He went on: “What comes out of a person is what defiles them. For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come—sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and defile a person.” Mark 7:20-23

When we think of the journey towards perfection, we must be advised what Jesus intended.  Today, many have rightly understood the principles of spiritual warfare, the tactics of the enemy, and the authority of the believer.  Using our authority, we can pull down strongholds and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God (2 Corinthians 10:3-5). But, one should consider another aspect of Jesus’ victory, that of His rest.  That is, this is a rest that it is said the children of Israel failed to enter into.  We should endeavor, therefore, not to lay hold of it. Read more…

Imagine for a moment that the church made a shift, that it turned a corner, and that instead of holiness being a marginal topic, one that is sometimes talked about, but seldom embraced, imagine that it was suddenly the norm for Christians again to expect holiness in their meetings, in their ministers, and in their people’s daily lives.

What if there was a dramatic shift in the body, only possible by God, of course, so that the whole of mainstream Christianity was revitalized, revived even, so that we had a living, active knowledge of God on a personal basis from God teaching us Himself? Read more…

This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.

1 John 1:5-7

The verdict God brought was that men loved darkness rather than the light.  They preferred to remain hidden, covered, and in the shadows.  From the fall, man has chosen to hide from God at His approach, and to fashion inadequate coverings to hide his nakedness.

In God, there is no darkness at all.  There is no shadow of turning in Him. From the beginning, Light shone forth, the radiance of God, and called forth light, and light was.  And, from this light, all creation exists.  But, it is the continual union with the Lord that all life is.

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[The following is a letter I wrote to a friend, with a few edits for privacy]

Let me say this:  I appreciate your position, and I am not particularly in most of the camps that you might expect.

Summing it up, I hear about four main statements in your email.

First, there have been many different positions and view regarding holiness..  Which you cataloged quite well.

Second, you really don’t care which one is most doctrinally correct, but are sick of the compromise in your own heart and unless it can help with that, you’re not satisfied.   You said, “All I know right now is that I’m bound to sin and I don’t know how to get out”.

Third, You’re sick of the crap (scripturally, “dung”).  You want to know the experiential love, experiential forgiveness, and experiential cleanness of heart.  No more hypocrisy from yourself or others.  You want the real deal.

And, finally, the question of how to know anything arises.  “The only way I will know or anyone on this earth will know is if God shows us personally.”

I think some of these questions are proper place of a heart for your condition.  Let me remind you, however, truth is a person.

Let me present my Gospel, if you will…

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I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.

Matthew 16:18

According to scholars, the first reference Jesus makes to building a “church” or even mentioning the word is this word that He gave to Peter.  As far as I can tell, this is one of the only “nuts” and “bolts” that Jesus ever gives concerning building a church.

Many make a case for either large church or small church based on various scriptures and reasonings.  It is good to point out, however, that the Word actually says they did both.

 Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.

Acts 2:46-47

This scripture makes it clear they met BOTH in the temple as a large congregation, and house to house, which seems to indicate smaller groups as well.  But, what is interesting, is that no where is the character of these gatherings described by what we understand as a ‘meeting’ today.  They met, sure, and they shared.  There certainly would have been some format, but they weren’t doing “Sunday Morning” back then.  They were glad, genuine, and thankful, because they had the Truth.

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Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Philippians 2:5-11

Christ gave His life for us, and, although we can get to heaven, it is quite apparent from scripture that we can have greater or less reward when we get there.  We are saved by Grace, yet rewarded for what we do.  This is called the doctrine of Eternal Reward.

Psalm 1:5 says, “Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.”  We understand that the sinners will be judged, but so too will the believers, made righteous by the blood of Jesus Christ.

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And all things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.

Matthew 21:22

Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1 KJV).  It is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen (NAS).  Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see (NIV).

Faith is God’s standard to reject the status quo, to step Beyond what society tells you is right and wrong and to listen to God’s standard.  Faith in God and in Christ is what causes division.

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Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them, saying:

Matthew 5:1-2

When Jesus sat down on the mountain, He wasn’t just talking to them, He was talking to us.  What He was teaching was not just a good lesson, it was the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven.  What he showed was the perfect walk of faith, failures, a picture of what living the by Spirit looks like, how to communicate with God, why it is enough and we don’t need to fear, and the true nature of sons of the Kingdom.  Finally, He gave it’s guarantee.  Those who follow His instructions will stand.

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Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.”

John 14:6

It doesn’t matter what version you read it in, Jesus is the way, He is THE Truth, and He is the life, the only life.  The gospel is the power of God unto salvation for all that believe (1 Peter 1:5).

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This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.

Galatians 5:16

This verse is Paul’s advice on how to avoid sin.  This is the simple solution to the issue plaguing the church today.

I call it the Million Dollar Question, that is, why are new testament believers not living according to their new creation nature?  We know why the world does, because it’s in ’em.  But, why does a Christian?

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