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The church at Antioch, that we discussed last week, was truly an NSU (natural, spontaneous, unconscious) church that had no vision of changing the world. Their vision was to simply find a life in Antioch where they could live daily by faith, trusting their Heavenly Father for everything, just as they had learned in the church in Jerusalem after Pentecost. But “surprise, surprise,” they changed the world anyway! In a similar manner, right now, in places where we know litle about Christianity’s growth—China, Iran,…

When God sovereignly decides it is time for us to experience ”living by faith,” our Daddy gives us that experience. It is solely at His discretion.  We are always the object in the experience, never, in any way, the subject. He may or may not let us know what He is doing—I discovered what was happening to me years after my experience of His beginning to do it! It is exciting to look back and see what He has done in our lives and…

Last week we discussed how I just recently became aware that I had been camping in a campground which I was totally unaware even existed, in my “journey to the City with Foundations.” I realize now that this campground is nothing more than “experiencing living by faith!” “Living (or walking) by faith,” or “living (or walking) in the Spirit” are synonymous terms Paul used that have become cliches in many of today’s churches. “I have faith that Jesus is my Savior, and I am…

Last week, I shared with you my own distinct, unique campsites where I have pitched my tent on my life’s trip to the City with Foundations of Revelation 21. I was prepared to post a diagram this week that shows, beautifully and succinctly, how God is using the camping experiences in all of our lives to extend His Kingdom. I even mentioned to you “A picture is worth a thousand words” in anticipation of that diagram. However, in the famous words of a 1966…

Since the Fall of 1958, I have been on a spiritual journey, of which, until the last 15 years, I have been largely unaware. It was in 1958 that a 20 year old “Christian,” living in the Sigma Nu house at the University of Oklahoma, discovered a relationship with Jesus Christ that was not simply intellectual (Gk.,eido – mental assent to facts), but experiential (Gk., ginosko – personal, existential involvement with those facts) In 2013, I wrote a book chronicling this journey, entitled Waiting…

 “The kingdom of God does not come with observation;  nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS WITHIN YOU” (Luke 17:20, 21). This is the New King James translation (and the KJV is the same), and many Christians use this passage to teach that the civil government aspect of the Kingdom of God is a personal, private, neutral affair (“within you”). They often go on to say that when externalized and public, politics becomes a dirty…

What I am saying in these weekly blog postings may not be what you are hearing at church, and I recognize it may even fly in the face of much accepted Christian teaching today.  For example, Jill just heard a popular Christian leader say that one gets closer to God in their Christian walk by “more carefully obeying God’s law.”  One of my staples is  “Our efforts to obey the law of God is deadly legalism, and true, biblical obedience is always only the…

Each week  I am finding myself more and more excited about what I am learning! It seems to me that the Lord is showing me that, yes, there is such a thing as an octogenarian little child, just starting Kindergarten! Thanks so much for being willing to check out my ramblings! As we continue to look at why we were created by God, today I want to be sure we are aware of the “big-picture;” the framework into which all the details and practical…

We have arrived at the Grand Climax, the Summum Bonum, which is the final course of our “Theology for Dummies” seminary training—“Why Am I Here?” Our foundational Bible passage for all our seminary courses has been Genesis 1:26-28:  “Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on…

Last week we discovered that God deals with us through “grace alone”—really! However, the problem is, we talk about “by grace, through faith” constantly, but simultaneously believe that we must still do something—choose, decide, invite, obey, etc.—in order to “walk in the Spirit,” or “live by faith.”  This is an indication that we still think we can “please God by keeping His law” successfully, which is not “grace through faith.” Since the Fall, we subconsciously see ourselves as the stars in this drama we…