No independent me? Now there's good news.

There isn't much good news in the world, but there sure is good news in Jesus. The message of Christ's salvation is breaking out all over the globe. What the church may have forgotten to teach us for years Daddy is making sure we hear it now. Of course truth is a Person, Jesus the Christ, and the good news is all about Him. But it has a major impact on us, and on our daily lives.
The notion of the deception of an independent self has come to me quite recently through our brother Norman Grubb. Basically the revelation he received from Holy Spirit through Romans 6-8 was that there never was an independent Norman. Norman was always a vessel, a branch, a dwelling place. Before he was born again Norman housed, if you like, the nature of satan in his spirit. So naturally he would manifest that nature. But here is the deception. Norman in that condition believed he was an independent human being just living his own life, not a branch containing the life of satan. In this condition he had no problem with sin because he just did what he wanted to do not thinking that he was living and independent life, when in truth he was living a dependent life. Whether he lived a good life or a bad life, remember the tree of the knowledge of GOOD, and EVIL; he was still manifesting the nature of satan.
So Norman gets born again and has his old nature circumcised away by Christ in crucifixion. He enters into Christ's death, resurrection, and ascension. He gets a new identity, a son of God, and a new nature (life) Christ in Norman the hope of glory. Only trouble is he starts off his new life with the same deception that he is an independent self and now has to 'live' for God. Naturally he soon runs into trouble. The church doesn't help as it keeps teaching him to 'do' things for God instead of emphasising his new nature. So Norman fails to control his up and down lifestyle. He has no power, he is still entangled with certain sinful habits, and all seems lost. He is wretched.
Then God points out his error. Norman is still just a branch, a vessel, a house, a temple. But now he contains Jesus the Christ, and Jesus want's to live His life in and through Norman. So Norman has to learn that he is not independent at all. He is in fact dead and his new life is hidden with Christ in God. So now he lives by faith that it is Christ manifesting His life through his personality now. I hope Norman won't mind me using him as an example as he is now in the presence of Daddy and I don't think he will mind at all.
This morning I came across this in Chapter 2 of the book of Ephesians. Paul said that we were made alive by God even when we were dead by our trespasses and sins. We were obedient to and under the control of the demon spirit that still constantly works in the sons of disobedience. verses 1-2. Amp. We were sons of satan before we became sons of God. We were in fact carrying around a deities nature. Only in our Adamic nature it was a false god, satan. Now we are regenerated and have the real divine nature, Christ in us. So there is no Jesus and me. I'm not living for God, He is living through me. I can't live the Christian life, and God never intended me to. He not only wanted to buy me back from the slave market of satan and sin, but He wanted to give me a new identity, and a new life. Now I live by faith that it is Jesus living in and through me, and Love will take care of everything. If it's not grace, it's not good news.
If you want to read some of Norman Grubb's revelation go to Lighthouse Library.


    

Hey How's it Going?

I was planning to write an informative update as to where the Holy Spirit had taken me, but I'm too distracted. If the world doesn't end tomorrow (UK) maybe I'll get back to it.

Thank You Jesus

Reflecting on another birthday is sometimes a little introspective. But first I wish to thank my wife, and sons, for staying with me when things weren't going well for them. They gave me a measure of grace that I did not deserve. My sister is such a blessing, as are all my extended family, and it's so good to be with them when I can. My bridge crew friends will never realise how special they are to me as I could never verbalise the way I feel about them. But I must as ever focus my gaze on my beautiful Jesus. It's a bit of  a weird thing to be a Jesus freak as far as this culture is concerned. Remember that awful derogative description 'bible basher', or 'God botherer' people used when they talked about Christians? Well things are different now, people just look down their noses at people with 'faith'. But what I am trying to say on my 68th. birthday is. I don't really give a rip. I don't give a rip if I haven't got it together, whether my spiritual disciplines are all in order, or if I don't have a world wide ministry in the latest Christian trend. My ears are duff, and my left hip needs replacing, and I wear glasses. Real ale seems to be a bit too nice, and I still think food is too enjoyable. But in grace it's Daddy's job to get me through. Hey He started this salvation thing anyway, and if He isn't big enough to look after us then we are all up the creek. Thank you Jesus for being in me as my life, my big Brother, my Saviour, Friend, King and Bridegroom. I love you so much.

What's the Plan?

I previously asked why Holy Spirit came to live in us at re-generation? What was the plan? Well it was more than a plan of God, more than a design, more than a desire; more a Life. Eternal Life Himself came to live in us at new birth. The church believes His blood was shed for the remission of sin, His body was given up for our change of identity from sinner, to saint. But it is a little behind when it comes to Him giving us His life in exchange for our old Adamic lifestyle. Ephesians 2:5 tells us that even though we were dead in our transgressions God made us alive together with Christ. The Amplified bible says that God gave us the very same life He gave Jesus when He raised us up into the heavenly spheres with Christ. The key verse in Colossians says that Christ in us is our hope of glory. Gal. 2:20, so familiar, I was crucified with Christ I no longer live but Christ lives in me. Why?
Lets go back a bit to the Garden. I can't look at Adam's and Eve's life before the talking snake through the eyes of an un-regenerate man. God might have said a couple of commands to Adam, but He wasn't expecting Adam to go off and do it by himself. Adam was created in the image of God. God is Agape, and Agape is other centred, and other dependent. After Adam decided to act independently and ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, he could understand the severity of his sin.
The sin was the act of doing something independently of God. Zip up to the temptation scenes with Jesus and the same tempter. Each temptation was to get Jesus to act independently from Daddy. Jesus demonstrated His dependence on Daddy by maintaining dependence on Him.
How important is it in God's eyes that His created ones whom He loves so much chose in love for Him to be dependent on Him?
Maybe I'll get a chance to expand on this.