How you doin? So this time off is proving fruitful. I watch 2 sick (better then good) sermons yesterday. I also wrote 2 emails. RAD!!!!!!! The sermons were by Shawn Bolz and Graham Cooke. Everywhere I turn God is showing me more about the good news of the new covenant. 2 Corinthians 7.
I'm so preoccupied with this revelation of living in grace and truth consciousness, that I struggled with chapter 7 this morning. A few emails ago, I came up against Rick Warren's statement to justify hardships in life that gave God credit for stuff that's not His. The statement was, "God is not concerned with our comfort, He is concerned with our character". With all due respect to Rick Warren, he's sold a few more books then I have, but this is the kind of teaching that is forcing the Holy Ghost to work over time to undo me. I've said that quote to myself WAY to many times. Verses 6-7, "But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus, 7 and not only by his coming but also by the comfort you had given him. He told us about your longing for me, your deep sorrow, your ardent concern for me, so that my joy was greater than ever." AWESOME!!!!!!! Two things about these verses, 1) GOD COMFORTS THE DOWNCAST, 2) loving our neighbors brings them joy. COME ON!!!!!!! Joy out weighs happiness. Happiness comes and goes, but joy is forever. That's a good word.
Verses 9-11, "yet now I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance. For you became sorrowful as God intended and so were not harmed in any way by us. 10 Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, butworldly sorrow brings death. 11 See what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done. At every point you have proved yourselves to be innocent in this matter." WOW!!!!!!! Godly sorrow leads to repentance. Worldly sorrow leads to death. New covenant... old covenant. Godly sorrow leads to repentance, which leads to salvation. SO GOOD!!!!!!! Worldly sorrow features sin, shame, regret, and blame... death. To me, sorrow is conviction. Conviction is Gods way of pointing out my lack so I can practice/train to receive His upgrade or download. WOW!!!!!!! It's starting to sink in. My spiritual father David, stresses the importance of using the correct words to me to the point I want to smack him. Good thing I didn't. I'm learning that in many cases it's a matter of life or death. If I may be so bold to change the wording in Mr. Warren's statement I would say, "God IS concerned with our comfort AND our character." It's Christ in me, hope of glory that makes me a good character. COME ON!!!!!!! That's a good word.
Stay with me. Graham Cooke was dropping bombs yesterday in the sermon we watched. I'll watch it again and again, because it was changing my mind. AWESOME!!!!!!! Here's a few bombs. 1) "Being dead to sin or being crucified to the flesh is not an action, it's a consequence. Jesus did the action." 2) "God is not working on our sin... He killed that. God is working on our righteousness." 3) "We live in a church that is sin conscious. God is truth conscious. Truth will set you free."
Don't raise the dead you that Christ killed through His acts on the cross. Let him/her stay dead today.
PS Don't be surprised to hear more about this Graham Cooke sermon. God is changing me and I love it! I'm being upgraded or undone. DIG IT!!!!!!!
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