Called by Grace to Repentance

Called by Grace into Repentance¹:

2Pe 3:9 The Lord isn't slow about keeping his promises, as some people think he is. In fact, God is patient, because He wants everyone to turn from sin [repent] and no one to be lost.

Repent means “to change” [metanoia]²

To change the way we think;

To change the way we choose;

To change the way we respond to situations.

Turning from the bondage which has developed in our own soul.

- We are called to repentance, not the Latin concept of penance, outward acts that symbolize how sorry you are but a change of your mind, your will, and your emotions.

It signifies the turning from one thing, and unto another. In this case, it is the turning away from the bondage of sin unto the liberty of Christ’s kingdom. Thus John says, “for the Kingdom of God is at hand!³ In other words — you can turn from sin to God because His ruling authority has now over-ruled all other claims to your soul.

There is no title, nor deed, nor any papers of authorization clutched in greedy hands, that surpass the unyielding power of the Lord’s decree that you be free. [What bondage holds us back from our destiny as sons and our inheritance??]

And free you are, despite all lies to the contrary. Now, you may indeed not be walking in your freedom; but that does not mean it is not yours. It just means you need to repent – that is, you need to change. You can now 'change' because the power of God is present to help you. You are called to change!

So if we are 'called away' from our bondage to sin, then we are 'called near' to the Sin-Breaker. From this we are 'called out' to call others to freedom. Thus the Trinity of our Calling!

Paul wrote to the Freed Slaves of Corinth several times... here is how he opened one of his letters.

1Co 1:1 Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother, 2 Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours...

So having changed from our Sin mentality, to our son mentality we can effect change around us!

We are not only free from sin, but we are free from legalism; a system that says you must EARN your freedom, so that God would approve of you. To be legalistic is to put your own protocols on salvation, this is neither a good idea nor God's idea

Rom_2:4 [KJV] Or do you despise God's goodness and forbearance and long-suffering; not knowing that the goodness of God lead thee to repentance?

Now let us see how the Mirror translation comments on this:

We are called through our patience and perseverance, as James comments.

Jas 5:7 My friends, be patient until the Lord returns. Think of farmers who wait patiently for the spring and summer rains to make their valuable crops grow. 8 Be patient like those farmers and don't give up. The Lord will soon be here! Jas 5:9 Don't grumble about each other or you will be judged, and the judge is right outside the door. 10 My friends, follow the example of the prophets who spoke for the Lord. They were patient, even when they had to suffer.

The Mechanics of an Unrepented Life

I know that much of my suffering is due to my own 'warped head', that is my 'unrepented thinking'. As I move through life my mind focusses on that which I PERCEIVE to be causing me discomfort, distraction and disgust! This “warped head thinking” causes my whole system to overheat, and I lurch along. Ryle puts it this way, when his mechanic told him his new vehicle was behaving badly:

When we are warped in our thinking – nothing good can happen. And to make matter worse, we get all hot and bothered when something good doesn’t happen. And when things go bad or wrong – we blow our lids. That’s the trouble with a warped head.

The Lord wants to set our minds right. And as He does so, the seal will hold and there will be no blown gaskets, nor any loss of power.

Have you “blown your lid” lately? Finding yourself over-heating and losing your cool? Take heart — the Lord is expert at fixing a warped head! Next time you find yourself over-heating and getting ready to pop – just pull over to the side and ask the Lord to straighten out your thinking; to check the seals, and make sure your “oil level” is fine. Cool down, and only then proceed along the high way.

Now I am a good driver but the mechanics of my vehicle is limited. I am glad that Jesus, among other things, is The Perfect Mechanic for my vehicle which gets me through life.

Just in case you wanted to know more about warped heads in an actual engine, here is a diagram. Now if you have had your life-vehicle have mechanical difficulties, let me share some wisdom.

1. Over-heating caused by pushing your engine too hard.
2. Over-heating caused by being stuck in traffic.
3. Over-heating caused by internal fluids being exposed to other hot surfaces.

1Much of this is taken from Ryle's Devotions.

2 μετανοέω metanoeō From G3326 and G3539; to think differently or afterwards, that is, reconsider (morally to feel compunction): - repent. KJV occurrences: 34

3 This was the core of John's message. Mat 3:1 In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, 2 And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

FAITH - alpha

Faith: Substance and Search

1. To Trust – as a weaned child
2. To Believe – evidence unseen
3. To have Confidence or Certainty [such as Word of Faith churches]
4. To Agree – Agreement beyond our own mind will and emotion.
   - Abraham agreed with God to sacrifice Isaac. This level of agreement goes beyond the demands of a capricious god.
   - Mary agreed to “Say Yes to God “Be it unto me according to Thy Word.” (Luk_1:38). Ryle talks about three lessons here¹
   Lesson One: Never Overlook the Potential of the Ordinary “Despise not the day of small beginnings.” (Zec_4:10, NLT)

“God always does extraordinary things with ordinary stuff. Just look at what He made with dirt — YOU! How amazing is that? The Bible tells us that He made everything out of nothing. He is the CAN DO God. With Him nothing is impossible.”

• This is best applied to the “little boy's lunch” [Matt 14:17-20]
• “Most people never reach their full potential in life simply because they overlook the potential of the ordinary. If you simply start where you ARE, instead of waiting to start until you get to where you hope to go — you will become all you ever dreamed of being!”

Lesson Two: Never Under-estimate the Power of a Personal Word from God

“With God nothing shall be impossible.” (Luk_1:37)

- In order to get a better sense of what is being said, we first need to split the word into two words — as in “no thing” instead of “nothing.”

- rhema, which is translated as “thing.” It literally means “that which is spoken by a living voice.” It refers to the power that is inherent within any thing that God says.

In fact, the full meaning of the word “nothing” would look like this if translated into English — “Each and every thing God says; any and all words that proceed from His mouth; the whole of what He speaks, and not just a part, shall not under any circumstance of any sort be impossible in any way or at any time.”

Or, as the English puts it, “With God nothing shall be impossible.”

The point is both powerful, and personal. Whenever God speaks a word to your heart and places a promise upon your life — you can take it to the bank! He will do what He has said He will do.

“God said it, and it was so.” This phrase fills the first chapter of Genesis and introduces us to the God who does what He says. Even foolish Balaam had enough sense to state the obvious — “God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?” (Num_23:19).

So, then, what has God spoken to you? What promise has He made, what dream has He given, what hope has He placed in your heart? Whatever it is, know this for certain — “Each and every thing God says; any and all words that proceed from His mouth; the whole of what He speaks, and not just a part, shall not under any circumstance of any sort be impossible in any way or at any time.”

Lesson Three: Never Hesitate to Say Yes to God’s Plan for Your Life

“Be it unto me according to Thy Word.” (Luk_1:38)

-Os Guinness writes, ” Our passion is to know we are fulfilling the purpose for which we are on earth. All standards of success — wealth, power, knowledge, position, fame — grow tiny and hollow if we do not satisfy this deeper longing.”

-Nothing short of God’s will obeyed can both ground and fulfill the truest human desire for significance. And we are never happier than when we are expressing the deepest gifts and callings that are truly us.

- Abraham was called by God out of a dead religion practiced by pagans, and became the Father of Faith. He was without children until God spoke a promise. Abraham believed God and became the Father of Nations. He said yes to God.

- Moses was a stuttering stammering sheep herding Bedouin in the high deserts of Midian, when a burning bush caught his eye. Approaching the Bush, he heard a voice. That Voice spoke of great and mighty things to come. Moses answered, “Who am I?” The Voice called him out of his own sense of inability and limitations, and ushered him forth into the great drama of human history as one of the greatest and most influential men who has ever lived. He said yes to God.

- David as the runt of the litter; the eighth born son in a family where seven was enough. Last on the food chain, there was usually nothing left when his turn came along. God spoke a promise to his young heart in the isolated fields of unseen worship. He believed God and rose to become the greatest King Israel has ever known. He said yes to God.

- Mary said yes to God and rose from humble surroundings to be the mother of our Lord.

• Now it’s your turn. Whatever the situation of your life, or the circumstances in which you presently find yourself — it is never too late to say yes to God’s will for your life. He can still do the impossible with the improbable.

NEVER overlook the extraordinary potential of the ordinary! NEVER under-estimate the power of a personal word from God! And, NEVER hesitate to say yes to God’s plan for your life! These are the three great lessons we learn from a peasant girl named Mary.

With thanks to Dr. Ryle we can now go on from these Bible models of Faith. Yes, they displayed faith but it was their small faith, willingly offered, that transformed their lives.

God's faith in each one of us is Unlimited, Unconditional, and Unending.

So God believes in us, and includes us in his covenant plan. In fact, God will not act without man's participation, EVEN permission²

1Rylisms December 17

2More on this in my next blog: Prayer: Releasing Permission to ACT!

Author of Faith -- Captain of Salvation

Author and Authority – Faith and Salvation

Christ is the source and chief of both our Inner Faith and our Outward Salvation. Peter first declared this to the “Leaders” of the Faith in Jerusalem in Act 3:14 But you would have nothing to do with the Holy and Upright One, and made request for a man of blood to be given to you, 15 and killed the Author of life, whom God has raised from the dead, of which we are witnesses.

An author has authority over his work. Christ has authority over all life, even as he conquered death. But, as we shall see, he was appointed Captain of our Salvation Life, our completeness, through his death and resurrection.

1 Cor 14:33 For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints. >> His rule is one of peace... which the devil as he has from the beginning, brought confusion.

This affirms the 'story' that Christ is writing in us. Both in the Faith that is found in us and the resultant Salvation Life. Faith is the Inner component which which is 'worked out' by our salvation.

Php 2:12 So then, my loved ones, as you have at all times done what I say, not only when I am present, but now much more when I am not with you, give yourselves to working out your salvation with fear in your hearts;

Christ has revealed Faith in us, and has composed a faith song in us. Our salvation gives us voice to sing His love to us.

Heb_5:9 and being made perfect, he became the author of eternal saving health unto all those that hearken unto him,

Here the word used is αἴτιος aitios

1) that which is the cause of anything resides, causative, causing

1a) the author of a cause or a crime

>> So Christ 'causes' salvation in us, yet we have to understand the dynamic of our faith as we move through our lives.

Heb_12:2 with our eyes fixed on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who having been offered joy, endured the cross, despising the shame and was seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

The word here for author is ἀρχηγός archēgos 1) the chief leader, prince

1a) of Christ2) one that takes the lead in any thing and thus affords an example, a predecessor in a matter, pioneer3) the author

>> We follow Christ into our salvation life. He is our leader or captain out of our bondage to this world and into the Kingdom-in-Cosmos.

Note [KJV]Heb_2:10 For it was expedient that he, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, preparing to bring forth many sons in his glory, should perfect the author of their saving health through sufferings.

[BBE] Heb 2:10 Because it was right for him, for whom and through whom all things have being, in guiding his sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation complete through pain.

>> The implication is that he was appointed Captain of Salvation through

As we enter, by faith, into the fullness of our sonship we become aware of God who as Author of our story.

We 'read' in out life and others, the Who, What, When, Where and Why of our Story. Christ can define each of those questions for us.

Our Story is part of the Great Story to Restore Man's Story, as God wrote in Creation. It is the Story of Re-storation.

>>Matt 8 where Christ brings wind and waves, and demon-possessed came under his authority. So the Creator brings order to creation... decreasing entropy in that moment. Our authority also gives us a mandate to restore the order of creation.

>>But God has been encouraged us to pursue our mandate as sons.

God’s Wrath Against Mankind Rom 1:18 The wrath of God is being revealed from Heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, 19 since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20 For since the creation of the world, God’s invisible qualities — His eternal power and divine nature — have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.

MAY CHRIST WHO SANG HIS FAITH SONG IN YOUR SPIRIT, FIND YOU SINGING THAT SONG TO ALL THE WORLD.

Prayer Transmission: Intimate Interaction.

My computer is not working at peak efficiency, the fan doesn't keep it cool, I can't open too many windows to get more tasks done, and my WiFi connections always goes off. Hmm I can get overheated, I try to pursue too many tasks, and my connection to the universal signal is often awry. My computer reflects my life!

Let me start with the Universal Signal, the WiFi of the Supernatural. I am not connected to the Information of Impartation coming from the Throne of Grace. How then, can I reconnect? Position myself where the signal is strong and make sure I am an instrument that can receive the signal.

Next is Overheating, not from doing too much work but from interacting with situations that frustrate me. I can get distracted by the things of the flesh, and open too many windows to the adversary's deceptions, disturbances and distractions. Again it has to do with re-positioning not just to the place where the signal is strong but away from the noise of this neighbourhood.

   Dealing with the Daily problem of  Opening too many windows is easy.  Close them! Keep the main thing the main thing. But live in the diversions of my life without letting them become distractions. Playing and Planning, Processing and Preparing, Doing and Being, they can all be done at the same time.

FB Meyer wrote Bible Commentary when there really was no signal transmission, in fact any radio signals went across the 'ether' but even in his day he understood the unseen signals that pass from earth to heaven.

THE PRAYER which prevails is that which is incited by the Holy Spirit.

He is the medium of communication between heaven and earth, and reveals to us the thoughts and desires of God, so that we do not ask amiss. Just as the ether (ie radio waves) will connect up one continent with another, so long as the transmitter and receiver are in accord, so the Holy Spirit is the Medium between ourselves and the glorified Redeemer. Prayer is transmitted from our hearts, borne forward by the Spirit, and registered in the heart of our Lord. It is perhaps better to say that it originates there, is transmitted to us, and sent back from us to Him. We know that by our thought-waves we can help our friends in distant places, so it is surely possible for our thought-waves to reach the Lord Jesus. Oh, that we may be ever in such sympathy and accord with Him that there may be no loss of His thoughts toward us.

So we have the Transmitter, the Medium of Transmission, and the Receiver. As communication between Transmitter and Receiver improves, the interaction becomes more intimate and the flow can happen both ways. A Century ago we could listen to the radio, everything we heard was programmed from one end, but now we can cyber chat and have greater Intimate Interaction.

Just as we now have a selection of genre to interact with News, Sports, Entertainment, or something more personal, Meyer identifies different types of prayer.

The Prayer of Communion and fellowship. It is like a father asking his little boy why he keeps coming into his study, and discovers that the child has no special reason, but only wants to be with him. So we should not be satisfied with the knowledge of God our Father which ordinary men possess, but have such aptitudes and yearnings which can only be satisfied by fellowship, communion, and adoring love.

The Prayer of Request. As life goes [the nature of our requests changes and] we are content to leave ourselves in the wise and tender hands of our Heavenly Father, and it is enough that He cares. We learn to be thankful that some prayers have not been answered, and to realize that God is doing for us ever so much better than we ask or think.

The Prayer of Intercession. This is nearest to the mind of Christ. He wears our names on His heart, and ever lives to intercede. So we must position ourselves with the Mediator for specific situations that touch our hearts.

The Prayer of Conflict. At times we are called to enter into the Garden, and to bear with Him some of the burden of His conflict for souls against the principalities and powers of evil. This is the very definition of Prevailing Prayer, and we must tune ourselves into the News of the Day as it affects the Kingdom Vision on the earth.

   Well my computer isn't working right and even tho my wife's devices have a good signal, I just can't seem to get things working right, better call The Repairman to see what advice He can give. So fellow Christians let us continue to be part of the Nerd Herd and God Geeks who are conversant with the Cyber connection between earth and heaven.

  

LOOK UP FROM YOUR SCREEN AND SEE THE AMAZING THINGS THAT GOD HAS FOR US!

THE EYES OF A CHILD

THE GLORY OF A SUNSET

THE POWER OF A WORD SPOKEN IN YOUR EAR.

Grace Entropy

Seeking Order: Grace vs Entropy [Personal Study, September, '16]

Heb 11:5 By faith Enoch was taken up to heaven so that he did not see death^a; he was seen no longer, for God took him away: for before he was taken, witness had been given that he was well-pleasing to God^b: 6 And without faith it is not possible to be well-pleasing to Him, for it is necessary for anyone who comes to God to have the belief that God is, and that he is a rewarder of all those who make a serious search [diligently seek] for Him^c

a) death - Enoch was the first man after Adam who did not fall under the curse of death.

- “Enoch enjoyed God's favor by faith, in spite of Adam's fall” [Mirror Translation]
- faith activates the fullness of our creation; predestinated at the foundation of the earth. But it is not our faith in God, it is God's faith in us.
- Enoch is a type of Christ, he transcended death. “his absent body prophesied the resurrection of Christ; faith does not die”.

b) well-pleasing – G2100 εὐαρεστέω euaresteō

From G2101; to gratify entirely: - please (well).>> We are pleasing to God not because of our behavior but He recognizes the faith that He put in us. God in Christ is the Author and finisher of our faith (Heb 12:2)

c) rewarder – μισθαποδότης misth[wage] apodotēs [give away] From G3409¹ and G591; a remunerator: - rewarder; “paymaster” (ie the one who gives away the wage). “righteousness is revealed by aith as a gift and NOT as a reward for keeping the law; FAITH pleases God, not good or bad behavior.”² duToit, Mirror; commentary Heb 11:6

Death disordered the created order; this included the free gift of a righteous life.

1. Darkness is a parallel of death. Death is a permanent state of absence of God who is light acc. to 1Jn 1:5 Jesus told us that God is light and doesn't have any darkness in him. Now we are telling you.
2. Gen 1:5 And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, one day.
3. Light is about increasing order, where you can understand the dynamic of each day, darkness is when you rest to let the order of the previous day continue. Darkness is about increasing disorder. We cannot work, because we cannot see what God is doing! Heb 3:13 But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. [see also vs 15] “Every day is an extension of God's Today³.
4. Jesus, who walked in the light, also worked in the light. Joh 9:4 I must do the work of the one who sent me while it is day. Night is approaching, when no one can work.
5. Evening, is not only the time of increased darkness but is also the time of close fellowship at the end of our working day. In Hebrew עֶרֶב ‛ereb

From H6150; dusk: - + day, even (-ing, tide), night.

6. Dusk is a time of fellowship that promises security through the night and brings the promise of dawn. A time of rest, before another day begins. בֹּקֶר bôqer From H1239; properly dawn (as the break of day); generally morning: - (+) day, early, morning, morrow.
7. cool^H7307 of the day:^{H3117 – רוּחַ} rûach יוֹם yôm – the evening breeze. The breeze IS the Holy Spirit! It was at this moment of the day that God and Adam chatted about the order that had been released that day. “Yeah God, I called forth an armadillo and an aardvark today.” “No worries we're gonna put those in Oz”

1Strong's Concordance number.

2Francois duToit; Mirror Bible commentary on Heb 11:6

3Ibid, Heb 3:15

Covered by God's Grace!

COVERED IN GOD'S GRACE

Gen 3:21 Then the LORD God made clothes out of animal skins for the man and his wife. 22 The LORD said, "These people now know the difference between right and wrong, just as we do. But they must not be allowed to eat fruit from the tree that lets them live forever." 23 So the LORD God sent them out of the Garden of Eden, where they would have to work the ground from which the man had been made.

-God provided cover for man, even after they had disobeyed. Naked and ashamed, they had covered themselves with leaves. God showed them that they were covered by his grace. The skin of a sacrifice was their covering. Even as we are covered acc to Psa_132:9, Psa_132:16; Isa_61:10; Rom_13:14; Eph_4:24; Col_3:10).

Various reasons for this action have been suggested:

And clothed them. The commentators are either too practical or too sin-focussed. Yes, there were practical reasons for God to cover Adam and Eve.  But look down at 8. for a prophetic understanding that gives purpose and meaning of this action in a Better Covenant Theology.

1. To show them how their mortal bodies might be defended from cold and other injuries.2. To cover their nakedness for comeliness’ sake; vestimenta honoris (Chaldee Paraphrase).3. To teach them the lawfulness of using the beasts of the field, as for food, so for clothing.4. To give a rule that modest and decent, not costly or sumptuous, apparel should be used.5. That they might know the difference between God’s works and man’s invention—between coats of leather and aprons of leaves; and, 6. To put them in mind of their mortality by their raiment of dead beasts’ skins.

...and from the School of Man's Total Depravity:

7. "That they might feel their degradation—quia vestes ex ca materia confectae, belluinum quiddam magis saperent, quam lineae vel laneae—and be reminded of their sin" (Calvin). "As the prisoner, looking on his irons, thinketh on his theft, so we, looking on our garments, should think on our sins" (Trapp).
8. But here is a Grace Perspective...A foreshadowing of the robe of Christ’s righteousness (Delitzsch, Macdonald, Murphy, Wordsworth, Candlish; cf. Psa_132:9, Psa_132:16; Isa_61:10; Rom_13:14; Eph_4:24; Col_3:10).   Bonar recognizes in Jehovah Elohim at the gate of Eden, clothing the first transgressors, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, as the High Priest of our salvation, had a right to the skins of the burnt offerings (Deu_7:8), and who, to prefigure his own work, appropriated them for covering the pardoned pair.

God's Grace covers you, as Christ is the clothing you wear. We are reminded to 'wear Jesus' in this world. Rom 13:12 Night is almost over, and day will soon appear. We must stop behaving as people do in the dark and be ready to live in the light. Rom 13:13 So behave properly, as people do in the day. Don't go to wild parties or get drunk or be vulgar or indecent. Don't quarrel or be jealous.

Rom 13:14 Let the Lord Jesus Christ be as near to you as the clothes you wear. Then you won't try to satisfy your selfish desires.

Isa 61:10 I celebrate and shout because of my LORD God. His saving power and justice are the very clothes I wear. They are more beautiful than the jewelry worn by a bride or a groom.

Psa 132:8 Come to your new home, LORD, you and the sacred chest with all of its power.

Psa 132:9 Let victory be like robes for the priests; let your faithful people celebrate and shout. >>Victory for priests, as they mediate with God

Psa 132:10 David is your chosen one, so don't reject him. 11 You made a solemn promise to David, when you said, "I, the LORD, promise that someone in your family will always be king.

Psa 132:12 If they keep our agreement and follow my teachings, then someone in your family will rule forever." 13 You have gladly chosen Zion as your home, our LORD. 14 You said, "This is my home! I will live here forever. 15 I will bless Zion with food, and even the poor will eat until they are full.

Psa 132:16 Victory will be like robes for the priests, and its faithful people will celebrate and shout. 17 I will give mighty power to the kingdom of David. Each one of my chosen kings will shine like a lamp 18 and wear a sparkling crown. But I will disgrace their enemies."

We too are clothed by our Father as was the Lost Son.

Luk 15:22 But his father said to the servants, "Hurry and bring the best clothes and put them on him. Give him a ring for his finger and sandals for his feet.

[Next, I will explore the Davidic Covenant as it relates to the Covenant of Jesus, Son of David.  We need to dig deeper into Psalm 132!]

Be blessed, students of the Word, sons of the Kingdom!

Beautiful Scars

Our Scars are Beautiful for God

[Aug '16 while sitting w my mentor Jim Willard]

While I meditated on some of the social issues that caused great pain in different cultures in which I have journeyed and shared. Some are known in both Western and African cultures such as polygamy, whether serial or parallel, but some are so unfamiliar that they are labelled as atrocities. One so-called atrocity that is practised among several tribes in east Africa is Female Genital Mutilation. We need to see these practices from a Kingdom perspective.

1. FGM becoming an issue in developing countries. “The hand that feeds you; commands you.” Poverty creates an environment where young girls are 'more valuable' if they are cut. So to ensure that they can be married off well, with a generous bride price, they are cut and receive the scar of FGM.
2. Every culture has its rules which limit their relationship with God. Even denominations have distinctives which put walls up and allow admission to those who will conform to their practices.
3. These are the external transactions that ultimately hinder transformation.
   Rom 13:8 Let love be your only debt! If you love others, you have done all that the Law demands.
4. Galatians 6:12-14 Discovering the Scars of the Cross.
   12 Those who want to impress people by means of the flesh are trying to compel you to be circumcised. The only reason they do this is to avoid being persecuted for the cross of Christ. 13 Not even those who are circumcised keep the law, yet they want you to be circumcised that they may boast about your circumcision in the flesh. 14 May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. 15 Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is the new creation. 16 Peace and mercy to all who follow this rule—to the Israel of God. 17 From now on, let no one cause me trouble, for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus.18 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers and sisters. Amen. [Mirror translation] “18 Brothers, may the revelation of the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be the rule of your spirit”
   
   - FGM 'scars' a woman's true identity. The scars of Christ's crucifixion become “our scars” and therefore define our true identity.
5. All prideful boasting is excluded by the cross of Christ, because identification with Christ in his death on the cross results in the death of all reasons for such boasting: May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. The world is characterized by prideful boasting about national identity, social status and religious practices.
   > When I live in the world, my life will inevitably be characterized by such boasting. But when I die, the way of the world will no longer govern my life. My belief in the cross of Christ includes not only the realization that he died for me to rescue me from judgment under the law of God, but also the constant awareness that I must reckon myself to have died with him. My participation in Christ's death means that I no longer have any reason for boasting in myself, since the old self characterized by the values of the world is dead. This absolute renunciation of all prideful boasting because of total identification with the crucified Messiah is the aspiration of every true believer. In dying with Christ I live in the Father's love. [IVP NT Commentary]
   - Boasting in the cross affirms our transformed scars.
6. But 'sins mission is to murder you' [James 1:15]. But scars are reminders of what could have killed you, except for the power of the Cross and Empty Tomb.
7. Now let us discover the value of Christ's Scars. The wounds of His time spent on earth, that is, His Incarnation. But at His resurrection, Mary did not see the scars, she saw a gardener.
   a) His back – 'by His stripes we are healed'
   b) His head – the thorns became his throne; it was a crown of suffering that brought our hope.
   c) His Hands – by His hand he extended the Grace of the Father
   d) His feet – He came from heaven to earth. He walked where I walk; and our feet become sore.
   e) His Side – Pierced side (Ps. 22:16-18)
8. Psa 22:16 For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet. [a prophetic description of the Crucifixion].

Psa 22:17 I may tell all my bones: they look and stare upon me. Psa 22:18 They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture. >>Pierced means to bore thru with an awl. But the word originally describes the 'violence of a lion'. Will we allow our flesh to be penetrated in such a way...for that is the way we will become attached to our cross? Will we allow the lion to do violence to the works of our hands and the ways of our feet?

[CEV] Ps 22:16 Brutal enemies attack me like a pack of dogs, tearing at my hands and my feet. Ps 22:17 I can count all my bones, and my enemies just stare and sneer at me. 18 They took my clothes and gambled for them.

As they did violence to the Incarnate Christ so the world, with its religous systems will do to those who have taken their cross... and we will receive the scars of this world on our head (with our renewed mind), our hands which only do what our Father tells us; our feet which only go where we are told to go, not walking in the ways of this world.

9. But God also reveals the Hope that is found in those scars. Zec_12:10 And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, [cf Jn 19:37] and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn. >> Here the action of piercing 'means to thrust through with spear, javelin, sword, or any such weapon.'
10. All of those scars were formed when Christ was Naked and Vulnerable on the Cross. If we are 'in Christ' we also have access to the Hope of His scars. Ah but are we willing to be vulnerable? Are we willing to lay down our own flesh to expose our nakedness?
11. We must understand the Nature of Grace as it is revealed thru the Cross. Power may have Passion and Purpose but that is not the fuel to see miracles or healing. Power is activated by Faith through Discernment of what God's Will is in that situation. We release the dynamic of the heavenly realm into a situation or infirmity or lack. What is not there God restores. The power that is released comes only because we walk in our authority as children of God.
12. [BBE]Joh 1:12 To all those who did so take him, however, he gave the right [authority] of becoming children of God--that is, to those who had faith in his name: [“God sanctions the legitimacy of their sonship”ⁱ]
    [KJV] Joh 1:12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: 13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
13. >> the Authority here is ἐξουσία exousia From G1832 (in the sense of ability); privilege, that is, (subjectively) force, capacity, competency, freedom, or (objectively) mastery (concretely magistrate, superhuman, potentate, token of control), delegated influence: - authority, jurisdiction, liberty, power, right, strength.
    >> literally “out of the I AM”; Our authority comes out of who God is in us.

iMirror Bible – John 1:12