What you think, or what you believe, is so important. Because what you believe defines your reality. At least in the sense of the believing the truth--that you are God's beloved Son in whom He is well pleased--versus believing the lie--that you have to do in order to be. I'm not saying you can, for example, believe that you're a millionaire and then check your bank account. I'm saying that what you believe about your IDENTITY affects everything in your REALITY. If you believe you're a sinner, and that God is mad at you, then you're going to act like a guilty man who is trying to avoid punishment and you're going to run FROM God instead of running TO Him. But--you know what? Let me get my Scripture out. Matthew 5:15, "And they come to Jesus, and see him that was possessed with the devil, and had the legion, sitting, and clothed, and in his right mind: and they were afraid." A demon possessed man, a man who heard voices (or, if I can say it this way, listened to the world screaming at him), had an experience with Jesus. And then, like that--like a light being switched on--he was in his right mind. He wasn't running around like a chicken with it's head cut off anymore. He wasn't trying to be someone he wasn't anymore. He wasn't ripping his clothes and tearing things apart. He was sitting. Resting. Clothed. I once heard a preacher teach an amazing message about how he was, in fact, CLOTHED in his right mind. Like the woman in Revelation who was clothed with the sun. But here's the key: Listening to the world, to circumstances, to the voices that shout at you and try to define you by piling things up on you and hiding your true identity... that's no way to live. But listening to Jesus, the still small voice of the Holy Spirit deep inside that takes you by the hand and leads and guides you into all truth... testifying of your TRUE identity by testifying of Jesus... that's how we partake of the divine nature. That's how we let the mind of Christ--that's already IN us--BE in us. I like to use this passage because it really kind of brings it into focus, "If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God" (Colossians 3:1-3). And I really like the idea of setting your AFFECTION on things above. The phrase, "Set your affection" is number 5426 in Strong's Greek Concordance and it means, "to exercise the mind, that is, entertain or have a sentiment or opinion; by implication to be mentally disposed. To interest oneself in." Focus on. Have an opinion about. Active participation in the things above. The heavenly things. The Spiritual realm. And to me, affection has a connotation of liking something. Not, "I love everybody because I have to," kind of grudgingly faking it until I make it. But simply being in my right mind. Knowing how loved I am--and how GOOD it is to be loved the way I am--and sharing that love because it's too good to keep to myself. Not loving people but at the same time not liking them. That seems DOUBLE minded to me. And a double minded man is unstable in all his ways. But liking everyone that I love... and loving everyone as I am loved!

There's nothing better than the feeling of complete and utter acceptance. I'm convinced that a part--a BIG part--of what unconditional, agape love is all about is simply knowing that we are accepted. We belong. Remember the Rant series about the embrace? To me that's so powerful. Being embraced by our heavenly Father regardless of what we've done. Knowing (and believing) that God will never leave us nor forsake. Why? Because we "deserve" it? Because we've kept the Law and earned it? Not even a little bit. According to Romans 3:23, "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." So where does this assurance of God's love come from? Why can we believe something that seems too good to be true? Something we can't earn and don't deserve? It comes from being forgiven! From having our conscience purged and knowing that we are dead to sin and alive unto God! One of my favorite verses, 1 John 4:18, tells us that, "There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear." Fear of punishment. Fear of rejection. Look, if acceptance is the best feeling in the world, then rejection is the worst. And that's what that sin consciousness does. It makes us feel like we've been rejected. Like we're not good enough to be loved. But God consciousness--which comes from Jesus taking away our sins and forgiving them... rolling away the stone of the Law which caused that sense of separation between us and God--allows us to LIVE through God... by letting Jesus live through us! It's so important to understand the freeing power of forgiveness. We don't have to look at God as someone who is angry with us if we know (and believe) that we are forgiven! We don't have to stay in the bondage of sin and death when we know (and believe) that we have passed out of death and into life. A new life where we are forgiven, and there is no condemnation. A new life where we can love others--no matter what they've done--because in the same manner that we ARE forgiven... we can forgive! And when we forgive--in the same manner that it took away that sense of separation between us and God--it takes out that sense of separation between each other. We can be tenderhearted towards each other, because our heart is not hard with bitterness. It is soft with forgiveness, and grace, and mercy, and love! All of the things that flow into us from the Father--revealed to us and in us and through us by the Holy Spirit--flow out of us as we receive them and release them! I am forgiven. I can forgive. I am accepted. I can accept you. I am loved. I can love you. And that's what this abundant, everlasting, eternal, Resurrection Life is all about. That's our EPIC destiny. Our Eternal Purpose In Christ. That's the New Commandment: Love one another as Jesus loves you. Accept as you are accepted by Him. Forgive as you are forgiven by Him. Love as you are loved by Him!

I think one of the most important reasons that knowing and believing that we are forgiven comes down to just exactly what the Bible says in Ephesians 4:32, "And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you." Remember we saw yesterday that on the cross Jesus prayed for our forgiveness and God heard and answered that prayer. This is important because we seem to have this idea where we have to ask for forgiveness before it can be given. And we expect others who wrong us to do the same thing. But that's not the case. We never asked God to forgive us. We were too busy running FROM Him to run TO Him. But forgiveness is as much about the person who was wronged as it is about the person who wronged them. I've said this before, but forgiveness is like unlocking a jail cell and then realizing that YOU were the one in prison. Holding onto the grudge, that unforgiveness, will eat you up. But, as I've been trying to say in this whole Rant series, forgiveness is less about avoiding punishment than it is about being freed from bondage. If you haven't forgiven someone you can't be kind to them. Or tenderhearted toward them. There's a wall in between you and them. And here's the thing: They might not even know they've wronged you. They might not even know you're upset, or hurt. Or... they might not even care. In any event, you're only doing MORE damage to yourself by holding on to it. By keeping a grudge. You may have been hurt, but you're hurting yourself more by not forgiving them. My friend always tells me not to let people occupy real estate in my brain. Because I tend to overthink things. I tend to make mountains out of molehills sometimes. Because I have trouble letting things go. I have trouble quitting. I'm stubborn. I TELL people to "let go and let God," but it's not the easiest thing in the world for me to do. But I'll tell you right now: When I DO that... I have peace. Peace that passeth all understanding, as Philippians 4:7 says. The peace of God that keeps our hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Peace that comes from BEING forgiven, and from forgiving others. Guys... everybody makes mistakes. Everybody messes up. You, me, and everybody. It's kind of like not trying to get the sliver out of someone else's eye when you have a plank in yours, right? It's kind of like, "Can't we all just get along?" It's kind of like... I AM forgiven, so I can forgive you. I AM loved, so I can love you. I have everything I need, so I can share what I have with you. And that's what this abundant, eternal, everlasting, Resurrection Life is all about. It's all about receiving and releasing. Receiving forgiveness so we can forgive. Receiving mercy so we can give mercy. Receiving love... so we can love. You can't give what you don't have and you can only give what you do have. You have to let go of unforgiveness, and at the same time (in the same manner) release forgiveness!

Our forgiveness came over 2,000 years ago on the cross. But before I show you that I want to show you this: When Jesus was raising Lazarus from the dead He, "...lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me. And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me" (John 11:41-42). This is important because we see that when Jesus prayed... His Father heard Him and answered Him. Jesus kind of preached about this principle a lot. Like in Matthew 21:22 when He said, "And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, beleiving, ye shall receive." Prayer isn't supposed to be us whining and complaining, or beggin for things that we don't believe we deserve or will ever have. Prayer is supposed to be the dialogue in which we begin to understand what is in our heart--what God PUT in our heart--and then the outworking of that indwelling Spirit. If that makes any sense. Ok. Fast forward to the cross when Jesus prayed this, "...Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do..." (Luke 23:34). We know that when Jesus prayed this, God heard it... and answered it. But here's what I really want to say about it: I believe Jesus was praying for those people that were physically crucifing them. I do. But I also--and perhaps more importantly--believe that Jesus was praying for EVERYBODY. Before the cross (and really, even after the cross until you have a revelation of Jesus) all of humanity was in the bondage of sin and death. We were under the power of darkness. Adam disobeyed God when he ate from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. And, again, I don't believe Adam dying on that day was God's punishiment, I believe it was the natural consequences of eating of the tree of death. If you eat from the tree of death, what else could happen? I believe it was more of a warning from God then a command. But either way Adam didn't listen. He went his own way. And because of that we were all "in trouble." Not with God, but with the world. Darkness had power over us. Until the appointed time when the light of the world shined forth. Remember what we saw yesterday when Jesus connected forgiveness of sins with coming out of the darkness and into the light? We were doing the best we could with what we had... trying to earn our bread with the sweat of our brow, or our own human effort... but we were stumbling around in the dark. When our natural eyes (good and evil) were opened, our Spiritual eyes closed. Then, on the cross, Jesus asked for (and got) forgiveness for us. Because we didn't know what we were doing. We were running FROM God, but (because of His love for us) He drew us into Himself anyway. He reconciled us to Himself. Not because He had ever left us, but because we had left Him. He gave us forgiveness of sins. Forgiveness of unbelief. And He did it because Jesus asked Him to. He did it because He loves us. He did it so that we could experience that relationship between a loving heavenly Father and His beloved Son in whom He is well pleased!

Look at what Jesus said to the Apostle Paul regarding Paul's mission, "To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me" (Acts 26:18). And notice what being forgiven does: It doesn't save us from a punishment to come, but it brings us out of the bondage that we were in! That's why forgiven someone, or being forgiven, is so powerful. I've heard it described like this: When you forgive someone it's like unlocking a prison cell, only to realize that YOU were the one in jail. Man... I really wish we could get past this idea of good and evil. Past this idea of crime and punishment. And, as always, I'm not saying your actions don't have consequences. Of course they do. Everything you do has an equal and opposite reaction, right? Everything you do affects people and things. No man is an island and no one lives in a vaccuum. The things we do matter. But I'm convinced that there is NOT an angry God somewhere waiting for us to mess up so He can get us. No parent wants to punish their child. Parents will correct their children, but that's a whole different Rant. What I'm saying is, we need to be forgiven so that we can stop looking at ourselves as guilty. So we can come out of the darkness and into the light. So we can feel like we belong. I think part of the reason so many people run FROM God instead of running TO God is because they feel guilty. Forgiveness deals with that guilt. Why is there no condemnation in Christ? Because we are forgiven! Because God is not holding anything against us. He took away our sins--and that's a big deal--but He also FORGAVE our sins. And in some ways that's an ever bigger deal. Because now that I'm forgiven... my conscious is clear. Let me say it this way, "For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him" (2 Corinthians 5:21). Jesus became who I was (a sinner, or an unbeliever) so that I could become who He is. I'm NOT a sinner saved by grace. Before the cross I WAS a sinner, but then I got saved by grace and now I'm something new. Now I'm the righteousness of God. Now I don't have a sin conciousness, but a God consciousness. Now I'm dead to sin but alive to God. Now my eyes are open--the eyes of grace, or the doves' eyes of the Holy Spirit--and I can see clearly. I can see God clearly--as my loving heavenly Father--and I can see myself clearly--as His beloved Son in whom He is well pleased. Daddy's not mad at me, He's mad ABOUT me. He loves me--not because of what I do, but because of who I am, and who He is. He has forgiven me. And tomorrow we're going to look at exaclty how, and why, and when that forgiveness took place.

I want to spend this Rant series looking at another "insider term" that I think we kind of misuse. Forgiveness. I think it's so important that we understand this, because it's kind of a central theme to this "Christian life." So what I want to do is drop a little bit of Scripture and then spend a few days really unravelling it. Colossians 2:13-17, "And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it. Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ." Let me say it like this: Do you know WHY there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ (those who know that Christ is in them)? Because you are forgiven! There's nothing to condemn! I know that I think a little bit differently about things like death and hell, but I always kind of wondered... if "the wages of sin is hell" (which is NOT what the Bible says, by the way. It says the wages of sin is death), but all of our sins are forgiven... how would we "get" to hell? And I know people will say "heaven" is for those that accept Jesus and "hell" is for those that don't--like there's a cosmic elevator that takes you to your final destination--but look at what our passage says: Jesus blotted out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us. God wrote the 10 Commandments with His finger. That's the handwriting we're talking about. The same law that defined sin, and gave it it's power... was nailed to the cross. Because it was contrary to us. It (the Old Covenant) was the government of condemnation. It (the Law) demanded perfection without being able to produce it, and left us with a guilty sin conscious. We were dead in our trespasses and sins. Dead in our sins and the uncircumcision of our flesh. We were the walking dead. God told Adam that on the day that he ate from the tree of knowledge of good and evil he would surely die. And that's exactly what happened. Fast forward to the cross--and when I say "the cross" I'm speaking of the entire experience of the Six Steps to the Throne--where Jesus brought us OUT of death and INTO life. Where, at the appointed time, all of our sins were forgiven. Not so that we could escape a coming punishment--Jesus said God judges no man, but commited all judgment to the Son--but so that we could escape the bondage that we were already in! So we could stop looking at ourselves as anything other the righteousness of God in Christ. A bride without spot, wrinkle, or any such thing. Forgiveness is so important because it frees us from that idea that we are anything less than God's beloved Son in whom He is well pleased!

I want to end this Rant series where I started it, with John 13:35. I'm going to quote that Scripture in a second, but first I want to quote 2 Corinthians 11:3, "But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ." And I want to focus on that verse first because sometimes I think we make this "Christian life" to complicated. We take our insider words and terms and we kind of use them to feel superior to everybody else. We make things like holiness and discipleship into things that they really aren't. When Eve was beguiled, she believed the lie that says you have to do in order to be. She believed she wasn't good enough, and only through her own efforts (in that case, eating from the tree of knowledge of good and evil) could she become good enough. But that's not the simplicity that is in Christ. In Christ there is no condemnation. In Christ there is no earning. There is only receiving (and releasing) the gift of God which is eternal life--which is knowing the Father and the One whom He sent; that relationship between Father and Son. We make it so hard to be a "good Christian," when really I don't think there's any such thing. You're either a believer or you're not. We seem to put a lot of faith in faith, when we're supposed to have faith in God. It's the Holy Spirit that is leading and guiding us into all truth. The Holy Spirit revealing the change that took place on the cross. The Holy Spirit showing us who we really are by showing us who Jesus really is in us and through us and as us. So rather than trying to be somebody we're not... we begin to understand that true discipleship is being a student of love. Learning how to love by learning how God loves us. Testing the height, and depth, and length, and breadth of God's love for us by loving each other. Which is exactly what John 13:35 says, "By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another." Love. One to another. It's that's simple. Love IS the simplicity that is Christ. And I've said this before, as simple as it is... it's endlessly vast. You can spend your whole abundant, eternal, everlasting, Resurrection Life exploring God's love and never come to the end of it. In fact, that's what we're here to do. That's our EPIC destiny. Our Eternal Purpose In Christ. We are here for no other reason than to be His disciples. To be loved and to love each other with that same love. That's what real life is all about. To live is to love and to love is to live. If you don't have love--or rather, if you don't KNOW that you have love--in your life... then you'll do whatever you can to try to get that. You'll spend all of your time looking for love in all the wrong places. But when you know (and believe) just how loved you are... then you can be a student of love. You can learn what it's all about because you're not trying to get it, but you're experiencing what you already have. And the best way to experience it is by sharing it. The best way to receive it is by releasing it. That's how we make disciples--by being disciples! It's that simple. Love one another as Jesus loves you.

Making disciples by BEING disciples. Teaching others of love by learning of love. Sharing what you have. Not trying to get anything, but simply enjoying what you have. That's what this "Christian life" is all about. That is our EPIC destiny. Our Eternal Purpose In Christ. We were created to be loved, and to love each other with that same love. But here's where it can get a little bit tricky: Everybody gives love in different ways, and everybody receives love in different ways. That's why it's so important to be students of love. Look at Philippians 1:9-10 in the Message Bible, "So this is my prayer: that your love will flourish and that you will not only love much but love well. Learn to love appropriately. You need to use your head and test your feelings so that your love is sincere and intelligent, not sentimental gush. Live a lover's life, circumspect and exemplary, a life Jesus will be proud of." That's my thought for today: Love not only much, but love well. I'm convinced that there's only one reason to do anything, and that reason is love. Love made me do it. But, again, there are different KINDS of love for different situations and different people. That's why even though I'm absolutely convinced we should follow our heart--love never fails, so our heart CAN'T lead us astray--we also need to use our heads and test our feelings. Feelings can change. They come and go. Love isn't a feeling. Love is constant and unchanging. That's why Jesus could say things like, "Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you." That kind of true, real, agape love doesn't really have a whole lot to do with how you FEEL. It has to do with what you HAVE. If you HAVE love, you can give love. To anyone. Regardless of who they are or what they've done or anything like that. When you know what you've got--what you have been filled to overflowing with--then you can share it in every situation. Using your head isn't about, "Do I love this person or not?". It's about, "HOW do I love this person?". It's about understanding that the fruit (singular) of the Spirit is love. But there are so many aspects of love that it is literally the solution to every problem. Sometimes you need patience. Sometimes you need joy. Sometimes you need meekness. Etc. And that's what being a disciple--a STUDENT of love--is all about. Testing the height, and depth, and length, and breadth of God's love for us so that we know and believe that somewhere in there is exactly what we need. We need sincere and intelligent love. Not sentimental gush. Not trying to force something that doesn't fit, but instead finding that connection, that thing that DOES fit, and watching everything flow. We have to learn HOW to love. And we can only learn HOW to love, by learning how we ARE loved. It's like we're always trying to get something we don't have, instead of exploring, and enjoying, what we DO have. And sharing what we do have, by loving one another!

"Go then and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Teaching them to observe everything that I have commanded you, and behold, I am with you all the days (perpetually, uniformly, and on every occasion), to the [very] close and consummation of the age. Amen (so let it be)" (Matthew 28:19-20 AMP). The great commission, right? Go and save souls... right...? Well... let's look at it. Baptizing people--which I preached and Ranted about many times--is about immersing people. And the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is the Lord Jesus Christ. So we're really not (supposed to be) concerned with giving people fire insurance as much as drenching them with the God who is love. Which is precisely how we make disciples! A disciple is a student of love. Being loved and loving each other isn't something we're just expected to do. And I totally believe that there is an aspect of this love that lives inside of us that comes out completely naturally. But for the most part it's something we learn. And we learn how to be loved by letting someone love us. Not by trying to earn it... but simply by receiving it. And that can sometimes be the hardest thing in the world. Because we have this mindset that says, "Work hard and get as much as you can." So we often feel like--or at least I often feel like--if someone just GIVES me something then I don't deserve. Kind of a poignant thought on my birthday, eh? I really think it's hard sometimes to just receive though. It's easier to take something--good, bad, or ugly--if we feel like we deserve it. But that's not what love is all about. That's not what discipleship is all about. How important that Jesus hits home the fact that He will be with us all the days of our life. Perpetually. Uniformly. On every occasion. Every day in every way. No matter what. He loves us when we're at our best, and He loves us when we're at our worst. He loves us not because of what we do... but because of who we are. And who HE is. He is our loving heavenly Father. We are His beloved Son in whom He is well pleased. Being baptized in His name--and I'm not saying anything at all against the awesome experience of water baptism--is about being immersed in His NATURE. His love for us flowing through us. I'm telling you... the only real way to make true disciples is by following the New Commandment. By loving them the way Jesus loves us. By showing them a more excellent way. By affirming instead of condemning. By serving instead of demanding to be served. By sharing what you've got instead of trying to get something. By letting the love that you are loved with overflow out you. Naturally. Not "faking it 'til you make it." Not forcing it. Not, "I'll scratch your back if you scratch mine." Simply... I love you. Daddy loves me and that means I have love to share with you. I'm a student of love. I'm learning what it means to be loved, and what it means to love. And I'm learning with you. Practicing on you. Making you a disciple, even as I am a disciple.

If a disciple is a student of love then that really changes our view of what it means to "make disciples." It seems like we have one of two views on the matter: 1. Saving souls from the eternal, fiery damnation of hell. Or 2. Forcing people to believe exactly the way we do. And I guess these two are really the same because we seem to think we have God all figured out and the only way to save someone from hell is to force them to believe exactly the way we do. But I REALLY don't think that's what this Christian life is all about. I think it's all about love. I think it's all about receiving and releasing the love of the Father. SHOWING people a more excellent way so that they'll run TO God instead of running FROM God. And I think the only way to effectively preach the gospel--the Good News that God isn't mad AT you, but mad ABOUT you--is by taking what you've learned and sharing it. That's the New Commandment: Love one another as Jesus loves you. You don't have to fake it until you make it. You don't have to force it. You don't have to act like Jesus--because that will never be anything more than an act. All you have to do is focus on God's love for you. Fill yourself to overflowing with what you've been filled with, and let it flow out naturally. I know I quote this passage all the time, but I really think it gives us a blueprint for how to live this abundant, everlasting, eternal, Resurrection Life that is the gift of God: Ephesians 3:16-19, "That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; That Christ may dwell in your hearts be faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God." The fulness of God is the fulness of His love. And it's so much bigger than we give it credit for. Did you know that Jesus didn't come to save us from hell? He came to save us from our sins. And did you know that the wages of sin are not hell? The wages of sin is death. We WERE dead in our trespasses and sins. Jesus came to bring us out of death and into life. He came to save us from unbelief. From living the lie that says you have to do in order to be. To save us from trying to earn something that is freely given. He came to make us His disciples. He came to teach us about love. Jesus said the greatest love you can have is to lay down your life for your friends. And then He went to the cross and did that very thing. And that's what we're learning to do. Maybe not in the same literal sense that He did it, but maybe simply by esteeming others higher than ourselves. Putting others first. When we stop trying to GET and we start to GIVE what we already have... that's when the world will know that we are His disciples, because that's when we begin to truly love one another.