We have terrible steps in our house. They have sharp edges. They are too short for my size 13 foot, They are jagged, and they often hurt my feet. I have so many times walked down them and hurt my arches, toes, the balls of my foot or otherwise really bruised them. So much so that I finally got tired of it. So, I purchased soft cushy carpet step covers. They are brilliant! So soft and cushy they make my feet rejoice. I want to just stand on the steps now, and enjoy the comfort! After only a day of having these new carpet covers, I tried to go up the steps. As I took my first step I was remembering and preparing myself for the pain of walking up the old steps, as if there were no carpets there. I got myself ready and almost cringed as I began to walk up the stairs. My muscle memory got the best of my body, but as soon as my foot hit the stairs, I felt the new carpets! It was a feeling of relief, joy, and happiness that hit me. My body immediately relaxed. Suddenly, I felt like my feet were delivered from the incessant torture that they received every time I would walk up and down the steps for the past three years. I thought immediately of our new life in Christ. We sometimes come back to the same situations of life that we had experienced before Christ. Often in those moments I have thought, "oh no! here it comes again, the pain, the sin, the hurt, the torture of our everyday life apart from Christ!" And we even sometimes physically cringe and prepare ourselves for the onslaught of whatever condemnation is coming our way, like I did when I tried to go up the stairs. Romans 8:1 says, "there is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” We are free from the cringeworthy life that we knew before Christ, sort of like the cringing, and pain of my stairs. Are you preparing yourself around every corner for the condemnation of the world, like I was preparing myself for with our torturous stairs? You can be free from all condemnation through faith in Christ! If you have not decided for Christ, then don’t wait! Choose to be free of the cringeworthy condemnation of this world. Place your faith in Christ choose freedom! Christian, If you are in Christ, stop cringing like there is some condemnation coming, prepare for the blessings of life in Christ. Act like you are a son or daughter of God, and adopted into his family! You are not longer cursed, but eternally blessed in Christ!
Sometimes we Christians are preparing ourselves for a condemnation and a curse, and Jesus says, "Where are your accusers? Didn't even one of them condemn you?…Neither do I condemn you; go, and sin no more (John 8:10).” Jesus does not condemn us because he was found to be a curse for us. “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us…Galatians 3:13). He was condemned in our place so that he can in return say, “Neither do I condemn you.” Are you like me preparing for pain, torture, and condemnation. Or are you expecting blessing, freedom, and justification because that is your position in Christ! This was a freeing realization, an epiphany that I walk around as a Christian expecting condemnation even though I am free from all condemnation. Not only am I free from condemnation, but I am a recipient of his glorious eternal blessing, which is the exact opposite of condemnation. How can I walk around as if I am about to receive a foot beating like I got every time I walked up and down my stairs. I recently watched the new movie “Tortured for
Christ” the story of Richard Wurmbrand who spent many years in Communist prisons. His feet were so badly beaten that he could no longer walk regularly for the rest of his life. I remember vividly when he visited my Bible school and sat on the stage in his wheelchair because he could no longer walk on his own because his feet were so badly beaten all those years. He said that although the prison had taken his physical freedom away he had never felt more free. In his book “Tortured for Christ" he wrote, “I have found truly jubilant Christians only in the Bible, in the Underground Church and in prison.” He had found the freedom that Christ had won for him on the cross and had no longer let himself be bound by the constraints of this world, Oh, Lord let us taste of the same wine that these men of faith tasted. Let us walk up the stairs of freedom and blessing. Lord we will no longer walk up the step of torture and condemnation! For you have set us free, and, “if the Son sets you free you will be free indeed (John 8:36)."
I just started a class called the Theology of Work. As I was wrapping my head around the concept of Work and how God views work and how we view God according to work, I came up with a
Before and after the Garden (Michelangelo Sistine)
"flow of consciousness" note. I wrote this after a discussion with a good friend, and I thought these ideas were worth sharing. Adam and Eve in the Garden received the first command and it is the command of work to name the animals and to rule and have dominion of Creation. This is often called the "Creation Mandate." It was a freeing, life giving, partnership with God in the ruling, ordering, and reign of creation. However, after the fall our work was cursed “man will toil by the sweat of his brow” and the woman will "bring forth children in pain in childbirth."
God then sent them out of the garden, and from then on God cursed the ground with thistles and
thorns. Work was no longer a blessing but a curse, and men had to struggle and strive to earn which
"Expulsion from Eden" (Doré)
was the exact opposite of what they had from God previously in the garden. God gave them of every fruit of the trees in the Garden. We see this in the scripture “the wages of sin is death” we earn death through the work of our hand after the fall. So, after the fall, work was no longer a wonderful life giving command from God but rather a curse that brought toil, sweat, striving and difficulty. We see this in such scripture as “if a man does not work he cannot eat.” In this we see that laziness is tied to the curse. It is also tied to our need for sustenance. Our sustenance through food is tied to the curse. What are we now sustained by? Our own toil and effort. We cannot ever really rest. We must keep working to live. We have rests in between, but the commonality between all humans is that we have to work for our sustenance.
Work certainly has hints of the blessing, but also, we sense and see the reality of the curse. We have to work for everything. In this, God sets up our readiness to receive the gospel. God in the gospel has made up for what we lack. He has made up for what we could not, and never will attain in all our striving. We always fall short in our striving which we find in our work. Certainly we achieve things in our work-a-day world. We finish projects, build beautiful structures, help patients, produce beautiful art, and design amazing technology, but our work always falls short. Our work is limited, flawed, never enough. Especially as it pertains to righteousness. We will never be able to do enough to even tip the scales in our direction. The standard for salvation, or to be able to stand before a holy God, would be sinless perfection. Moreover, we would have to be actively completely righteous as Christ was in His active obedience to the Father. But alas, we fall woefully short in our striving. The work of Christ, on the other hand, is plenty. Not just enough, but more than enough.
That is how the writer of Hebrews talks about entering the rest of God. In creation, even God, the creator, worked for six days and on the seventh day he rested. That is why he commanded the seventh day for rest. The writer of Hebrews describes “entering his rest” and that Jesus is our rest. Jesus also describes that he is the “Lord of the Sabbath.” This is fitting. He is not just Lord of the day, but he is also Lord of the rest found on that day. The Sabbath was created so that we could find rest from our constant doing. That complete and final rest was never to be fully found on that day. That day was created for rest so we will one day look to where our true rest comes from. We never find true rest in the 7th day of rest, because the next day we are all back at it again. And the cycle continues. The Sabbath was created for us to build a longing for the true Sabbath. And that true Sabbath is not a day, but rather a person, the creator of days, Jesus Christ himself is the true Sabbath. In Christ we see that he has accomplished our final rest, and "It is Finished” was his cry.
The gospel is the final rest for man. The good news is Christ's cross. When we look at Christ and his work on the cross, upon which he worked on our behalf, to please a God which we could not have pleased, we find rest from our toil. He has pleased a God we could not have pleased, and accomplished a work which we could not have accomplished even if we had had an eternity to do so. God said how pleased he was with his Son, when he said, “This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.” We find our true and final rest in him, because God was finally pleased and propitiated with the work of Christ on the Cross. D.A. Carson wrote in his book Scandalous: The Cross and Resurrection of Jesus, "In pagan propitiation, a human being offers a propitiatory sacrifice to make a god propitious. In Christian propitiation, God the Father sets forth Jesus as the propitiation to make himself propitious; God is both the subject and the object of propitiation. God is the one who provides the sacrifice precisely as a way of turning aside his own wrath. God the Father is thus the propitiator and the propitiated, and God the Son is the propitiation." (see source at end of post).
He has provided an answer to the work that cursed us in the Fall, and by his grace we have and will enter our rest in him. On that day, we must work and toil no more. He will at long last be our final rest!
There is a new move in Evangelicalism toward a “Signs and Wonders” orientation. The signs and wonders movement claims to be evangelical, Bible believing, and Christian. They place much hope and emphasis on experiences with signs and wonders. The embracing of the signs and wonders movement is most starkly seen in the widespread Evangelical acceptance of Bethel Church, and its leader Bill Johnson by much of the evangelical world. Although there is a large group of theologians and Evangelical leaders that are critical of the “signs and wonders” movement there is also a large group that have taken on the movement as a truly biblically orthodox movement.
I would like to share with you why we should not seek signs and wonders, and why any sign or wonder should not make me happy. There are many leaders in this movement, including Bill Johnson[1]that teach that without some sign or wonder that a full proclamation of the gospel has not happened. This belief that the gospel can only be truly proclaimed with signs an wonders, or else it is insufficient as a true gospel proclamation could not be biblical, because of Jesus words that I will share and exegete at the end of this post. But first let me show you what is meant in this movement by signs and wonders.
In the “signs and wonders” movement there is a great pursuit of “miracles” or “signs and wonders” as they are called in the New Apostolic Reformation and the Third Wave Movement. There is a heavy emphasis on these miracles which include healings, speaking in tongues, prophecy, words of knowledge, visions, dreams, being “Slain in the Spirit,” being “in the Spirit.” By which they mean an out of body experience where your spirit has traveled into the spirit realm. There is a pursuit of seemingly occult like practices including practices in the relatively new movements which practice things like “glory clouds” of God’s presence filled with “gold dust,” angel feathers falling, gems appearing, conjuring angel orbs, fire tunnels (in which they employ Kundalini methods), spirit travel, out-of-body experiences, and “healings.” They also practice portal travel (where people claim they can go through portals to other places physically, which is obviously a New Age / Occult practice), extra-biblical revelation. Often a prophet or Apostle will give a “New Revelation.” They try to practice raising the dead, also charismatic praying in tongues, soaking, new wine movement, drunken glory, visualization, laughter (Toronto Blessing), and animal sounds while filled with the Spirit. I do not condemn tongues if done orderly as the Bible explains in 1st Corinthians 14:26-40.
The many practices that the NAR employs when “Slain in the Spirit” are never mentioned in the Bible. Some other NAR practices are contemplative or meditative, where they teach emptying the mind or repeating one word from the Bible, which is not a historical Christian meditative practice. Meditation for the Christian is filling our minds with Scripture. Some of these practices include chanting and soaking, which are taught in Bethel school’s SOZO ministry. The movement practices contemplative prayers, soaking prayers, labyrinths, the “silence,” centering prayers, breath prayers and what they call the “prophetic act of waking up angels.”
One of the most beloved shows of NAR leaders and its adherents is the show “Its Supernatural” with Sid Roth which he deals with topics such as angel worship/visitation, portal travel, heaven tourism, eavesdropping on conversations between the Trinity, the Bible Code controversy, teleportation, “downloading the mysteries of money,” seeing the invisible spirit world, language/worship of heaven, dream interpretation, and blood moon prophecy. Most recently the translator of The Passion Translation Brian Simmons appeared on the show “Its Supernatural.” He said he had a vision of Jesus in the “Library of Heaven” in which Jesus said he would give him the 22nd book of John to translate, not now but later. Here is the full interview.
Simmons begins to describe his vision at the 17 minute mark. This emphasis on the supernatural and “signs and wonders” displays patterns in the NAR and Third Wave movement of ministry where they exhibit a boundaryless engagement with supernatural realms.
To paraphrase the practices of the modern signs and wonders movement, they practice laughter, falling, shaking, prophecy (Psychic Clairvoyance), portal travel, extra-biblical revelation, raising the dead, tongues, soaking or centering prayer, new wine movement, drunken glory, visualization, laughter, animal sounds while “Spirit-filled,” conjuring angel orbs, fire tunnels, spirit travel or out-of-body experiences, angel worship, heaven tourism, teleportation, dream interpretation, and healings. NAR churches also claim that gold dust, oil, glory clouds, angel feathers, and gems have appeared on people.
First, let us be clear that these signs and wonders are not biblical at all. Moreover, they mirror some sort of occult practice, and not biblical signs and wonders that are seen in the New Testament. The list of things practiced in the signs and wonders movement are wholly unbiblical, terrifying, weird, and even a little creepy. Beyond all that they put the emphasis in the wrong place. Jesus is clear in Luke 10:17-20 we should rejoice in our salvation rather than that spirits are subject to us. We should be more grateful for our salvation than signs and wonders. We should rejoice that our names are written in Heaven. How do our names get written in Heaven? How are our names inscribed in the eternal book of life? What is salvation? I would like to describe what salvation actually is so that it becomes quite easy to rejoice in it.
We were dead in our trespasses and sins you were made alive in Christ. That is the supreme Miracle (Ephesians 2).
We were rebels against God (Romans 13:2; Romans 8:7 Romans 5).
We were unable to help ourselves or receive God’s grace which is sometimes in theology referred to as “Effectual Calling” (Phil 2:13; John 6:44; 2 Timothy 2:25; 2 Peter 1:3; Matt 22:14; Ephesians 1:4-5).
To be saved we must be and were born again. Which is being born from of the water and the Spirit a supernatural birth from above (John 3).
We were made children of God and were not born of Human will, but born of God (John 1:12-13 Colossians 3:12-13).
God’s kindness led us to repentance (Romans 2:4).
He took the blinders off our eyes to be able to see and receive Christ (2 Cor. 3:12-16; John 12:40; Acts 26:18; Eph 1:18).
God offered Jesus as the propitiation of our sins. Those same sins that we could have never received forgiveness for outside of Christ (Rom 3:25).
He crushed the head of the serpent the devil by “destroying the works of the enemy” (1 John 3:8).
He was cursed on our behalf “cursed is everything that is hung from a tree” (Galatians 3:13).
God seated us with Christ in the heavenlies (Ephesians 2:6).
He was raised for our salvation and culmination as one who will one day received a glorious body like unto his (1 Corinthians 15).
He gave us freedom from the effects of the fall (Romans 8:2).
God presented Christ as the atoning sacrifice for our sins so that we could have peace with God (Romans 3:25-26).
We were adopted into God’s family before the foundations of the earth (Ephesians 1:4).
We have been raise with Christ (Colossians 3:1).
This is just a very short list of what God has done for us in Christ by saving us. As you can clearly see salvation that God has accomplished for us in Christ is way more supernatural than any other act. God has made dead men rise to live with Jesus, and called sinners to repentance.
Jesus describes in Luke 10:17-20 What our posture towards signs and wonders should be. Miracles should not be nearly as important as salvation, and the supernatural nature of what happens when God quickens the hearts of men to salvation.
“(17) The seventy-two returned with joy, saying, "Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!" (18) And he said to them, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. (19) Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you. (20) Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.””
Our joy should be in the Lord and his magnificent power to raise the hearts of men and women to respond to God. He has written our names in heaven, he has given us every blessing in the heavenliness, he has raised us up with Christ, and we are co-heirs with Christ. We should not be happy or have joy about Pseudo-miracles, or pretend miracles, or for that matter, even real miracles. As Christ said, we should rather rejoice in the Savior that the miracles point to.
The word that Luke attributes to Christ’s words and we translate as “written” in heaven is Grapho (γράφω). This word means enrolled, written, inscribed, carved or to engrave something permanently. This word that Jesus uses describes also the eternality of our union with Him and how that salvation will be of an eternal nature, because our names will be forever engraved in the book of life in heaven. When you trusted Christ your name was engraved on the eternal granite of the throne room of heaven.
The word that Jesus uses for rejoice is Chairo (χαίρω) It means to be cheerful, calmly happy, well-off, to be well, be glad, joyful, or rejoice. Where is the joy in our salvation? Are you glad and better off as a result of your being made a son or daughter of God? Many in this movement would rejoice that someone is “healed,” or that some strange miracle happened, and barely mention salvation found in Christ. The movement also stirs up a craving and desire for more of the same, but Jesus says here quite plainly do not rejoice that demons are subject to you, but that your names are “engraved" in heaven. Of course we should be glad of the authority that we have in Christ over the principalities and powers of the unseen world. By the way that authority is only given to us by God through salvation and His good grace, not through our own effort. I am not saying that we cannot be glad for our authority over principalities and powers, but that gladness should be dwarfed in comparison to the gladness we feel at our salvation. So let us rejoice and be glad that, in Christ, our names are eternally and irreversibly engraved on the granite halls of the throne room of heaven! We can be truly glad, happy, and rejoice that we get to call on His name and that He has saved our souls. We look to the heavens and our help comes from the Lord. He saves your soul, so rejoice!
[1]Johnson wrote in His book “When Heaven Invades Earth a Practical Guide to a Life of Miracles,” on page 126 “Without miracles there can never be a full revelation of Jesus.” and on page 127 he wrote, “Miracles provide the grace for repentance.” And further he says, “Here the apostle Paul demonstrates how the Gentiles were brought into obedience through the power of the Spirit of God, expressed in signs and wonders. This was what he considered as fully preaching the gospel. It wasn’t a complete message without a demonstration of the power of God. It’s how God says amen to His own declared word!”
We have terrible steps in our house. They have sharp edges. They are too short for my size 13 foot, They are jagged, and they often hurt my feet. I have so many times walked down them and hurt my arches, toes, the balls of my foot or otherwise really bruised them. So much so that I finally got tired of it. So, I purchased soft cushy carpet step covers. They are brilliant! So soft and cushy they make my feet rejoice. I want to just stand on the steps now, and enjoy the comfort! After only a day of having these new carpet covers, I tried to go up the steps. As I took my first step I was remembering and preparing myself for the pain of walking up the old steps, as if there were no carpets there. I got myself ready and almost cringed as I began to walk up the stairs. My muscle memory got the best of my body, but as soon as my foot hit the stairs, I felt the new carpets! It was a feeling of relief, joy, and happiness that hit me. My body immediately relaxed. Suddenly, I felt like my feet were delivered from the incessant torture that they received every time I would walk up and down the steps for the past three years. I thought immediately of our new life in Christ. We sometimes come back to the same situations of life that we had experienced before Christ. Often in those moments I have thought, "oh no! here it comes again, the pain, the sin, the hurt, the torture of our everyday life apart from Christ!" And we even sometimes physically cringe and prepare ourselves for the onslaught of whatever condemnation is coming our way, like I did when I tried to go up the stairs. Romans 8:1 says, "there is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” We are free from the cringeworthy life that we knew before Christ, sort of like the cringing, and pain of my stairs. Are you preparing yourself around every corner for the condemnation of the world, like I was preparing myself for with our torturous stairs? You can be free from all condemnation through faith in Christ! If you have not decided for Christ, then don’t wait! Choose to be free of the cringeworthy condemnation of this world. Place your faith in Christ choose freedom! Christian, If you are in Christ, stop cringing like there is some condemnation coming, prepare for the blessings of life in Christ. Act like you are a son or daughter of God, and adopted into his family! You are not longer cursed, but eternally blessed in Christ!
