Monday, September 15, 2008

30 comments:

tracy said...

hmmmm I like it.

Erik said...

Hello,

Yes, even if at a dead end, even the open sea can be parted. Keep Moving. Put the key in the ignition (tithe, offerings) crank it up, and put it in drive.

It is well. Regardless of Lehman Brothers, AIG, Merrill Lynch , (Yeah for B of A) , Gas Prices, and the upcoming election. The Spirit creates. God is within, at the center of all. Any adversary, is also an agent of God. The ‘Sea’ parts (that sea that divides the land, ‘no sea’) and land has unfettered connection, as we all have now.

Anonymous said...

BOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMM

Now that I have your attention

He is the only way when there is no way.

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

Bishop you think you started preaching young.....

http://www.godtube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=9c69d4acc9dd49eaf89f

I almost got saved watching this

Peace

Anonymous said...

well for some reason the link wont let you see the video.

but you can go to godtube.com and its featured on the home page.

its called "baby preacher"

Peace

Anonymous said...

well I tried it again and it worked

Anonymous said...

WHEN THIS PASSING WORLD IS DONE

When this passing world is done,
When has sunk yon glaring sun,
When we stand with Christ in glory,
Looking o’er life’s finished story,
Then, Lord, shall I fully know-
Not till then – how much I owe.

When I hear the wicked call,
On the rocks and hills to fall,
When I see them start and shrink
Then, Lord, shall I fully know –
Not till the – how much I owe.

When I stand before the throne,
Dressed in beauty not my own,
When I see Thee as Thou art,
Love Thee with unsinning heart,
Then, Lord, shall I fully know-
Not till then – how much I owe.

When the praise of Heav’n I hear,
Loud as thunders to the ear,
Loud as many waters’ noise,
Sweet as harp’s melodious voice,
Not till the – how much I owe.

Chosen not for good in me,
Wakened up from wrath to flee,
Hidden in the Savior’s side,
By the Spirit sanctified,
Teach me, Lord, on how much I owe.
Robert Murray McCheyne,
In the night I remember your name, O Lord, And I will keep your law.
Psalm 119:55 NIV

NTL said...

To those who come up with the witty inventions, (I speak as one who has) I decree witty marketing strategies.

Bishop, speaking of marketing, I love the supernatural part of the Holy Spirit, sending you to Uganda and the uttermost parts of the Earth to grow a church like no other, in a place where Beelzebubba used to rule and reign.

Your going to the world, is preparing it.

The world is coming to CITN.

Erik said...

Hello,

I understand the idea of what was paid. And, I only want to say ‘Thank You, God, Lord, Holy Spirit’. Sometimes it seems we can so focus on the amount of the bill, we can miss the enjoyment of the meal.

When someone is gracious enough to pay all of the possible bill presented, focusing on how much the bill was, seems almost discourteous, especially since we will never be expected to pay it back. No one that ever pays a bill, or picks up a meal for ANY one , wants the recipient to focus on the cost, they just want them to enjoy the gift. If we people want that, how much more does God want that.

No person, after giving a gift or paying for something, wants the recipient going over and over how much was paid for an item, an evening, a dinner, a home, etc. How much less does God want that. Of course , appreciation. The more the recipient enjoys the gift, freely, purely, - The more the giver enjoys having given it. Of course thankfulness connects, but not to the extent of missing the enjoyment of the gift, but both in conjunction.

No gift is ever ‘owed back’. That is Grace.

Otherwise it is not a gift. It is a loan, and possibly with interest, it is then a commercial (natural or spiritual) venture.

Grace, Salvation is a gift, not a loan. God is not a loanshark. There is no debt involved.

Appreciation is freely given, not an obligation or debt. Truly free exchange of receiving and appreciation is relationship. Owing and debt are business, not necessarily requiring a relationship, only interests and legally enforceable agreements. Jesus fulfilled any agreement, COMPLETELY, FOREVER, any debt has LONG been fulfilled, from the foundation of creation.

Relationship is nothing enforced, only desired. The only gift truly desired is the one truly given by desire. Free choices made based on desire on both ends, not out of obligation on either end. Simply desire.

Anonymous said...

Eric, I do understand that My God is certainly not a loan shark.
But, I also understand what He has done for me. He gives His life for me on Calvary; He forgives and took all my sins for on Calvary, and on Calvary He gives me, my life. Life abundantly!
Yes! I do believe that I owe Him. But the only problem is I can never ever repay Him for all He has done for me. And that’s the reason I said: When I stand before the throne, Dressed in beauty Not my OWN, when I see THEE as THOU ART, love THEE with in sinning heart, then LORD, shall I FULLY KNOW NOT UNTIL THEN HOW MUCH I OWE. CHOSEN NOT FOR GOOD IN ME, WAKENED UP FROM WRATH TO FLEE.
And there’s this one song that words said: HOW MUCH I OWE WHEN CHRIST’S FOR ME. HOW MUCH I OWE I CAN’T TELL YOU, BECAUSE I KNOW WHAT HE DID FOR ME I CAN’T NEVER TELL YOU HOW MUCH I OWE HIM AND CANNOT EVER PAY HIM. NEVER WILL I EVER WILL!
So I do truly understand there’s no way I can repay Jesus for the SACRIFICE HE BLESS MY LIFE WITH. Really the only I can give to Him is my HEART.
So my Friend NEVER CAN I EVER CAN REPAY HIM FOR PAYING EVERYTHING FOR ME, NEVER…..!!!!

LOVE & PEACE

Anonymous said...

Debt of Love

Scripture: 2 Cor. 5:14-21

The verses I just read to you are from one of my favorite passages of Scripture. Paul is talking about that great subject that was never far from his thoughts: the reconciliation of God and man through the death of Christ.

A key verse in this passage is the one that’s probably best known from this chapter—verse 17: “Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature (or a NEW CREATION): old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” What does Paul mean? He means that the man who has been reconciled to God through Christ has new life, new senses, new faculties, new affections, new appetites, new ideas, and new conceptions. He is like a new man in a new world.

Tonight, I just want to look very briefly at one of the ways in which we are changed when we become a new creature in Christ: The person who is a new creature in Christ has an overwhelming sense of indebtedness to the Saviour. I would go as far as to say that it’s the hallmark of every truly born again soul, that he has this sense of the tremendous debt of love that he owes to Christ; and I would also go as far as to say that anyone who has never experienced this tremendous sense of indebtedness has never truly seen the extent of his sin and has never been born again and never been constituted a new creature.

You find this truth all through Paul’s writings. You find it in this passage in 2 Corinthians. Look at verses 14 and 15 again. “For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead: And that he died for all, that they which live SHOULD NOT HENCEFORTH LIVE UNTO THEMSELVES BUT UNTO HIM WHICH DIED for them and rose again.”

What is Paul saying here? He is saying that the person who has come into the realization of all that Christ has done for him on the cross, the infinite debt of sin that has been canceled on his behalf, can never again be his own. This is the purpose of Christ’s death–He has purchased us for Himself. When we stand back from the cross of Calvary and see the suffering Saviour dying our death, paying our debt, suffering our penalty, and coming into raw contact with that vast amount of wrath that had accumulated against us and bearing it away, how can we do anything but fall on our knees and adore Him and pour out our lives for Him and give ourselves away completely to Him? We can never be our own again after such a sight. We can never live our own life henceforth. “That they which live, should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto Him which died for them.”

By nature we all love ourselves. We are in love with self. We love our own way, our own desires, our own way of looking at things. But when we become a new creature, we fall out of love with ourselves. Self is no longer the center; instead, Christ becomes the center, because we realize that because of what He’s done for us, we owe Him everything we have. To love someone means that we put them before ourselves. If we truly love our wife or our husband, we gladly sacrifice our rights, our happiness, our desires in order to make them happy, prosperous, and secure. If we truly love our children, we put them first before ourselves. The same is true with Christ: once we come to the full realization of what He’s done for us, we put Him before ourselves; we put His interests before our own; we put His will before our own will.

“Ye are bought with a price,” Paul says in 1 Cor. 6:20. “Ye are bought with a price, therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.”

Then again in 1 Cor. 7:23 he says something very similar: “Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men.” In other words, be the servants of God, His bondslaves, his love-slaves. It’s impossible to serve men, impossible to serve self when one has come to the full realization of how much one owes to Christ and His cross.

Matthew 20:28 says that “the son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.” He gave Himself entirely for us, and the only possible response is that we give ourselves entirely to Him.

1 Timothy 2:6 also states, “He gave himself a ransom for all.”

Titus 2:14 “Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.” He GAVE HIMSELF, and by doing that, He purified us unto Himself! He made us His own!

1 Peter 1:18 “Forsasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; but with the precious blood of Christ.”

Oh dear folks, how much we owe to Him–what a debt of love! Isaac Watts’ great him says it very well:

But drops of grief could ne’er repay
The debt of love I owe.
Here, Lord, I give myself away,
’Tis all that I can do.

Another hymnwriter sings, “Jesus paid it all: All to Him I owe.”

“The love of Christ constraineth us,” he says in verse 14. What does he mean? “Constrain” is a very expressive word which means to “hold fast”. You remember that when the soldiers took hold of Jesus in the garden that it says they held him fast; well, Paul says this is what the love of Christ has done to him, it has him in a vice-like grip. He is in complete bondage to the love of Christ. You remember also in Luke 19 where Jesus prophesies the destruction of Jerusalem, in verse 43 he says that the invading army will come and cast a trench about Jerusalem and “keep thee in on every side.” That is the same underlying Greek word as the word that Paul uses here translated as “constraineth.” Paul says that he is kept in on every side by the love of Christ. He is compelled to do certain things, and compelled not to do certain other things.

In verse 13 Paul says, “For whether we be beside ourselves, it is to God.” He means that sometimes he gets so carried away in his devotion to Christ that he seems to other men to be acting not quite rationally. You remember, too, that there was an incident in the life of Christ where His family and friends thought that he was taking things a little bit too far, that He was sort of overheated. The incident is recorded in Mark 3:21 “And when his friends heard of it, they went out to lay hold on him: for they said, He is beside himself.” Has anyone ever accused you of being beside yourself because of your devotion to Christ? I don’t mean that we deliberately act silly, but there are times in the life of the believer when we are so carried away in devotion to Him that people may think we are not quite normal, not acting quite rationally.

Are you a new creature in Christ? If so, you are conscious tonight of the tremendous debt you owe to Christ, and you have laid down your life at His feet to be no longer your own, but to be His servant for ever.

Anonymous said...

hmmm what to say, what to say......GOOD MORNING!!!

Have a blessed Day...

I'm Going to!

PEACE
_/][ttttt][\_
<*}}}><

Anonymous said...

I owed a debt I could not pay.

God paid the debt that was not owed.

I understand most of what you said Erik except perhaps the one line "it is then a commercial (natural or spiritual) venture" in relationship to the idea of Grace.

We are all saying the same thing from our own views. I am in agreement that I owe an unpayable debt. In my view of that debt having been paid before the foundation of the world, I see that Grace is a venture from the place of Perfect Love into a place to understand that Love by the contrast of the knowledge of good and evil.

There is a sense of wanting to buy our way back to where we came but the venture is underway and beyond the point of no return. There is only the going onward and upward to infinity and beyond now.

The gift of Grace that is given without the possility of being repaid is so beyond our present level of understanding that it must simply be either recieved or rejected.

I choose to recieve it and Erik's words show that he has made the same choice.

I believe that the anons have also made that choice and are attempting to articulate their appreciation for the gift.

The best method, from my perspective, of showing appreciation is to accept the gift with my face toward God in a warm expression of my adoration.

Beyond that return of gratitude my next best offering of worship is to try to emulate God's action toward others.

JB

Unknown said...

If I may be bold before you, Lord?

A pillar of fire too, please?

We stand here, trusting You

tracy said...

Wow- lots going on here this morning! I must say I kinda don't like the word debt either. In our world today, I don't like it for obvious reasons. In biblical terms I kinda can't get away from it's meaning in worldly terms. I do believe our debt has been settled once and for all and that of course was at the cross, actually before we were even formed in our mother's womb. I think the whole salvation is a gift (for all) relieved us of any debt. Should we honor God with all of our gifts? Of course. Should we show our fellow man the same favor? Absolutely.

Erik said...

Bought with a price and immediately freed, as if one was a against slavery, purchased all of the slaves in a land, and immediately set them free. They all appreciate, love the One who did this. The One did it because of love for the captives.

Once free, in appreciation, gratitude, seeing the example of this wondrous love, that they had not done, now show that same love for captives they come across. The former captives now spread the news to any captives they see, that they indeed are actually free.

There is no obligation that they remain in slavery, or in captivity. The One has handled any issue. How ? Why? When ? some might ask. Why, How , When ? – Love First.

Ahhh , The New Wine fills the new, freed, wineskin. Everything is different. On top of that, there is New Wine again and again, and each succeeding wineskin is shed for the New Wine. The New Wine is the same grape, but finer and finer. Every time is a new awakening, glory to glory.

In all of this the free ones have something that directs their actions, a yoke one could describer, but a yoke that is light (of no hindrance) and light that provides greater vision. It is love.

The beautiful, shared love of God, of each other, and ourselves. As intrinsically as God, The Holy Spirit, the Christ, has woven into us, around us, connecting into our core, and connecting us at the core, the Spirit, with every other.

To Love God, is to Love Others, ourselves. It is not possible to love God and not others, or ourselves. It is not possible to love others, without loving God and ourselves. It is not possible to love ourselves without loving others and God. That is so excellent !!!!!!!!!

In the midst of all of this, God leaves intact the individual identity of every Spirit created, ever. We all share the experience in this physical reality, and know each other in The Spirit, and the physical manifestations of our Spirits here, are also entwined beautifully, but unique.

The desire to love is exponential of anything else imagined or experienced. With this, desire is complete, to love, worship, praise thank , live, laugh, cry, appreciate, honor, experience all, freely eat and drink Gods love and life in, enjoying it with every other one.

Desire does not understand obligation.

Anonymous said...

A source of gratitude

I have observed something when I visited my sister at the place where she works. The happiest patients often seem to be those who are already blind or perhaps are restricted to wheelchair. Through what they have lost physically, they experience a more profound gratitude and appreciation for what they still have. Similarly, the paradox of experiencing a broken Spirit makes greater hope and joy possible. The apostle Paul declared this reality.

But we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. ROMANS 5:3-5

To be a true Christian requires a special touch from God by the person of the Holy Spirit. It is in brokenness and humility, our coming to God and pursuing His way instead of ours, that we begin the progression into a deep, authentic, living faith in God, filled with hope and joy ---and GRATITUDE

My path and yours toward a true relationship with God starts with the acknowledgment and appreciation of the miracle and majesty of God’s hand within the sixty trillion cells and DNA blueprint that comprise the human body. The design includes the consciousness of God written in our minds. Acknowledging that design, we must rise above our passions selfishness, and weaknesses. We can only do that by coming to the Savior and finding the cleansing and empowerment He provides through His redemptive work on the Cross.

Tracy, you may like the word debt, I can understand that. Because I don’t like that notion either! But why do we always say: “I owed my life to Jesus for a debt I could never repay.”

Lord, so many who do not know you think that you are a demanding, selfish God. So many think you are but a cosmic boss on a power trip. So many contest the idea that you are a God of love, feeling that you made us all just so you would be adored all the more! Help them and me to see that you are nothing of the kind! But in fact, you are a God who always thinks of Himself last. In the light of such incredible selfless love, in the light of a God who gives beyond human comprehension how can I not give you every fiber of myself in return!

God you made Him who had no sin to sin. (2 Corinthians 5:21)
I want to thank you Lord for loving me so, that you send Your only SON to take all of sins. And to also die for me. THANK YOU!

Anonymous said...

Tracy, you may not like the word debt, I can understand that. Because I don’t like that notion either!
But why do we always say: “I owed my life to Jesus,because of a debt I could never repay.”
LOVE & PEACE

Erik said...

It is my desire, inside and out, loving God, loving others, loving myself.

To whomever I meet, in the manner that hopefully works best for them, I ‘say’ - Here, try some of the wine I was given, it is really good, and the intoxicating taste, aroma, and quality is like nothing else. Here, have some, your heart will be filled with desire, engulfed in the light of love, joy, and peace. This wine was created by God, Prepared by The Christ (Faithful and True) distributed by The Holy Spirit for free, for every single one.

Anon, I think we are saying the same thing, you say Debt and I say Desire.

Anonymous said...

You’re so right Eric!
We are saying the same thing all right. DEBT OR DESIRE FINE! As long as you and me share the same view. Right!

Let’s add this to our agreement. “RELTIONSHIP IS THE HEART OF THE GOSPEL. “ LOVE” IS THE HEART OF RELATIONSHIP.
LOVE YOU ERIC & ALL OF YOU BLOGGERS

Anonymous said...

Erik,
On the tablets of our hearts.
Peace.
anon 4:41

Anonymous said...

No Erik,
It’s Anon: 9/15/08 at 11:42; 2:10; 10:35; and 12:13
Peace & love

Anonymous said...

In regards, to the post from last night Bishop published, God does open the sea when we are at our dead end. I have been at a dead end for months now and yet is still faithful and still on the throne and still performing miracles. I do and have tried everything humanly possible to generate more income and I am moving in every area I know. I know that it is in Him that I move and live and have my being and in this season, He is lovingly teaching me that it is by His spirit and not by my might or power.

So, I continue to walk on water, way away from the shore with no land in sight fully expecting to see the sea divided. I am moving as well as standing still and seeing the salvation of the Lord!

Bishop, thank you for being diligient in your daily blogs and posts. This ministry is really important. Sometimes in my moving, I look in a hours or days later, but the word is still rhema and exactly what I need.

Water Walker!

tracy said...

Anon- I was not brought up in church and all of the debt songs and debt references are foreign to me. What I do know of debt is that it is something to be paid back, and to my understanding that was all settled way before my time. I agree with Eric our wordage is just different. My apologies for any offense and I certainly do not want to sound like I am anything sufficient without Him. I have just never personally said I "owe" my life to Jesus, I just gave it to Him freely to have his way with. He already had it to begin with-but I surrendered my will to Him. It was established that we all belong to Him, the cross to me was just a visual for our unbelief, the ultimate sacrifice. If we had not heard from the ones who had seen- there would be nothing for that faith to be built upon. I have a special needs daughter and I tend to oversimplify and take things at face value as she does. For instance-I took her to the female doctor this week for severe cramping (ya'll don't weird out on me-just hear me out). Anyway, Bailey has the mind of a four year old, but the body of a teenager. So the doctor gets her on the table and begins to ask her very detailed questions about her cycle. Time frames, etc....Bailey having not a clue what she is talking about sits quietly and nods her head to answer everything. When the doctor is finished, she asks Bailey if she has any questions. To which Bailey replies, "yes, can I have a sticker." So I didn't mean to stir up any discord- I love all opinions, wordage, and ideas here so am just going to end this with, can I have a sticker?

Anonymous said...

Erik, today only, it's anon 24/7.

Kistah said...

As we wait for the sea to part, we must allow "The House That Love Built" to Bear all things, Believe all things, Hope all things and Endure all things. Today's AYITN entry is quite fitting for our "Moments of Waiting" as well. ...... ref. Revelation give to Bishop

Even at a dead end, as we wait for the sea to part...God still wants us to "GO!!...Do Something!"
.... ref.Revelation given to Pastor Enrique

Because Jesus has shown us that even in death, there is no end ....
we cannot consider fainting. We ARE strong specimens.

Anonymous said...

Yes Tracey,

You can have a sticker.

God

Bishop Jim Swilley said...

Wow, I'm amazed that you got all that from "parting the sea"!

I didn't post at the regular time because I was having some flu-like symptoms from all of my shots for the Uganda trip and went to bed early. I feel much better today...is this what the rest of the world feels like with 8 hours sleep? I'm thinkging of looking into it. Maybe sleep isn't so overrated, after all!

Anyway, thanks for the very interesting exchange. You all rock!

Bishop Jim Swilley said...

I'm also "thinking" of looking into it!