But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:

Ephesians 4:15

For, God has made Christ the head of all things for the church.  He is above everything of this natural order, higher than every name, title and authority that can be given.

The foundation of God’s throne is righteousness and justice, and as God has ordained that this world be governed by kingdoms, the basis of all real things is done through the nature of authority and responsibility.

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I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.

Luke 13:5

Take an apple, cut it open, and put it on the counter.  Leave it there, say, for a week, or a month, and you will notice something. The apple is no longer the apple you left it as, but it is now destroyed.  Further, there is no repairing that apple to it’s original golden deliciousness.  It is now, if you leave it long enough, brown slime, and food for the bees.

This world, like that apple, is broken like that apple.  And, in fact, it was God that broke it for His own justice at the beginning, when the man fell.

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But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.

Matthew 7:14 NIV

As C. S. Lewis said, there is a ditch on either side of the road.  But, as it must also be pointed out, between the two ditches on either side of the road is, namely, the road!

Between the ditch of trying to please God through dead works (Hebrews 6:1-2) and the other of “faith without works”, which is dead as well (James 2:20), is a narrow road called The Highway, and its keeper is the Great I AM, the Holy Ghost.

But, There is a road that leads to life, and His Name is Jesus Christ.

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If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.

Luke 14:26

There are many ways to approach discipleship in Christ, but one thing is assured.  Unless your obedience is carried to the extreme, it is not Biblical Christianity.

Discipleship begins at the cross.  It begins at the laying down of everything of this life, and that of following the Master.  From start to finish, it must be about absolute trusting and dependence upon the Shepherd for everything. Read more…

In the substance of your being do I exist.  In the evidence of who you are, invisible, Eternal, do I find my place.

In the intimate places of my heart, in the secret places of your chambers, you abide, and make me real.

There is no reality found within this life, and there is no truth within its shadows.  The reality, the real, is only you.

 Indeed, the fountain of life is with you. In your light we see light.

Psalm 36:9

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One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple.

Psalm 27:4

Eyes fixed, heart steadfast, on you, oh Lord. Read more…

Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:

1 Peter 1:8

Him who is unseen, yet known.  Him whom we love.

In Him we believe, in Him we trust, and delight with joy.

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Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field: Which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof.

Matthew 13:31-32

When faith begins, it begins as a seed.  A seed sown, the name of Jesus, and faith comes into the heart.  A man believes unto salvation, and a new thing is born.

When faith grows, it begins its work, even as a yeast within a dough, or fermentation within a wine.  It does its work secretly, silently, producing changes through the whole.

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Imagine for a moment that the church made a shift, that it turned a corner, and that instead of holiness being a marginal topic, one that is sometimes talked about, but seldom embraced, imagine that it was suddenly the norm for Christians again to expect holiness in their meetings, in their ministers, and in their people’s daily lives.

What if there was a dramatic shift in the body, only possible by God, of course, so that the whole of mainstream Christianity was revitalized, revived even, so that we had a living, active knowledge of God on a personal basis from God teaching us Himself? Read more…

And when he had found him, he brought him unto Antioch. And it came to pass, that a whole year they assembled themselves with the church, and taught much people. And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch.

Acts 11:26

In the beginning, that is the beginning of the church, there was no name for this assembly; they were merely a “sect”, a small group of Jews, which the main-stream shunned as “errant”.  They were not named or classified, except that they followed Jesus, really.

It wasn’t until later, about ten years after the Crucifixion and the Resurrection of the Lord in the city of Antioch that they were called “Christians”, or “little Christs”.  Whether for good or for ill, men like to name things, and, for better or worse, the name has stuck. Read more…