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The Present
Truth Magazine (Email)
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FROM THE EDITOR’S HEART
“I’m getting just like you, Mom,” my eight-year-old daughter declared as she proudly showed me the story she had written, typed, and proofed. As I thought about her words, familiar one-liners ran through my mind: “More is caught than taught.” “You may teach what you think you believe, but you reproduce what you are.” “What you really believe is what you live.” I began to think seriously about what I am reproducing in my children. The Lord showed me that I had demonstrated how to be a “hard worker,” but He wanted me to be a “faithful doer.” The difference? The hard worker diligently performs to gain acceptance, and the faithful doer simply obeys the Lord and completes the assigned tasks with the Spirit’s anointing. Apostle James explained how faith and actions work together, and he gave the example of Abraham’s faithful obedience, which was accounted to him as righteousness (James 2:14-26). In the Roman letter, Apostle Paul also used Abraham as a pattern to follow when he was explaining how we are not justified by works alone. Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt. But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness… (Rom. 4:4-5). According to this passage, trying to justify ourselves by doing self-assigned works gets us further in debt! Performing dead works without the Holy Spirit’s anointing—no matter how much sweat has fallen from my brow—leaves me empty and “in the red” and can cause perpetual guilt. Bottom line—I can never repay the Lord for His immeasurable gift, but I can faithfully obey with a pure heart, a good conscience, and a sincere (active but not phony) faith (1 Tim. 1:5). This is the faith life that I want to pass on to the next generation.
Sincerely in Christ,
THE LAST DISCIPLE is a well-written novel that
is a good alternative to the left-behind series. It is written from
what we consider a partial-preterist viewpoint; i.e. that the
great-tribulation and most of the book of revelation was written about and
fulfilled in the first century. Reading it is an excellent way to both
enjoy a novel and gain a scriptural understanding of how Jesus' and His
apostles prophecies were fulfilled in the first century.
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We are glad to have you as a subscriber to our Present Truth Magazine. Below you will find articles from individual authors who have written for our magazine. Our prayer for all who receive read these articles is that the Lord "...may give to you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, and what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints” (Ephesians 1:17-18).
LIMITATIONS OF
JESUS Jesus Christ of Nazareth is declared to be the “Son of God” and the “Son of Man” in the divinely inspired writings of God’s prophets and apostles. As God, He was involved in the creation of the universe, and in Him all things consist (Col. 1:15-17). Jesus laid aside His privileges as God and took on a human body by being conceived by the Holy Spirit in His mother Mary’s womb (Phil. 2:5-11; Luke 1:26-38). He existed as both fully God and fully Man on earth for about 33 ½ years. Scholars and theologians often refer to Him as the God-Man. The limitation of Jesus Christ of Nazareth as the Son of Man is the topic of this article. At about age 30, Jesus as the Son of Man was anointed by His (our) heavenly Father with the Holy Spirit. He went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him (Luke 3:21, 23; Acts 10:38). Jesus was known in Israel as a “Prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people” (Luke 24:19). By faith in the Word of God, He performed great supernatural works—miracles, signs, and wonders. He walked on water and healed many sicknesses and diseases apart from medical treatment. He spoke to winds to calm some storms, and the winds obeyed Him. Jesus operated at the highest level of faith ever recorded in the Scriptures. He became the “firstborn from the dead” and was and is the pattern for all new covenant, new creation kingdom people. Jesus, as the Son of Man, made it very clear that He was always in submission to the will and ways of Father God. He said, I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me…I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father taught Me, I speak these things…for I always do those things that please Him…My Father is greater than I (John 5:30, 8:28-29, 14:28). Jesus was heartbroken when His family and friends in Nazareth limited His faith ministry by their unbelief (Mark 6:1-6). Sometimes when He wanted to release faith to meet a very serious need, He would ask the unbelievers to leave the room. Jesus always spoke words of spirit and life (John 6:63); however, those who were offended by those words would have been better off not to have heard them. Their pride brought a limitation into the conversation that kept them from having great faith to meet their deepest, heartfelt need. When Jesus—our elder brother and the firstborn from the dead—was coming to the end of His earthly mission, His prayer revealed His deep love, compassion, and concern for His disciples. He prayed: I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do…I have manifested Your name to the men whom You have given Me out of the world. They were Yours, You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word. Now they have known that all things which You have given Me are from You. For I have given to them the words which You have given Me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came forth from You; and they have believed that You sent Me. I pray for them. I do not pray for the world but for those whom You have given Me, for they are Yours…Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth...I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one… (John 17:4, 6-9, 17, 20-22).
As the Son of Man, Jesus took the limit off of Father God, but there were those whose hearts were full of unbelief and limited His earthly work. He is calling you and me to go to a new level of service in the kingdom of our heavenly Father. A. Wilson Phillips is the co-founding and senior pastor of Abundant Life Covenant Church.
HOPPERS TO FLIERS From childhood, I have been enamored with flight, and I still am. Though the machinery that allows us to fly is quite complicated, the physics of flight is rather simple. If the ingredients of thrust, lift, drag, and weight are in harmony, a properly designed object can fly. Several years ago I took a few flying lessons, and I learned the difference between hopping down a runway and taking flight. For instance, if the flaps are not set appropriately for takeoff, if the speed is not sufficient, or if the yoke is not pulled back properly, the airplane will hop like a frog down the runway. But oh the joy when the details are right and the airplane leaves the ground with authority, soars purposefully, and lands with precision. Our spiritual lives can easily be compared to this simple analogy of flight. Assuming that we have been united with Christ into His everlasting life, here are some of the elements necessary for our spiritual lives to soar rather than hop. Jesus told His disciples that they would need the power of His Holy Spirit. The empowerment of the Spirit is a moment-by-moment necessity to rise above the negativity of this world. He also is our source of wisdom and direction, which are essentials toward navigating successfully and peacefully. The apostle Paul told the Roman church that they needed to be “transformed” by the renewing of their minds rather than being “conformed” to this world. We that are being transformed are elevating into a different realm of living (spiritual realm) and leaving below the carnal world of mere humanity. We are seated with Christ in heavenly places and loving it. The local church is another required component for consistent air travel. Jesus gives us apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers to equip us to safely and fruitfully navigate. Equally important are the individual members of the body supplying the whole according to their giftings and callings; this enables the local church to fly like a Boeing 747. Finally, to maintain a steady
heavenly voyage, we must become perpetual worshipers. The magnificent
physics of the spiritual realm teach us that we must go down before we can
go up. Worship is the act of bowing our wills to our infinite God and in
turn He causes us to be exalted with Christ into the highest heavens.
But those who wait on the Lord Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not
faint (Is. 40:31). Richard K. Clark is an associate pastor of Abundant Life Covenant Church.
Solving Our
Computer Issues Almost everyone who has a computer has computer issues. Computers were introduced into our lives to make things easier for us. They were to be a more efficient way of taking care of our business. Yet, as all computer users know, when these computers are spitting out issues instead of data, they can actually cause more problems than they solve. I’ve learned it can be dangerous to have a genuine interest in the way a computer works. Once you show that genuine interest, you become an automatic “go-to” guy to fix all the issues that your computer and your friends’ computers are having. The problem with this is that most computer troubleshooting is (for me, at least) shooting in the dark. You try one thing that could fix an issue, only to find out you may have just created another (sometimes worse) one. That’s when it’s time to bring in the big guns. My personal favorite is to completely blow away a system and reinstall everything from scratch. In my experience of troubleshooting computer issues, I have learned that 95 percent of our computer issues are software related. Problems with drivers, viruses, and programs can actually make it seem like the computer itself is dying, when in reality the computer is just fine. It merely needs its software fixed. With this foundation laid, I would like to draw some comparison analogies between computers and people. Firstly, as a computer without software is dead, so a person without God’s Holy Spirit is dead (Eph. 2:1). Computer hardware without software to run it is absolutely useless. You have to install software even to get a basic “c:/” to come up. This software has to be installed from an outside source, such as a CD or floppy disk. Computer hardware has no ability within itself to generate software unless an outside source first installs some kind of software giving it such ability. So it is in Christ. We were dead in our trespasses and sins, “but God, who is rich in mercy…even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ…” (Eph. 2:4-5). Secondly, malfunctioning computer software usually manifests itself as malfunctioning computer hardware. You can change the hardware, but unless you deal with the software problem, it will show up in your new hardware as well. So it is with many of the physical illnesses we see today. Much of our American society continually looks to an ever-increasing supply of medicine to treat symptoms in our physical bodies that are actually caused by sin, unforgiveness, resentment, stubbornness, and rebellion against God’s authority. We have pills for losing weight, fighting off depression, calming down a restless mind to sleep, dealing with anxiety (panic attacks), and the list goes on. While all of these issues can cause genuine physical problems, their roots are in spiritual problems coupled with unhealthy thinking. We can treat them by medicating and tampering with the hardware (our physical bodies), but until we deal with the spiritual problems that cause them, we haven’t touched the root. The Lord has taught me a truth in this area that I endeavor to practice in my own life: When my body is talking to me, the Lord is talking to me. It is best to use that opportunity to listen to His voice about what changes I need to make before I pay too high of a price in my body. The conscience also works like a computer. Everyone has a conscience, but not everyone has a properly functioning conscience. Many computers malfunction when a hardware driver (a piece of software that makes a piece of hardware work) is not working right. Sometimes you can get an updated driver to fix the problem. Sometimes you just have to take the sledgehammer approach and start from scratch. When discipling people, one of our primary assignments is to impart a clean conscience that lives without offense toward God and people (Acts 24:16). As Paul said, Now the purpose of the commandment is love from a pure heart, a good conscience, and a sincere faith (1 Tim. 1:5). People who will allow you to impart a good conscience into their lives can grow into the fullness of God’s blessings here on the earth. David was imparting this conscience: “Come, you children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord” (Ps. 34:11). People who will not let you impart a good conscience will continue to experience driver/conscience problems that manifest as hardware/physical problems. These problems keep them from experiencing God’s best. Dealing with computer viruses has become a major problem for people using e-mail and the Internet. One bad virus can totally ruin your system. Bad doctrine in the church can be like a virus in the soul. That’s why Paul wrote to Timothy, Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you (1 Tim. 4:16). Dispensational theology with its emphasis on an imminent return of the Lord in our day is one such virus on the soul of many good, sincere believers. I have personally seen such bad doctrine cripple many believers’ faith for the present and the future. At Abundant Life, we instituted
an office policy several years ago to help us avoid computer viruses.
Unless an e-mail specifically addresses one of us by name in the text, we
do not open any attachments associated with it. This provides some
accountability to help solve the virus problem. If an attachment is
important
Benjamin Davis is an associate pastor of Abundant Life Covenant Church
TOUGH AND TENDER And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you. (Eph. 4:32) Paul was encouraging the Ephesian believers to be nice to each other…to be tender and gentle. He mentioned in a different letter to the Galatians that kindness and gentleness were manifestations of God’s Spirit-life inside. Most Christians understand and practice kindness as part of their regular Christianity. I always appreciate being treated with tenderness rather than gruffness, and I am learning to be tender to others. I am also learning the necessity of the flip side of tenderness—toughness. I am learning that it is possible (and fruitful) to be both tough and tender. The toughness that the Lord is teaching me is not a rude and callous treatment of others. Rather, it is a firm stand (1) against sin and (2) for truth. It takes the wisdom and discernment of God to properly know how and when to exhibit either toughness or tenderness—or both at the same time (which Jesus demonstrated often).
Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness… (Col. 3: 12a). Jonathan Clark is an elder of Abundant Life Covenant Church and a physician in Springfield, Missouri.
BE STILL AND KNOW THAT
I AM GOD Several years ago, my husband and I found ourselves in a financial situation that we never would have imagined. We had our own business, and things just seemed to keep going from bad to worse. No matter how hard we tried to do things right, nothing was improving. I felt a lot of pressure and internal turmoil, and it was beginning to rob me of the peace and joy in my life. I tried to be sensitive to God’s voice, but because I was hurting so badly, I was crying out and complaining instead of listening to what He was trying to reveal to me. Unfortunately, I was focusing on the trial He was walking us through instead of keeping my focus on God, who has the solution. Not understanding where I was going wrong, I called on my pastor for some answers. He came to our place of business, sat down with my husband and me, and listened until I got everything out that I was struggling with. He then bowed his head, and we all sat in silence a few moments. When he looked up, he said, “Sally, the only thing God has spoken to me is ‘Be still and know that I am God.’” He did not need to say anything more. Those words brought such comfort and peace to me. God’s presence and His love were so real at that moment that I knew everything was going to be all right. Although the situation did not change overnight—in fact, it took many years to resolve—I never did let go of that word. It gave me the strength that I needed to walk through this God-given test. During times of tests and suffering, I can either get bitter or better—it is my choice. Because I am made in Christ’s image, I learn obedience through the things that I suffer, just as Jesus did (Heb. 5:8). Now my declaration of faith is: “I will trust in the Lord with all my heart and never lean on my own understanding. In all my ways, I will acknowledge Him, and He will show me the way through every situation in my life.” Sally Robinson and her husband Jerry serve in the eldership of Abundant Life Covenant Church.
Jehovah Jireh—Our Provider On the way to church one Wednesday evening, Treyson, my five-year-old son, declared, “I wanna be rich.” I asked him what he meant by that, and he said that he wanted to have lots of money so he could buy things. Before I could respond, my eight-year-old son Trenton told his brother that God allows us to have the money we have, and that everything else we have is His too. The earth is the Lord’s, and all its fullness, The world and those who dwell therein (Ps. 24:1). I agreed and told Treyson that Trenton was absolutely correct; God is in control of everything and wants us to prosper, including having enough money to buy things we want and need. My wife and I give our kids monthly allowances and are teaching them the value of money. We teach them to tithe firstly, and then they can buy some of the things they want; we also encourage them to save a portion of their money. I thought Trenton’s statement that everything we have is God’s (and vice versa) was very interesting in the fact that he already understands one of God’s most basic principles—covenant. He was doing as big brothers are supposed to do, helping his younger brother grasp the same thinking. My wife and I both strongly emphasize the fact that if we trust and obey in doing our part, God will do His and take care of all our needs; He is our provider. For my kids to understand covenant at an early age is very important and powerful. It builds a strong foundation that all children so desperately need in today’s world with all its challenges. Understanding covenant gives them the peace and assurance to make good decisions in order to be successful. God wants nothing but the best for us. He wants all of us to prosper—to be “rich” in His Spirit and understanding first, and then He will bless us with material things. How a five-year-old perceives being rich is probably not something that many people think about, but when those words come out of our children’s mouths we, as parents, need to listen. We should not only listen, but we should take the time to explain to them the real meaning of “being rich.” Philippians 4:6 says: Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God… God promises He will take care of us, and fortunately, Treyson is hearing this at an early age. With Christ on his side, he is already rich! My son, do not forget my law, But let your heart keep my commands; For length of days and long life And peace they will add to you (Prov. 3:1-2).
Through wisdom a house is built, And by understanding it is established; By knowledge the rooms are filled With all precious and pleasant riches (Prov. 24:3-4). Raymond Krueger is a business manager at Roper KIA in Joplin, Missouri.
CHOSEN AND
CHANGED In His perfect timing, God decided to breathe His life into me when I was almost 25 years old. When I was growing up, my family did not attend church. Both of my parents worked hard at their professions. My mother worked fulltime, and my sister and two brothers and I spent a lot of time with our grandparents. We were always with them on the weekends camping, fishing, biking—things kids like to do. The only exposure I had to the things of God was when my grandfather started occasionally taking my siblings and me to church when I was around nine years old. My family never talked about God, His principles, or His ways. My parents worked hard—“for the weekends”—and spent a lot of free time with their peers socializing. By the time I was in junior high, they had gotten this down to an organized art. They had block parties, and each couple was assigned certain days that they were in charge of the fun. As I got into junior high and high school, I hung out with my friends and always knew what was going on with my parents on the weekends. The problem was they did not know what was going on with me. Finding myself with very little guidance on how to live life, I turned to my peers and music for help. I always loved music, any kind, it really didn’t matter. So, along with my friends, I let music teach me about life—how to love, who to love, what to be mad about, happy about, or hurt over, etc. The lyrics of the songs were my guide to life and relationships. I even looked to musicians for fashion. If I really liked an artist, I would take on their persona as best I could to give me an identity of some kind. That’s how I lived my high school years. I was married soon after high school and became a parent. Since the marriage relationship was not based on truth, it was over before it really started. In my early twenties, I became the pattern that I grew up seeing: I was a really hard worker who “worked for the weekends” to socialize. But there were points in time when I would have a longing and real emptiness. I would always look at the different areas of my life and try to change what I thought was wrong. “Am I making good money? Does my boss treat me fairly? Do I get along with my co-workers? Is my car running good? How are things with my boyfriend? Do I need a new boyfriend? ” Whatever I thought needed changing I would change, and that would temporarily fix the longing. I continued on this path for several years, repeating the pattern—always adjusting, always changing. To get my attention, God didn’t take me to “the bottom.” In fact, my life seemed fine. I had a really good job I liked, I felt respected, my bosses liked me, I had a good apartment and a nice car that I didn’t have to worry about breaking down, and my relationships were as good as I thought they could be. I had a good boyfriend by the world’s standards; it was immoral, but he didn’t talk down to me or abuse me. In fact, he was more committed to the relationship than I was. He wanted to get married. I am not saying that my life had been free from hard times. I had suffered many things in the past, but at that point, life was as good as I thought it ever could be. But then the longing and the ache returned. This time when I looked at all the areas of my life to change, nothing needed to be “fixed.” Over the course of the next two to three months, I had recurring thoughts about my grandfather, who had passed away when I was a freshman in high school. He was always really good to me and made me feel like he cared about me, wanted to spend time with me, and really wanted to know me—and he wasn’t afraid to lovingly discipline me when I needed it. He was a father to me in so many ways. That relationship had been very important to me, so I concluded that the ache I was experiencing was the grief I felt over the loss of my grandfather. I assumed that I would just have these times in my life when I would really miss him; that was the reason for the longing and ache—it was all tied to my grandfather and my relationship with him. One day at my apartment, I was thinking about this discovery. Just as I was thinking, “I’ve got it. I finally know what it is,” two new and different thoughts came into my mind. The first: “Your life is like a stationary bicycle; you are riding and doing all the work, but you aren’t going anywhere”; and the second: “You’re not missing your grandfather, you are really missing ME.” I knew these thoughts were from God my heavenly Father. At that moment, He filled my heart with His love, and the longing and ache were gone. I knew that my life was changed forever. It has now been almost twenty years since that happened. Since that time, I have grown and learned and at times gotten into sin, but God has always been faithful to bring me back and remind me that it was His doing to call me and change my heart, and that’s not anything I can undo. I am eternally grateful He changed me and gave me a new life. …He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love… (Eph. 1:4). Kathy Molica serves in the New Creation House youth ministry and is a homemaker.
BEING RESPONSIBLE “Why, that’s the craziest thing I’ve ever heard!” I thought. My friend had just told me that the reason for her bad grades and her not caring is because her dad had told her that in the rapture, when God comes, He’s going to take her grades, good or bad, and throw them away and not care what they are. He’ll only care about who she is inside. I told her the only thing I could think of. “Your grades show a big part of who you are inside. If you’re responsible, it will show in your grades. If you care, it will show in your grades.” I really hope she thought about what I said. I was so lucky that my friend Matt was there helping me. I don’t think I’d have been brave enough without someone to agree with me. It made me think about all the crazy things kids’ parents tell them. Realizing this made me very thankful for the great parents and church family I have. I believe the rapture happened in 70AD. I know some about the rapture from what I’ve learned in my church. People that grew up believing in a sudden future rapture have told me some frightening experiences they’ve had, like thinking they had been left behind; but my friend does not seem to have any fear. I hope that some day she and her family will see that God has plans for us here on this earth. I don’t want her to get held back in school, but yet I want her to learn she needs to be responsible. I pray that God would reveal to her His truth. Beracah Sanders will be in the sixth grade at Pershing Middle School.
Death, Burial, and Resurrection of My Calling Have you ever been given a very precious gift that was wrapped inside a larger box? That was the type of present God gave my husband Byron and me when He called us to work with the college and career ministry. On Sunday, January 29, 2005, the Lord gave a word to us about pastoring a church in Australia. It was not an easy word for me to receive. God even asked me once, “If I called you to Australia to preach my Word, would you be willing to go?” In essence He was asking me if I would give up my wonderful church family, my business, my children, grandchildren, and all of my friends. Father knew that I loved and treasured all of these things. After many tears and much heart suffering, my answer was, “If You enable me to go, Father, I will leave all behind.” I remember having to make this same choice once before when God called me to move from Texas to Missouri, but the stakes were a little higher this time. I would be living on the other side of the world! From that time on, we endeavored to walk out God’s leading. Byron believed the Lord had given him a word that he would pastor the church where his mother attended. He flew to Australia in August 2005 and was given the opportunity to preach at the church on a Sunday morning. He also had the opportunity to meet with the church board and share what he felt God had shown him. The senior pastor had resigned several months before, and the people were in need of good spiritual food. God gave Byron a very specific word for this congregation that encouraged them during the trials they had been facing. Over the next several months, we began dialoging by phone and e-mail and answering their questions regarding our doctrinal positions on various topics. During this time, the Lord gave us several very specific things. Byron was given the name “Power House” for the youth ministry, and several times the Lord gave me a picture in my mind of hundreds of young people coming to Him through this ministry. We “assumed” that this would be the name of our new ministry outreach to the next generation in the “Land Down Under.” When everything was said and done after several months of talking and working through issues with these folks, we were informed that New Hope Community Church had decided to join another denomination. We were very perplexed because of the specific leading we had received from the Lord, and we had believed the church genuinely wanted us. We both came out of this saying “Lord, what has this whole thing been about? What was the purpose for this when You already knew the end result?” We laid it all down and got back to business as usual. We stopped trying to understand. A couple of months later, we received a visit from our pastor. He laid before us the direction God had given the pastoral staff. God had shown our senior pastor and associate pastor that Byron and I were the right ones to take over our church’s college campus outreach ministry, and they wanted us to seek God for His leading regarding this ministry. As we sought the Lord, He confirmed to us through His Word and His Holy Spirit that this was His re-direction for us. We had already been through the death process of surrender, so there was no struggle to obey His will. Just recently, Byron and I were sitting on the campus of Missouri State University, watching the students walk by like little busy ants and praying for them, and it struck me—God was fulfilling the vision He gave me regarding young people coming to Christ! My spirit leapt inside me, and I received Father’s divine excitement for the new assignment He had given us. Today, anyone can visit the college/career ministry near MSU at the corner of Grand and National upstairs in the Bears Mall, Suite H, and the name on the door is “POWER HOUSE.” Leesa Hamilton and her husband Byron own Med-Soft National Training Institute in Springfield, Missouri.
THE COST OF
FREEDOM Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage (Gal. 5:1). Freedom is an idealistic word. Like many words, the usage denotes the meaning. As a child, I thought it would be wonderful to be free to do whatever I wanted—to come and go as I pleased. The idea of controlling my day-to-day activities was very appealing to me. My definition of freedom was strictly connected to my level of control (i.e., what I could or could not do). Most define freedom the exact same way I did. This is extremely evident in America, “The land of the free and the home of the brave,” where we exercise our freedoms of speech, press, petition, etc. Many have died to give us these freedoms. To live free from tyranny or oppression is a wonderful thing. However, in the year 2006, I believe we as Americans have a few flaws in our ideology of freedom.
After four hundred years, God freed His people from bondage in Egypt, but the stubborn, prideful children of Israel feared the responsibility of freedom. They believed the cost was too great. They often complained about freedom and even longed to return to bondage: …For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than that we should die in the wilderness (Ex. 14:12). Even though they had seen God’s hand at work, they still didn’t embrace freedom. That generation never entered the Promised Land. Over the last few years, I have begun to feel the weight of freedom in my life. I find myself now bound by the responsibility of freedom. Living financially independent is a good thing, but it is also challenging. Living under my parents provided me with protection and provision. In God’s kingdom, true freedom is living under His lordship. Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty (2 Cor. 3:17). In Christ, I am free from the power of sin, self, the devil, and the grave. I have been blessed “with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ” (Eph. 1:3). In exchange, God wants to be Lord over my life. Just because I have the right to free speech in America, doesn’t mean that I have the right to free speech in God’s kingdom; my “citizenship is in heaven” (Phil. 3:20a). God the Father sent His Son as a sacrifice, so that we might have freedom. The cost was great. The cost of true freedom always will be. For freedom Christ has set us free (Gal. 5:1, RSV). Kyle Clark is a senior at Missouri State University studying religion.
POWER HOUSE A new ministry that targets 18 to 25-year-olds is gearing up for the upcoming school year. Students, graduates, and those on career paths that may not currently include college are welcome. Power House is a
transdenominational ministry that gives attendees a sense of family. The
power of the Holy Spirit is present in our in-depth Bible studies, times
of prayer and praise, and in our daily lives. Come study, do research,
receive counseling, and/or just hang out with like-minded people. |
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Father
God’s eyes are going to and fro throughout the whole earth searching for
those who will be loyal to His Word and
Spirit. These are the two true witnesses to His kingdom rule today. 
As
we love the Lord with every ounce of our heart, soul, mind, and strength,
we can’t help but soar with the eagles. 
enough
to be opened and viewed, it is important enough for the sender to
personally take the time to address one of us by name in an e-mail (as
opposed to generic, bulk e-mail). We practice
our Christianity in a similar way. Privilege, responsibility, and
accountability can only be effectively practiced at the local level, in
the local church, where we can monitor one another’s lifestyles. Living
under authority in the local church is the path to freedom from our
software and hardware issues.
Unlike
a piece of meat which is either tough or tender, God’s Spirit is
developing people who can be tough in standing for truth while at the same
time tenderhearted toward people. In our hardened and insensitive culture,
tenderness while standing in truth will be a positive healing force. 