Hi all,
When I was about 17 I got into a heated argument with my mother about faith. At the time, I was focused on scriptures that talked about the victory of faith, and told my mother words to the effect, 'If you have enough faith, you won't have problems, because scripture says we have overcome the world.'

Mom was about 41 years old at the time and was raising 4 kids on her own after dad had left 6 years earlier, so she had experienced the great joy of raising a family according to how she dreamed life would be, then experienced the shattering of all those dreams. Like someone carefully walking barefoot across a room littered with pieces of a broken mirror, her dreams which once were a solid reflection back to her, now lay scattered and incomplete, never to be assembled again, and any misstep among the pieces could cut her and cause great pain to her and her children.

I was still wet behind the ears, had never paid a mortgage or related bills, and the paychecks from summer jobs if measured out carefully, allowed Barb and I to go on dates through the school year.

With me standing firm on my belief that with enough faith a person could have a smooth life with the fulfillment of all their dreams, and mom standing firm on her belief that faith helped you walk through life's troubles, she brought it to a close with this: "You just need a few more miles under your feet."

The culture of church
When I studied the differences between the way Paul did church and the way church is done in the traditional church today, I saw the differences were more than meeting in an auditorium or meeting in a home.

The culture taught in popular charismatic Christianity is very similar to what I argued with my mom - If you have enough faith, can rebuke the right demon, can move God enough, speak the Word enough, can find that 1 spiritual key to unlock the answers you need, you will have a smooth life. That was me until age 22.

Miles under the feet
That change in our life happened when our oldest son, at age 8 months, was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy, a condition referring to any brain injury incurred during labor or delivery. The doctor told Barb to "Put him in a home and forget you ever had him, and go on and have more babies and raise your family and live your life."

She was in tears when she called me at work, her anguish becoming mine over Chris' condition, our hearts ripped to shreds while indignant at the doctor's suggestion.

That night we gave Chris his bath, and carefully wrapped him in a warm blanket and laid him on the soft bath mat. As he lay looking up at us, we laid hands on him, telling the Father we reject the doctor's diagnosis and advice, commanded Chris to be healed, and gave thanks to the Father for the gift of Chris.

Help God along
We stood on the Word, but as he grew it became clear the diagnosis was correct. We learned faith does not call what is as though it is not. Faith is not the denial of facts one must deal with in the here and now.

Chris went through various tests while we stood on the Word and sought the key to the puzzle of his healing. What could we pray, fast, confess, bind, loose, to get the job done? We debated if giving him physical and speech therapy was in faith, or against faith. We spent every penny on getting him whatever therapy might help bring about God's healing in his body. We looked for ways to help God, willing to try nearly anything to help bring about God's promises in his life.

One day I was yet again speaking scripture over him and suddenly the Father broke in: "What are you doing?" He asked. "I'm speaking the Word over him". "What scripture are you standing on?" He asked. I replied, "I Peter 2:24; Who His own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree, that we being dead to sins should live unto righteousness. By whose stripes you were healed." He replied, "Very well. Can you believe the promise?" I said, "Yes, I believe" And He said, "Then rest."

At that point I went from trying to make things happen by my faith, to resting in the fact His Word is true and faith in Him is rest, as Hebrews 4:9-11 says of faith, when we cease our own efforts and simply rest in Him.

Faith: The response to grace
But much of traditional church culture is still trying to make things happen by faith. What I read in the Bible however is that faith is merely a response to grace. Grace makes it happen, and grace is a revelation from the Father either of Him or of His will. Faith is our response to grace, and grace is a revelation of the Father and/or His will.

Noah didn't build a boat of his own intiative. He received grace in the eyes of the Lord, and from that revelation he built a boat. Moses didn't just change his mind and decide to go down to Egypt, he had a revelation of God's plan, which was grace, and he responded. Even Jesus said He only did and said what He saw and heard the Father say and do. (John 5:19,30)

Faith is not independent of the revealed will of God, faith is the response to the revelation of His will. I stopped pulling verses from scripture at will and deciding that would be what I'm standing on. Instead, I communed with the Lord and let revelation come to me, and then I believed and rested in that revelation.

I realized at one point as much as I want Chris to be healed, Chris' faith is set on what he has stated many times; "When I get to heaven, no wheelchair" and upon seeing kids run, "When I get to heaven I'm going to run like that!"

I had a visitation once with Chris seated on my right side in his wheelchair, and Jesus standing on my left, teaching me about healing and how hard it is for someone who has never known wholeness to believe for their healing. I SO wanted to interrupt and tell Him to lay hands on my son, but He is God and I'm not, so that's not something you do in the presence of the King. But I gained insight into Chris' mind that night.

Chris' faith isn't to be healed now, his faith is set for heaven, and to that the Lord has responded. One day Chris came crawling down the hall very excited: "Dad, dad! Know what Jesus said to me? He said He's going to walk through the mountains with me! Yep, that's what He said, Yahoo! Yep, He's going to walk through the mountains with me, that's what He said!"

Worst parents?

When the time arrived we had to make the hardest decision of our lives, by far, to put Chris in a group home which at the time was nearly 2 hours away from us, we felt like the worst people on earth. The worst parents.

In our despair we talked long into the night, but Barb eventually drifted off to sleep while I lay there still talking to the Father. I was saying, "Father, if you aren't going to heal him, just take him home. Barb and I have both been to heaven, we've each seen you, we've each seen the Lord, so we would rather have our son whole in heaven than to live the rest of his life in his damaged body. Even if we live say, 50 more years, I'd rather miss him and long for him those many years than to have him live in a group home the rest of his life."

Suddenly, Jesus was standing in my room. My eyes were open and I saw Him and our room as I normally would, just that the Lord was standing there. Without a word of greeting He said: "Would you have me bring Chris home early, having him miss out on the fullness of his reward, just because you feel bad for having to put him in a group home?"

I was dumbfounded. "I, I, am sorry Lord. I had never considered his reward. I know when I am gone ministering and he and Barb are home allowing me to go out, they take part in the ministry, but I hadn't truly known that until right now. No, I want Chris to receive the fullness of his reward, even if that means hardship for us and him, for we value heaven more than earth. But only with these conditions; That he never be molested nor suffer neglect." Jesus nodded His head sharply downward once as He said, "Done", and He was gone.

As I write this, on December 21, Chris will turn 34 on Monday the 23rd. The whole family is coming for his birthday party and Christmas, both his brothers, both daughters in law, and all 6 of his nieces and nephew. He loves the Lord and continues to look forward to his new body in heaven, but until then....

By the time Paul wrote his letter to Lydia, the original hostess of the house church in Philippi, he had been through very great difficulties related to persecution and hazardous travel of the time. When he wrote Philippians 4:11-13 he had come to the point in his life he could say this:

"I have learned whatever state I'm in, to be content. I know how to be brought low, and how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I am instructed both to be full and hungry, to abound and to suffer need..."

This phrase in English, 'I am instructed', is closer to this in the Greek; "I have been initiated into the mysteries". Paul reveals the core mystery: "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

Next week - Initiation into the mysteries. Until then, blessings,
John Fenn

www.cwowi.org and email me at cwowi@aol.com

Hi all,
No, really
A man walked into a restaurant and asked the manager, "If I show you the most amazing act you've ever seen, may I have a free meal?" The manager wanted to help the guy and was curious, so he said, "Sure, but it had better be really good."

So the man sat down at a table, and out of a case pulled a small piano, then a rabbit which he set in front of the piano, and then a frog which he sat next to the rabbit. Immediately the rabbit began playing a song on the piano and the frog began singing along.

The manager was amazed, "That's THE greatest act I've ever seen! Order anything on the menu!"

A man sitting nearby saw all this and said to the guy, "Hey buddy, I'll give you $100 cash right now for that singing frog." The man paused briefly, then said, "OK, here you go." He pocketed the $100 and the man walked out with the frog in his pocket.

The manager was watching and couldn't help saying to the man, "Excuse me sir. It's none of my business, but I think you could have done much better than $100 for that singing frog." The man responded, "No, it's OK. You see, the rabbit is also a ventriloquist."

And the point is...
Not to be taken in by the song and dance, but to discern what is really going on.

In Matthew 16:13 Jesus asked the disciples who the people were saying He is. They responded, "Well, some say John the Baptist", they told Him. "Some say Elijah, or Jeremiah, or one of the prophets."

That's what the people were saying, the crowds. Everyone had an opinion, everyone was amazed at the miracles. Everyone came away from meetings talking about how anointed Jesus' teaching was. Some may have had scrolls filled with notes. But they missed the point entirely. They had no clue Who was talking to them and what significance He was to have in their lives. They had no idea what was really going on.

I find it amazing that God in the flesh had been teaching and healing all over the land, talking to them as the Son of God and referencing the Father God as His Father, yet the people were saying He was some dead prophet come back to life rather than Who He said He was.

Spiritual babies thinking they were spiritual adults
The people Jesus ministered to were taught-in-the-Word Jews. Raised in synagogue meetings, many trips to the temple - Genesis through Malachi had been set as scripture long before Jesus was born in Bethlehem.

Yet they would rather step away from sound teaching to believe Jesus was the reincarnated John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah or another favorite prophet. Reincarnation - really? How quickly they were willing to give up common sense and sound Biblical teaching to believe Jesus was a reincarnated hero.

They were like the man who offered $100 for a singing frog, not realizing what he was really seeing. Willingly they are led away with a formula prayer or teaching that in the end, just croaks and gives them spiritual warts.

What He was really after
Jesus knew the people were talking or He wouldn't have asked the disciples the question, but perhaps it was also His way of leading the conversation to where He really wanted it to go: "But what about you?" He said to them. "Who do you say that I am?"

Simon Peter answered. "You? You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God!"

Peter was able to cut through the rumors and speculation and lay aside all the gossip and whisperings of the people because He had received revelation from heaven as to the true identity of Jesus. "Simon, son of Jonah, you are a fortunate man indeed! said Jesus, "for it was not your own nature but My heavenly Father who has revealed this truth to you!" (JB. Phillips NT)

How not to be moved
World culture is sound-byte culture, or some would spell it sound-bite. A byte is a small unit of electronic data, and a bite is less than a mouthful of food. People have attention spans measured in seconds, mere bites of information. Yet Jesus expects us to be people who see, observe, consider, and ponder what the Spirit is doing and saying.

When Peter heard someone say Jesus must be the reincarnated John the Baptist, he had to compare that against what He knew of Jesus, and how that rumor bore witness on the inside, or didn't. Church culture doesn't teach people to compare the witness of the Spirit of Truth inside with the Word of God, and use those 2 witnesses to test a teaching, experience, or claims of someone.

And because this skill is not taught, we have people believing more in their experiences than the written Word, in their experiences more than the Spirit of Truth within, and their experiences more than common sense. The Bible calls that self deception.

How to win over the devil every time
Jesus then stated: "You are Peter (Greek, petros, a small stone), but upon this rock (Petra, a large rock like a mountain) I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against (revelation from the Father)."

It wasn't upon the man, Peter, a small stone, but upon the mountain which is revelation from heaven, that Jesus builds His church, starting with the revelation Jesus is Lord and flowing down from there. Jesus said 'the gates of hell cannot prevail' against revelation. In Bible times the gates of the city were where the city leaders sat to conduct the business of the city.

Samson carried away the gates of Gaza, demonstrating he was in control. Boaz went to the elders at the city gates to gain permission to marry Ruth. Absalom sat at the gate of Jerusalem making judgements that undermined his father, King David. Today we would think of the place where the mayor and city hall are located, the leadership of a town.

Revelation is THE key to victory in life. "Upon this rock (of revelation from heaven) I will build my church, and the gates (leadership) of hell shall not prevail against it."

Running to and fro
Some, upon hearing distressing news or when faced with a problem, immediately attack the devil as the cause. Some have amazingly enough turned God into the adversary, thinking if they fast and then pray real loud, God will be convinced to change their situation or even city. Some think every ache and pain has a sin as a root reason, and there is everything in between. There are enough books to fill whole sections of Christian bookstores about how to gain victory or overcome sin or the devil.

But Jesus said revelation from heaven is what hell cannot overcome. So why do we run 'out there' for some prayer, action, formula, conference, instead of zeroing in on Christ in us, and paying the price to get with and stay before the Father for revelation?  

Overcoming sin
Ephesus was a city of about 250,000 people, and some scholars estimate as many as 10%, 25,000 people, became disciples through Paul's influence documented in Acts 19. You may recall these barely born again people renounced the witchcraft and sorceries they had previously been involved with, burning their books in a great bonfire. So many people came to the Lord it affected the local idol making business and Paul was driven out of town as a result.

But consider this list of their lifestyle, issues Paul was STILL telling them they needed to give up. From Ephesians 4:17-31: Sexual sin of every kind, lies, unforgiveness and bitterness, cursing, stealing, unwillingness to get a job, explosive anger and wrath, and grieving the Holy Spirit by their lifestyle of sin.

If this were modern day, many ministers would command the devil off people, take them to an inner healing conference, or a sexual recovery and soul tie breaking conference, or a how to forgive conference, or some other theme of meeting or speaker who specializes in one of the above sins and recovery.

It's so crazy it might just work!
Here was Paul's solution to all these sins in these peoples' lives: "...making mention of you in my prayers. That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him. That the eyes of your understanding would be enlightened, so that you will know the hope of His calling and the riches of the glory of His inheritance (for) the saints, and that you would know the surpassing greatness of His power to us who believe." (1:16-19)

Paul was crazy enough to believe Jesus, that revelation from heaven was stronger than the devil. Therefore, pray the people receive revelation and they will on their own free will, then leave sin and grow in Christ.

And: "For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named. That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man...so that you may know the love of Christ which is beyond knowing..." (3:14-21)

The source of revelation is learning how to know and trust the Spirit of Truth within. To be willing to weigh things out against the Spirit, and having the backbone to refrain from formula and all the religious gymnastics popular church culture tells us to do to gain victory over the devil. Instead, learn to commune with the Father in your spirit. Learn to fellowship with Christ and the Spirit of Truth within.

Paul told the Ephesians in 4:14-15 they were still like little children, being tossed to and fro in their spiritual walk with the slightest news of a new teaching, and he prayed for revelation for them that they would be changed from the inside out by that revelation. Truly, revelation from the Father is something the devil cannot prevail against. Learn to shift your attention to down in your spirit, to His presence there, and learn to enjoy that peace, that joy, that fellowship with Him.

If we don't learn to receive revelation, we may end up with a spiritual frog and later when he isn't singing for us, wonder how we missed it. New subject next week, blessings,

John Fenn

www.cwowi.org and email me at cwowi@aol.com

Hi all,
I remember a boy and girl out on their first date. He was driving his prized 1965 GTO, and though it burned oil like a Texas oil well fire, not every boy in the fall of 1974 had his own car. She was impressed.

Driving her home from the movie, he was nervous as the light turned red and smoke from the engine began drifting into the car - he prayed for a slight breeze and a short red light before they both smelled like burnt oil...mercifully the light turned green and off they went. Later she said she didn't notice, she was just happy to be taken to a movie by a boy with his own car!

He didn't have money for dinner and a movie, so it had been just a movie, a first date, a get-to-know-you thing. But he really liked her and didn't want the night to end just yet. Quickly calculating how much money he had left in his pocket, on the spur-of-the-moment he asked if she'd like to stop for a donut at the donut shop they were driving by, and she eagerly said yes! They sat and talked a long time over milk and donuts, but it seemed to fly by in seconds, the late hour suddenly catching them surprise.

The night ended with a kiss after he had walked her to her door, and she stood a step up because he was so tall - a gentle kiss, lingering for a moment - and in to her house she floated as they said goodnight. She would later tell him she knew she was going to marry him at that kiss.

As you have guessed by now, that was Barb and my first date. She was impressed by the car and my manners, spontaneity and thoughtfulness. Her parents were impressed that I came from a good family, in her mother's eyes 'good enough for her daughter' so to speak. I was impressed that she was beautiful, funny, ornery, smart, direct, and fun to be with.

Is your faith performance based, or knowing based?
Many Christians think faith is about impressing God like I tried to impress Barb on our first date. But being motivated only by trying to make a good impression is not the basis on which to build a long-term relationship. 

At some point efforts to impress fall by the way side as you get down to the business of getting to know one another, of being transparent and willing to risk being rejected when they learn this or that about you. At that point revelation about each person's character, life experience, who they are and hope to be, are shared as they talk, in hushed tones about private secrets, or yelling across the room in their first argument.

First date with God, still?
Yet many Christians live their faith like they are always on a first date with God - whether by how they dress or that prayer formula that is said to be effective, or going to church that 1 extra service this week to remind the Lord they have a prayer they need an answer on..."Please be impressed by my efforts Oh God and answer my prayer" is often the motivation behind it. 

Like a couple going out on date after date over a year or more, the real knowing of one another comes by walking through life together, getting to see the best and worst of a person over time, and letting love develop. Love develops as a process through the revelation of that person's being, first liking them, them liking them deeper, then realizing you'd give your life for this person. It is the same in our walk with the Lord, as He living in us walks with us through the process called life.

Another drive home
We were driving down the turnpike on our way home, Barb napping beside me, and I thought about the effects of righteousness in our family. My heart overflowed as I thought how our 3 sons turned out, each of them good men and still never hesitating to tell me or Barb they love us. Our wonderful daughters in law, women of strong character and principle, amazing mothers and wives. And how I want to make memories with my grandchildren that they will remember me as an example of the Father God and praying they will walk with Him and know Him.

Upon seeing the broad scope of His grace I exclaimed nearly out loud, "Oh Father, I could never repay you!" and just as suddenly I heard Him reply: "You're not supposed to." And I wondered and marveled, in awe all the more, silenced by the enormity of Love for eternity and His great kindness. I thought about how that is the way love is - love doesn't ask to be repaid or impressed, the person loving just loves, and there is nothing the object of their love can do to add to or subtract from that love.

When you stop trying to impress Him, you can start walking with Him.
In contrast, look around us today at traditional church culture. How many bookstore shelves are filled with books and study guides written for the purpose of helping people know God or have more effective prayer. Attacking prayer like a business laying out a plan to grow by x amount over the next year, people turn walking with the Father as Someone they know and know well, into a means of manipulating Him into blessing their lives.

But that approach would be like me asking Barb's parents for permission to marry her by having them give me all her baby books and school year books, saved school work and awards through the years as a means to get to know her, from a distance, without ever going to a movie and donuts.

Those things would tell me ABOUT her, but they couldn't help me KNOW her. To know her requires a relationship developed over time WITH her, in her presence, with each other through life's ups and downs.

Just do what He did
Look at the Father's method of developing a relationship with mankind. He sent His Son to live with 12 men for about 3 1/2 years. Not a book was written, not a sermon penned. He told stories about what His Father was like, what His dreams for them were, to what each of them could attain, what He had planned.

Aren't we thankful Jesus didn't get 12 scrolls of biographies from the Father, one for each apostle - Jesus could have spent a good part of those 3 1/2 years reading detailed life stories of each of them as only the Father who knows all and sees all could write, without ever spending time with them. But no, He sent His Son to live with them, to get to know them, to see them at their best and worst.

So why in the world when we think of making disciples do we think, 'I need to get a book about Who Jesus is and what He did for us'? How did they make disciples in the first century without Christian materials explaining Life in Christ? They made disciples by walking with those who knew Him, and it remains the primary way disciples are made today - be being in relationship with others who know Him and have walked with Him through their lives, so they may know how to talk to Him and walk with Him through life. 

The source of revelation is our own personal, intimate, knowing of the Father. When Jesus said in John 14:6, 'I am the way, the truth and the life', He continued; '...no man comes to the Father but by Me.' Jesus is the way, but the Father is our destination. But many believers aren't knowers of the Father because they've stopped at the Way, but have never arrived at the destination.

Getting to know the Source of all good
(As I mentioned the last 2 weeks) We are cross-thinking instead of resurrection-thinking. We are temple-is-a-building thinking instead of 'temple is my body because of Christ in me' thinking. We first must know that we know that Christ is in us, that He is THAT close, knowing what we are going to think before we think it. Yet there is complete ease in this because He is good and only has good plans for us - He invested in us for eternity, so He knew what He was getting for these few x number of earth-years.

After knowing He is in you and rearranging all your efforts to know Him to revolve around that revelation, the next thing to know is obvious yet perhaps revolutionary in some circles: When asking, address the Father, not Jesus.

Jesus said in John 16:23-26 of when He would be in heaven: "At that time you'll ask Me nothing. Truly I tell you, whatever you ask the Father in my name, He will give it to you... At that day you'll ask in my name..."

There is not a single prayer in the New Testament that asks anything of Jesus or the Holy Spirit. All prayer requests are to the Father. He is the Source of all good and perfect things, the Father of our spirits.

When the apostles were all captured by the rulers and then an angel released them, they went to the disciples and together they all prayed in Acts 4:23-30: "Lord, you are God, who made heaven and earth and the sea and life...Lord look at their threats against us, and we ask that with all boldness we may speak your Word, and that by signs and wonders may be done by the name of your holy child, Jesus." They were addressing the Father.

Paul prayed for the Ephesians in 1:17-18: "That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, would give to you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, that the eyes of your understanding would be opened..."

And again in 3:14-20: "For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ...That He would grant you to be strengthened with might by His Spirit in your inner man...being rooted and grounded in unconditional love, will be able to comprehend that which is beyond comprehending, and know what is beyond knowing, the breadth and length and depth and height- to know the love of Christ..."

Do you know the Father? Start by changing from temple culture to Christ in me culture. Change from cross-thinking to resurrection power thinking. Change and determine in your heart to know Him not just believe in Him. Change Who you pray to, and concentrate...the Father!

Stop acting like you are on a first date and trying to impress Him. You've won Him and He you. Next week, how to fellowship with the Holy Spirit, blessings,
John Fenn

www.cwowi.org and email me at cwowi@aol.com

Hi all,
A glimpse into our lives: We have a soap dispenser next to the kitchen sink that has a motion detector, so when you hold your hand under the spigot it senses movement and squirts out a portion into your hand.

Nearly every time I do dishes there is a little pool of soap that has dropped onto the base of the dispenser, as you can see in this photo. (The little guy on the left is our potato scrub brush; Barb's doing, lol)

Here is where the trouble starts
Now when it comes to kitchen duties, I am the pot and pan man, so I take a scrub pad, wipe up the pool of soap on the base of the dispenser, and wash the pots and pans. If I need more soap THEN I hold the pad under the spigot and let it squirt some out.

I don't recall how I ended up with clean up duty, all I know is Barb is a great cook and practices the belief that a dirty pot or pan can be set aside for 'later' so she can focus on completing whatever she is cooking. My name is 'later'.  

We've had that dispenser probably 5 years, and other dispensers before this one. I've known Barb pretty much since we were 7 or 8 years old. We went to the same birthday parties when we were kids because we had the same friends. Our parents knew each other. My grandfather was their doctor. My uncle was a partner in a law firm with their next door neighbor, whose daughter was Barb's best friend and one of my best friends. We started dating at ages 15 & 16. We have a LONG and deep history between us and our families.

But I thought...
The other day she was at the sink and asked if I wiped up that little pool of soap on the base, and I replied I did and told her my routine. She asked me not to do that because when she washes her hands she doesn't want a whole squirt of soap, she just swipes her fingers across that little pool to get just enough to wash her hands.

Why is this the first I've heard of it? I've always swiped up that little pool of soap first, thereby saving soap by using the excess, doing what I thought was a favor to her and keeping the kitchen just that much cleaner looking in the process.

Over 35 years of marriage and I'm just now learning I frustrated her all these years by wiping up the little pool of soap? I didn't know until that moment I was frustrating her efforts to wash her hands. Argh!

Frustrating grace
And so it is with many Christians who think they are doing God a favor - good hearts but wrong application. Maybe by religious formulas and exercises, maybe tallying people they've won to the Lord like notches on a wild west gunslinger's belt, or marveling over their huge auditorium with Italian tile they built for Him, or counting up the record number of people in the Easter service, they think that is what God wants.

Or maybe they've filled auditoriums with 3,000 others to shout and yell for an open heaven and pray for revival in that city, and being told by the leaders revival would come within 30 days if they fasted 30 days.

Perhaps like me frustrating Barb while I thought I was doing her a favor, what they think He wants and what they are doing is actually frustrating to Him.

They overlook that amazing fact that Christ lives in them, and they can stop doing things to impress Him and just walk with Him through life. He enjoys the process, so enjoy it with Him.

We think...
We think we are doing the Bible thing, to constantly remind ourselves that Jesus died for us because He loves us. We witness to the unsaved that Jesus loves you SO much that He died for you - and all that is true, but only half the truth for He didn't stay dead. Taking people only 1/2 way to the resurrection keeps people focused on death and sin instead of resurrection power.

When brought before the leaders after healing a lame man, Peter didn't stop at the cross: "Be it known to you and all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands before you whole." (4:10)

When the believers were gathered in such unity in Jerusalem after Pentecost, meeting from home to home, having meals together - what was there focus? "And with great power the apostles gave witness of the resurrection of the Lord." They weren't giving witness to His death on the cross, but of His resurrection, because it was resurrection power that had changed their lives. (4:33)

Life
When the apostles were imprisoned and an angel opened the prison doors to set them all free, He said: "Go stand in the temple and tell the people all the words of this Life." (5:20) He didn't tell them to talk of the death of the cross, but rather 'this Life'.

Is it any wonder then that Paul opens his letter to the Romans saying, "And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the Spirit of holiness by the resurrection of the dead." (1:4)

Paul's heart's desire was, "To know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings..." (Philippians 3:10)

Know or believe?
Is it any wonder our church culture has raised up 'believers' in the Lord rather than 'knowers' of the Lord. You cannot know a dead person, and because people are focused on the cross only, they believe in Jesus who died, but without going to the resurrection they aren't able to KNOW the risen and living Lord!

Because they are believers in His death rather than knowers of His resurrection, they veer off in their faith to erroneous teachings, chasing after whatever fad doctrine is selling right now, chasing the spectacular while missing the supernatural work the Lord is trying to do in their heart.

They mentally agree He is raised from the dead, but in daily life they identify with the dead Man on the cross. The New Testament is all about the risen Lord and that power changing lives.

Back to soap
I started dating Barb a few months after I turned 16. Give me a situation and I can predict how she would react, what she would say. But I still had no idea she liked swiping up the little pool of soap that collected under the dispenser.

Many who have walked with the Lord for years are just now discovering they've perhaps been frustrating His grace all this time. Thinking He wanted formula and process, they are just now learning to simply walk and talk with Him in the conversational lifestyle of a knower and disciple.

How can you become a knower rather than just a believer?
Christ in you is the focus of the New Testament. The risen Lord is the focus of the New Testament. How can you make it your focus?

Knowing Him is the source of revelation...and more on that next week. Until then, blessings,

John Fenn
www.cwowi.org and email me at cwowi@aol.com