*Only Grace*

John 8:3-11, 2 Corinthians 12:9

Ok, we are driving to Church this morning and my roommate bought a new CD, well new to him, Matthew West's "History", and we kept replaying two songs. One stuck out to me called only grace. After researching if was written based on two scriptures. The story of the woman caught in adultary, which is one of my favorite stories in scripture. This is a story where the teachers of the law and the Pharisees had caught a woman in the act of adultary, they bring her to Jesus as ask him what should be done. Jesus bends down and writes in the sand, adn says whoever is without sin, let him cast the first stone. So of course they all leave because no one is without sin. Which is a point we ALL need to remember. None of us are without sin, there is no condemnation only grace. So the next time you are tempted to judge or comdemn somebody for a sin, remember you have sinned and do not want anyone to judge you, because you and everyone else is not judge, we are not God, nobody elected you General Manager of the universe, so remeber.

So here are the lyrics to Mathew West's "only Grace"

There is no guilt hereThere is no shameNo pointing fingersThere is no blameWhat happened yesterdayHas disappearedThe dirt has washed awayAnd now it’s clearChorus:There’s only graceThere’s only loveThere’s only mercyAnd believe me it’s enoughYour sins are goneWithout a traceThere’s nothing left nowThere’s only graceYou’re starting over nowUnder the sunYou’re stepping forward nowA new life has begunYour new life has begunChorus:And if you should fall againGet back up, get back upReach out and take my handGet back up, Get back upGet back up againChorus: (2x’s)

The Jordan

Yesterday (10/06/06) at dinner, as we were discussing our undergrad degrees a guy asked me, "hey you had a religions degree. I'm doing a project and I need to find somewhere where Israel was faithful to God!!" So I sent him to Joshua to where they are finally about to cross the Jordan River into the promised Land. Israel because of its unbelief has been wandering in a desert like region for 40 years. Their trip should have taken them 2 weeks, a month tops. Jesus when he is tempted in this same region is only there 40 days, because he would quote scripture to his adversary. I have always equated the modern day church to this time period. We as a church are standing on the riverbank, looking across the river. We can see where we should be, but instead we are here and have been for some time. Chapter 4 verse 19 screams out to me in this time. Those of you who know me, indulge me by allowing me to eisegete. (Yes I mean eisegete not exegete, there is a difference.) It says, " On the tenth day of the first month the people went up from the Jordan and camped at Gilgal on the eastern border of Jericho." For those who don't know the 10th day of the 1st month is Yom Kippur, which is the Day of Attonement. So the Israelites crossed the Jordan River on the Day of Attonement!!! The parallels there just scream at me. *Jewish history lesson* The day of Attonement is the day in which a sacrifice was made and the blood poured over the mercy seat of the Ark of the Covenant, covering all the sins of the people. Now the Bible doesn't tell us if the ceremony has been performed yet on this particular day, but I have a feeling that when they crossed that river, and made their way to where they were suppose to be with God their sins had allready been covered. So why this story? We as Christians have a much easier deal. Our sins are not merely covered but washed away. Gone is the guilt, the stress, the strife of sin. But a new day (spiritually) has dawned and we are new creatures. "Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, all things become new." (2 Corinthians 5:17) So church before we can cross our Jordan River and be where God wants us to be in our lives we must first repent and wash away all manner of sin, then can we be with God.

*I post this as reminder that God is calling his children. Lines must be drawn, and no longer can people set on the sidelines and wait. A call to action must sent out, a call to make a choice Jesus and eternal salvation or HaSatan and eternal damnation. The sands of the Dispensation of Grace have nearly slipped away, and God is readying the troops.*


A week ago in chapel (09/26/06), as we were worshipping an event happened to me, that scared me. I have never been scared in a worship service so I knew this meant something, I was not sure what though. As I said as I was worshipping, I was singing, raising my hands, just praising God so desperate to feel the Holy Spirit. When suddenly a weight fell upon my chest, a weight so heavy I had to stop and become conscious of it, and this weight began to squeeze the life out of me. I actually had to sit down and gather myself that is how strong this prescence was. As this weight is on me though, I get this massive flood of thoughts. So many that I could not sort them. Thoughts that I need to visit this person and that person, go here and go there, do this and that. Plus I felt the greatest sense of urgency of.... of haste. Not just the comical time is immenate, but a get off you behind and do this...NOW!!!! Well this haste....this urgency has been in my spirit all week, and I didn't know what to think of it, so I chalked it up to my imagination, dumb idea I know. Over the years I have developed a strong sense of discernment between my emotions and humanness and God's prescenece. I didn't know who to tell this to, so I let it go.
Well today a woman in my KCW small group shared her experience earlier this week in her prayer group. Where she was so filled with words, that she literally began to choke on them. Her air supply cut off, and it caused her to suffer a panic attack. As she told us this, she began to slip into another attack. I know she speaks the truth because it was in her eyes, it was difficult for her to look me in the eyes. Ususally it means someone is lieing, but not this time. You may be able to fool lie detector tests, and human means, but the eyes never lie. I can tell everything in a person's heart and spirit by peering into their eyes.

So folks prepare, do you have loved ones who you are unsure of their salvation, visit them. God's patience runs low. The time of Grace is coming rapidly to an end, and we need to prepare. A battle is on the horizon, a battle the world has never seen before and never will again. Whether that is with guns and canons, or spiritually I do not know. A battle bigger than you or me, a battle we cannot afford to loose. A battle God will not loose. Lines are being drawn, which side are you on? That is why I have titled this blog cry out to Jesus, because I urge anyone who reads this to do just that. Confess your sins, one to another and to God. God's patience for sin wears thin and soon oh so very soon, he will respond!!