn’t do it alone. God knew we couldn’t defeat sin on our own, that’s why Jesus was the lamb slain from the foundation of the world! Jesus was perfect God who became perfect man. He became the unblemished sacrifice required for our redemption. Jesus was on fire then. Jesus is on fire now! God is said to be a consuming fire, and He is. His fire consumes our sin. His fire consumes our sicknesses. His fire consumes our oppression. His fire consumes our lack. His fire DOES NOT consume us! We are His children — whether we’re good, bad, or ugly. Now, before some folks get their underwear in a bunch, this is not to say that God is cool with sin. In fact, God hates sin so much that He sent Jesus to sacrifice Himself for its ultimate eradication. God has dealt with sin, once and for all. Our part, now is to simply accept what Jesus has done and abide in Him. And, just like metal tried by fire removes our impurities, when we become righteousness-conscious in Christ, His consuming fire burns away everything that is not like Him! We lose our consciousness of sin (Hebrews 10:2) When we are in Christ, we are on fire because He is on fire. We become the torchbearers, carrying his flame of light into a dark world. We become the bonfires that provide warmth to those exposed to the elements of sin, law, and religion. That’s because fire provides both light and heat! “But preacher,” you say, “I thought we were going to talk about lukewarm?” Well, let’s go there! We’ve talked about the coldness of the law and the heat of Grace. Here’s where the rubber meets the road. Here’s where we get down to “brass tacks.” Here’s where we get to the meat of the matter! What happens when you mix law with Grace? The same thing you get when you mix cyanide with kool-aid — you get poison that ta...

The great philosopher and mathematician, Archimedes, once said, “Give me a lever and a place to stand and I will move the earth.” We learn in math that the lever is a powerful tool. It’s principle powers scissors, staplers, wheelbarrows, and even the humble see-saw. A sufficiently long lever and a properly placed fulcrum gives us the ability to move heavy objects. In the Kingdom of God, there is a lever — and that lever is hope. Hope, when placed on the fulcrum of faith, helps to move things in the Kingdom. Romans 5:1-5 (ESV) 1 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. One of the most profound things God has ever shown me is that hope is the accelerator pedal of faith. Our faith is our potential to have confidence in a thing but hope puts pressure on faith to actuate that potential. Without an accelerator pedal to release it’s potential, the engine is little more than a dead weight; a boat anchor. 1 Corinthians 13:7 tells us that love hopes all things. This is because faith works by love (Galatians 5:6). In this context, we can see that faith, hope, and love comprise perpetual Kingdom motion. They are the components that propel God’s Grace throughout the world. 1 Corinthians 13:13 tell us that faith, hope, and love abide; that is, they dwell among us because they are alive. Faith is the currency of the Kingdom of God and Love is the power that backs it. But hope is what helps these manifest. For example, you have money. It’s backed by the full faith and credit of the United States Government. But this money is useless until you apply it to something you hope for, like a television or a car. This is what hope does — it puts pressure on faith to produce! The book of Hebrews has some really good guidance on faith: Hebrews 11:1 (ESV) Now faith is the assurance (substance - KJV) of things hoped for, the conviction (evidence - KJV) of things not seen. Faith gives us the power to appropriate that which we hope for! Hebrews 11:6 (ESV) And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. We cannot please God without faith. Just like you cannot please walmart without dollars! But here’s the too-good-to-be-true-news of Kingdom economics: You know, the law of supply and demand? Well God not only demands faith, but he also supplies it! Romans 12:3 (KJV) For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. So God supplies faith — and since faith works by love, He supplies the love, too! But, again, here’s the too-good-to-be-true-news, again — God supplies the Hope! Romans 15:13 tells us that God is the God of hope. But this one really drives it home: Colossians 1:26-27 (AMPC) 26 The mystery of which was hidden for ages and generations [from angels and men], but is now revealed to His holy people (the saints), 27 To whom God was pleased to make known how great for the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ within and among you, the Hope of [realizing the] glory. The Hope of Glory is the Hope of Heaven! It is the Hope of God. And if we trust the Hope of God, God gets what He hopes for which, in turn, will produce what we hope for! I don’t know about you, but I need this message. Because things are hard for me right now.

It is so very easy to do something when you want to do it. Our very nature — that of free will — dictates that our efforts are assisted by our attitude. I have told my sons all the time to build their ambition around something they love — and they will never work a day in their lives. This is not to say that you will not have struggles or trials; just that you will have more desire for accomplishment. But what about when you don’t want to? What about when your spirit is so low that you don’t feel like living, much less working? What do you do when your body is so racked with pain that you’d sooner die than do what needs to be done? What do you do when the task seems so difficult that even though you love it, you can’t seem to get motivated? This is where people get all super-spiritual and say “just pray or praise your way through it.” And I’m here to tell you that sometimes that helps. But sometimes you need a little more motivation. Let’s let Jesus be our example. Luke 22:41-44 (ESV Strong's) 41 And he withdrew from them about a stone's throw, and knelt down and prayed, 42 saying, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.” 43 And there appeared to him an angel from heaven, strengthening him. 44 And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground. Now, before I get to Jesus, let’s take a look at a couple of pre-Jesus examples. Jonah got a memo from God to go preach a message of repentance to Nineveh. But because of his fear and prejudice, he decided to run from his assignment. Unfortunately for Jonah — but fortunate for us — Jonah’s work caught up with him and swallowed him and spit him out. This experience became a type and shadow of Jesus as he was three days and nights in the belly of the fish. Eventually, Jonah got out of his feelings and went to do what he was called to do and, as a result, the Ninevites were spared. David — yep that David — conceived a child with a woman who was not his wife. And this child — his firstborn — died. In 2 Samuel 12:20, it says that when David realized his child had died, he got up, washed himself and changed his clothes and went to worship. David had to get out of his feelings to encourage himself in the Lord. Now, back to Jesus. Here’s the deal, Jesus came to earth to teach and exemplify God’s unconditional Love and His unlimited Grace. He came to redeem and restore us unto God. He came to make us free. But in order to do that, He had to die a horrible, agonizing death. Jesus was fully God but He was also fully man. He was a man fully aware of His divine assignment. His humanity was always in tune with His divinity. Jesus went into the Garden to pray because He knew His humanity needed help. But before he was delivered up to be killed, Jesus had to go through an agonizing preparation. Sweating drops of blood is called hematohidrosis; it is a very painful condition brought on by stress. Jesus didn’t want to die! Jesus was a man who knew exactly what He had to do. He was so focused in His purpose and assignment that He spoke with the confidence of heaven. He exemplified speaking those things that were not as though they were. Most of all, Jesus was a man who worked precisely in the capacity He wanted: Hebrews 12:2 (ESV) looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. It was for His joy that Jesus went to the cross. We say the joy of the Lord is our strength but the Joy of Jesus is in us! He loves us so much that he was willing — as a man — to subject Himself to a torturous death to save us. And it’s right here that the shouting moment comes: every miracle Jesus did — every healing, every cleansing, every forgiving, every raising — He did as a man, not as God!

  In Christian circles, there is a lot of importance ascribed to obedience. If you hang out in church long enough, you will hear obedience as a key to inheriting the promises of God. Now, I want to tell you that obedience is good but obedience needs to be put into its place. The Body of Christ is really good at “majoring in the minors” and it’s understanding of obedience is a shining example of that. What if I were to tell you that obedience isn’t even a big thing with God? Some of you hearing this are getting your torches, pitchforks, and bonfires ready. If you give me a few minutes, I’ll give you enough to at least consider it’s importance in the big picture of Scripture and discipleship. When it comes to obedience, church folk love to trot out these verses: Isaiah 1:19-20 (ESV) 19 If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land; 20 but if you refuse and rebel, you shall be eaten by the sword; for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” Before we go further, we need to consider the context. God, here, is telling the prophet how He detests all the trappings of religion. He’s talking about how he’s grown weary of sacrifices and ceremonies. When God is speaking of being willing, He’s speaking about operating according to His will; when He’s talking about obedience, He’s speaking of faithfulness and discernment. Let’s take a look at this from the standpoint of creation — at no point did God demand obedience from His crowning creation. No, God wanted a family to be one with Him — to govern physical space as He governed spiritual space. God created us in His image and likeness to be like Him, to be one with Him, and to fellowship with Him — not for blind obedience. If obedience was the endgame, God would have just created us to be robots with no will of our own. Now, let’s look at this passage of Scripture: 1 Samuel 15:22-23 (ESV) 22 And Samuel said, “Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams. 23 For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and presumption is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has also rejected you from being king.” Here, the prophet is recounting God’s words to Saul because Saul chose to offer a sacrifice, himself, instead of waiting for the prophet. This is one of those passages that religious leadership trots out to say “do not get ahead of the mand o’ Gawd.” This had nothing to do with the man or even the sacrifice but with trust. Trust is a byproduct of love. Saul was disobedient in that he didn’t trust God and he didn’t trust God because he didn’t love God. This is what God really wants — is for us to simply love and trust Him! And this is a FRUIT of our salvation, not a ROOT to obtain, maintain, or retain it. Obedience really is better than sacrifice! But there is no obedience greater than Jesus’ and no sacrifice greater than Him! Watch this: Jesus was obedient in that He was faithful to His assignment. Jesus said to the Father in John 17:4 that He glorified Him in the earth by completing the work He was given. Jesus was disobedient to the law concerning eating (Mark 12:23) and healing (Luke 14:1-5). Jesus was disobedient concerning the order of the temple (John 2:15) — you have to know that the money-changers were there with permission! Jesus was disobedient to the law concerning his relations with the Samaritans (John 4). So if Jesus is our example, obedience cannot be a big thing! We are not to be known as disciples by our obedience! Love is the key! Love is greater than obedience because love PRODUCES obedience! Obedience doesn’t produce anything! And it cannot. The author of Hebrews tells us that without faith it is impossible to please God — and faith works by love! In fact, you can’t even have faith without love! We don’t do greater works because we’re obedience bu...

Faith is a central component to our walk in Christ. We are told that faith is the currency of the Kingdom of God — for without faith, it is impossible to please God. We are to walk by faith and not by sight. Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen. We are saved by Grace through Faith — that Grace is God reaching down to us and Faith is us reaching up to God. I think we have a good working understanding of WHAT Faith is. Today I want to talk about WHOSE Faith is it we’re dealing with. I believe there is a greater illumination on this truth than what we’ve been taught. Let’s examine the Scriptures: Ephesians 2:8 (ESV) 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, This really smacked me in the face when I saw this. Paul wrote, “And this is not of your own doing…” If it isn’t your doing, whose is it? God’s! We couldn’t even have Faith if it weren’t for God! Romans 12:3 (ESV) For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. God has given all of us THE measure of Faith. Not some faith. Not part of faith. Not faith for us to squander… …Let me segue here — faith squandered is nothing but fear. Because faith is confidence in the truth that God is Good and He will do good things on your behalf. Here’s an example, putting faith in modern medicine is to say that you have fear and doubt about God’s ability or willingness to heal you. God can give us faith because HE IS FAITHFUL. That means, brothers and sisters, that HE IS FULL OF FAITH. 1 Corinthians 1:9 (ESV) God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Hebrews 1:3 tells us that all things are upheld by the Word of His power. John 1:3 tells us that Everything was created by the Word. You can’t even start your car without faith! So the creation and maintenance of the universe took and takes faith. In Mark 11, we see Jesus hungry and happens upon a fig tree (that He created). He sees leaves and expects fruit. When He finds none, he curses the tree. Now, in v.14 (in the KJV), it says “Jesus answered…” Whom did He answer? The tree! The tree said something to Him and Jesus responded by cursing it. The next day when they passed the tree on the return trip, the disciples marveled that the tree was dead from the roots up! Then, in v.23, Jesus is recorded as having said, “Have faith in God.” However, many Bible scholars translate Jesus’ actual words to be “Have God’s Faith.” It’s a big difference having faith in God and having God’s Faith. Our faith can merely acknowledge a mountain but God’s Faith can move it! I’ve said before that God didn’t need to create anything — He created because He wanted to. 1 John 4:7-8 tells us that He is Love — and that’s what Love does. Love is creative. Love builds up. Love liberates. Love is content in itself but seeks to express itself. Hebrews 11:6 tells us that without faith, it is impossible to please God. Galatians 5:6 tells us that faith works by love. I humbly submit that God is pleased with Himself because He IS Love and He IS full of faith. And, thanks to Jesus, He is pleased with you, too! He is so pleased with you that He chooses to impart His Holy Spirit to you! Through Jesus, Papa has placed His DNA inside of you: 1 Corinthians 13:1-10 (ESV) 1 If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing. 4 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant 5 or rude.

via IFTTT How many times have we heard how awesome it is to be in the presence of God. We hear people say how God “showed up.” We hear people literally begging for the presence of the Holy Spirit. I love the heart of these people who long for what they already have. A ubiquitous God doesn’t need to show up. You don’t need to go looking for air, you just breathe. A fish doesn’t look for water, it simply dwells in it. Old Covenant saints had to wait for the presence of God to show up because they did not have a receptor for His Spirit. In other words, even though God was ubiquitous, He limited His presence to only rest upon His saints. The presence of God is not limited to three-dimensional space! He is everywhere at all times! But just like we need a diving apparatus to survive in water, or how we have a space suit to survive in space, and an earth suit to survive on earth, we need to be clothed in the spiritual to thrive in the spiritual. The clothing in this case is not external but internal — the indwelling of the Holy Spirit is what we need to survive in the spiritual realm! Every Sunday morning, much ado will be made about being in the “House of God.” More specifically, people will talk about how wonderful it is to be “in the Sanctuary” and how we must labor with our efforts and our money to keep “the Sanctuary.” Indeed, a lot of emphasis is placed on physical “places of worship.” This sounds spiritual and holy but it is terribly misguided. If you’ll spare me a few moments, I’d like to talk about the “presence.” Let’s start by taking a look at some words of Paul that are obvious to this discussion and some words of Jesus that would not seem so: (1 Corinthians 6:19-20 AMP) 19 Do you not know that your body is the temple (the very sanctuary) of the Holy Spirit Who lives within you, Whom you have received [as a Gift] from God? You are not your own, 20 You were bought with a price [purchased with a preciousness and paid for, made His own]. So then, honor God and bring glory to Him in your body The first thing we see is Paul telling us that the presence of God does not dwell in buildings made with the hands of men but the hearts of men made by the hands of God. We were purchased with the Blood of Jesus to become part of the family of God and the dwelling place of the Spirit of God. It was never God’s intention to dwell in buildings. When God created man, He breathed His life into us. He gave us his appearance, the ability to think and speak, and His essence. God created the earth to be the dwelling place of His dwelling place! Something we need to consider is what theologians call “creative intent.” Nowhere in the creation account is there a “place of worship.” If places of worship were so important to God, surely He’d have established one with the man He originally created, Right? Fast forward to David. David was a man after God’s own heart (1 Samuel 13:14). David loved God and was the first man after Adam to catch a glimpse of God as Father (Psalms 68:5, 89:26). He wrote in Psalms that He wanted to dwell in the house of God: (Psalms 27:4 KJV) One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to enquire in his temple. David caught the heart of God — it was God who wanted to dwell in His people! David wanted to build a temple for God but God passed that responsibility to David’s son, Solomon. Solomon did, indeed build the temple but, eventually, the people placed more emphasis on the temple instead of its Tenant. This caused the people to veer from the precepts of God which led to centuries of captivity. In the Old Testament, it was said that God inhabited the praises of His people (Psalm 22:3). But thanks be to Jesus, God now inhabits us (Romans 8:11)! In the Old Testament concept of cities of refuge, sanctuary referred to a place where a person guilty of ...

[vsw id="LbG1dGtyzvs" source="youtube" width="425" height="344" autoplay="no"] The church is real good at talking SHIP but kind of lacking when it comes to doing SHIP. Contrary to popular belief, SHIP doesn’t just happen, it has to be cultivated. Your SHIP must be fertilized in order to grow. Discipleship John 13:34-35 (AMPC) 34 I give you a new commandment: that you should love one another. Just as I have loved you, so you too should love one another. 35 By this shall all [men] know that you are My disciples, if you love one another [if you keep on showing love among yourselves]. Matthew 5:43-47 (AMPC) 43 You have heard that it was said, You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy; 44 But I tell you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 To show that you are the children of your Father Who is in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the wicked and on the good, and makes the rain fall upon the upright and the wrongdoers [alike]. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward can you have? Do not even the tax collectors do that? 47 And if you greet only your brethren, what more than others are you doing? Do not even the Gentiles (the heathen) do that? Without understanding of what it means to be a disciple, you can’t even begin to get your ship in the water! Worship Matthew 15:8-9 (AMPC) 8 These people draw near Me with their mouths and honor Me with their lips, but their hearts hold off and are far away from Me. 9 Uselessly do they worship Me, for they teach as doctrines the commands of men. John 4:23-24 (AMPC) 23 A time will come, however, indeed it is already here, when the true (genuine) worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth (reality); for the Father is seeking just such people as these as His worshipers. 24 God is a Spirit (a spiritual Being) and those who worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth (reality). WorSHIP is what gives direction to your SHIP. Fellowship Hebrews 10:25 (AMPC) 25 Not forsaking or neglecting to assemble together [as believers], as is the habit of some people, but admonishing (warning, urging, and encouraging) one another, and all the more faithfully as you see the day approaching. FellowSHIP without worship is a sinking SHIP. Stewardship 2 Corinthians 9:7 (AMPC) 7 Let each one [give] as he has made up his own mind and purposed in his heart, not reluctantly or sorrowfully or under compulsion, for God loves (Hetakes pleasure in, prizes above other things, and is unwilling to abandon or to do without) a cheerful (joyous, “prompt to do it” ) giver [whose heart is in his giving]. Without StewardSHIP, you will sail on a poorly maintained SHIP. Some people don’t know SHIP from shinola. A lot of people are trying to sail on a battleSHIP, when God created us to be on a cruise SHIP. When you’re on a battleSHIP, you’re expected to handle all the SHIP but when you’re on a cruise SHIP, all the SHIP happens in the background. When you’re on a battleSHIP, you will find yourself frequently cleaning other’s SHIP © 2017-2018 - Derrick Day (www.derrickday.com)

[vsw id="b-jF3czqVw4" source="youtube" width="425" height="344" autoplay="no"] The Gospel Brings Social Justice There are many folks who think of the Gospel as merely a religious construct. In the past, I’ve taught that the Gospel has both governmental (change of citizenship) and biological (change of DNA) implications. Today, I want to take it in a different direction — that the Gospel is the greatest catalyst of social change. It works wherever it’s applied. Here’s the deal — that in order for the Gospel to be THE GOSPEL (too-good-to-be-true-news), it has to be good news for all who hear it or it is merely another historical footnote. First to level-set. Even under the Old Covenant, there were provisions for the poor and the oppressed. "Do not deny justice to your poor people in their lawsuits." Exodus 23:6 "During the seventh year, let the land lie unplowed and unused. Then the poor among your people may get food from it, and the wild animals may eat what they leave. Do the same with your vineyard and your olive grove." Exodus 23:11 “Do not go over your vineyard a second time or pick up the grapes that have fallen. Leave them for the poor and the alien. I am the LORD your God." Leviticus 19:10 "Do not pervert justice; do not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the great, but judge your neighbor fairly." Leviticus 19:15 ? "When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Leave them for the poor and the alien. I am the LORD your God." Leviticus 23:22 "If one of your countrymen becomes poor and sells some of his property, his nearest relative is to come and redeem what his countryman has sold. . . . If one of your countrymen becomes poor and is unable to support himself among you, help him as you would an alien or a temporary resident, so he can continue to live among you. . . . If one of your countrymen becomes poor among you and sells himself to you, do not make him work as a slave." Leviticus 25:25, 35, 39 He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the alien, giving him food and clothing." Deuteronomy 10:18 "At the end of every three years, bring all the tithes of that year's produce and store it in your towns, so that the Levites (who have no allotment or inheritance of their own) and the aliens, the fatherless and the widows who live in your towns may come and eat and be satisfied." Deuteronomy 14:28-29 "However, there should be no poor among you, for in the land the LORD your God is giving you to possess as your inheritance, he will richly bless you." Deuteronomy 15:4 "If there is a poor man among your brothers in any of the towns of the land that the LORD your God is giving you, do not be hardhearted or tightfisted toward your poor brother." Deuteronomy 15:7 "There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your brothers and toward the poor and needy in your land." Deuteronomy 15:11 "Do not deprive the alien or the fatherless of justice, or take the cloak of the widow as a pledge." Deuteronomy 24:17 "'Cursed is the man who withholds justice from the alien, the fatherless or the widow.' Then all the people shall say, Amen!'" Deuteronomy 27:19 "He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap; he seats them with princes and has them inherit a throne of honor." 1 Samuel 2:8 "When daylight is gone, the murderer rises up and kills the poor and needy; in the night he steals forth like a thief." Job 24:14 "because I rescued the poor who cried for help, and the fatherless who had none to assist him." Job 29:12 "Have I not wept for those in trouble? Has not my soul grieved for the poor?" Job 30:25 "If I have denied the desires of the poor or let the eyes of the widow grow weary." Job 31:16 "The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble." Psalm 9:9

[vsw id="0d3l1u16bk0" source="youtube" width="425" height="344" autoplay="no"] The phrase that every believer wants to hear when they leave time and cross over into eternity is “well done, good and faithful servant!” Likewise, the phrase they don’t want to hear is “Depart from me you worker of iniquity, for I knew you not.” The latter phrase — taken from scripture — has been used for centuries to keep the saints in bondage. But I’m here today to interrupt your regularly scheduled condemnation to bring you this important proclamation of Good News — They taught it to you wrong! Matthew 7:21-23 (ESV) 21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’ One of the first things that needs to be considered here is the target audience. You have to understand this that everything in Scripture is written for your understanding but is not written explicitly to you. Here Jesus is wrapping up the Sermon on the Mount and he’s in a segment pertaining to judging others. Here’s the point — people who are secure in themselves do not measure themselves against others have no reason to judge. Sin-consciousness causes you to trot out a sin-scorecard by which you can measure yourself against others — see I sin less than you or I sin differently or less sinfully than you do! Sin-consciousness is the fruit of religion and religion is promoted by its chief salesmen — religious zealots or legalists. Jesus was speaking to the folks who fancied themselves the judge of men — ultimately the men who fancied themselves the judge of Jesus. And, for the record, let me say here that the best way to be secure in yourself is to be secure in the Holy Spirit who dwells in you! We are to do the will of the Father. That is patently clear. But what is the work of the Father? Better yet, what is the essence of the Father? How will the world see that we are in the Father? Love. Love is the work. Love is the straight gate that is difficult to pass through. It is easy to love those who you want to love but it is nearly (I emphasize NEARLY) impossible to love those you don’t want to love. As a matter of fact, without Jesus, it IS impossible to love those you don’t want to love. Love sacrifices its own desire! Do you think Jesus — the man — wanted to love and forgive those who cursed Him, spit on Him, mocked Him, beat Him, and crucified Him? Love doesn’t always love because of; sometimes love loves in spite of! See, in the natural, sometimes we look at people and want to say “depart from me.” You know, “get outta my face!” And sometimes we want to depart from others. But, according to the fruit of the spirit (Galatians 5:22-23), we should be patient and kind. According to the definition of love (1 Corinthians 13:4-8), we are to endure all things. In other words, sometimes you need to put up with some stuff. Now don’t get me wrong, we don’t have to put up with stuff to the point of harm to ourselves but we can’t just cut and run! Here’s the thing, religion will try to look like Christ. It will say the right things and put on the right face. It will have ceremonies and celebrations and will do its best to look like Christ. It will even use love as a hook to bait you into its clutches where it can beat and abuse you. It will pray publicly and fervently and will have a form of godliness but deny the power thereof. And it will delude itself into thinking that it is actually doing the work of God. But ultimately it amounts to nothing. In the translation we’re using, Jesus’ word “iniquity” is translated into “lawlessness.” Religion absolutely loves this because it will shout, “see,

[vsw id="TU5-zpJK7z4" source="youtube" width="425" height="344" autoplay="no"] The Difficulty of Pastoring - A joint teaching by Henry Harris and Derrick Day Pastoring is one of the toughest tasks in the world. This teaching identifies some of the most difficult aspects of it. It will bless both pastors and non-pastors, alike! © 2017 - Derrick Day (www.derrickday.com) © 2017 - Henry Harris (www.facebook.com/The-Bro-Henry-and-You-Show)  

[vsw id="QnJcnrUgTeY" source="youtube" width="425" height="344" autoplay="no"] Teaching done on the 3-cord strand conference call on January 5, 2018 When you've died in the New Birth, you've done all the dying you're going to do. Not only that, neither sin nor the law have no further claim to you! © 2018 - Derrick Day (www.derrickday.com)

[vsw id="IeFw3PaAsA8" source="youtube" width="425" height="344" autoplay="no"] One of the things that most of us love about Christmas is the food. Next to Thanksgiving, Christmas is the second greatest “foodie” holiday. Holiday favorites will abound according to tradition and a lot of non-traditional food. Today, though, I want to share a simple message with you about a simple feast. And it involves just three courses: Bread, Wine, and Lamb. Luke 2:12-16 (ESV) 12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” 15 When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. There are many messages that focus on no room at the inn. There are others who focus on the wise men and their gifts. Still others on the star that shone in the darkness to guide the path to the messiah. And, finally, “peace on earth, good will toward men.” All of these messages are wonderful but, by the leading of the Holy Spirit, I chose to focus on the manger. The manger, very simply, is a feeding trough. It is where the farm animals went to receive their nourishment. A manger is not very clean and it is certainly not very elegant. Now, I submit to you that this is an example of God’s will being done in spite of God’s will not being done. Every parent here — imagine you’re wealthy beyond imagination and it’s time for your first child to be born. Surely you’d want everything to be absolutely correct, right? The best hospitals. The best doctors. The cleanest environment. You would do everything to make that possible. But things don’t line up and your baby is born in a stable. Now, this doesn’t diminish the value of the child and it doesn’t limit what you want to do for the child or your expectations for the child. In fact, this event would become part of your family folklore — to be reviewed once the child accomplishes the greatness of your expectations. Ima let you chew on that… Imagine the surprise of the animals, seeing their creator in their feeding trough! This had to be a little confusing and unsettling. For Mary and Joseph — and the others in attendance — they were looking at the First and Greatest Christmas meal. Jesus said He is the Bread of life. That those who eat His flesh would never be hungry. Like the Passover bread, He is unleavened — that means He is not puffed up with religion and legalism. He is pure and requires no additives. But just like God gave the Israelites bread from heaven and they didn’t recognize it, the people of Jesus’ day didn’t recognize Him, either. And the funny thing is that people don’t recognize him, today. I think it’s fitting that Jesus’ first miracle was to turn water into wine. First of all, He was demonstrating that the party — the wedding feast — doesn’t end until He says it does. Jesus said He is the Living Water — that if we drink of Him, we’d never thirst. But He also is the New Wine of the New Covenant and, like the water He turned into wine, He is the Best God saved for Last! Also, wine symbolizes blood in the eucharist — so He turns His Living Water to live-giving blood - because the life of flesh is in the blood. It is also awesome that He has given us His Holy Spirit, so we can stay drunk on Him and not the intoxicants of the world! Finally, Jesus is the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. Listen, I love lamb almost as much as I love bacon! Keeping it real, I can’t read the passover story without getting hungry. Meanwhile, back at the ranch… Jesus is the unblemished lamb that was provided as the atonin...

[vsw id="jCAPCPZB3cw" source="youtube" width="425" height="344" autoplay="no"] The Scottish poet, Robert Burns, wrote: The best laid schemes of mice and men Go often askew, And leave us nothing but grief and pain, For promised joy! What happens when our plans go askew? Better yet, what happens when God’s plans go askew? Galatians 2:21 (KJV) 21 I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain. I realize that I may offend some sensibilities, here. But the truth of the matter is that because God gave man dominion — that is, delegated authority — we have the ability to upset God’s plan. Let me clear things up a bit — while God’s plans may be frustrated, His purpose never is. God’s plan has always been to manifest his unconditional Love and unlimited Grace in the world. Mankind — by the leading of the adversary — has operated in pride and selfishness. 2 Peter 3:9 tells us that God desires that none perish but all come to repentance. He desires it — which is His plan but the unbelief of of men thwart the plan. However, His overarching purpose — creation and redemption — faithfully comes to pass. Jesus went about healing everyone who needed healing that He came in contact with. Because He is the express image of God, we can come to the conclusion that it is always God’s will to heal. That’s His plan — but even though the plan doesn’t always come to pass, the overarching plan still continues unabated. Here’s the point — you may have a plan. However, many of our plans depend upon others. What happens when someone misses an appointment with you. What happens when all your plans don’t line up? Does the fact of the failure of a plan thwart the truth of your purpose? Do you allow failure to be final? Do you allow setbacks to be cemented? Contrary to popular belief, humanity has the ability to limit God. The psalmist wrote about this in Psalm 78:41. We limit God by testing God instead of trusting Him. We try to test God by showing how “good” we’re behaving or how “sacrificially” we’re giving. When we try to curry favor with God through our works, we limit God’s ability to work in our lives. This ties back to today’s core Scripture — when we depend on works, we actually turn back to the law and frustrate (nullify the power of) Grace in our lives. Turning to the law when we claim to be saved by Grace, we become double-minded in our thoughts and actions — and double-mindedness limits God’s ability to work in our lives. Notice, I say “God’s ability to work in our lives,” not “God’s ability.” God can do anything but lie and violate His Word. Now, there are some people who call Jesus, “God’s plan B.” But Jesus is more than God’s plan, Jesus is the revelation of God’s purpose. Jesus is the revelation of who God really is. Jesus is the revelation of how God wants to relate to us — and how He wants us to relate to Him. Jesus is the earthly manifestation of His Love and the personification of His Grace. Jesus didn’t simply come to redeem, restore, and reconcile us. He came to give us life — His life. Giving us His life gives us new life and a perpetual newness of life. He came to give us eternal life — a life that never grows old or stale. He came to give us the life that the law never could. He came to give us the life we could never attain. He came to give us the life that no resolution could ever produce. Jesus came to replace our spirit with His Spirit. He came to make us one with Him and, thus, make us one with the Father. See, plans are subject to change. Even God repented (Exodus 32:14). But your purpose should never change — because God’s doesn’t. God’s purpose has always been to reveal Himself to us in the form of Jesus — the embodiment of His unconditional Love and unlimited Grace! When God told Jeremiah of the plan He had for us: Jeremiah 29:11 (ESV) 11 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord,