The Restful Increase

Did this question ever crossed your mind? 

If God is full of *mercy and grace then why pray and beg for mercy and grace?

It did crossed my mind but I tried to rationalize the answer by saying, "maybe God just wants to see my heart if I am really true to my plead." But do you realize that even without our "begging" that He already sees our hearts? On other occasion, I rationalize by saying, "He wants to see me humbled." Again, God can see my heart already so He will know if I am humbled or not. Also it looked like God is not willing to give mercy to me if I have to plead to Him just to get Mercy.

This reminded me of a man with leprosy who came to Jesus saying, "Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean." (Luke 5:12, Matthew 8:2). I believe this is a cry of most people today, "Lord if you are willing...". They needed God's intervention, forgiveness, or mercy and they are asking "Lord if you are willing..."

Do you have the same question? Friend, the Good News is God is willing. In that same passage we read these words, “I am willing,”. Jesus said that if you have seen Him you have seen the Father. So if you have seen Him willing then you have seen the Father who is also willing.

God is more willing to give mercy and grace to you and me. And we do not have to beg from Him we simply pray and receive. Receive God's healing. Receive God's forgiveness. Receive God's mercy. All these things are in Christ. Receive Him today.

*John 1:17, Luke 6:36

I've written my testimony on the Holy Communion and there explained a bit what  partaking of the Bread and Wine means to me. I guess the continuation of that story is that I stopped partaking of the Holy Communion. After I got healed I stop doing it but my brother Nestie kept on partaking the Holy Communion and the best part of it is that he tells me of his testimony. I can't tell you how blessed I am hearing his testimony. It built hope in my heart to believe God for a new revelation of the Holy Communion. I forgot when and why I started partaking again but I still remembered that when partake of the bread I started breaking it. When I saw the bread broken I remember Jesus and what He has done on the Cross. The Scripture says that He was pierced for our transgression and by His stripes we have been healed. I believe that nothing beats Divine Health. No pharmaceutical company is selling Divine Health only Jesus is offering Divine Healing and Wholeness. It is as if the LORD is impressing on me that in the Bread I can believe Jesus for my healing of my past, present, and future illness. Then I took the Wine and there I saw a dark smoke passing by the front of our house and the I saw the Wine. Then I remembered the Scripture said, "When I see the blood, I will pass over you". I realized that when you are partaking of the Wine not only means that you are Righteous it also means that you are protected from any weapon that is formed against you. I believe God wants us healed, whole, and protected that is why He gave the Holy Communion so we can see His heart. I encourage you take the Holy Communion and live in health, wholeness, and righteousness.

What does it mean when someone 'falls from grace'. If you asked me three years ago what it meant to 'fall from grace' I would answer that it means that the person committed sin so grave (usually some sexual sin) that he or she needs to undergo restoration. If we look at the Scriptures we will see that there is only one way a person can fall from grace and that is found in Galatians 5:4.

For if you are trying to make yourselves right with God by keeping the law, you have been cut off from Christ! You have fallen away from God's grace. Galatians 5:4

Note that this the verse where it talks about  a person falling from Grace. So according to this verse if you try to make yourselves 'right with God' through the Law then you have fallen from Grace. Again, if you are trying to be righteous through your Law keeping then you have fallen from Grace. Therefore it is not when you sin that you fall from Grace, it is when you try to make yourselves righteous through your performance. Why? According to this verse it is because you have been cut off from Christ. Yes when you rely on your own law-keeping and your performance to 'keep your righteousness' Christ is made of no effect and that is when you fall from Grace and you land in the Law. And when you are operating in the Law, understand that you will be judged based of your performance. How many of you know that no one but Jesus can perfectly obey the law? Yes you on yourselves cannot perfectly obey the law and thus you realized that you need a Savior. So what happens when you try to keep the Law so you will be accounted righteous? Answer: You will fall from Grace.

So what happens when you sin? The Scripture says that the Law is given so that sin will increase and when sin increase Grace super-abounds (Romans 5:20). So what happens when you sin is that you do not fall from Grace you fall into Grace. You fall in God's mercy. I say this respectfully that your qualification for God's Grace is your sin. Because when you sin God's Grace is there to swallow up that sin.

If you are worried that this will lead to a licentious lifestyle of sin then worry no more because the Scripture says that if you are under Grace sin will no longer mastering over you but if you are under the Law then sin will be your master(Romans 6:14). In the church sin will be defeated only if they know that they are no longer under the Law but under Grace. This message needs to be preached so Christians will live victory over sin and death.

The word Grace means, unmerited favor which means to say that Jesus is the Father's unmerited favor towards us; we do not deserve Him but the Father gave His Son to us anyway. Friends, my prayer is that you will no longer be law or sin conscious but you will be Jesus conscious. When you sin remember what Jesus has done and you will get up.

You do not fall from Grace when you sin, you fall into Grace. Grace is the ocean of God's love. Fall into Grace and know that His love for you knows no boundaries then you will know that His heart is to restore you into Himself.

When I started attending church, I was so on fire. I was happy attending services (I attend 2 services sometimes) and just love singing and dancing for God. I also started to get involve in the ministry and I was happily doing it. Then one person who was serving full time in the church told me,

 "I will give you three years and your zest will die down. Now you are on fire for God then I will tell you in few years your fire will die down." 

 I was not afraid because I was happy serving God. I brushed that comment off thinking, 

 "No I will never be like that." Then I started observing that people who are on top of the ministry started leaving the church and started living a life of sin! The more when I started seeing pastors trekking on the same path! Even the person who "prophesied" to me about my fall fell! That guy left the church and never came back! Then I started asking myself, "When is it my turn? When will my fire die down? Will I backslide like the people I know?" I tried to keep myself from backsliding. I prayed and read my Bible, and served the ministry. But then after few years in the ministry THE DAY came! It is not like a sudden feeling of "backsliding" its a slow process that you would not even notice you already felt far away from God. I thought, "This is it! This is probably the time that I back slide."

So why people backslide? Why people who are so active in the church suddenly die down in coming to fellowships? These are very important questions that I believe needs to be answered because it is an on-going reality in the church today.

While there are many studies already about why Christian backslides here are few of my ideas why people backslide:

1. The LAW is preached in the church. People backslide because the Law is being preached and not Jesus. When the Law is preached it is always focused on right doing. And when there is a lot of focus on unveiling the Law, the Scripture says that the Law is a ministry of death and condemnation. 

The Scripture above says that the Law which was engraved in letters on stone is the ministry that brought death. Think about it for a second. Selah! The more you are preaching the Law the more that the people die inside. When a person is dying inside the church they will look for life outside the church!

When a person is dying inside the church they will look for life outside the church!

2. The LAW is preached again and again in the church. I told you before that some people (some of them are on top of the ministry) falls into sin. And I asked why. I got the answer, The LAW is preached again and again in the church. When the Law is preached it will stir up sin people's hearts.

Are you reading this Scripture? The POWER of SIN is the LAW! The more you preach the Law the more power you give to sin!

If you are shocked with what I am sharing I am telling you, I got shocked first. And yet, I find this true to my life. The more I say, "I must read my Bible and  I must pray everyday", the more I fail to read my Bible and the more I don't like to pray. I go out and feel condemned that I sinned because I was not able to do my "Christian duties".

I believe I need to expound here, the purpose of the Law. The Scripture says that the purpose of the Law is so that sin will increase. It is not created so that we will know what needs to be done to be "holy". No, the purpose is so that what is inside humanity will come out. Jesus, said:

What is it that comes out from a man's mouth that makes him unclean? It is SIN! How will it come out? Answer: Through the LAW. Let's follow what Jesus said in verse 18 and 19:

At the heart of man is SIN but man does not see that. Thus,  the Law was given so that the man can see his sin and His need for Jesus.

3. Jesus is not unveiled to His Church. The Scriptures is about Jesus and it is funny that sometimes Jesus is not even heard of inside His Church. His Bride does not know Him. Why? Because the Bride is being taught by the Law on "How to be a better Bride" or "How to be a Bride of God" It's interesting to note that before we hear about right living Jesus already loved us. Jesus needs to be unveiled in His Church. Why? Because the Scripture says that the more we see Jesus the more we become more like Him! Isn't that exiting? No more lists of dos and don'ts all we need is to see Him!

We are transformed by beholding Jesus - who He is, what He came to do, what He has accomplished on the Cross, and what He is doing now. When we see Jesus in the Scriptures the Spirit of God inside of us will testify of Him. And you know the Grace of God, the Scripture says, "will teach us to deny ungodliness".

Notice that it says "the grace of God appeared" and offers salvation to all people? Who do you think is this? Answer: Jesus. Yes Jesus came and He offers salvation to all people and this same Jesus will teach you and me say, "No" to ungodliness and "No" to backsliding.

If you know Jesus, you will know that even when you sin, He still loves you and He never leave you even (especially) when  you sin against Him. So there is really no point in "backsliding" because His love for you sticks with you regardless of whether you like it or not.

In my case, yes I felt God slipping away and I really thought I will backslide but you know His love for me is greater than my feelings. And when He saw me in my frailty, He unveiled His Grace to me. It was wonderful to see Jesus. I saw that He loves me and even though I did not love Him, He loves me without reservation. I believe that in my case, the more I tried to hold on to Christianity the more I started losing my grip so I fell and slid back into Grace. Into the loving arms of the Father. 

"the more I tried to hold on to Christianity the more I started losing my grip so I fell and slid back into Grace. Into the loving arms of the Father. "

You see Jesus' love is the reason why people come to God. It is also the same reason why people stays with Jesus. His love endures forever. And His favor and mercies are new every morning.


My heart's desire is that the Church will be a haven again for people who have backslid-en and it will be a place where they can find Jesus' restoring and loving power!

Let us continue to unveil Jesus on the Cross.

I've listened to Pastor Paul White's teaching on Grace Activators and I was so blessed to hear them. Grace Activators is about times or areas when does God's Grace super-abounds. Pastor Paul shared five grace activators found in the Scriptures. Let me share them to you (my comments added):

1. God's Grace super-abounds when you REST.

   Genesis 6:8 But Noah found Grace in the eyes of the LORD.

   Noah means Rest. So when you rest in Him, God's Grace will take over and super-abounds. 

   So even when you are a stressful situation, and you start resting in Him, God's Grace will take over in that  situation. Resting means you will not do the work; it means you allow God to work on your behalf. This is not talking about taking off from your work. It means that your heart is rested even when the situation demands that you worry. It means surrendering your situation to God and let Him take over.

Romans 11: 6 And if by grace, then it is no longer by works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace.

2. God's Grace super-abounds when you Sin.

     Romans 5:20 The Law came in so that the transgression would increase; but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more,

Yes. God's Grace abounds when you sin because God's Grace hunts sin down. This is a very surprising activator since the general belief is that God stays away from you when you sin but the opposite is true. God draws near when a believer sins against the LORD. You cannot out-sin Grace. So the Scripture above says that whenever there is abundant of sin God's Grace abounds even more!

1 John 2:1
My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense--Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.

When you sin know that God is not out to get you, know that we have an advocate, Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.:) Isn't that beautiful?

Now where do you want your Grace? Through Sin? Or Rest?

3. God's Grace super-abounds when you Give Thanks.

2 Corinthians 4:15  For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God.

Redound means to overflow. Jesus gave thanks before feeding 5 thousand people and God's Grace flowed and multiplied the bread and fish!

4. God's Grace super-abounds when you are Weak.

2 Corinthians 12

⁹ And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. ¹⁰ Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

God's Grace flows in your weakness. Whatever area where you are weak, God' Strength takes over. Thus rejoice in your weakness because that's where God's Grace flows.

5. God's Grace super-abounds when you Cheerfully Give.

2 Corinthians 9: 6 Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. 7 Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.

The word  "sparingly" here means reluctant. If you are reluctant don't give. If it's hard for you to give then don't give. It will reap you nothing. Give when you have a revelation. God will bless it when you are happy giving. God's is going to bless it.

Conclusion

The Grace Activators are not there so you will know "what to do" to received Grace. This is not about performance-base religion. No, this is about Jesus and this is what Jesus said:

Matthew 11:28-30

The Message (MSG)

 ^28-30"Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly."

Grace has a flow. This flow is effortless and it fits right in wherever you are  in life. Grace is not a doctrine or philosophy Grace is The Person of Jesus. The Scripture says "Grace and Truth came by Jesus Christ". And in that same verse Grace and Truth is considered as one so when Jesus said, "I am The Truth", he is also saying "I am The Grace". The flow that Jesus has for you and me is natural and effortless. His was are unforced and effortless. When you look at Jesus you will find rest, rest finds Jesus, and Jesus is full of Grace. When you sin and you are in Christ, there is therefore now no condemnation. When you give thanks, Jesus blesses it. When you are weak, Jesus is your Strength. When you give, God honors it.:) Isn't that awesome?

Matthew 11:28-30

The Message (MSG)

 ^28-30"Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly."

Grace has a flow. This flow is effortless and it fits right in wherever you are  in life. Jesus is that good that you don't have to force yourself to change but He will do the work for you. Religion, on the other hand, is different. Religion will always tell you to do things for God. As a young Christian I was taught that I need to serve Him, I need to do things for Him, I need to forget myself and focus on Him. And I believe that all these are good but apart from Christ this are all works of the flesh. In Christ, these are all fruits of the Spirit. Having a servant heart is a flow of Grace. Having a Christ-centered heart is a fruit of His Love. Under the Law, you have to do something to please God. Under Grace, you just look at Jesus and you end up doing the right thing. What I am saying here will cause some religious folks to go nuts (I'm sure). Why? Because many of them do no give the power of Jesus that much credit. His love will cause every armor and every wall to fall down. His love will cause every heart to turn to God. His love will cause faith to rise up. And all the people needs to see is Jesus. Religion puts it's focus on man's effort: man's obedience and compliance to the Law. Grace puts man's focus on Jesus: Jesus' obedience and the power of His Work on the Cross.

If you are tired of religion, get away with Jesus and know that what He has done on the Cross is more than enough for you. All you need to do is to rest on Him. Rest on what He has done. If you think you have fallen out from God's love know this, "He has forgiven your past, present, and future sins." If you think you are unacceptable, know this, "You are His beloved regardless of what you have done or what you will do." It's all because Jesus finished it all.

2–6 July 2012 (Monday to Friday)

Come July 2012, Joseph Prince will be preaching at the Hillsong Conference in beautiful Sydney, Australia. So pen the dates in your diary, and start making plans to be at this electrifying Christian conference that sees more than 20,000 participants each year.

In his own inimitable style, Joseph will unveil Jesus in all His loveliness and magnificence, and share a fresh revelation of the Lord’s great grace and immense love. And Joseph will be in fine company at Hillsong Conference 2012, as other guests include Joyce Meyer, Steven Furtick, Louie Giglio, Chris Tomlin and Matt Redman.

TheRestfulIncrease Blog hopes to cover this event!

If you are in Christ you are a New Creation. This means that you are given "Abundance of Grace (mercy+love)" and the "Gift of Righteousness". You are now His son or His daughter. You are accepted in the Beloved (in Christ) and you have been given the Gift of No Condemnation. The Scripture says in Romans 8:1 that when you are in Christ (He became your Savior) then you are no longer condemned! Why? Because Jesus already became sin for you. On the Cross, Jesus took your sins - past, present, and future so today and tomorrow you can stand before the Father pure, accepted, and righteous. 

Some people think that Romans 8:1 is reserved only for those who are constantly walking in obedience. They often quote the continuation of Romans 8:1 which goes:

So does this not mean that those who constantly walk in obedience are the only recipient of the gift of no condemnation? Let me tell you that the added phrase, "who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit" is NOT in the original Greek. That is why the phrase is found only in King James version but not in the new versions that were translated from the original Greek. So the only qualification for the gift of no condemnation is Jesus!

Another thing, let's say it is true that only those who who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit are the only group of people who enjoys the gift of no condemnation. Now let me ask you, if a person walks constantly after the Spirit all the time does that person needs to be condemned of anything? No if a person constantly walks after the Spirit then that person is sinless and should not be condemned for anything! Which means that a person who always do what is right does not need no condemnation but Paul wrote it to tell us a great news about being in Christ. I believe that the great news about being in Christ is that when you are with Him, you are NO LONGER condemned with your sins - past, present, and future!

This gift of no condemnation is part and parcel of the reality that we can walk in as part of being in Christ. In the promise of the New Covenant that God will have to His People he says:

God will remember you sins no more. And if God forgets your sins who can condemn you? No one!

God is for us and not against us. Because of what Jesus has done we can come to God and say,"I accept what Jesus has accomplished on the Cross. He is my Savior and Lord. I am no longer under condemnation! Thank You Jesus!"

Friends, Jesus died for you and He did not die for nothing! He died so that you and I will know what it is to live. Paul said, "For me, to live is Christ and to die is gain." What is Paul saying? Paul is saying he found life in Christ and now even death will let him gain more life!

Through Jesus, God bestowed upon you and me the Gift of No Condemnation. So if you received Jesus already, do not walk as if you were not forgiven. Walk in the forgiveness and righteousness that Jesus gave you. Do not walk ask if the Cross never happened; walk knowing that Jesus accomplished so much in the Cross. Walk in this life, knowing that you are forever accepted by the Father. He loves you. He loves you. He loves you.