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When I heard it at The Awakening it stunned me.  I know this stuff deep in my soul, but sometimes the arrangement of verbiage from other voices can be shocking:  “THE CHURCH WAS INSTITUTED AND COMMISSIONED BY GOD PRIMARILY FOR THOSE WHO DO NOT BELONG TO IT”. If we have the integrity to really stare that down, it will mess with us and our acquired taste for church-i-an-ity…or it should.

In my devo-time this morning, I also read:  “The Church is not an end in itself, the Church is the means.  The Kingdom is the end.  And whenever we make the means into the end, we have created an idol.”  -Rohr-

We have to start thinking differently.

-MDP-

If you understand the purpose of the old Law, found in the Old Testament, it is helpful to us in understanding and accepting the statements in Hebrews 8 that the old Law is now “obsolete” and no longer applies to those IN Christ.   Of course, we have not done a very good job in allowing the Law to stay that way, but the fact that we are no longer under the rules of the old Law does not necessarily mean that we are living fully alive in the new.  Chapman is right.  We have dragged too much of the old into our present expression.  There is no life in that!  We were never supposed to carry the old Law into our new life in Christ.  James 2:10 warns us (my paraphrase):  “if you are guilty of violating any one part of the old Law, you are entirely guilty for sinning against ALL of the old Law.  The simple solution is not to play by those old rules…period!”

So, what was its purpose?  If it produces death for us, why did God allow and establish the Law in the first place?

THE LAW IDENTIFIED SIN – You would think that is a good thing right?  Paul tells us that once we clearly saw the explanations of good and evil, right and wrong, it produced inside of us an appetite and desire to do what we were told not to do in the first place.  Not good.

THE LAW PRODUCED BROKENNESS – Why?  Because we can NOT keep the Law.  I hear all the time that people want to be holy.  They are thinking they can act holy externally in hopes that it will produce holiness internally.  That is the way most Christians think.  Good luck with that.  In the book of Galatians, Paul mentions that the Law was our tutor.  We think “teacher” when we hear that word.  Paul is not picturing a teacher, but a truant-officer.  The (paidagos) had the responsibility to round up the kids and keep them on the path to school.  If they got off the path, he had a long stick and he would whack a stray kid to keep them on track.  The job of the law was to whip your butt every time you broke the rules.  Sooner or later the message is bound to sink in that you are in deep yogurt because you can NOT keep the Law!  Fortunately, Galatians 3:25 tells us that we are no longer bound to the old Law!

THE LAW DROVE US TO GRACE! Jesus said, “Blessed (happy) are the poor in spirit (the broken)”. Why?  Because they’ve stopped trying to earn God’s love by trying to keep the rules and regulations of the old Law.  They fully realize that they can NOT be righteous in their own efforts.  They have no other choice than to accept the free gift of grace and enjoy the pure and simple truth that GOD IS LOVE.  When that truly washes over your life, it changes you from the inside out!  We get off of our works treadmill and move into real Kingdom living.  God is patient with us and will allow us to work ourselves into more death, but we can stop with all that at any time and choose responsible freedom that brings life, joy and peace in the Holy Ghost!

That is a lot of good-news, in fact, too much good-news for most of the church.  I know, I used to live there.  But, I have found that this is the better way to live.  In the new…fully alive…fully loved…full.

-MDP-

This really doesn’t need my exposition.  It is very clear.  Just watch!

Sanctus Real:  “Lead Me” video C L I C K  H E R E

-MDP-

In 1992 I led my congregation, where I was the Sr. Pastor, into a church-split.  It was the darkest days I’ve ever experienced in ministry and my personal life.  When I am gut honest with others, and myself, as I continue to process 18 years later, my side was totally consumed with having what “we” wanted on Sunday mornings.  Naturally, the other side was consumed with what they wanted.  It ended up being a religious power struggle that engulfed us in the very bowels of hell itself.

At the time I felt very misunderstood, judged and obligated to the Lord to facilitate the division.  I was very wrong.   My leadership in that debacle was about the most loveless thing I have ever participated with.  That split released such a destructive seed, that the entire community took a side.  That small congregation has had numerous splits since that time.  They’ve never really recovered.  It was so wrong.  I was wrong.

I awoke this morning at 3:15am in a drenched bed-sweat from a dream.  The message was simple and to the point:  It is missing the mark to make our Sunday morning gatherings the main event or our  primary witness  of Christian experience.   The Body of Christ has too much focus on Sunday church.  “I am chief among sinners!” There are 168 hours in a week and we are too easily consumed with what happens in 2 of those 168 hours.  Discipleship, love and character are on call constantly!  Our anointing and our gifts are needed every day, in every aspect of life.   If my or your value to the Kingdom is about Sunday mornings, we are hosed.   If you are prophetic, do you prophecy all week or are you waiting on the microphone?  If you have a teaching gift, do you use it outside of the church building?  Is your giving gift, only exercised toward the offering plate?  God help us!  Most of what stresses us about “church” and “ministry” are the non-essentials.  Kingdom people who live in covenant do not sweat the small stuff.  When we are willing to believe that, we’ll have a chance to really look like Him.

-MDP-

I don’t always agree with one of my favorite authors, but I’m very grateful for the thoughts he stimulates in me.  I could only wish to have the ability to articulate ideals the way that Richard Rohr can with his pen.  Often, I’ll read something of his that causes me to set down the material and say, “How the heck does he do that?”  I glean a lot from his insights.

Journal entry:  August 12, 2010 So the boys were out fishing all night.  HE comes to them and ask, “Your nets are empty?  (HE already knew they were empty)  There is little fruit for all your casting?  Hmmmmm.  Maybe you need to change your methods.  Throw out on the other side of the boat.  Good!  How many did you get?  One Hundred Fifty-Three?  (symbolic of all of mankind and nations)  Bring some of them over to me and let us be nourished.  Peter, you are dripping wet.  I’m sure the water was cold, sit here close to the fire and lets chat.  Peter do you…?”

It’s interesting to me that God brings love to the forefront in the public restoration of Peter.  The last time they had chatted intimately like this, Jesus prophesied to Peter his public denial of even knowing Him.  So Jesus knew it was time to cancel the voice of shame and propel Peter back into confidence of Jesus’ love for Him and  vice-a-verse.  Doing covenant and spiritual community is impossible without love.  The best you can hope for is an “arrangement” if love isn’t included in the process.  We know that supernatural stuff happened with the early church.  Acts 5:12 testifies of these truths and also points to part of the dynamics for such God stuff.  “…and they were ALL with one accord.” We usually interpret the “one accord” thing as unity.  That is partly correct, but (homothumadon) means that their minds, their heart, their passions and their love for one another was beyond what most of the current church has among its members.  The supernatural was happening around them because they were allowing the supernatural love to happen in them.    It was a deep emotional and spiritual commitment that held on and stayed connected no matter how hot the fire got.  Love is the force that does that in us.  It is the ONLY thing that can do that.  Without that, without “one accord” love, the Apostles would have been handcuffed much like Jesus was when he went into a community without faith.

-MDP-

I’ve often thought and said that the Pharisees of Jesus’ day hated him.  If we poke around on that a little bit, I think there is something in there for us that helps us (me) when we go into a place, area or culture that seems to be hostile to the Spirit and or Christ (uh…that could even be a church, denomination or a specific theology packed full of rules and regulations for governing the sheep).

Think about the personal encounters that Jesus had with just about everyone.  Nicodemus (pharisee), tax collectors, sinners, prostitutes, soldiers, friends, children (usually very discerning about what and who to trust), multitudes of followers, his own chosen disciples, random people on the streets, even Pontius Pilate and Herod didn’t necessarily have a distaste for Jesus personally.  Seriously, Jesus was so full of virtuous effect that you had to like him when you were around him.   The hate for Jesus would usually manifest when the agents of Satan (demons) recognized him and knew their gig was up; or when religious power-brokers realized his divine presence was going to disturb their unchallenged status quo.  He brought the message of the Kingdom where ever he went.  That means He was always advancing the Kingdom in everything he was doing.  Jesus, himself, wasn’t the problem.  It was the change in the spirit, the challenge to the rule of darkness, the unmatchable force of pure love prodding deeply into the culture that was causing so much of the disruption.

When we walk on footpaths in various cultures or religious systems that seem to hate us, we really do not need to personalize the warfare.  We are full of the Spirit.  We are full of the seed of God.  We are anointed and operating under the “dome” of the “King”.  Of course territories under the influence of principalities are not going to be happy about that.  Of course!  But, love breaks the chains.  Every step we take brings another level of the revelation of His light.  We are advancing the Kingdom, not just holding down the fort.  The rumble you hear and feel is the effect of the change that is about to come.

Instead of judging the culture you are working with, pray for “favor” with the people.  People who “like” us, usually are very open to the truth inside of us.  We feel oppressed because of that truth in us and we are reminded that we are in the right place to love.

-MDP-

I’m fighting like crazy here to keep from expounding on the gospel story of Peter jumping out of the boat.  We’ve heard lots and lots about it, it’s all familiar and generally helpful, but from time to time we  fall victim to the loss of focus.  I read that story and I want to start screaming at the top of my lungs:  “FOCUS dude, you are in the middle of a flipp’n miracle!”

You’d never know it by looking at my physique but I started messing around with weights in the year 2000.  I had survived Y2K, the world did not end, nor did I need the 300  cans of tuna fish in the crawl space under the house any longer and thought I’d celebrate our birth into the 21st century.  I had read in a health magazine for men that if I didn’t start building some muscle quickly I was gonna be a saggy-armed, flat-chested wimp for the rest of my life.  I was 43 at the time, so I started to dabble a little.  Just enough to tone.   I’ve always been a runner, so it was a weird dynamic for me to be in a weight room.   It had been High School since I had messed with weights. There were too many mirrors.  People flexing and primping for themselves and all innocent bystanders.  I was just trying to keep from looking like Professor Clump.   The mirrors are still a a bit much for me, but I  recently realized how much I depend on those mirrors to monitor my form while lifting.  Maybe not so much the form as just something to focus on as I count out the reps while The Black Crows or Led Zepplin is thumping in my ears.

Since moving back to Colorado, we joined a health club less than a block from the townhouse .  It’s convenient and cheap (under $10 a month).  There are no frills or luxuries.   Just cardio and weight machines.  There isn’t cucumber water or fresh towels for the members.  Nothing in there but a few T.V.s  and lots of body odor.  Because it’s so inexpensive, people are like ants in that club.  No matter what time of day, someone is always wanting to work into your reps or waiting for you to get off the machine you’re working with.  It wears me out, but that’s another subject.  Inevitably, due to the number of people who are moving around in the club, someone is going to stand in your line-of-sight if you’re working near a mirror.  Maybe I’m the only person on this planet that suffers with this dilemma, but if I’m counting out reps under strain and someone moves in to block my view, it totally interrupts my focus and strength immediately leaves me in that moment.  I’m sure the problem is all between my ears, but the loss of focus for even a second brings the exercise to immediate closure.  It’s really weird, but it happens all the time.

So, you make the application.  Lost your strength?  Lost your rhythm?  Lost your will for discipline around your mind, your body, your physical health or spiritual life?  Don’t allow anyone or anything to break your concentrated efforts to move toward your goals and the abundant life.  You’ll have to fight through to maintain your intensity at times because there is always going to be traffic in the intersection.  People get set in their patterns and without realizing it you’ll set your cadence to theirs.  That’s all good if it is a team function and the leader is strong,  but if you are flying solo and the plan is to stretch and bring discipline to your own life, you’ll have to set the pace with  serious determination.  Of course, solid accountability is great!  It should remind you of the priorities you have already declared and bring lots of encouragement.

Peter later brought lots of solid teaching about focus.  He had been to the school  of trial and error.  “Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” This word is spiritual but  it also applies for the everyday grind.   Have the courage to make honest assessments, make the adjustments, make the changes and then dive in.  It takes discipline to develop the strength to swim against the world’s current and the appetites of our flesh.  Any ole dead thing can float down stream.

FOCUS!

-MDP-

I heard prophet Bob Jones say one-time:  “If we can find 12 people who can agree in perfect unity, in prayer and intercession, it could change the world.”

What if…twenty ex-racers moved to The World Race headquarters in Gainesville GA, got jobs and worked, paid their bills and lived honorably, lived in community but moved there solely to fulfill their own calling and purpose in interceding for race staff, current racers, family of racers, orphans, men and women the TWR family is touching all over the world?

What if…?

-MDP-

Last week while in Romania, we had the most amazing time. Part of our job is to debrief with the individual teams inside a squad. So there they sat. One of my teams: mature, consistently strong, major players and life-givers…now looking and feeling whipped, stuck, hammered, wrecked (in a bad way), out of gas, out of juice, mourning over the loss of a teammate, ready for relief, ready to go home, done, spent and obviously traumatized. Hearing their story confirmed that they had been spiritually abused by so-called leaders who were their contacts in another country. Evidently their tats and piercings have them on a quick slide to hell and the lack of evidence to speak in tongues disqualifies them from the Kingdom. A mindless bombardment of religious devils can shut you down! Ask Isaiah what he thought about the demon-driven Jezebel and why he sprinted for the desert? That kind of witchcraft makes you think you are crazy. I’ve been chewing on these details for about a week. Time to burp up some heartburn.

I was reminded that the things of God are not the problem. People who mishandle the things of God are usually the problem. You do not have to look very far to find men and women who are quick to measure what true spirituality is supposed to look like. Legalistic religion is a broad pasture. You don’t have to go to Africa to find it. Cross the street. I’m pretty sure it’s alive and well in your own neighborhood. Probably even your own church suffers the ill effects. It can come in the denominational or non-denomination flavors. All of it sucks and it is hard on young men and women (old people too) who are in the passionate pursuit of God. Even more difficult when they are trying to submit to and honor leaders who blindly require certain spiritual disciplines as part of the litmus test of what is right and what is wrong for a christian. It can get pretty intense and confusing.

I was on an instant message chat with one of my spiritual daughters early this morning. This kid is special. Not like “challenged” special, but incredible and uniquely special. The girl is questioning the prophetic gifts of the Holy Spirit because, not all that she has received is edifying. I don’t blame her. Again, the problem is not the prophetic or the Holy Spirit. I’ve hung out way too long in prophetic community to blame God for this. There are some nut cases out there saying, “thus saith the Lord”. That’s why we need real spiritual authority around us. We need filters to help us strain off the foamy scum floating on top of the pool. This daughter asked a valid question: “Isn’t it better to just do the logos and nothing else? It’s just too messy out there.” I really felt like the Lord gave me an answer. I didn’t say, “thus saith the Lord”, but I did reply: “People teach some crazy shit out of the Bible! I’m not going to throw away my Bible because of immature teachers and a few loose screws. Likewise, you can’t follow what God has for you and then haphazardly throw away His voice. We need direction now…today!” Of course, we still have the responsibility to monitor what we intake, whether it is our own Bible Study, the latest hot revelation from some “apostolic” teacher or another prophetic word spilling forth from the Body. Just because someone can draw a crowd, write books or build a big church does not mean their revelation is on loan from the Throne Room! It might be better to peek behind the curtain to get a real look at the Wizard of Oz, instead of just standing there drooling on ourselves like the Straw Man.

Over the years, I have had some prophetic words that shook me to my core and I’ve also had some real doozies from well-meaning but misguided saints with “words” only fit for the nearest toilet We can’t throw the baby out with the bathwater. It is ridiculous to even consider the prospects once we have experienced the personal nature of God’s voice.

Back to my people in Romania: As one of thousands who represent spiritual authority, I repented to my team for this abuse. They forgave me (us). Tears and wailing proceeded once the Wind began to blow. A howling Wind that filled the room with the substance of God’s presence. The Lord spoke over this team with a tender vengeance that no one understood in the natural, but our spirits knew how the Lord felt about the situation my team had suffered. Ahhhh….the redemption of the Lord is GOOD! It lowers the mountain and raises the valley! Hallelujah!

There are natural perils in the pursuit of God. I get it. I hate it. But, you gotta keep pushing and choosing Him. Earnestly pursue Him! When you get there, you’ll find that He is speaking!

-MDP-

Alana Serna is in her 10th month on THE WORLD RACE.  Patti and I have the privilege of being coaches for her squad!  She’s a heck of a writer and the brutal honesty  and courage is refreshing.  Her latest post is below.  You can check out her blogs at: http://alanaserna.theworldrace.org/

I gasped for air like the first breath after being released from a strangle hold. The once dark sky was bright with pure light. Still breathing deeply I looked around me. The last thing I remembered was my hands holding a bottle of bitter lies in my hand instead of my shield and sword of truth. I had been yelling words as equally as bitter as the lies I was consuming. My hands were empty. I glanced around the ground around me to see if my weapons were nearby. As I did, a pair of hands reached out to me. Looking up I found myself gazing into beautifully fierce green eyes. He held my gaze as I took hold of His hands. He helped me to stand on shaking legs that felt so strange and foreign to me. “Beloved, tell Me the Truth.”

I broke and purged before Him. Every bitter lie I drank was suddenly lying before me on the ground. He held pure Love to my lips and I closed my eyes as I drank deeply. Suddenly I was in a strong embrace. All around me voices were lifting me up in love and in prayers. Hands were tenderly pressed against my back, my head, my arms, holding my hands. I realized that I was in the midst of my tribe, holding tightly to one of our leaders. And it was in that moment I realized that God had won that battle… the victory was ours to celebrate.

I don’t know how I can explain what this really means other than to say, “Honestly, you just had to be there.” But I can say this. I realized this past week that it is far better to choose in… to choose to fight for the ones you love, and a very important part of that is to love yourself.  For me, much of my Race experience has been trying to learn how to do just that… love myself.  Prior to the Race I battled with self-esteem, self-image, etc. I wrestled with rejection and fell into the trap of living life on the defense.  Much of this was based out of the war that had been waged on my family and on me even from a very early age. While this war had some major battles, most of the weapons used against us were subtle… things that are used against most families, like lack of communication, misunderstandings, sarcasm, reasoning away or self justification, etc. And when those little things added up it took its toll. Please hear my heart on this. No one was at fault in my family for this…

This past debrief all that I experienced was a sudden revelation of how much my coping mechanisms (solitude, justification of harsh words or actions, drinking, eating, sarcasm, etc.) affected those who love me. By pushing away I gave them the finger… by harsh words or actions I slammed the door… by drinking and eating I slapped them in the face… by sarcasm I lashed out in anger… the thought overwhelmed me. However in that moment I felt I had a Peter moment… being on the water and seeing the waves… but then Jesus speaks and  the focus is brought to where it needs to be… on Him. In that moment of realizing the pain I was causing others I realized the love that was shared… I realized the overwhelming magnitude of that love and felt the strong arms of peace wrap around me. I realized that there is no reason for self preservation or defense. If you fight beside a brother or a sister there is no need to worry about what they will do to you… it is remembering what they will do for you… they will fight for you, love you, serve you, correct you, speak life over you, encourage you, intercede for you… But we all have to make that choice. And it starts with choosing to love yourself… speaking life over yourself… knowing that the person you see in the mirror is favored above all of creation by the One God… the King of Kings and Lord of Lords… Can  you look in the mirror and see beauty? Or do you criticize the person you see? Do you speak with confidence, or do you trip over yourself apologizing for things you don’t really need to? Do you take time for yourself or do you get too caught up in putting other before you so much so you have forgotten how to let yourself be loved? I’m sure you can reason away any of these questions like I have in the past… but I would challenge you to sober up and answer these truthfully. Go through the chapter on love in the Bible and ask, “Do I do this with myself?”…

I challenge you with this because being in such intense community for these past nine months has taught me that you  can only love others as much as you love yourself. I cannot love my teammates a lot if I don’t truly love myself a lot. But when we love ourselves we begin to put that off. We begin to share the gifts God has given us…For a few examples…My teammate Jessica is like that. She walks in a room and you can’t help but feel the joy that God has given her. Or Rebekah… she is a woman of such great confidence in who God has made her as woman, I can’t help but seek the same confidence and truth from my Father. Or Melina, she speaks and you can’t help but listen because the Spirit fills her with truth… DJ and Mike have such deep deep wisdom and insight you can help but want to listen and learn… But if one person is having a bad day on our team, we all feel it. If one of us is struggling we all feel it. So we cannot think that for one moment we are independent of that love. And if we lose sight of that, we deeply hurt those we desire to love. But the beautiful thing about it is that those people who love you, like my squad loves me, will be there for you… and the God who made you so wonderfully complex has always loved you… He loves you enough to put you in a position where He can love you through your family, friends, church, and even so that you can allow Him to love you through the way you choose to love yourself.

http://jessicajohnson.theworldrace.org
http://rebekahneal.theworldrace.org
http://melinaorengo.theworldrace.org
http://djkelly.theworldrace.org
http://mikeparisi.theworldrace.org