The New Testament “Gamble” by John Lynch

The New Testament “Gamble” by John Lynch

“What if I tell them who they are?” What if I take away any element of fear in condemnation, judgment or rejection”?

“What if I tell them I love them, will always love them? That I love them right now, no matter what they’ve done, as much as I love my only Son? That there’s nothing they can do to make my love go away”?

“What if I tell them there are no lists? What if I tell them I don’t keep a log of past offenses, of how little they pray, how often they’ve let me down, made promises that they don’t keep?”

“What if I tell them they are righteous, with my righteousness, right now”?

“What if I tell them they can stop beating themselves up? That they can stop being so formal, stiff and jumpy around me?”

“What if I tell them I’m crazy about them? What if I tell them, even if they run to the ends of the earth and do the most horrible, unthinkable things, that when they come back, I’d receive them with tears and a party”?

“What if I tell them that I am their Savior, they’re going to heaven no matter what--it’s a done deal?

“What if I tell them they have a new nature--saints, not saved sinners who should now ‘buck up and be better’ if they were any kind of Christians, after all He’s done for you!”

“What if I tell them that I actually live in them now? That I’ve put my love, power, and nature inside of them, at their disposal?”

“What if I tell them that they don’t have to put on a mask? That it is OK to be who they are at this moment, with all their junk. That they don’t need to Pretend about how close we are, how much they pray or don’t, how much Bible they read or don’t?”

“What if they knew they don’t have to look over their shoulder for fear if things get to good, the other shoe’s gonna drop?”

“What if they knew I will never, ever use the word “punish” in relation to them?”

“What if they knew that when they mess up, I will never 'get back at them'?”

“What if they were convinced that bad circumstances aren’t my way of evening the score for taking advantage of me?”

“What if they knew the basis of our friendship isn’t how little they sin, but how much they let me love them?”

“What if I tell them they can hurt my heart, but that I never hurt theirs?”

“What if I tell them I like U2’s music too?”

“What if I tell them I never really liked the Christmas hand bell deal with the white gloves?”

“What if I tell them they can open their eyes when they pray and still go to heaven?”

“What if I tell them there is no secret agenda, no trapdoor?”

“What if I tell them it isn’t about their self-effort, but about allowing me to live my life through them?”

Who We Are In Christ

A friend of mine wrote this yesterday and I wanted to share it as it was written. Knowing who we are in Christ establishes the foundation to be what He wants us to be in and through Him. Here are my friend’s thoughts:

Anytime I read a passage where I'm able to witness Jesus' power over the world I'm reminded of the authority God gave each one of us that we rarely if ever walk in. 1 John 4:4 "Greater is he that is in me than he that is in the world". The same God that empowered his son over darkness has given us the authority over the enemy.

Too many times I forget who I am in Christ and I fail to understand what my struggle is against but in the few times where I have walked in my God given authority I have seen my creator move in ways I never thought possible. It is by our choice not God's that we allow Satan to have control over areas of our lives and we must remember that we have the right and authority to take back ground that we have given over to Satan. To walk in the same Grace and Authority that Jesus walked in we must first be reminded of who we are in Christ:

John 1:12 "I am God's Child", John 15:15 "I am Christ's friend", 1Cor. 6:20 "I have been bought with a price, I belong to God", Eph.2:18 "I have direct access to God through the Holy Spirit", Col. 1:14 "I have been redeemed and forgiven of all my sins", Col. 2:10 "I am complete in Christ", Rom. 8:12 "I am free forever from condemnation", Rom 8:28 "I am assured that all things work together for good", Rom. 8:35 "I cannot be separated from God", Phil. 3:20 "I am a citizen of Heaven", 2Tim 1:7 " I have not been given a spirit of fear, but of power, love and a sound mind", Heb. 4:16 " I can find grace and mercy in time of need", 1John 5:18 "I am born of God and the evil one cannot touch me", Matt. 5:13,14 " I am the salt and light of the earth", Eph. 2:6 "I am seated with Christ in the heavenly realm, Eph. 3:12 "I may approach God with freedom and confidence", Phil. 4:13 " I can do All thing through Christ who strengthens me".

These are basic truths about who God created when he made us in his image and if we can grasp all that he created us to be we can walk, live, teach, love, rebuke, and share in the same authority that Christ did we he stood before Pilate and an angry mob!