When you are in Adam the Law is like a legal law: something you have to follow and, therefore, something you won't always adhere to. When you are in Christ the Law is like a natural law: it is simply who you are; you follow it not because you are ordered to but because it is in order with what you are. In Christ the Law is no longer a set of commands, rules and regulations, but a list of character traits found in Him. "Do not lie," therefore, becomes "you will not lie," because Christ does not lie, and He is our very life-source. More than that, He is our life itself.
"Now we find that the Law keeps slipping into the picture to point the vast extent of sin. Yet, though sin is shown to be wide and deep, thank God his grace is wider and deeper still! The whole outlook changes - sin used to be the master of men and in the end handed them over to death; now grace is the ruling factor, with righteousness as its purpose and its end the bringing of men to the eternal Life of God through Jesus Christ our Lord." (Phillips)
"All that passing laws against sin did was produce more lawbreakers. But sin didn't, and doesn't, have a chance in competition with the aggressive forgiveness we call grace. When it's sin versus grace, grace wins hands down. All sin can do is threaten us with death, and that's the end of it. Grace, because God is putting everything together again through the Messiah, invites us into life - a life that goes on and on and on, world without end." (The Message)
"Law slipped in to aggravate the trespass; sin increased, but grace surpassed it far, so that, while sin reigned the reign of death, grace might also reign with a righteousness that ends in life eternal through Jesus Christ our Lord." (Moffatt)
"When the law came into the picture, sin grew and grew; but where sin has spread, grace is there to cut it down and defeat it. No matter how much sin crept in, there was always more grace. In the same way that sin has reigned in the sphere of death, now grace reigns through God's restorative justice, eclipsing death and leading to eternal life through Jesus, the Liberating King, our Lord." (The Voice)
"But law came in, in order that the offense might abound; but where sin abounded grace has overabounded, in order that, even as sin has reigned in [the power of] death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." (Darby)
"The law came along to multiply the trespass. But where sin multiplied, grace multiplied even more, so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace will reign through righteousness, resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." (Holman Christian Standard Bible)
"The law came to make sin worse. But when sin grew worse, God's grace increased. Sin once used death to rule us, but God gave people more of his grace so that grace could rule by making people right with him. And this brings life forever through Jesus Christ our Lord." (New Century Version)
"Now the law came in as a side issue, in order that the trespass could increase, but where sin increased, grace was present in greater abundance, so that just as sin reigned in death, so also grace would reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." (Lexham English Bible)
"And the Torah came into the picture so that the offense would proliferate; but where sin proliferated, grace proliferated even more. All this happened so that just as sin ruled by means of death, so also grace might rule through causing people to be considered righteous, so that they might have eternal life, through Yeshua the Messiah, our Lord." (Complete Jewish Bible)
"Now Scripture came on the scene to heighten the Fall; but wherever sin flowed, grace overflowed, in order that, as sin was king in the death realm, so might grace, through restoration to favor, be king in the spiritual life realm provided by Jesus Christ our Lord." (Cotton Patch)
I want to add that the word for grace used in these passages is defined in the Strong's as "the divine influence upon the heart, and its reflection in the life," as well as "acceptable, benefit, favor, gift, grace (-ious), joy liberality, pleasure, thank (-s, -worthy)." It is unmerited favor, yes, but also so much more. Our good friend and mentor Les defines grace as "the divine ability to do that which you could not, or would not, do before." Wow! What a word.
I wanted to clarify that in talking about living a lifestyle of joy, I don't mean to imply that trials and tribulations won't come; they will. Tragedy will come. But we have access to joy in the midst of adverse circumstances. The Lord has opened the door for us to drink continuously from the wells of salvation (Isaiah 12:3). He has granted us the ability to count it all joy when we fall into various trials (James 1:2). And, once again, joy is an emotion. I believe as we tap into the river of joy flowing from His side we will literally experience joy. We will experience "a feeling of great pleasure and happiness." Because in His presence there is fullness of joy, and at his right hand are pleasures forever more (Psalm 16:11).
The Beatitudes in the Common English Bible look like this: "Happy are people who are hopeless, because the kingdom of heaven is theirs. Happy are people who grieve, because they will be made glad," etc. And in the Good News translation it says: "Happy are those who know they are spiritually poor; the Kingdom of heaven belongs to them! Happy are those who mourn; God will comfort them!"
Psalm 144: 15 says "... Happy are the people whose God is the Lord." And in The Message Psalm 16:9-10 says: "I'm happy from the inside out, and from the outside in, I'm firmly formed. You cancelled my ticket to hell - that's not my destination!" Wow! Isn't that good?
Here's another goodie from The Message: "When the righteous see God in action they'll laugh, they'll sing, they'll laugh and sing for joy. Sing hymns to God; all heaven, sing out; clear the way for the coming of Cloud-Rider. Enjoy God, cheer when you see him!" (Psalm 68:3-4) Dang. I can't even begin to describe how good this passage is. We are actually told to "enjoy God!" Wow! We are told to "cheer when we see him!" To laugh, to sing! Sounds like joy, doesn't it?
I'm not even scratching the surface of joy/happy verses, but I wanted to give you a taste. Yes, we will experience trials and tribulations, but our experience of joy will be greater. Yes, we will grieve, but in the midst of mourning, God will make us happy! He will make us glad! There's so much more to add to this topic. So many goodies in the Good Book! And, please, feel free to comment. Add your voice. Share some insights. Selah
Joy is an emotion, not a state of mind. Joy is "a feeling of great pleasure and happiness," as the dictionary on my Mac puts it. That means you feel it. You don't think it. You don't carry it around as a mindset. If you have joy, then you will be joyful. That sounds like a no-brainer but, really, how many of us actually believe it? So often people say that they have the joy of the Lord but they don't actually feel joyful. Because "joy isn't the same as happiness." "Joy is something you have to cling to, even if you're depressed."
No. I disagree. You can't say rightly that you have the joy of the Lord if you walk around bummed out all the time. That's just not truthful. If you have the joy, it will look like joy. It will feel like joy. Did you notice how the definition of joy includes the word "happiness?" So yes, joy and happiness are intertwined. In fact, it seems to me that joy is even more extreme than happiness. Happy is defined as "feeling or showing pleasure or contentment." Joy is, once again, "a feeling of great pleasure and happiness." So it's happiness and then some.
Union with Christ should produce "a feeling of great pleasure and happiness." Christians should be the happiest people in the world. Instead, we go around with frowns on our faces, bemoaning the state of our lives, the state of the world. Well, no more for me. I'm ready to give myself over to the joy of the Lord. I'm ready to live a life of joy, to live a life of great pleasure and happiness. I feel it welling up inside of me, a transformation that happens from the inside out.
That's where joy is born: inside of us. And then it springs out into the world. It's what draws people and changes people. To be happy, to be joyful, in the midst of adverse circumstances, in the presence of a world full of conflict and pain. That's what Christ died for: to restore us to joyful union with Him! So go ahead. You have permission to feel joyful. Not only permission. It's what the Gospel is all about. The Glad Message of the Happy God! Amen.
We frolic like children and leap like deer! You know why? Because we have a reason to. More reason than anybody else in the world. What is this reason? The rapturous goodness, the ecstatic love, the inexpressible joy of Jesus Christ! Wow! Never again will I allow myself to be pulled under the heavy drags of religiosity. No way! Not when I have been given the lightness of the Good News of the Happy God! Woo! You want some? Okay. Get some. It's free! Ha ha!
Kris Vallotton posted this on Facebook earlier today and I wanted to pass it on. It sums up my beliefs exactly:
"My 7 eschatological core vales - I will not embrace an end-time view: 1) that re-empowers a disempowered devil. 2) that destroys hope for future generations.
3) that ignores the command to make disciples of ALL nations.
4) that steals hope for the nations.
5) that changes the nature of a wonderful God.
6) that celebrates bad news as a sign of the times.
7) that pushes the promises of God into a time zone that can't be obtained in my generation."
"... our ministry as believers in Christ is not to convince the world of their sin. Rather, we are to help reconcile the world back to Christ by not holding people's sins against them. " - Kris & Jason Vallotton, from "The Supernatural Power Of Forgiveness"
When we first moved to Springfield, Ohio I wasn't sure if there were any other musicians with original material. I've since discovered that there are. Here's one of them:
It's rare that I find Christian music, and especially worship music, that I actually like. I don't know what the deal is but for me most Christian music just isn't that interesting. For the most part it all sounds the same. Something gets popular and everybody jumps at it, such as the whole "rock as hard as you can" sound that probably originated with Hillsong or IHOP, both of whom make good music, but a formula is a formula, and formulas get stale. Creativity is almost none existent in the Christian world, something that is sadly ironic considering we serve and worship the ultimate Creator. But in the midst of this sea of sameness a few musicians have stepped it up. Probably even more than a few since most of the really creative ones aren't in the spotlight. Here are some that stick out to me:
John Mark McMillan. This is pretty much a no-brainer now, but when I first started listening to JMM people were maybe familiar with "How He Loves" and that was about it. Now he's the big thing. Everybody knows his songs, and not just "How He Loves," which is awesome considering he's written tons of other beauties. His music, and his philosophy on music, has been a huge influence on Like A Child, almost since we started. And he has influenced the way I write probably more than any other musician out there. What He has done for Christian musicians is open up the door to a whole new style of songwriting. He doesn't just turn scriptures into songs; he makes new words, new ways of saying old things. Here's an example:
Kevin Prosch. This dude is the father of prophetic worship and I didn't start listening to him until last year really. I know we had some of his tapes when we were little but I can't remember them. The only album I've heard all the way through is "Palanquin," but that's enough. He writes in this album like a modern day King David. The honesty is astounding. These aren't just pat worship songs. These are songs that come from the depths of a human being's heart. Here's an example:
Matrimony. This is a little band we saw open for JMM last summer. Cool folky kinda stuff. Check it out:
Benjamin Dunn & Friends. This is a really cool band that I just started listening to. Creative music and something that all worship should be: genuinely joyful. Here's an example:
Jonathan David Helser. Another guy I recently started listening to. Really powerful, moving music. Check it out:
There's more but I'll leave it at that for now. Blessings and joy!
“Art never responds to the wish to make it democratic; it is not for everybody; it is only for those who are willing to undergo the effort needed to understand it.” — Flannery O’Connor (Mystery and Manners: Occasional Prose)
I read that quote in a John Mark McMillan blog and thought I'd pass it along. Any thoughts?
Hey so a few weeks back God healed my toe and I posted it to you guys. Well now he blows me away even more and gave me a creative miracle.
My friend Stephen called me from Bethel last night. He's going to BSSM (Bethel Supernatural School of Ministry). He was telling me how the Spirit was being poured out big time at that night's meeting. He then told me that he had been flat footed his whole life and Kevin Dedmon got a word about arches forming. He got prayed for and arches formed. What he didn't know is that I was flat footed too. I told him and he began to pray for me. I felt fire and tingling on my feet. My brother put his hands on my feet and I literally saw arches form before my eyes! I stood up and I felt way different. I even felt something in my back pop. I felt more balanced, like my weight was being distributed more evenly. Literally 10 minutes before he called I was praying for signs and wonders. That I would see signs and wonders. So Jesus answered what I asked for, just not in the way I was thinking. I was asking for other people and he does it for me. Haha.
It really made me wonder! He really is a good God. Being on the receiving end of His healing and miracles is really blowing me away! He's blessing me big time. Yahoo! King Jesus is good! Again testimony is the spirit of prophesy. If you need a creative miracle in your body just receive it. Right now just release your manifest presence and glory in the room King Jesus! Your presence is the treasure. When the King shows up, the kingdom stuff shows up. Just turn your affections to Him right now. There is no formula. But if you wanna close your eyes, hold out your hands. Just receive. I declare healing to their bodies! Creative miracles right now! Right now! Thank you Jesus. Someone's eyes are being healed! Take it! Someone's back is being healed! Take it! Someone's knees! Take it! I see some scar tissue dissolving in someone's body. Like it's located in your bones. Like a build up of cartilage looking stuff in your back. I'm not a doctor so I don't know what that is. But just take it!
I broke my toe and for the last 5 days or so I've been hobbling along with crutches. Even the slightest bump on my toe would bring terrible pain. Earlier today Jesse just tapped it and it brought such bad pain I had to take 3 Ibuprofen. I've had it rapped, iced, elevated. It's been green, and swollen. My friend Anthony called me, he was sharing testimonies of encountering angels and how he found a gem. We did a little impartation to each other over the phone and then I asked Him to pray for my toe. (This whole time we're on the phone I have my foot rapped and I'm standing with my crutches) he saw my dad laying his hands on my foot. So I took of my rap and got of my crutches. My dad put his hand on my foot and Anthony said a simple prayer. My dad Lifted his hand and suddenly we heard a pop. It wasn't painful, my foot just made that sound. And I was able to stand. I walked all throughout the house. Jumped. And all the pain was gone! I pulled on my toe that just hours early would hurt if it was just bumped. I wiggled it. My toe was healed! If you're reading this and you need healing, you're getting it right now. Receive it! His presence is gonna fill the room you're in. If you want to, put your hand on your body and declare healing.
The National - High Violet Ryan Adams & The Cardinals - Cold Roses All The Bright Lights - All The Bright Lights Arcade Fire - The Suburbs Bruce Springsteen - The Promise John Mark Mcmillan - The Medicine Kevin Prosch - Palanquin Margolnick - Taylorsville Matrimony - The Storm and The Eye Explosions In The Sky - All Of A Sudden I Miss Everyone Radiohead - In Rainbows Mumford And Sons - Sigh No More Thrice - Beggars The Swell Season - Strict Joy
"I want to propose that the goal of God's leadership in our lives, and consequently, the goal of church leaders, is to create a safe place for us to discover who we are and why we are here. A safe place is a place where the fear of misused freedom doesn't get to rise up and intimidate us out of risking trust and love in our relationships with one another. A safe place is what gets cultivated when freedom is expressed through love. The essence of love is safety and connection. If people don't feel safe to be themselves and don't feel a sense of connection with people around them, then it's hard to convince them that they are in a loving place." - Danny Silk, from his book "Culture of Honor"
Jesus showed us His ultimate pursuit for us and for relationship and intimacy when he came to the earth as a man and went to the cross. Jesus endured the cross for the joy set before Him. . . we were the joy. . . His reward is us. Spending time with Him is giving Him His reward. He's a person to be found out. "We will KNOW the truth and the truth will set us free." That word know means intimacy and intercourse. It's the same word in genesis when it says that "Adam knew Eve his wife and she conceived and bore Cain" He's a lover to be experienced. Seek and find. He's a rewarder of those that seek Him. If there's no reward what's the point. It's ok to want a reward. Proverbs 25 says "It is the glory of God to conceal things, but the glory of kings is to search things out." We get glory for searching.
His delight is in us. Not only that, but we're His desire, His pleasure and His beloved. "The joy of the Lord is our strength"
His joy actually gives us supernatural strength and His joy is us. He gets intoxicated on us.
This is an add on to what I said earlier about God writing through us. Just some random thoughts. I would love to hear what all of you have to say on the matter.
Earlier I said that I thought it was silly when people say God wrote a song through them, partially because it smacks of false humility and partially because I believe God created us to create. However, I do believe that the Spirit of God can give us words that we wouldn't normally sing in and of ourselves, such as in spontaneous worship and whatnot. But even then there's sort of a mixture of our spirits with His. He does write through us, so to speak, but we're right there with Him in the creating process, our hearts becoming one.
And I think He wants us to take compliments. It gives glory to Him, because we were created in His image. Humility isn't defacing ourselves, but knowing who the source is. Also, it's good to recognize that He created us to be unique expressions of Himself with unique voices and giftings. He doesn't want us to be mindless. He doesn't want to control us, contrary to popular belief. He takes joy in our individuality, which is different from independence. We are to be dependent individuals, relying upon Him as our source but also unique in our expression.
I just thought I'd add that on to my earlier brief thought. I'd love to hear other opinions. Blessings and joy!
I always thought it was silly when people said God wrote a song through them. It kinda smacks of false humility. Instead, just say it like it is: I wrote that song. There's nothing prideful about it. God created us to create. Creation can't help but give glory to the ultimate creator.
- Jesse
P.S. At this very moment I am listening to the album "High Violet" by The National. Highly recommended. :)
In one month Jesse and I have written 10 new songs. And they are all pretty diverse. It'll be exciting to put more instrumentation to them. Just thought I'd share that with you guys. :D
