I am a Butterfly

If you have been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb (Jesus Christ),
then you are a butterfly. Sound strange? Well, it's an analogy of
sorts. But a good one.

Bob George, in his book titled, "Classic Christianity" so aptly
talks about our newness in Christ by using the analogy of a caterpillar
who has transformed into a butterfly.

Bob says that the "old man," our old sinful nature can
be compared with the caterpillar. The caterpillar crawls around in the
dirt. Our old man enjoyed crawling in the dirt of sin, as well.

But, when that caterpillar has a transformation and becomes a 'new creature,'
a butterfly, he is no longer the caterpillar. He ceases to be a caterpillar.
He has become new! You would never look at a butterfly flittering about and say, "Look
at that good-looking worm! It would not even occur to you to say that. Yet, Christians (transformed
people) still go around talking about themselves as sinners.

Now, as a butterfly, he can fly around, no longer bound by his former digs.
He has come up higher! He sees things he never saw before. He has no desire to be on the ground
any longer; wallowing in the dirt. Sure he does land on the ground occasionally; normally to rest
on a beautiful flower, but he has set his sights higher. It is now part of his nature to fly!

We, having been transformed by the Holy Spirit, having newness of life, have become new
creatures (new beings). The old has passed; the new has come. I truly love the way Bob George
explains it. To say that we are just sinners (saved by grace) is wrong. We are saints
(butterflies)! No longer are we bound by sin. We are not slaves to sin any longer.

It's the truth that we KNOW that sets us free. We have a new identity!

To the Sinners in Ephesus?

Today's topic revolves around the confusion that seems to be prevalent in the church concerning whether or not we are saints or sinners - saved by grace. I can emphatically say that we are saved by grace, but once we have been redeemed, we are no longer sinners of any kind. Once we are saved, we have a new nature. We have new desires. The Bible tells us that we are 'new creations,' the old has passed; the new has come. It's time the church read the New Testament.

Neil Anderson, in his book titled "Who I Am in Christ" says, "If I walked into any church in America and asked how many perceive themselves as a sinner saved by grace, almost everyone would raise their hands. But then if I asked how many perceive themselves as saints, few, if any, would raise their hands." How sad that the church at large has not come to the knowledge of the truth in this area.

If you read through Ephesians, you will soon see that Paul addressed the Christians there as 'saints.' This is what the believers were called and are still called today, it's just that many don't recognize that fact. Maybe they 'feel' that being called a saint is above them or even that it would be prideful to consider oneself a saint. But our feelings regarding the truth don't matter. The truth is the truth. Our feelings don't change it. Our feelings are very often wrong. We can't depend on them.

It's very important to know your identity; to realize that you are a saint. We behave according to what and who we perceive ourselves to be. If we think that we are still sinners, we will behave like sinners. Joyce Meyer has a quote on this. She says, "Where the mind goes, the man follows." And she is absolutely right. It's all about renewing your mind to the truth of God's Word.

What happened at the cross?

This video animation was done by Joseph Prince and his team of Spirit-led ministers. Joseph had seen a vision of what actually took place at the cross and he wanted to reproduce it as best he could. I think they did a very good job with this.

All sin, condemnation and guilt was put on Him. He suffered the brunt of all of it for you and for me. The sacrifice was greater than the judgment. Watch and be blessed by this video from Joseph Prince Ministries.

T

Hear Jesus Only and be Uplifted

Pastor Joseph Prince always seems to have a wonderful, fresh word for us in his sermons. I wanted to share this one, because it is crucial to see and hear Jesus in our Bible reading, in our Sunday services, in our fellowship with one another. Be blessed as you listen.

Independence Day

The 4th of July has come and gone. I hope all of you enjoyed the holiday weekend and spent some quality time with family and/or friends. As an American, I can say that I love this country and am proud to be an American.  

Some would say (and have said) that this country was not founded on God and godly principles. I beg to differ. Our country's history and historical documents are full of evidence of the fact that godly men were the framers of the Constitution and of our laws.

Here is just one example of that, written by John Adams, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence...

The second day of July, 1776, will be the most memorable epoch in the history of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival. It ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forever more.[6] 

Long may she wave...and God bless America!