To my shock, I got a lot of emails and FB messages regarding the note I wrote last week about tithing. Some good, some…well…you know. One person respectfully disagreed, but asked some very good questions. I thought I’d share the email thread in case anyone was interested.
WARNING: It was a long conversation so you may wanna take a break half-way through:) Be blessed!
FRIEND:Won't our works be judged? What do you think Paul is talking about in 1 Cor 3:12-15 where our work is judged by fire, and 2 Cor 5:9,10 where we make it our goal to please him in the body because what we do in the body will be judged?
ME:OK. This is a question, among others, that I needed an answer to when I first understood grace and righteousness by faith in Dec 2007. The Lord gave me this as a starting point: Since Paul is the apostle of grace, and my Word is true, nothing he says in a scripture will contradict what you've already seen in many other scriptures. So whatever the answer is to this question, it will not change, but strengthen what you already understand about the Good News. Sigh of relief.
In 2 Cor 5:9, 10 Paul was referring to his need to be faithful to do what God has called him to do, which is also a source of immense pleasure for him. 1 Cor 3:12-15 is saying the same thing. We all have a part to play and will be judged on how well or diligently we played it (which ties into purpose). In making both of these points he stresses the importance of good works. And will our works be judged? Of course. But, and here is the vital part, the kind of good works that survive the fire have one and only one source: the flow/leading of the Spirit of God.
One of Paul's points in Romans 7:1-6 is that there are two different types of fruit, or works. And it's only when we realize we are dead to the law, and slowly allow the HS to peel away our legalistic thinking (that you have no idea is there until he shows you) are we free to serve God by the promptings of the Spirit (v 6 AMP). The NLT says it best, "Because you died to its (the law) power...as a result you can produce good fruit, that is, good deeds for God. Now we can really serve God, not in the old way of obeying the letter of the law (which kills), but in the new way by the Spirit." Notice that Paul calls being led by the Spirit of God into good works “really” serving God.
I really believe deadness to the law is what opens the door to be led by the Spirit of God. As we peel back the legalistic thinking by removing ALL motivation to act and save ourselves, all that’s left are the desires of our spirit. Which are God working in us giving us the desires and ability to do his good pleasure (Phill 2:13) As you recline, the spirit of God in you rises. And his leadings become glow-in-the-dark. Isn’t that awesome?!
His promptings may look silly at times but that's just so no flesh can glory. I think this is one of the reasons Galatians is structured the way it is. It's a strong rebuke for going from grace back to law, then instruction about how to be led by the Spirit, then a warning about sowing and reaping. It's a wonderful cycle! If we get the grace part in order, you'll flow in the Spirit, and you don't have to concern yourself with sowing and reaping. The flow of the Spirit will guarantee that you "sow" in the right ways and places. I’ve witnessed this in my own life and in the lives of other people who learn what I learned. I believe when we put our works on Jesus, he rests us (Matt 11:28-30) And all that comes out is the desire and ability to do his good pleasure.
For Christians, God has written his instructions on our inner most thoughts (Heb 8:10 AMP). From my own experience I can't begin to express how the leading of the Lord got soooo much clearer and sharper as I soaked in radical and pure grace. And I'm not nearly as aware of my performance as I used to be. Isn't that what relationships are supposed to be like? I literally had to ask God how I was doing b/c I didn't know! But it's obvious to anyone who looks that there is fruit growing on my tree that were barren for years and years. And I don't worry about missing it, but I am very watchful of the "shoulds" and other laws to make sure I stay in the flow of the Spirit. I think it’s very difficult to clearly discern the will of God by just using our senses and a list of basic guidelines for life. Even in scripture, many of God’s instructions seemed so foolish yet his glory was seen. Trusting the flow w/o some sort of measure was uncomfortable at first, like jello fresh out of the mold. But it eventually took shape, became second nature, and made me wonder what the heck I’d been doing all my Christian life!
Oh gosh! I'll stop there. I know it's more than you asked for but I could go on forever about this.
FRIEND (edited to preserve identity):OK. Here are some more questions. Why do you think Paul is the apostle of grace? Are you saying we don’t have to obey the bible? Isn’t being led subjective? (I know plenty of people who would use that as an excuse.) Are you saying the law is bad? The law is concrete and grounding. The bible says that the law is our school master.
ME:Given just 2 things Paul said "I've resolved to know nothing among you except JC and him crucified" in 1 Cor 2:2 and "I am not ashamed of the Gospel, righteousness by faith, for it is the power of God unto salvation" in Rom 1:16-17, I'm inclined to believe that grace is the focus of Paul’s writings. And I definitely think Good News it is the main focus of the entire bible. With all the types and shadows, all of Paul’s opening greetings (which are taken way too lightly), and other things, I would definitely call Paul the first Grace Preacher. But even if he’s not and if grace was not his focus, I just can't seem to shake it. I've been bitten by the grace bug and after a year, it's only gotten worse. I'll move on when I'm led out of it.
Yes we still obey, but indirectly through and trusting in the Spirit instead of directly trying to keep a commandment. When we flow in the Spirit, he flows us into obedience, we’re just unaware of it. Slightly different, but crucial.
Also, notice how Gal 5:19-23 KJV distinguishes between the "works" of the flesh and the "fruit" of the Spirit. One is a work and one is a fruit. Fruit = by-product = will automatically happen without effort or conscious thought. Doesn't that sound too good to be true? (Doesn't God seem like that type of God?)
The law is no longer our school master (Gal 3:24-25) And “that’s the way it was with us until Christ came” Gal 4:3 NLT. We don’t need it to direct us when we have the HS.
Being led by the Spirit is only subjective to a revelation of the grace of God. After that, it's not subjective to ANYTHING else. That's a myth in the body of Christ that God hates b/c it hurts us so much. Being led is a very finite, absolute, accurate, fool-proof way of living your life. We just don't know how to do it. But we can’t through the baby out with the bath water. Do you really think God would give us his Spirit, tell us to follow it, and then say "Oh wait guys. Be careful and still use the law b/c my Spirit is subjective." And do you think he'd create a system w/o first calculating human error, and design something that could overpower it? (This is the focus of my note “Matthew, Mark, Luke, and Erna) Come on now. He's God. He knows how to speak in a way that we understand exactly what he's saying. And grace is the thing that highlights what he's saying in a "paragraph" of other fleshly/human/non-God thoughts and desires.
Law is not grounding. It kills (2 Cor 3:6). The Spirit inside is the most concrete grounding there is, along with the written word of God. It’s always right. We can always trust it. That takes faith, which is scary but required. Anyone can use their senses to relate to a list of written instructions, that are extremely VAGUE if you've noticed. (For example, the bible won't tell you where to live or what to give, etc.) As you know, the word and HS don’t clash. But the HS had way more to say than what’s written in the bible. As Christians, we can’t put more faith in the written word of God than the spoken word of God. Also, it takes no faith at all to follow a list of instructions. The just are to live by faith, not just visit every once and while.
Also, Paul’s struggle in Romans 7 is the struggle of a person who hasn’t yet realized Romans 8. That’s why the word “therefore” is used in Romans 8:1. It’s a continuation.
Of course the law isn't bad. It served its purpose to reveal sin in our lives so we would see our need for a Savior (Rom 7:7-13). That’s why it's called the ministry of death (2 Cor3:7) And Paul takes it further by saying that the strength of sin is the law (1 Cor 15:56). You know your sin through the law, which produces more sin and therefore more death. So basically, "If you guys wanna keep missing your next step, keep dishonoring God, just keep trying to keep the standard of the law." Not to mention that anyone who tries to keep the law is cursed b/c they can't keep it all (Gal 3:9-11, also see James 2:10). And if a person gets a revelation of grace, they will see God's love. B/c only Love could leave himself so vulnerable, could give so much without a guarantee of receiving. And as PD teaches from 1 John 4:18, we love him as we know he loves us. A person who truly knows God's love as demonstrated by his grace is more obedient by accident than they ever were on purpose. You know what I’m saying?
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
How to be Spirit-led...An Experiment
The Experiment
By December 2007, I was in the midst of what had been a very painful crisis. I’d tried everything I could to get out of it with no success. It was then that I learned about the grace of God and righteousness by faith. According to Andrew Wommack and the scriptures he gave, I was right before God AND blessed by Him independent of my performance. That sounded too good to be true, so I decided to test it.
“OK God. If you’re telling me that the way to receive blessing is by faith in Jesus’ completed work, then I’m not going to read my bible anymore. I’m not going to pray or worship or spend any time with you until I want to. Since you don’t need my work with Jesus’ work, I’m just going to take a break.” I’d never felt this way before. For most of my Christian life, I was in love with the Lord, feelings and everything. But by now my heart was beyond tired. And grace sounded so good, I had to try it. Little did I know, God was setting me up to learn some things that had been a mystery my entire Christian life.
One day went by. I was fine. In fact, I was skipping because I felt so free. Two days go by. I started feeling a little hungry for him. On the morning of the third day, I drew to the Lord out of pure desire and entered into a level of intimacy with him like never before. I stopped asking him what I should read in the bible. Instead, the thought came to me ask, “What do I want to read today Lord?” I’d feel a desire for a certain book, study there, and receive revelation from heaven. I’d ask “Do I want to pray in tongues, or worship, or what Lord?” Then I’d desire to worship to a slow song and be transformed. Our time together is Spirit-led. He knows where my answers are at that time. If I desire to talk with him but I sing instead, there’s no anointing. Needless to say, it’s only gotten sweeter.
How to be Led According to God’s Spoken and Written
Why did I share this? To show off how spiritual I was? No. Months later God connected the dots for me regarding the key to being led accurately and confidently by the Holy Spirit. In the past, I tried to be led by God by listening to my inner voice. I’d pray and then leave a silent time for Him to speak. Nothing. I’d ask a question hoping for an answer. Nada. This was very frustrating especially when the bible says “You [God] have given me the capacity to hear and obey” (Psalm 40:6) In August 2008, he reminded me of my little experiment and said that it was a perfect example of being led. He shared something like this, which I will also show you through scripture:
“Erna, the key to being led by me is to peel back the law. As you do that, all that’s left in you are the desires from me that lead to my good pleasure and purpose. I am always at work in you giving you the desire and ability to do my will (Phil. 2:13). And in every decision, you can either be led by law OR the Spirit of God in you (Gal 5:18). But as long as you think of your inheritance as a wage, you cannot discern my will. ”
That was PROFOUND to me! But I don’t expect you to just take my word for it. Divine instruction is your birthright and God designed it to be way simpler than I ever thought. OK, so here are some scriptures I found to confirm what God said:
1. Check out Galatians 2:19-21 in the New Living Translation. Paul tells us that when he tried to please God by his actions, he failed. But when he gave up and started trusting in Jesus’ actions, he was able to please God. He says, “I died to the law that I may live for God” (v. 19) It seems dying to the law is the key to living for God. He also says that as he died, Christ began to live through him (v. 20). As you rest from your works, Christ begins to work through you. Then he puts it into context by declaring that he will not take God’s grace for granted by putting himself on the cross through his good works. He says Christ died for nothing if our inheritance could be obtained by working for it (v.21).
2. Later in the book of Hebrews, Paul tells us the major difference between the old and new testaments regarding God’s method of leading us. He states that before Jesus, he wrote his instructions on tablets of stone. But today God says he will imprint his instructions on “our minds and upon our innermost thoughts and understanding”, and upon our hearts (Heb. 8:10 AMP, also see 10:6 AMP) His directions will now appear to us as our own thoughts and desires through our understanding. Amen!! That is so much easier than trying to listen for a voice. Sometimes I do hear words, not audibly, but in my spirit. But most of the time, I just feel a prompting or a leading in my belly area.
3. Solomon prophesies that as we roll our works upon him (Jesus), he will cause our thoughts to be agreeable with his will (Prov. 16:3 AMP).
4. Lastly, Galatians is a very strong rebuke from Paul to the Galatian church because they had gone from believing in God’s grace back to legalism. He said that could not have happened without some demonic help (Gal. 3:1). Notice the structure of the book of Galatians. It starts as a strong rebuke for going from grace back to law (1:1-5:12), then instruction is given about how to be led by the Spirit (5:13-5:26), then teaching about sowing and reaping (6:1-10) before Paul concludes his letter. It's a wonderful cycle! If we get the grace part in order, you'll flow in the Spirit, and you don't have to even think about sowing and reaping. The flow of the Spirit will guarantee that you "sow" in the right ways and places. This seems kinda shaky, but I’ve witnessed this in my own life and in the lives of other people who’ve learned what I learned. I believe when we put our works on Jesus, he rests us (Matt. 11:28-30) And all that comes out is the desire and ability to do his good pleasure (Phil. 2:13)
Anybody Can Do This
Being Spirit-led is a natural by-product of grace. I encourage you to look at these scriptures for yourself. See if you have peace about them. Peter tells us that some of Paul’s teachings are “hard to be understood”, and that we should grow in grace and in the knowledge of Jesus (2 Pet. 3:16-18). There were times when my mind was uncomfortable believing grace, but my heart had already said “Amen”. Jesus said that his burden for us is easy because we basically only do what we want (Matt. 11:28-30). God set it up that way! (“Hmm. How can I make sure that my kids will do what I tell them even if they don’t think it’s a good idea? I know! I’ll create this thing called desire!) And you know you’ve gotten off-track if what you’re doing feels hard, or frustrated, or you find yourself praying for grace to be on it (Prov. 13:15). God speaks directly to us in a language we can understand and he expects us to grow into these things. Even when getting godly counsel, you are still responsible for making sure what you’re told agrees with what you already have inside of you before you obey it. NO ONE takes the seat of the Holy Spirit in directing your life. (Read a good example of this in 1 Kings 13:11-32) If you have peace about these scriptures then follow the curiosity in your heart to learn more about grace. It doesn’t take long to understand it and is very exciting. I’m experiencing the thrills of learning about the Gospel along with several friends.
I’ve heard that Christians can be led by their desires, but never knew that it was based on removing our legalistic thinking. If a believer were to try to be led without first understanding the Gospel, things won’t go well. Grace makes God’s instructions glow in the dark. No kidding. It’s the most remarkable thing! Who knew this treasure was wrapped in an understanding of grace? Beloved, you are saved through faith in God’s grace, not by faith and works. (“Saved” and “salvation” in the Greek means saved from hell, healing, prosperity, protection, and much more. Basically it’s anything you need saving from.) Mixing faith and law has a very damaging outcome (Gal. 3:9-10; 5:1-8). So, you have to protect the Word of God in your heart and not get back into what I call the “should’s”. It is very easy to confuse diligence with the self-effort. Go after grace. And enjoy as God electrifies your relationship with him and answers questions you’ve had for years. I highly recommend reading "Destined to Reign" by Joseph Prince. That book is like Grace 101. I'd also recommend "The Power of the Gospel" from one of Andrew Wommack's series: http://www.awmi.net/extra/audio/1014. Be blessed.
PS – The word “Gospel” is loosely translated “nearly too good to be true news”. His grace certainly is that!
By December 2007, I was in the midst of what had been a very painful crisis. I’d tried everything I could to get out of it with no success. It was then that I learned about the grace of God and righteousness by faith. According to Andrew Wommack and the scriptures he gave, I was right before God AND blessed by Him independent of my performance. That sounded too good to be true, so I decided to test it.
“OK God. If you’re telling me that the way to receive blessing is by faith in Jesus’ completed work, then I’m not going to read my bible anymore. I’m not going to pray or worship or spend any time with you until I want to. Since you don’t need my work with Jesus’ work, I’m just going to take a break.” I’d never felt this way before. For most of my Christian life, I was in love with the Lord, feelings and everything. But by now my heart was beyond tired. And grace sounded so good, I had to try it. Little did I know, God was setting me up to learn some things that had been a mystery my entire Christian life.
One day went by. I was fine. In fact, I was skipping because I felt so free. Two days go by. I started feeling a little hungry for him. On the morning of the third day, I drew to the Lord out of pure desire and entered into a level of intimacy with him like never before. I stopped asking him what I should read in the bible. Instead, the thought came to me ask, “What do I want to read today Lord?” I’d feel a desire for a certain book, study there, and receive revelation from heaven. I’d ask “Do I want to pray in tongues, or worship, or what Lord?” Then I’d desire to worship to a slow song and be transformed. Our time together is Spirit-led. He knows where my answers are at that time. If I desire to talk with him but I sing instead, there’s no anointing. Needless to say, it’s only gotten sweeter.
How to be Led According to God’s Spoken and Written
Why did I share this? To show off how spiritual I was? No. Months later God connected the dots for me regarding the key to being led accurately and confidently by the Holy Spirit. In the past, I tried to be led by God by listening to my inner voice. I’d pray and then leave a silent time for Him to speak. Nothing. I’d ask a question hoping for an answer. Nada. This was very frustrating especially when the bible says “You [God] have given me the capacity to hear and obey” (Psalm 40:6) In August 2008, he reminded me of my little experiment and said that it was a perfect example of being led. He shared something like this, which I will also show you through scripture:
“Erna, the key to being led by me is to peel back the law. As you do that, all that’s left in you are the desires from me that lead to my good pleasure and purpose. I am always at work in you giving you the desire and ability to do my will (Phil. 2:13). And in every decision, you can either be led by law OR the Spirit of God in you (Gal 5:18). But as long as you think of your inheritance as a wage, you cannot discern my will. ”
That was PROFOUND to me! But I don’t expect you to just take my word for it. Divine instruction is your birthright and God designed it to be way simpler than I ever thought. OK, so here are some scriptures I found to confirm what God said:
1. Check out Galatians 2:19-21 in the New Living Translation. Paul tells us that when he tried to please God by his actions, he failed. But when he gave up and started trusting in Jesus’ actions, he was able to please God. He says, “I died to the law that I may live for God” (v. 19) It seems dying to the law is the key to living for God. He also says that as he died, Christ began to live through him (v. 20). As you rest from your works, Christ begins to work through you. Then he puts it into context by declaring that he will not take God’s grace for granted by putting himself on the cross through his good works. He says Christ died for nothing if our inheritance could be obtained by working for it (v.21).
2. Later in the book of Hebrews, Paul tells us the major difference between the old and new testaments regarding God’s method of leading us. He states that before Jesus, he wrote his instructions on tablets of stone. But today God says he will imprint his instructions on “our minds and upon our innermost thoughts and understanding”, and upon our hearts (Heb. 8:10 AMP, also see 10:6 AMP) His directions will now appear to us as our own thoughts and desires through our understanding. Amen!! That is so much easier than trying to listen for a voice. Sometimes I do hear words, not audibly, but in my spirit. But most of the time, I just feel a prompting or a leading in my belly area.
3. Solomon prophesies that as we roll our works upon him (Jesus), he will cause our thoughts to be agreeable with his will (Prov. 16:3 AMP).
4. Lastly, Galatians is a very strong rebuke from Paul to the Galatian church because they had gone from believing in God’s grace back to legalism. He said that could not have happened without some demonic help (Gal. 3:1). Notice the structure of the book of Galatians. It starts as a strong rebuke for going from grace back to law (1:1-5:12), then instruction is given about how to be led by the Spirit (5:13-5:26), then teaching about sowing and reaping (6:1-10) before Paul concludes his letter. It's a wonderful cycle! If we get the grace part in order, you'll flow in the Spirit, and you don't have to even think about sowing and reaping. The flow of the Spirit will guarantee that you "sow" in the right ways and places. This seems kinda shaky, but I’ve witnessed this in my own life and in the lives of other people who’ve learned what I learned. I believe when we put our works on Jesus, he rests us (Matt. 11:28-30) And all that comes out is the desire and ability to do his good pleasure (Phil. 2:13)
Anybody Can Do This
Being Spirit-led is a natural by-product of grace. I encourage you to look at these scriptures for yourself. See if you have peace about them. Peter tells us that some of Paul’s teachings are “hard to be understood”, and that we should grow in grace and in the knowledge of Jesus (2 Pet. 3:16-18). There were times when my mind was uncomfortable believing grace, but my heart had already said “Amen”. Jesus said that his burden for us is easy because we basically only do what we want (Matt. 11:28-30). God set it up that way! (“Hmm. How can I make sure that my kids will do what I tell them even if they don’t think it’s a good idea? I know! I’ll create this thing called desire!) And you know you’ve gotten off-track if what you’re doing feels hard, or frustrated, or you find yourself praying for grace to be on it (Prov. 13:15). God speaks directly to us in a language we can understand and he expects us to grow into these things. Even when getting godly counsel, you are still responsible for making sure what you’re told agrees with what you already have inside of you before you obey it. NO ONE takes the seat of the Holy Spirit in directing your life. (Read a good example of this in 1 Kings 13:11-32) If you have peace about these scriptures then follow the curiosity in your heart to learn more about grace. It doesn’t take long to understand it and is very exciting. I’m experiencing the thrills of learning about the Gospel along with several friends.
I’ve heard that Christians can be led by their desires, but never knew that it was based on removing our legalistic thinking. If a believer were to try to be led without first understanding the Gospel, things won’t go well. Grace makes God’s instructions glow in the dark. No kidding. It’s the most remarkable thing! Who knew this treasure was wrapped in an understanding of grace? Beloved, you are saved through faith in God’s grace, not by faith and works. (“Saved” and “salvation” in the Greek means saved from hell, healing, prosperity, protection, and much more. Basically it’s anything you need saving from.) Mixing faith and law has a very damaging outcome (Gal. 3:9-10; 5:1-8). So, you have to protect the Word of God in your heart and not get back into what I call the “should’s”. It is very easy to confuse diligence with the self-effort. Go after grace. And enjoy as God electrifies your relationship with him and answers questions you’ve had for years. I highly recommend reading "Destined to Reign" by Joseph Prince. That book is like Grace 101. I'd also recommend "The Power of the Gospel" from one of Andrew Wommack's series: http://www.awmi.net/extra/audio/1014. Be blessed.
PS – The word “Gospel” is loosely translated “nearly too good to be true news”. His grace certainly is that!
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