The majority of Christians in the world today are completely content to scurry and scratch along the surface of Christianity for the largest part of their lives. It’s a simple fact that a very small minority ever feel the need to dive head over heels into the deep waters of God’s love and experience the abundant life that He has for us all.

In the same manner that each of us has a choice to enter into different levels and depths of relationships with various people in our lives, similarly each one of us has the choice to determine how deep we want our relationship with our Father to go. Unfortunately for many people it takes some huge crisis in their lives for them to ever reach the place where they get to the end of themselves and look past their own achievements, talents and abilities to the Giver of all good things, who has been waiting patiently on the side lines for them to come to Him for acceptance, love, power, blessings, security and happiness. God will never force someone to love Him. God will never revoke our freedom to practice and live out our free will.

The beauty of any intimate love relationship is that is comes through mutual consent. Both parties decide to make a deep commitment by which they choose to direct their decisions, energy, devotion, care, loyalty and love to benefit the other person. God has already proven His love towards us in this regard:

In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. (1 John 4:10 ESV)

We were God’s enemies, but he made us his friends through the death of his Son. Now that we are God’s friends, how much more will we be saved by Christ’s life! (Rom 5:10 GNB)

God gave what He treasured most as a token of His love towards us. In fact, God never has to do a single thing ever again to prove how much He loves us. It’s now our privilege to believe the good news of the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ and by faith enter into a living relationship with the Father.

What has to happen in your life for you to take the Red pill? Don’t allow yourself to become just another statistic for who it took some major disaster in your life to make you reach the point where you snapped out of the fakeness, deception, temptation and empty promises of this world and finally allowed God to shower you with His love. Take some time away from the buzz of your routine, sit down and ask yourself whether you are really content with the depth of your relationship with God. The ball is in your court.

In Grace
Andre van der Merwe

New Covenant Grace

Yes it’s been a while since I’ve posted anything new at my website (www.NewCovenantGrace.com) and I apologize for that. But it’s not that I haven’t been busy…

I’ve been openly accused of slandering against the church, of preaching a wayward doctrine, of hurting and abusing the Body of Christ, of being rebellious and also operating in a spirit of “independence” (if there is such a thing) by people over the past few months. And in case you’re wondering,  I’ve never been better

There are two main aspects that govern the way we live out our faith:

1) The message we preach and listen to
2) The system in which we receive that message

Our faith is drastically influenced by the way we receive the gospel. There is no biblical premise for the pattern which is found in nearly every local church today, where the only gifts on display (week after week) is that of the Pastor and the worship leader. All the other believers (who have the SAME Holy Spirit) in that place are reduced to submissive spectators who are passively pew sitting their way to heaven.

If we are all  Royal Priests who can freely minister unto God, have you ever thought about why only certain people are allowed to minister as Priests unto other PEOPLE? Why is there a breed of  “special, anointed and called” people who get to do ALL  the ministering during Sunday services? Why are they being paid to do what EVERY Christian is supposed to do?

There is a specific purpose why the Bible uses the image of Christ being the Head of His Body. No single member in the body was ever designed with the purpose of translating what it thinks the Head is trying to say to the rest of the body. Each member of the body was created with a nerve directly connecting it to the Head. Jesus said that He Himself would build HIS church.

In today’s church world there is an illegal system of control that elevates certain people who are supposedly ”called into ministry” above other “normal” believers, resulting in the distinction between two classes of Christians: Those who get to minister (the “called” and “anointed” ones) and those who need to be ministered to (“normal” believers).

The Reformers did well in opposing the religious doctrines of the dark ages, but sadly passed the Roman Catholic division between clergy and laity straight into the Protestant movement. The gospel of righteousness through faith was almost fully restored as a result of the sacrifices of these people, resulting in the restoration of the revelation that every person could minister as a priest unto God. But unfortunately not every person could be trusted to minister as a priest unto other people. This privilege was reserved for a special breed of Christian, a phenomenon which is still practiced by the largest portion of the Body of Christ today.

People think that as long as they preach the correct message, then the system in which they preach doesn’t actually matter. The truth is however that our faith is shaped by the way we receive the gospel: if you tell a lion in a cage that he is free, then you might have a happy lion… but he is still stuck in a cage.

In order to address this imbalance in the Body of Christ, we have started a new “sub-website” called http://newcovenantgrace.com/organic-church/

If you are ready to explore “the next step” in your faith, why not subscribe to our newsletters on this new website and let us know what you think about it? It might just rock your world… However if you are content with attending structured church services and you have never felt the desire to explore the vast expands of God’s grace outside the boundaries of a local church, then we recommend that you DON’T visit our new website, since it might quite possibly just anger and frustrate you.

Explore the many other websites and blogs that also teach on this subject (http://newcovenantgrace.com/organic-church/resources/) and download all our articles for free as PDF documents that can also be forwarded to other people.

FREEDOM!

New Covenant Grace

There used to be a guy who walked around in my body, calling himself by my name.  He was evil, an enemy of God (Rom 5:10) and forced my body to run around after each and every wicked desire that he had. He used my body as a slave for his unrighteous ways (Rom 6:16), the lusts of his flesh. He filled the memory banks of my body with the recollections of his foolish exploits and accustomed my body to his fallen habits. The members of my body were the instruments of his sinful actions, leading down a road which would eventually culminate in death.

But then came that glorious day when this old man was plucked from his comfortable flesh dwelling. Just like the Israelites of old received a snip on the tip, this sinful man was cut out and disjoined from the house he had tried to claim for himself. He was transported back through time and joined together with millions of other evil spirits like himself. This combined mass of dark, depraved, ghastly beings was transformed into an ugly beast, called sin. And before this creature could even attempt to flex a muscle, it was nailed onto a cross on a hill with Jesus of Nazareth (Rom 6:6). This creature consumed the body of Jesus for itself, trying to revive it, but it was too late. The body of Jesus had been broken and battered beyond repair by his torturers. And with Jesus’ final breath, he plunged the creature into the kingdom of death. Thus, the body of sin died (Rom 6:4).

In the wake of that old, sinful man who was pulled from my body, appeared a magnificent, faultless spirit man in it’s place, created perfectly in the image of the resurrected Christ (Eph 4:24). This perfected spirit man was fused together with the Spirit of God Himself (1 Cor 6:17) and this glorious, entwined Spirit man was inserted into my body. I AM NOW THIS NEW SPIRIT MAN.

The old has gone, the new has come (2 Cor 5:17). It is Christ who now lives in me (Gal 2:20) and I in Him. And since it is not I who live anymore, but Christ Himself, I am unable to sin, since Christ cannot sin (1 John 3:9). The blunders that I now make are not my own, but are the responsibility of the sinful habits that still dwell in the unrenewed parts of my mind (Rom 7:17); the confines that have not yet been illuminated by the light of grace. I am unable to corrupt myself, since Christ cannot be corrupted (1 Pet 1:23). I am a victim and a slave of His righteousness (Rom 6:18).

But still, everyday I find that the memory banks (the unrenewed mind) of my fleshly body tries to oppose my new, righteous desires (Gal 5:17). Since my body and mind previously received intensive training in how to sin, it seems to have developed a will of its own. But it is losing the battle bit by bit. I am influencing and renewing it everyday with the life of Christ that is saturating my entire being (Rom 12:2).

The person whom you now see walking before you is a perfect, righteous, sinless man (Heb 10:14). I am the delight of my heavenly Father. Jesus is my Brother (John 20:17). I am blameless in God’s sight (Col 1:22). I have no affiliation with the sinful man who previously occupied this body.

I am the righteousness of God in Christ (2 Cor 5:21)

New Covenant Grace

People who claim that the Old Testament law still applies to believers, can be divided into several groups:

1)    Those who believe that all the Old Testament laws still apply.

2)    Those who believe that believers will not be judged according to the Old Testament law, but that it still serves as a moral compass that will help them to avoid falling into sin.

3)    Those who believe that the law can be split up into two different sections, namely moral laws and ceremonial laws, and that the ceremonial laws have passed away, but that the moral laws still need to be obeyed.

Group 1

For those who fall into the first group, the Bible unfortunately bears disappointing news:

For whoever shall keep the whole Law and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. (Jam 2:10 MKJV)

The punishment for sin is extremely severe, namely death (Romans 5:12 & 1 Corinthians15:56). The Bible also tells us that no man is ever able to obtain right standing with God through their level of obedience to the law:

God doesn’t accept people simply because they obey the Law. No, indeed! All the Law does is to point out our sin. (Rom 3:20 CEV)

But the apostle Paul then continues and shows us how to stand forgiven and justified before God:

Now we see how God does make us acceptable to him. The Law and the Prophets tell how we become acceptable, and it isn’t by obeying the Law of Moses. God treats everyone alike. He accepts people only because they have faith in Jesus Christ. (Rom 3:21-22 CEV, emphasis added)

The law provided a physical standard to measure a person’s level of holiness by. It was a contract which God had sealed in blood with the nation of Israel – only with them. How do we know this? Because we see in numerous instances how God acted in favor of Israel against other nations (the Moabites, Philistines, Syrians, etc).

In today’s world, when the terms of a contract between two parties have been fulfilled, the contract is finished. The contract isn’t abolished or destroyed, it is fulfilled. This is exactly what Jesus meant when he said:

Do not think that I have come to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I have not come to destroy but to fulfill. (Matt 5:17 MKJV)

And since Christ fulfilled the law and ended that contract which God had made with Israel, the consequences for failing to observe the clauses of that contract (the laws) are now irrelevant. God does not judge people by their ability to uphold the requirements of a contract which has already been fulfilled.

Group 2

The law is not a tool to assist us with moral direction. It cannot and has never helped anybody to stop sinning because it was never intended for this purpose. The purpose of the law was to make mankind aware of their inner sin problem (their sinful nature) so that when they realize they’d never be able to obtain eternal life through their own level of holiness, it would point them to Jesus for salvation. This sinful nature would then be circumcised (cut) out of them spiritually (Colossians 2:11) and be replaced by a brand new born again spirit which is 100% perfect, righteous and holy. The law was only a signpost that pointed to Jesus – it’s pretty silly to set up camp next to a signpost, isn’t it?

All that passing laws against sin did was produce more lawbreakers. (Rom 5:20a MSG)

What is the use of the Law? It was given later to show that we sin. (Gal 3:19a CEV)

The practice of trying to obey the demands of that ancient Jewish rule keeping system in order to overcome fleshly habits and lusts, is powerless and useless against the onslaughts of sin. Trying to overcome sin through adhering to the law will only have the effect of showing us how far we fall short of its decrees. The only way to overcome sinful habits is to be established in the revelation of how much God loves us and that He sees us as completely righteous. His grace took care of all our sins and He promised never to remember them ever again (Hebrews 10:17). When we know how much grace God has extended towards us, it will empower us to overcome any sin:

For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under Law, but under grace. (Rom 6:14 MKJV)

Group 3

Nobody in this group (those who claim that the “ceremonial laws” have fallen away) has actually gone to the effort of drawing up a list to show exactly which of the laws have remained. The truth is that God Himself also never made this kind of distinction between any of the laws when He handed them down. On the contrary, He said:

“Obey all the laws and teachings I am giving you. Don’t add any, and don’t take any away.” (Deut 12:32 CEV)

Yet we find all sorts of religions that are based on Judaism jumping up nowadays, with non Jewish people trying to go back to their supposed “Jewish roots”.

Israel never welcomed intimacy with God (which is really all that God wants from us), because they always sent Moses to talk to God on their behalf (Exodus 20:19). Similarly, it appears that when people can’t find any fulfilment in their relationship with God, they make up all sorts of theories to try and earn His approval through some kind of rule keeping system. The peculiar thing about this trend is that since the entire Old Testament law is far too wearisome and laborious to keep, they formulate their own version of it and decide by themselves which laws they want to keep and which ones they can discard.

From Exodus 20 up to the end of Deuteronomy there were a total of 614 laws passed down to the nation of Israel. Just as the law was very specific about what to do and what not to do, it also contained very specific instructions about how to avoid being punished when a law was transgressed. Dodging retribution was mainly achieved in the form of sacrifices and offerings. Most of the modern day variations of Judaism (including those groups who insist calling God and Jesus by their Hebrew names, but whose lives are void of the fruit and the gifts of the Spirit) have opted not to include these sacrifices as part of their man-made belief systems, yet they vigorously claim to be living according to God’s laws. Who’s fooling who here?

Nonetheless, to accommodate these people and to try and show to them that they are actually not only disregarding the sacrifices and offerings, but also breaking many of the other (moral) laws contained in the Old Testament, let’s take a look at some of the laws:

Only, you shall not eat these of them that chew the cud, or of them that divide the hoof: …the swine, though he divides the hoof and is cloven-footed, yet he does not chew the cud; he is unclean to you. (Lev 11: 4, 7 MKJV)

Any form of pork, including bacon and ham, are strictly off limits according to the law. There goes that nice English breakfast or that ham and cheese sandwich out the door!

You must not eat anything that lives in the water and does not have fins and scales. (Lev 11:12 GNB)

No calamari or squid allowed, no sir!

And if any man’s semen goes from him, then he shall wash all his flesh in water and be unclean until the evening. And the woman with whom a man shall lie with emission of semen shall both bathe in water and be unclean until the evening. (Lev 15:16, 18 MKJV)

Men and women ought to separate themselves from any other people for an entire day every time after they’ve had sexual intercourse. This would mean quite a lot of sick leave for most people or heaps of broken up marriages because of spouses abstaining from sex with each other.

Don’t cut the hair on the sides of your head or trim your beard. (Lev 19:27 MSG)

All men would have to walk around with beards. If anybody who claims to be living according to the law shaves their beard, they are breaking God’s commands!

Don’t even build a cooking fire at home on the Sabbath. (Exo 35:3 CEV)

There will be no BBQ after watching that sports game with our friends on a Saturday, because strictly speaking the Sabbath is supposed to be observed on a Saturday.

Don’t wear clothes woven of two kinds of material. (Lev 19:19b MSG)

This would mean throwing out piles of our clothes, since a vast portion of the clothing found in anybody’s closet today is made from a mixture of cotton and polyester.

See how ridiculous it gets? But praise be to Jesus that He fulfilled all the requirements of that antique law keeping system, setting people free to live a life that is led by the Holy Spirit and not by rules:

But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. (Gal 4:4-5 ESV)

New Covenant Grace

G265 ἁμάρτημα ham-ar-tee’-ah

From G264; sin (properly abstract): – offence, sin (-ful)

G264 ἁμαρτάνω ham-ar-tan’-o

Perhaps from G1 (as a negative particle) and the base of G3313; properly to miss the mark (and so not share in the prize), that is, (figuratively) to err, especially (morally) to sin: – for your faults, offend, sin, trespass.

Hamartia (missing the mark) is often misinterpreted to mean “breaking the 10 Commandments”. But if this were really the case, what about those people who lived before the law was given to Israel? Because the Bible clearly says that sin was in the world before the law was given:

…for until the Law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law. But death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned in the likeness of the transgression of Adam, who is the type of Him who was to come. (Rom 5:13-14 MKJV)

This scripture says that death even reigned over those who hadn’t sinned like Adam did. This means that they missed the mark too, even though they hadn’t broken any laws, because remember that the law hadn’t even been given yet.

Doubly Guilty

Mankind was dubbed into a condition of sin through Adam’s disobedience, and was made aware of this sinful condition through the giving of the Old Testament Law:

1)     We were made guilty through the condition of sinfulness, inherited from Adam:

Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous. (Rom 5:18-19 KJVA)

2)     Each and every person who tries to justify themselves before God through trying to obey the law, are made guilty by the law as well:

Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin. (Rom 3:19-20 MKJV, emphasis added)

Missing the Mark?

It’s easy for some to say that we sin when we “miss the mark”. But let’s think about this for a moment: What is the mark? How big is the mark? And how do we miss it?

If “hitting the mark” means that we perfectly obey the requirements of the law, then it gets very interesting, because remember the law didn’t just consist of the 10 Commandments. No, a total of 613 laws and stipulations were given to Israel (from Exodus to Deuteronomy) which they had to obey down to the last letter for as long as they lived. The law was given as a covenant, which means it was a life-long contract. Suddenly the mark becomes a 1mm little pin prick set against a wall about 9,000km away.

Paul the apostle talked about a different kind of righteousness; a way of being able to stand perfectly justified before God apart from trying to obey the Old Testament laws:

But now a righteousness of God has been revealed apart from Law, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets; even the righteousness of God through the faith of Jesus Christ, toward all and upon all those who believe. (Rom 3:21-22 MKJV, emphasis added)

The entire New Covenant (after the cross) proclaims a redeeming message of being made perfect through faith in Christ. Through faith we enter into unity with God, receive eternal life, we have all our sins forgiven and we are made completely, 100% righteous… forever. As a mark of our salvation we receive the promise of the Father, the indwelling Holy Spirit.

But you are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone has not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His. (Rom 8:9 MKJV)

The Sin of Unbelief

Although God has already forgiven the sins of the entire world and extended His Grace towards all men, not everybody chooses to receive this offer of peace. If it were somebody’s birthday and their friend arrived at their door with a gift, the birthday person still has to make a choice to open the door and take the gift. The gift becomes useless if the gift bearer is left standing outside the door.

The only choice that can nullify the redemption of the cross in a person’s life, is choosing not to believe in Jesus. The Bible is clear that it’s only through faith that a person becomes born again:

Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God. (1 John 5:1a MKJV, emphasis added)

For God so loved the world that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. (John 3:16 MKJV, emphasis added)

Because if you confess the Lord Jesus, and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved. (Rom 10:9 MKJV, emphasis added)

Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. (Rom 5:1 MKJV, emphasis added)

The Sin of Trying to Live According to the Law

The Law isn’t based on faith. It promises life only to people who obey its commands. (Gal 3:12 CEV)
For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin. (Rom 14:23b ESV)

The Old Testament Law is not based on faith, because it didn’t take any faith for a person to know that they were wrong when they transgressed one of the commands. But it does take faith for us to still believe we are the righteousness of God, even when we just messed up!

When we combine Gal 3:12a with Rom 14:23b it says this:

“Living according to the Old Testament Law is sin.”

Bottom line.

New Covenant Grace

Fasting in the Old Testament was combined with wailing in sackcloth and ash to demonstrate true repentance for sin and to avoid God’s wrath. However since God isn’t in the punishing business anymore (1 John 4:18) and all the sins of a believer are forgiven when they become born again (Col 2:13), fasting for this purpose is senseless and rejects what Jesus accomplished at the cross.

Some people interpret Isaiah 58 as the type of fast that would please God under the New Covenant, however the context of this chapter is clear from the first verse:

The LORD says, “Shout as loud as you can! Tell my people Israel about their sins! (Isa 58:1 GNB)

If we read the entire chapter it’s clear that this was addressed to Israel under the Old Covenant. Even though some of the principles may seem good and righteous (i.e. to remove the chains of oppression, share their food with the hungry, do not refuse help to their relatives, etc. in verses 6-7), it is still clear God’s blessings in this chapter were dependent on Israel’s ability to perform these deeds. It actually becomes blatantly clear in the last two verses:

The LORD says, “If you treat the Sabbath as sacred and do not pursue your own interests on that day; if you value my holy day and honor it by not traveling, working, or talking idly on that day, then you will find the joy that comes from serving me. I will make you honored all over the world, and you will enjoy the land I gave to your ancestor, Jacob. I, the LORD, have spoken.” (Isa 58:13-14 GNB)

Under the New Covenant, God’s blessings do not depend on our proficiency in executing the 10 Commandments – Jesus Christ accomplished it all! Now we are blessed simply because we have faith in Jesus:

This means that everyone who has faith will share in the blessings that were given to Abraham because of his faith. (Gal 3:9 CEV)

Fasting to Drive Out Demons

When Jesus’ disciples could not evict the demon from the young boy and afterwards questioned why, Jesus answered them:

¹⁹ Then the disciples came to Jesus apart, and said, Why could we not cast him out?  ²⁰ And Jesus said to them, Because of your unbelief. For truly I say to you, If you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you shall say to this mountain, Move from here to there. And it shall move. And nothing shall be impossible to you. ²¹ However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting. (Matt 17:19-21 MKJV)

Jesus’ answer in verse 21 did not refer to the demon – He was referring to their unbelief. He was saying “this kind (of unbelief) only goes out by prayer and fasting.” Jesus was simply expounding on His answer in verse 20 by telling them the secret of how to get rid of their unbelief.

So a fast is sometimes good for us, to rid us of our unbelief and to discipline our flesh. But it’s not to be used when asking God for something. What do we try to accomplish by accompanying a prayer request with fasting? Are we trying to prove to God that we are really serious? Do we need to beg and plead with our earthly fathers and throw in a fast for good measure when we ask them for something? Of course not!

We need not act as if we have to change God’s mind all the time, as though He doesn’t really want to bless us. His love for us is infinitely deeper than that of our earthly dads; God doesn’t need to be convinced of our intentions – He is on our side!

The Purpose of Fasting

The following are extracts from a great article written by author Ralph Harris from Life Course Ministries, entitled “A Needle to My Heart” (http://lifecourseministries.blogspot.com/2011/05/needle-to-my-heart.html):

I’ve been fasting this week.  It’s not because God likes it when I fast, it’s because I do.  Yeah, you read that right.  For me, fasting is choosing a weakness through which I will know and savor God more.  It’s all about satisfaction – mine.

In this case, I’m fasting from food, but in the past I’ve fasted from television, music (rather than listen to the stereo in my car on morning drives to work, I preferred thinking and listening for Him in quiet), news media, alcohol (I like an ale or a glass of wine now and then), and more.

It’s amazing how much I get used to turning to the things of this world for satisfaction, rather than to God, who satisfies me most and best.  Like many, I suppose, seeking God or reading the Bible or praying can become all about obedience and willpower (“I’ve got to do it!”) when I’m getting more satisfaction and better pleasure elsewhere.  Does that make sense?

I start to approach God and the things He likes as important things to do, rather than ways to know Him and like Him.  And what about letting Him show me why He likes me?  Reading the Bible and praying becomes a daily duration of time when I get my study and devotional time card punched.  Thunk-thunk!  Going to church becomes all about following through on commitment.  Giving money is about the pledge I made.  Yuck.  Round about then a college football game is much more exciting, or a bowl of ice cream, a shopping spree, a good movie, or a new electronic gadget.  What delight, right?

God no longer brings about the wedding of desire and satisfaction—fulfillment—because it has been joined together elsewhere.  What does God get?  Commitment and Study and Pledges of Obedience—and my frustration.  A lot of frustration.

But because He has crucified me to this world and this world to me (we’re incompatible), I can tolerate this hostage situation for only so long (Gal. 6:14).  A break-out is drawing near.

That’s where a fast comes in.  Through it I am needling myself, my true self, and saying, “Alert!  Wake up and be satisfied!  I can no longer stand surface satisfaction when I’ve been made for far deeper.”  To be sure, I still have strong longings for satisfaction—in fact they get stronger—but the Spirit brings out desires now natural for me.  I actually want God.  I truly want Father.

To be clear, no one has to fast to earn anything.  It’s a way of enjoying what you already have.  Any kind of fasting is toward satisfaction.  It’s a way of acknowledging, “Jesus, you have given me absolutely everything already for entirely nothing.  Hooray!  I’m full already.  So I want to hunger as a way of finding fullness.”

New Covenant Grace

These are powerful principles when used in the correct way, namely in the context of the finished work of the cross. But the way that it has been turned into a tactic to try and twist God’s arm to do things for us, it is actually doing more damage to the body of Christ than those who propagate it can imagine.

Fasting and intercession is often a “whip” that is abused by people for the following four main reasons:

1)      It is used by legalists who try to beat the church back into obeying the Old Testament law

2)      To make believers beg and cry out to God to give them things that they already have

3)      To appeal to God to do things which He’s already done

4)      To plead with God to do things which He commanded us to do

Praying for God to “Heal the Land”

Recently a well known entertainer in South Africa sent out a request through his website to thousands of his fans to join him in a day of fasting, during which prayers and intercessions would be made for their country in the hope that God would “heal the land” like He promised in the Old Testament:

…if My people, who are called by My name, shall humble themselves and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from Heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. (2 Chron 7:14 MKJV)

Ryan James Rhoades from www.RevivalorRiots.org wrote a great article about this exact issue, but in short it comes down to the fact that this verse has been used out of context. Note that the verse doesn’t start with a capital letter, which means it most likely forms part of the previous verse. Let’s read it in context with verse 13:

If I shut up the heavens, and there is no rain, or if I command the locusts to devour the land, or if I send a plague among My people; if My people, who are called by My name, shall humble themselves and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from Heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. (2 Chron 7:13-14 MKJV)

Aha… Since God doesn’t kill people or destroy their countries anymore under the New Covenant, it’s clear that these verses do not apply to us! God will not honor a day where people fast and beg Him “to heal the land” since we are asking Him to do something which He commanded us to do. God gave us the Holy Spirit in order for us to be His hands and feet here in the earth. He commanded us to go out to all the nations and make them His disciples (Matt 28:19). He commanded us to heal the sick and raise the dead (Matt 10:8) and take care of widows and orphans (Jam 1:27). So why are we asking God to do all this stuff?

Intercession

After the cross, Jesus Christ ascended to Heaven where He sits at the right hand of the Father, continually interceding for the saints:

Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died – more than that, who was raised – who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. (Rom 8:33-34 ESV)

So why does Jesus need to intercede for us with the Father? Is the Father against us? Are they at odds in their feelings for us? Of course not! Jesus is our advocate (1 John 2:1) who continually pleads our case with the Father whenever the accuser (the devil) tries to condemn us, as the apostle John wrote in Revelations:

For the one who stood before our God and accused believers day and night has been thrown out of heaven. (Rev 12:10b GNB)

Jesus’ atoning blood continually cleanses us so that the case of the accuser repeatedly gets thrown out of the court. All the evidence against us has been removed – he has nothing to prove his case with anymore!

So since it’s Jesus’ role to intercede for the saints, we actually seem to believe that He isn’t doing a good enough job if we try to assume that position – we are acting in an Anti-Christ manner if we think we have more compassion for other people than God. Jesus is the only person who was ever appointed to act as a mediator between God and man:

For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus… (1 Tim 2:5 ESV)

Often this type of prayer is also called “standing in the gap”, which implies the supposed “gap” between God and man. This gap is of course completely bridged when someone becomes born-again and their spirit is “fused” with the Holy Spirit:

But he who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him. (1 Cor 6:17 ESV)

Do we really think we love other people more than God? Whenever we pray for God to have mercy or to divert His wrath and not punish someone, we act as though we are more merciful than God. How do we think that makes God look in the eyes of the world? Mostly if we intercede for other people (or for a country) it stems out of a belief that we can “change God’s mind” – as though He doesn’t really want to do anything about the problem in the first case – and that our praying will change His mind to make Him step in and finally do something. Do we really believe that we love other people or our country more than God does?

One of the very few scriptures in the Bible which tell us to intercede for people is this one:

First of all, then, I exhort that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. (1 Tim 2:1-2 MKJV)

God has no problem with us asking for wisdom for ourselves or for other people:

But if any of you lack wisdom, you should pray to God, who will give it to you; because God gives generously and graciously to all. (Jam 1:5 GNB)

The principle of intercession has become an abused, ugly, trash word in lots of Christian circles. No wonder people (including pastors) burn out! They walk around with the weight of the world on their shoulders, when Jesus promised His yoke is easy and His burden is light.

The correct way to intercede would be to acknowledge the finished work of the cross and pray from a place of victory, not for victory. Most often this involves commanding life, favor, deliverance, healing and restoration into a situation and destroying the works of the devil!

In part 2 of this series we will take a look at Fasting – it might just take some more of the burden off your shoulders!

New Covenant Grace

Believers receive the Holy Spirit when they receive Jesus as their Lord and Savior through faith (Eph 1:13). Biblical events always portray that the Holy Spirit comes or falls on people when they receive Him for the first time (Act 2:2-4; Act 2:38; Act 10:44; Act 19:2-6; Eph 1:13). The only historical event that appears to record a second filling by the Holy Spirit, is found in Acts 4:

And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness. (Acts 4:31 ESV, emphasis added)

Here we have an example in the New Covenant where believers were apparently “re-filled” with the Holy Spirit… Or were they?

The very first outpouring of the promised Holy Spirit occurred when the 120 believers were assembled together in the upper room in Jerusalem and the tongues of fire appeared above their heads. From that day on the Holy Spirit would live and manifest from inside them. The same pattern occurs in the lives of believers today: The Holy Spirit falls on a person at salvation and thereafter abides within. He doesn’t leave the temple of our bodies ever again after that – to be without the Holy Spirit would mean that a person has lost their salvation.

You are no longer ruled by your desires, but by God’s Spirit, who lives in you. People who don’t have the Spirit of Christ in them don’t belong to him. (Rom 8:9 CEV, emphasis added)

Back to Acts 4:31, the Greek word used for “filled” in this passage has actually been translated in very diverse ways throughout the New Testament, such as “accomplished”, “full”, “completed”, “become”, to be “overcome” by something, to be “filled”, etc. It all depends on the context:

And when eight days were fulfilled to circumcise the child… (Luk 2:21a, MKJV, emphasis added)

When the people in the meeting place heard Jesus say this, they became so angry [filled with anger]… (Luk 4:28 CEV, emphasis and annotations added)

And all the city was filled with confusion. (Act 19:29a LITV, emphasis added)

With that, Peter, full of the Holy Spirit, let loose: “Rulers and leaders of the people… (Act 4:8 MSG, emphasis added)

Revival Meetings

The Acts 4 event has been used and abused by a myriad of people to get believers to “wait” on God for “more” of the Holy Spirit. The notion that “waiting on the Lord” and outcries for outpourings of the Spirit will eventually bring about Revival, has bred a powerless, passive generation of believers.

If all the money and time that has been spent on so called “revival meetings” has instead been poured into taking the gospel to the streets, the world would have been a different place. The enemy wants us on our faces, pleading with God for something that has already been completed in Christ and is preventing us from taking the gospel to the world. What do we have to show for all the years of crying out for revival, the breaking down of strongholds in the atmosphere and endless meetings to beg God for mercy?

When we understand that God lives in us and that we are ONE spirit with Him, all sorts of beliefs will go out the door, like praying for open heavens, asking God to show up in meetings, looking for signs and manifestations to believe that God is really moving among us, etc. People will begin to realise that everything they will ever need to grow, live, do miracles, succeed and know the truth is already inside them!

By this we are not refuting God’s omnipotence, but to think that we can achieve a greater measure of being spirit filled borders on superstition. God gave us the entire Holy Spirit, not just the little toe or the bottom or top half.

God is omnipresent and powerful, but people very conveniently externalise His presence to dodge the responsibility and acknowledgement that all the help they will ever need is already fully present inside them. There is no “greater measure” of being spirit filled required:

For in Him [Christ] dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.  And you are complete in Him, who is the Head of all principality and power. (Col 2:9-10 MKJV, emphasis and annotations added)

John the Baptist

What clenches the fact that the Acts 4 event does not refer to a second filling with the Holy Spirit, is the use of the same Greek word to describe what happened to John the Baptist:

For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall neither drink wine nor strong drink. And he shall be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb. (Luk 1:15 MKJV, emphasis added)

G4130 (fill)

pletho (play’-tho, pleh’-o)

A prolonged form of a primary word pleo (which appears only as an alternate in certain tenses and in the reduplicated form of pimple mi to “fill” (literally or figuratively [imbue, influence, supply]); specifically to fulfil (time): – accomplish, full (. . . come), furnish.

John the Baptist was the last prophet who operated under the Old Covenant. The promised Holy Spirit would only be poured out at Pentecost, which was long after John had died. Therefore to interpret this verse to mean that John the Baptist was continually filled with the Holy Spirit is incorrect, because Jesus was the first man to walk the earth fully Spirit filled!

As we saw a little earlier, the Greek word for “filled” can be interpreted in many different ways, depending on the context. Luke 1:15 (above) should therefore be interpreted in the sense that John was overcome by or convinced of the Holy Spirit. The same applies to the believers in Acts 4:31 and Peter in Acts 4:8 (above) – since they had already been filled by the Holy Spirit previously, in both these instances they simply came under the power of the Spirit who already lived inside them!

The well known verse in Ephesians 5 can be interpreted in exactly the same way:

And do not be drunk with wine, in which is excess, but be filled with the Spirit. (Eph 5:18 MKJV, emphasis added)

This verse simply provokes us to give ourselves over to the influence of the Holy Spirit inside us!

Being “Baptized” with the Holy Spirit

There is also no Biblical evidence to support the doctrine that being baptized with the Holy Spirit means something different than being filled with the Holy Spirit, yet a clear distinction has been made in the past between these two so-called different events. It is widely believed that after being filled with the Spirit, a believer also needs to be baptized in the Spirit to be able to operate in the gifts.

This manmade doctrine creates the notion that the full measure of the Holy Spirit which is given to a believer at salvation (Col 2:10) is not enough and that the heavens have to be bombarded with pleas for God to send down “more” of His Spirit. Why on earth would God not give us the WHOLE Holy Spirit in the first place? If He did not even spare His own Son, why would He hold back with the Holy Spirit? In any case, how can a person (the Holy Spirit) only be partially present?

Anointing

Another interesting practice in the modern church world is to ask God for more anointing, as though it were something that could be measured in certain “levels”. Let’s look at the Greek meaning of the word:

G5545

Chrisma (khris’-mah)

From G5548; an unguent or smearing, that is, (figuratively) the special endowment (“chrism”) of the Holy Spirit: – anointing, unction.

Only in two verses in the entire Bible (1 John 2:27 and Acts 10:38) is the word “anointing” used in the context where it refers to a supernatural enabling or endowment. In all the other cases it either refers to being smeared with oil or to somebody’s position or function, such as being called “God’s anointed”. Yet countless doctrines have been formulated to somehow try and lure God’s presence and “anointing” into buildings and meetings all over the world. Wouldn’t it be incredible if people started using what they already have for a change?

In 1 John 2:27 where it talks about the supernatural endowment, it says “the anointing which you received from Him abides in you” – so much for asking for more anointing or saying that the anointing can “lift”.

The Woman Who Touched Jesus’ Garment

The incident when the woman with an issue of blood touched Jesus’ garment and He felt power “leave” Him (Mark 5:25-34), is often used as an argument that Christians need to be “recharged” with new or fresh anointing after they had ministered to other people. The problem with this view is that it treats the Holy Spirit like petrol again, as though He can “run out”. A PERSON cannot run out! He is the ultimate, endless, infinite source of life. There is no limit to His capacity and He doesn’t have a tank that can run empty.

A good picture of this is when the prophet Elisha had the widow pour oil from her small jar into the other containers. The oil kept on pouring and pouring until there were no more jars left to fill. Only then did the oil in the small jar run out (2 King 4:1-7). When we minister the Spirit to other people, we are pouring from an endless supply which will continue to pour out until we run out of people to minister to, which of course will only be when we die. And even then our spirits will still remain fused to the Holy Spirit (1 Cor 6:17).

It’s Not Just Semantics

Having people pray for something which they think they don’t have yet, contributes to a mindset of insufficiency and creates the idea that if we can get focused or serious enough, God will honor our efforts with His presence. What’s interesting is that the same tactic is employed by mediums and psychics to conjure up evil spirits. People have fasted, shouted, cried, sacrificed and prayed for hours and days on end for God to “come” when all the while He was right there with them.

It’s time to come to terms with New Covenant realities. It’s time the church realised how powerful she is. It’s time we started understanding the meaning of Immanuel: God with us.

New Covenant Grace

A peculiar trend in the majority of organized Christian meetings is the way people earnestly cry out to God (especially during “worship” services) with words like “We are hungry for You Lord! Lord we are so thirsty for Your presence! Come Lord, fill this place with Your presence! God we are desperate for You!”

This flies straight in the face of what was accomplished at the cross.

The truth is that believers carry the abiding indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit, who is a person. A person is either present or they are absent. Bottom line. And since the Holy Spirit is the sign of whether somebody is saved or not, it means that if they don’t have the Holy Spirit, they need to believe in Jesus and get saved. God never promised that the Holy Spirit would live among us; He sent His Spirit to live inside us.

You are no longer ruled by your desires, but by God’s Spirit, who lives in you. People who don’t have the Spirit of Christ in them don’t belong to him. (Rom 8:9 CEV, emphasis added)

The Holy Spirit Is Not Petrol

In lots of places the Holy Spirit is treated like He is fuel. On Sundays people come to church to have their tanks filled up again for the week. By the next weekend their tanks are almost empty and by Sunday morning they can barely muster up the strength to drag their deprived bodies off to church again for a refill.

We cannot have half of the Holy Spirit – He either lives in us or He doesn’t.

Hungry and Thirsty for God?

If somebody claims to be hungry or thirsty for God, then they need to get born again, because it’s impossible to be hungry or thirsty for something when in fact you are saturated by it! Here’s what scripture says:

And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst. (John 6:35 NKJV)

The LORD will guide you continually, and satisfy your soul in drought, and strengthen your bones; you shall be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail. (Isa 58:11 NKJV)

They must thank the LORD for his constant love, for the wonderful things he did for them. He satisfies those who are thirsty and fills the hungry with good things. (Psa 107:8-9 GNB)

“We Welcome You in this Place Holy Spirit!”

What are we saying when we pray this way? In 1 Cor 6:15-20 we see that even when the believers had sex with the temple prostitutes, the Holy Spirit didn’t leave them or lift off them. In v. 17 it says that our spirits are literally “fused” with the Holy Spirit at salvation – there’s no separating what God bound together! Yes it definitely grieved Him to be forced into a situation where He would be made an up close and personal witness of such an act of foolishness, but not once in the entire New Covenant we find mention of the Holy Spirit forsaking a believer. A believer is sealed with the Holy Spirit at salvation:

In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit (Eph 1:13 ESV, emphasis added)

G4972 (sealed)
sphragizo? (sfrag-id’-zo)
From G4973; to stamp (with a signet or private mark) for security or preservation (literally or figuratively); by implication to keep secret, to attest: – (set a, set to) seal up, stop.

It’s the same principle as when canned / preserved food is manufactured – the good stuff is sealed on the inside for freshness.

So when someone prays for the presence of God or the Holy Spirit to “come” into a meeting, it simply shows they have a very limited idea about what happens to a person when they are born again.

Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? (1 Cor 3:16 ESV)

Under the Old Covenant the Holy Spirit rested on people or controlled them for certain periods, endowing them with short-term supernatural abilities (Num 11:25; 1 Sam 19:20; Jdg 3:10; Jdg 11:29; Jdg 14:19), but it was always a temporary thing.

Under the Old Covenant system the presence of God also used to fill buildings and temples, but in the New Covenant we are the temples!  An increased awareness of the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit is often confused for some sort of external presence. When we continually look for an external presence to come and fill us, we are creating a mentality of lack on our side – we keep on asking God for something that He’s already given us!

Revival Meetings

If all the money and time that has been spent on so called “revival meetings” had instead been poured into taking the gospel to the streets, the world would have been a different place. The enemy wants us on our faces, pleading with God for something that has already been completed in Christ and preventing us from taking the gospel to the world. What do we have to show for all the years of crying out for revival, the breaking down of strongholds in the atmosphere and endless meetings to beg God for mercy?

When we understand that God lives in us and that we are ONE spirit with Him, all sorts of beliefs will go out the door, like praying for open heavens, asking God to show up in meetings, looking for signs and manifestations to believe that God is really moving among us, etc. People will begin to realise that everything they will ever need to grow, live, do miracles, succeed and know the truth is already inside them!

Focus Inwardly!

By this we are not denying God’s omnipotence, but to think that we can achieve a greater measure of being “spirit filled” borders on superstition. God gave us the entire Holy Spirit, not just the little toe or the bottom of top half.

God is omnipresent and powerful, but people want to dodge the responsibility and acknowledgement that all the help they will ever need is already inside them.

In our next message we will look at the highly controversial issue of being “continually filled” with the Holy Spirit. The events recorded in Acts 4 plus a few other scriptures have been interpreted in the sense that it is our efforts which determine the “degree” to which to we are filled with the Spirit, which of course turns all of it into works again. It’s actually quite odd to believe that we could become depleted of a Person, which is exactly what the Holy Spirit is.

New Covenant Grace

The issue of God’s sovereignty is a highly debated one. It has presented itself in scores of questions through the ages, such as: Does God’s will always prevail? Is God responsible for natural disasters? Does God cause or allow sickness? Is God in control of everything that happens on the earth?

When we take a good look at how God’s will was modelled through the life of Jesus however, the answers literally jump out at us! Everything Jesus did was exactly what the Father wanted, because Jesus had the same nature as the Father.

God’s Son has all the brightness of God’s own glory and is like him in every way. (Heb 1:3a CEV)

Jesus vs. the Father?

If disasters, diseases and death were the Father’s will, then Jesus and the Father would have constantly been at each other’s throats:

1)     If the storm on the lake which tried to kill Jesus and His disciples was the Father’s will, then Jesus’ rebuke of the storm was against the Father’s will (Mark 4:37-41).

2)     If God had “allowed” the son of the widow of Nain to die, then by raising the boy from the dead Jesus operated contrary to the Father’s will (Luke 7:11-17).

3)     If it was God’s will for the ten lepers be ill, then Jesus was violating the Fathers will by healing them (Luke 17:11-19).

The truth is that a kingdom divided cannot stand. Jesus was not out on some solo rogue mission – He only did what He saw the Father doing (John 5:19).

Natural Disasters

On 22 February 2011 a massive earthquake struck Christchurch in New Zealand, killing dozens of people. Many “doom and gloom” prophets were in agreement that it was God’s judgment of that nation. Cornel Marais (www.charismaminstries.org) however slammed the nail in the coffin with this truth: “If God were responsible for the earthquake in New Zealand, then every rescue worker and doctor who are trying to save people’s lives are directly opposing God’s will – stop preaching stupid theology!”

The same goes for the magnitude 8.9 earthquake and ensuing tsunami which hit Japan on 11 March 2011, killing thousands and thousands of people. There were outcries of these disasters being “Signs that the end is near” and statements like “What else does God have to do to get people’s attention?” Truth be told though, all these events are tell tale signs of a church who doesn’t care or who doesn’t know who she really is… Jesus would never have allowed a tsunami or a flood or a storm to kill those He loved.

Creation Subject to Frustration

For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope  that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. (Rom 8:19-21 ESV)

Creation is groaning and creaking because of mankind’s fall in Eden. The entire planet is waiting for the sons of God (believers) to rise up and rule again! After creating the universe in six days, God left mankind in charge of His creation:

And God blessed them; and God said to them, Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it, and rule over the fish of the seas, and over birds of the heavens, and over all beasts creeping on the earth. (Gen 1:28 LITV)

What are human beings, that you think of them; mere mortals, that you care for them? Yet you made them inferior only to yourself; you crowned them with glory and honor. You appointed them rulers over everything you made; you placed them over all creation. (Psa 8:4-6 GNB)

But with Adam’s fall, death entered the world (Rom 5:12). Nevertheless the command to rule the earth still remained – God never commanded mankind to stop ruling. In man’s fallen state however this was an impossible task, since Satan had hijacked the planet and was wreaking havoc at his leisure. Even Jesus acknowledged him as the ruler of this world (John 12:31). Yet this was exactly why Jesus came in the flesh:

For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil. (1 John 3:8b NKJV)

And as born again, spirit filled believers who have been given all the benefits that Jesus had while He walked the earth, our mandate is also to destroy the devil’s works!

On Earth as it is in Heaven

The fact that Jesus prayed these very words is a clear indication that not everything that happens in the earth is God’s will! Why would Jesus have prayed these words if God’s will was always triumphing? Because if God’s will was prevailing everywhere on earth at present, that would make Him responsible for all the destruction, violence, famines, wars and devastation we see today. How can we ask for help from the very same person who is trying to kill and destroy us? If God were really in control, it would mean He is a mass murderer!

One of the ugliest things to say to a person after they’ve had an accident or suffered some sort of loss or after they’ve received bad news is: “Don’t worry, God is in control”, or “It’s OK, God has a plan.” This implies that God is so lacking of ways to demonstrate His splendour that He has to go around harming people so that He can rescue them again. What a dumb theory…

Suffering

All of the suffering and persecution endured by the New Testament saints came about as a result of their stand for the gospel. Not once does the context refer to God putting them through some sort of trail to test their faithfulness. Jesus already tasted death on our behalf so we won’t have to be tempted or tested. If we were to endure temptation in the here and now, it would certainly not be of God.

Another Bible verse which has been butchered by those who blame God for suffering is Romans 8:28 which says “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”

What this verse is actually saying is that whenever something bad happens to a believer (whether it’s due to their own poor choices, due to an attack by the devil or simply because we live in a fallen word) God is able to use those bad circumstances and turn it around for the good. This does not say that God caused the bad circumstances!

Sowing and Reaping

An unfortunate result of mankind being given the wonderful privilege of having a free will is that we can choose to destroy ourselves. Apart from our decision to believe in Christ unto eternal life (which ensures that all the eternal consequences are good), all our decisions here on earth have good or bad consequences, here on earth:

Do not deceive yourselves; no one makes a fool of God. You will reap exactly what you plant. If you plant in the field of your natural desires, from it you will gather the harvest of death; if you plant in the field of the Spirit, from the Spirit you will gather the harvest of eternal life. So let us not become tired of doing good; for if we do not give up, the time will come when we will reap the harvest. So then, as often as we have the chance, we should do good to everyone, and especially to those who belong to our family in the faith. (Gal 6:7-10 GNB)

We can see from these verses that we are encouraged to do good to others, simply because it will have good consequences. However when we make bad decisions during our life on this earth, we might sometimes have to face the bad consequences for these decisions. Chain smokers may end up with cancer. Thieves may land up in prison. Adulterers may end up with sexually transmitted diseases. Still salvation, healing and deliverance is freely available to all these people. Sin cannot stop the power of God! If it could, then God would not have been able to save us in the first place.

A Faith Destroying Prayer

God’s will is actually very easy to discern: Anything we see happening on the earth that would not be tolerated in Heaven, is not God’s will – bottom line.

When we command sickness to leave a person’s body, but we say “Lord if it’s Your will” afterwards, we effectively nullify and cancel that prayer. How can we pray with faith if we are unsure about whether we are praying in God’s will? God’s will is that ALL be healed, saved, delivered, restored and blessed.

But let him ask in faith, doubting nothing. For he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, driven by the wind and tossed. For do not let that man think that he shall receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, not dependable in all his ways. (Jam 1:6-7 MKJV)

The Bible lists only two job descriptions, we need to make up our minds about who is responsible for life and who is responsible for death:

The thief does not come except that he may steal, and kill, and destroy. I came that they may have life and may have it abundantly. (John 10:10 LITV)

New Covenant Grace