True Knowledge

Titus 2: 11-14

For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men.  It teaches us to say, “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self controlled, upright and Godly lives in the present age, while we wait for the blessed hope - the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.

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Reinhard Bonnke, in his book Faith, The Link With God’s Power, says “True knowledge of the Lord transmutes into devotion and worship”

Jesus is the grace of God.   He teaches us to say no and to live Godly lives, while we wait for him to come back.

When this becomes clear to us, this, “true knowledge”;  when we “get it”; when we have that “ah ha!” moment, then our lives, automatically become lives of devotion and worship.

Bonnke also says, “We often pray, ‘Lord, glorify your holy name.’… but the phrase actually means ‘confirm your name.’ Prove what you are.”

When we are sincere in this prayer, we need to hold onto our hats, because God will confirm who he is and we will adore him and dedicate our lives to pleasing him.  When he sees our hearts so open to his will, eager to do whatever he asks, the knowledge of his love and pleasure at our obedience will nearly blow us away!

And that’s the never ending cycle of love; he is pleased with us and pours out his blessings.  We recognize these blessings as confirmation of his goodness and want to thank him by serving him faithfully.  And he is pleased and pours out more blessings and we want to please him because he is so good!  And it just goes on and on.

That’s what “from glory to glory” means; an ever upward cycle of blessing and devotion.

But we don’t devote ourselves to him because of the blessings, but because the blessings reveal how wonderful and loving he is.  How could you not want to devote yourself to a God like that??

In An Intimate and Personal Way

Hebrews 4:9-11a

There remains then, a Sabbath rest the people of God; for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from his.  Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest…

Romans 8:1-4

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.  For what the law was powerless to do in that is was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering.  And so he condemned sin in sinful man in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit.

In Faith, The Link With God’s Power, Bonnke writes, “Each man and each woman has a special relationship with Christ that no one else can enter into.”  He also writes, “I was made by and for him, not in some wide general sense, but in an intimate, personal way.”

No one else will ever enter into the exact same relationship I have with Jesus.  Our connectedness is unique, just as I am unique in all the world.  In the past I didn’t understand that.  I would hear other people talk about who he is to them and think two things; “I could never be like them.”  and “I want to be like them.”

But now I understand.  I was never meant to be like them; to have their unique relationship with Christ, because the relationship he wanted with me was specifically designed by him for us!

And the special work that he’s picked out for me to do can’t be done by anyone else in so succinct a way.

That’s not to say that if I fail then everything goes wrong; but if I do it right I help move his Kingdom forward.

And, if I fail, I don’t fail him, but I fail myself; and he picks me up and cradles me close and reminds me that in his eyes I’m perfect.  So, encouraged, I put my feet back on the path and continue to follow him.

Overwhelmed by his glory!

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Faith: The Embrace of God

Ephesians 2:5b-9

…it is by grace you have been saved.  And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus,

in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.  For it is by grace that you have been saved, through faith - and this not from yourselves, it is the gift from God - not by works, so that no one can boast.

Reinhard Bonnke, in his book, Faith; The Link With God’s Power, writes, “… the Greek word used for faith in Christ means moving close to him in trustful love.  It is an embrace…He is the divine Lover, and we are those he came to love.” and he is the Lord God “whom everyone could fling his or her arms around.”

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Is there now, or has there ever been another god who chose/chooses to be so intimate with mankind?

“It is by grace that you have been saved.”

God’s

Riches                                  

At

Christ’s

Expense.

Both grace and faith are gifts from God.  Neither of them can be mustered up from within ourselves.  He gives us grace and he also gives us faith to believe in that grace.

And what is faith? 

Is is closing our eyes in the presence of danger and hoping it goes away?  

Is it shrinking inside of ourselves and waiting  to see if God will be faithful?

NO!  It’s an embrace!  Faith is moving into Christ’s embrace; letting him be my shield against danger, understanding the unique relationship I have with him that leads to the understanding that in every circumstance I am safe in the arms of my savior.

Outside sources cannot harm the inner me.  I am given the faith to understand this.  And it is a gift from God, so that I cannot boast.

How crazy is that??

No matter what happens to the tent I live in, I am safe in the embrace of my Savior, who gave his life for me just so that I could spend eternity wrapped in his arms!