How you doin? What a treat to see Dan Mohler last night. I love being around people who have something I want. Dan has the manifest love of God in him. He has truth in him. Dan is about the closest example to Christ likeness that I've ever met in person. He has a remarkable way of sharing the right Gospel and the good news of God. He said, "I was taught all my that I accept Christ and then wait for the bus to come pick me up. There's no good news in that." If you missed Dan last night, you have two more chances. He will be at Praise Tabernacle in E.H.T. tonight at 6pm. He will be at Christ Fellowship again at 10am on Sunday. Stacey, me, Audrey, and Paulie will be there for the last two meetings. I hope you're able to come an receive what God offers through Dan. Revelation 15 today.
Revelation 15 is 8 verses long. I only want to talk about one. Verse 1, "Then I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous, seven angels who had seven plagues, which are the last, because in them the wrath of God is finished." Here's where eschatology matters. Believing that we need Jesus to protect us from the wrath of God is just false teaching. In believing that John's vision in Revelation is of events still to come, it allows for a lack of intimacy with the Father whom we've been reconciled to. Why would God send His only Son to earth to do what He did just so we can get are "get out of hell free" card and wait for Him to come back and destroy the world. That's weird. The old covenant was based on performance and deeds. The destruction of Jerusalem symbolizes the destruction of the old covenant. The new covenant is all about relationship with Him. Receiving the identity He has given us. God didn't send His Son because we're worthless sinners that have no value to Him. Again, that would be weird.
John 3:17-21, "For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.18 He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the[f]only begotten Son of God. 19 This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. 20 For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. 21 But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God.”' WOW WOW WOW!!!!!!! So unless you love darkness, you're in pretty good standing. You have value. I love how verse 21 says "he who practices the truth". It doesn't say "he who is well behaved and follows the rules". Good behavior and righteous living comes through the truth. More specifically, practicing the truth.
I'm so glad for the people/teachers that God has put in my life. Bill Johnson pointed out how the Jews traded their offer for a relationship with God for a list of rules. They all had the opportunity to go up to the top of the mountain and meet with God. They sent Moses and said bring us the rules. Bill pointed out that this is still happening on a regular bases.
Here's my point in all of this. God's in a good mood. God is full of good news. God has SO many good deals for us. I can't help but to recognize why this weekend is a weekend of "Christ-ins" celebration. Believing in religion, human tradition, and trading in a relationship with Him for a set of rules, pulls Jesus right off the cross. Practicing truth honors what He did on the cross. It couldn't be a better weekend to ask yourself a hard question... "Do I have a relationship with my Father?". After all, Jesus reconciled you to Him. Tell Him you want a relationship with Him today.
PS Bill Johnson also said, "God tells us to say "YES" to relationship and I'll how to live it". He said this in his talk about rules vs relationship. Here's a 5 min excerpt of the talk, http://www.bethel.tv/watch/
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