Yeah baby...GRACE!!

"The gospel is described as “the message of his grace” (Acts 14:3). The Scriptures are “the word of his grace” (Acts 20:32). R. C. H. Lenski, in The Interpretation of The Acts of the Apostles, said, “God and the Word of his grace always go together; God lets his grace flow out through that Word.” Paul describes the spread of the gospel simply as “grace … reaching more and more people” (2 Corinthians 4:15). He speaks of understanding the gospel as understanding God’s grace (Colossians 1:6). As the prophets looked forward to the coming of Christ, his sufferings and glory, they spoke of “the grace that was to come” (1 Peter 1:10)."

"disturbing emotional problems"

"I am convinced that the basic cause of some of the most disturbing emotional and spiritual problems which trouble evangelical Christians is the failure to receive and live out God's unconditional grace and the corresponding failure to offer that grace to others. I encounter this problem in the counseling room more than any other hang-up."

From his book "Healing Grace" by Dr. David Seamands

Repentance misunderstood ...

A prevalent idea is that repentance means someone must first turn from sin and then reform his life as a prerequisite for salvation. Both experience and logic, as well as the Scriptures, show this idea to be false. Not even a mature Christian has turned from all his sins. Who then, when he compares himself with God’s righteousness, can ever feel he is even close to turning from sin? The problem then becomes, How much sin must be turned from? What degree of success in keeping the Ten Commandments is required before God will accept a person? This would result in salvation by works, not grace! But Scripture says, "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us" (Titus 3:5).

This false concept of repentance was also prevalent in the first century. The religious professionals of the day, the Pharisees, accused Christ of associating with tax collectors (known for extortion) and sinners. Of course if the tax collectors first ceased being tax collectors and the sinners first reformed themselves, they would have had no problem with Christ associating with them. Christ replied:

It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick. But go and learn what this means, “I desire compassion and not sacrifice,” for I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners" (Matthew 9:12-13).

It is not that they were actually righteous, but Christ reasoned with them based on their own estimate of themselves. Has anyone ever heard of a sick person first healing himself and then calling for a doctor? Does not the doctor come when the patient is still sick, and it is the doctor who effects the cure? "

I WAS A PASTOR IN A LOCAL CHURCH FOR YEARS AND I STILL DID NOT HAVE THIS RIGHT ! SO SIMPLE, YET I MISSED IT AND WITH THE ERROR BROUGHT BONDAGE TO SO MANY...THANK GOD I HAVE SEEN THE GLORIOUS GRACE OF THE GOSPEL !!!

HOW AWESOME IT IS TO BE LEADING A CHURCH NOW, WITH THIS UNDERSTANDING...SUCH RELEASE!

Truth and Reconciliation

"When we address a doctrinal error that we’ve divided over, we again demand repentance. However, in this case we require those who disagree with us to actually change. Regardless of how pure and innocent their hearts, we declare that they’ve failed to repent until they given up their wicked practice."

What is truth and reconciliation?

Its reconciling AND letting the truth be known...as someone once sung "you cant have one without the other"

ITS COMING !

2010 !!

THIS YEAR IS GOING TO BE GRACE-FILLED !! WHAT I MEAN IS, I BELIEVE GOD IS GOING TO OPEN THE EYES OF THOUSANDS AROUND THE WORLD TO HIS AWESOME GOSPEL...PEOPLE WHO HAVE OPPOSED THE MESSAGE WILL BECOME FRONT-RUNNERS...ARMED WITH THE PURE UNADULTERATED GOSPEL WILL DO UNTOLD DAMAGE TO THE KINGDOM OF CRIPPLING CONDEMNATION !!!WHOLE CHURCHES ARE GOING TO TURN AROUND AND BEGIN PREACHING THE TRUTH OF GRACE AS PAUL DID...

WE ARE GOING TO SEE TRUE NEW COVENANT UNITY OUTWORKED...JESUS' WORDS OF THE WORLD KNOWING WE ARE HIS BY OUR LOVE FOR EACH OTHER WILL BE SEEN BY BELIEVER AND UNBELIEVER ALIKE, LIKE NEVER BEFORE !!!

DO NOT BE AFRAID, FOR I AM WITH YOU SAYS THE LORD !!!

FREEDOM !!!

A quote from Mel Gibson's film Braveheart

"You have come to fight as free men and free men you are. What will you do with your freedom! Will you fight? Fight and you may die. Run and you will live at least a while and die in your beds where you'll dream of that come back here and tell the English that they may take our lives but they'll never taken our freedom!"

This isn't personal against the English! But folks that should be the cry of the Church! To the devil! To each other! I have said that to God, I have said, "Lord if I can't live in freedom - if I allow religion to conform me and control me then Lord please take me home. I do not want to live on this planet as so many Christians controlled by the spirit of condemnation, the fear of rejection, controlled and manipulated by guilt and fitting into the religious norm instead of being a pioneer - a prophetic person that breaks out and advances the Kingdom!".

Rob Rufus

PS Jesus saves from slavery !!

Proclaiming the right gospel...

"Paul’s gospel is built on the understanding that the key to spiritual transformation is not found in trying to improve oneself. It’s found in believing who we Christians are in Christ and who Christ is in us.

For Paul, the Christian life is becoming what you are. Consequently, the common approach he takes in his letters is to remind God’s people of who they have become as new creatures in Christ. All of his exhortations flow out of that reminder.

The church of Jesus Christ is called to embody and proclaim the gospel that Paul preached—which is the gospel of Jesus Christ." The gospel of grace...

Grace-killing ministers do what?

"If you claim to be a messenger of grace; if you think you are really preaching grace, yet no one is taking advantage of it, maybe you haven't preached it hard enough or strong enough. You can be sure of this: Grace-killing ministers will never have that charge brought against them. They make sure of that!"

Religion!

"Religion: "Replacing relationship with God for rules and rituals. Adding to God's word with traditions of men, and operating in wisdom of man instead of God's revealed will and wisdom."

a. Conforming to man or a religious circle.....Uniformity
b. The religious spirit seeks to have us serve the Lord to gain his approval instead of receiving our approval through the cross.
c. Living in fear of pleasing men, self-preservation, self-protection, and being an exclusive sect that is closed to anything different.
d. Measuring up to man's expectations that are not from the Lord
e. Death, sterility, and lack of the true anointing: "A religious spirit is a demon which seeks to substitute religious activity for the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives."
It's primany goal in any church or ministry is to bring them to a place where "They have a form of godliness, but deny its power (2Tim 3:5)."

...it can do nothing else...

"Law kills, it can do nothing else! Grace makes alive; it too, can do nothing else! The Law is a prosecutor, and a good one--the best one that the Universe will ever see. Grace is a defense attorney pleading the finished work of Christ. Grace will never lose a case, even against the great prosecutor, Law, because the Judge is also the Savior."

Faith is obedience!

"Faith is obedience. Faith means I accept absolutely, completely, determinedly, exactly what God says is so, and I stake my life on it. And though I fail a million times, I still stake my life on it. Though every man is a liar, God is true. (Romans 3:4)."

The obedience of faith

The difference between “where you are” and “where God wants you to be” is how much you are willing to obey and i am talking the obedience of faith, not obedience to the law!

Preaching Grace is Risky Business

"Martyn Lloyd-Jones once said that if we didn’t get complaints that we’d gone too far and said too much, then we probably haven’t really preached the Gospel of grace."