Archives for June 2014

New Covenant Christians with an Old Covenant Mentality

My wife and I were newly married, had no children and were on vacation at the beach. We were hungry so we drove a few hundred yards to the corner seafood restaurant. After being seated, we carefully looked over the menu, then realized with dismay there was not one entree we could consume. Why? We believed erroneously, that living a life which pleased the Lord as a Christian, meant following the dietary laws of the Old Covenant. We quickly left but were frustrated. No! We were mad, not at the restaurant, but at the burdensome restrictions we felt by living with an Old Covenant mindset. This was well before we understood the freedom we have under the New Covenant.

After almost 25 years of teaching the New Covenant, it is a confirmed reality. The majority of Christians today live with an Old Covenant mentality, though not to the extreme we once lived. Nonetheless, it is an Old Covenant mindset. Here is what that may look like.

We believe our forgiveness before God is temporary instead of eternal. That’s why we focus so much on our sins, that we develop an obsession with confession, rather than an obsession with the power of Jesus’ blood and His finished work. “In him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace.” Ephesians 1:7 NIV

We believe the key to living a successful Christian life is through trying harder to be more committed and disciplined, instead of relying on Christ in us 24/7 to live His life through us. “I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me in leading the Gentiles to obey God by what I have said and done.” Romans 15:18 NIV

We believe God blesses us only because we obey Him, rather than from just our being IN Christ. “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.” Ephesians 1:3 NIV Of course, it is a blessing to be free to live like who we are in Christ!

What about you? Do you live with an Old Covenant mentality, or are you living more and more in the exquisite freedom of the New Covenant?

Believe it! It’s the Gospel!

Live Free In Christ,

Mark Maulding, President and Founder
www.GraceLifeInternational.com

New Covenant Christians with an Old Covenant Mentality

What about you? Do you live with an Old Covenant mentality, or are you living more and more in the exquisite freedom of the New Covenant?

Believe it! It’s the Gospel!

Live Free In Christ,

Mark Maulding, President and Founder
www.GraceLifeInternational.com

Do You Believe in a Religious Jesus or the Real Jesus?

At age 19, I was ambushed by religion and unwittingly began to believe in a religious Jesus. The results over the next several years were devastating as I became a casualty of war. It is war in the sense that Satan and his demonic armies have a mission against all of us in Christ. Since he can’t own us, he schemes to influence us with the mission to kill, steal and destroy us and those we influence. (John 10:10) In my case, he executed this mission by filling my mind with lies about who Jesus genuinely is, making Him out to be religious. If he can’t get us to follow the world system, he simply changes tactics and gets us to become religious. He is happy with either direction we go as long as we don’t know the real Jesus.

How do we distinguish between religious Jesus and the real Jesus? By what the complete Gospel tells us about the real Jesus. Let’s compare the two.

The Real Jesus

Desires intimacy with me in my best times and in my worst times. Romans 8:15

Said “It is finished” and wants me to rest in that. John 19:30, Hebrews 4:10

Wants me to pray throughout my day in addition to any designated time. 1 Thessalonians 5:17

Did everything to make me acceptable to God. Romans 5:1, 17, 19

Died so that God will never be angry with me again. 1 John 2:2

Replaced my old nature with a new nature giving one identity – my identity in Christ. Romans 6:1-11

Disciplines me to get me back on track of trusting and surrendering to Him because He loves me. Hebrews 12:4-11

Accepts me just as much when I sin as when I obey. Romans 8:1

Tells me to obey God as an expression of who I am in Christ. Ephesians 4:17-32

Uses difficulty to get His character which is already in me to come forth more. Romans 5:3-5, Colossians 2:10

Wants to live His life through me so I can live for Him. Galatians 2:20, 2 Corinthians 5:15

Wants me to come to Him when I sin because He died for my past, present and future sins. Hebrews 4:16, Colossians 2:13-14

Does not condemn me but reminds me that He loves me when I sin. Romans 8:1, 35-39

Tells me that all of life is worship when He is living through me. Acts 17:28

Loves me as much as His Father loves Him. John 17:26

Wants me to live a life that pleases God as an expression of the Gospel I believe, but not to be more accepted by God. Ephesians 4:1, Philippians 1:27, Colossians 1:10

Wants me to rest in the truth that our Father made me as righteous as Jesus. 2 Corinthians 5:21, Hebrews 4:10

Wants me to understand that holy living looks like love. Romans 13:8-10

Wants me to focus on Him because He is in me so I can overcome my sin. Hebrews 12:1-2

Wants me to know that the law has been written on my heart, i.e. my identity in Christ, so that I live from the inside out, not based on the external law or rules. Hebrews 10:16

Wants me to know He does not hold my sins against me nor withhold Himself from me when I sin. Hebrews 10:17

Depends on Christ in me and what He has done to me so I can live by faith out of a reverent fear. Philippians 2:12-13

Wants me to live by faith, depending on Him in me. Colossians 2:6

Wants me to live in fellowship with believers who are not of my ethnicity. Ephesians 2:11-22

Religious Jesus

Desires intimacy with me only when I am obeying Him.

Tells me to tell him everything both good and bad that I am thinking.

Makes me think prayer is all about saying the right thing and having a daily designated “quiet time”.

Said “It is finished” but wants me to believe I can never do enough.

Makes me believe I have to please God in order to be acceptable to Him.

Died for me but makes me believe God still gets angry with me.

Added a new nature right beside my old nature so that I have an identity in Adam and an identity in Christ.

Punishes me to make me pay for what I did because He is angry with me.

Accepts me more when I obey than when I sin.

Tells me to obey God to become a better Christian.

Uses difficulty to try to build character in me because I am incomplete without this.

Tells me to be careful what I tell Him.

Tells me to live for God to the best of my ability.

Wants me to show Him how sorry I am before I come to Him when I sin.

Condemns me, telling me what a terrible Christian I am.

Tells me that worship only happens for me when I am in a church worship service or in my prayer time.

Loves me but not even close to what His Father loves Him.

Tells me to live a life pleasing to God so He will love and accept me more.

Tells me to believe that God sees me as righteous but I really won’t be until I get to heaven.

Tells me to believe that holy living looks like a restrictive, heavy burden that causes me to be self-righteous and judgmental.

Tells me to focus on overcoming my sin.

Tells me to obey the law and rules.

Tells me to obey God out of a fear of punishment.

Tells me to depend on God when I can’t do it myself.

Wants me to believe that segregated churches are best because “they” are different than us.

There is much more I could write but the main point is this: As you compare these, which Jesus are you in relationship with? Religious Jesus or the Real Jesus?

The best way to get rid of Religious Jesus and enjoy the Real Jesus is to understand the New Covenant, that is the complete Gospel, and ask God to renew your mind with it.

Believe it! It’s the Gospel!

Live Free In Christ,

Mark Maulding, President and Founder
www.GraceLifeInternational.com
All Content Copyright © 2013 Mark Maulding