Judging according to the flesh is death

Sometimes I will post honest stuff that is going on, in the hopes that someone else will benefit. This quote, “Jesus called Peter a 'rock' long before Peter was stable and mature. He leads us by calling out what He sees, not calling out our failures.” is a very nice summary of what I apologized to my wife for yesterday. After 15 years we could both easily compose a long list of faults and failures, but, to do so would not be "believing all things" like the Bible says 'lovers' do! It would be ignoring the very sound advice of 2 Cor. 5:16 to not judge each other according to the flesh.  So, my earnest desire is to "see" what God is doing in my wife and to rejoice in that and to let all the other stuff fade away. Onward!

Luke 7:47

"For this reason I say to you, her sins, which are many, have been forgiven, for she loved much; but he who is forgiven little, loves little." Luke 7:47 The lesson is simple if you KNOW you have been shown great mercy you love extravagantly, unconventionally, dangerously, but if you are "forgiven little" if you are in very little need of His mercy then your heart will dispense tiny little, conditional drips of love that are calculated to please your 'pretty good, thank you' delusional self.  And "love" always includes the word "sacrifice" in its definition.

http://prayingmedic.com/2015/06/17/is-love-enough/

Psalm 86

Keeping it simple.

Our nature is to need mercy, 

His nature is to show mercy.  

Our job is to say "Thank you."

Open letter to Pastors

This is what I see in scripture.  Your job first of all is to admit that you should not be the singular leader of the congregation.  The leadership of a local body of believers is to be by an eldership.  Men gifted in differing ways working together to equip the saints.  Is this impossible no, but it will be hard and it does call for humility, but given the opportunity to teach the local gathering the truths of scripture, those who are truly called will be supportive of the change.  The second part may take care of itself.  We need to gather in smaller groups, that are more broken, intimate and vulnerable than the ridiculously large group that we currently meet in.  Lastly, waiting on the Lord, is key in how we move forward, it is costly, it is counter intuitive, it is the truth of the Word, and it brings death to the flesh, like nothing else can.  Grace, peace and mercy from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Election picks a fight with pride

Election, God's choice, of Joseph, of Jacob, of Abraham, of Isaac, of the Jewish people is meant to pick a fight with pride.  His choosing uncovers our deep, unspoken, but universal, feeling of entitlement.  Only when we are connected intimately with the truth that we NEED the mercy of God are we free of entitlement and its out-working pride.

He Lived By the Word of God

http://followthelamb.net/23/SID23365.mp3 it starts at about 1 hour and 4 minutes.

Art Katz in the message Absolute Surrender does something I only have heard him do one time in all of the sermons I have listened to.  His voice rises, and rises and becomes a loud shout by the end of this part of the speaking.  
"Your impatience and unwillingness to wait for the revelation of God related to your decision, is because your self-gratification is more important than your obedience to God.  You haven't asked, 'Lord what would you have for me to do?' And not to move until He will answer, even if it kills you, because you love Him so much that obedience to Him is much more important than your own gratification.  You will stay by the brook and be fed by the ravens even till the stream dries up. 'But Art we've got common sense, the stream is drying up, we need to make some other type of preparation, we've got to find some other source of supply.'
Elijah never moved by such reckonings as that.  He would prefer to perish by a stream that had dried up, than that he should initiate by his own skull some other course of action...He did not move until the word of the Lord came unto him saying, 'Arise and get thee to Zarephath Sidon for I have commanded a widow woman there to feed thee.' So he arose and went and did according to the word of the Lord.
He didn't live by streams,
He didn't live by circumstance,
He didn't live by human logic and reason,
He lived by the word of God!  (and there is no other living than that.)"

Art Katz quotes that speak of suffering in a way no one else can.

So the question comes, "Haven't you listened to that Art Katz teaching a hundred times?" Then on 101, I truly hear this for the first time and I am glad I listened just one more time....#1)   "The more profound the calling, the more profound the preparation, the more necessity for suffering in its attainment. The only reason why you stagger at this, that Israel would have to bear this logic is because you've not received it for yourself, because you don't see the necessity for suffering in the fulfillment of your call and your destiny. That is why your walk and your service is less than and other, than God's apostolic and prophetic intention. You are shrinking from the suffering that is intrinsic to the preparation of any vessel that is to be used by God in the things that pertain to His glory. Because you are unwilling for it yourself you shrink from Israel having to consider it." Message entitled. "Jewish Unbelief"
#2)  "You need a prophetic and priestly intrusion.  You need someone to blow the whistle on things you accepted as normative and thought that was what this life as all about.  This comes from priestly men who see through the apparent things and whose hearts palpitate for the glory of God, and know that there is a sinister world that conspires against truth, against reality, against eternity.  This is the priestly function to show things as God Himself see them to those who would otherwise be mesmerized and live their lives fruitlessly and die that way."  Message entitle "An OVerview of the Mystery of Israel"
#3)"The entrance into the ultimate calling of the 'body of believers' is suffering that is received with gratitude as coming from the hand of God, in His great sovereignty, wisdom and necessity as that which precedes the glory."  Message entitled "Israel the Suffering Servant Part 2"
When God makes us aware of the 'truth of our condition' deep heart felt repugnance at our own efforts takes over, we realize in the very core of our being that we need a Savior and that salvation is from the wrath of God, justly and rightly executed on sin.