BTZ Blog

GRACE breaks the fetters of performance bondage and sets you free to lovingly LOVE!

A gentleman shows ladies respect by opening doors, a handsome man opens the ladies eyes,  a smart man wins the ladies mind, but a loving man captures a ladies heart!

If you are a person who thinks you have all the answers, there isn’t much you can learn in your ignorance!

There seems to be an unwritten law in this world that for every original and genuine thing, man has to try and make a copy of it. Imitation anything never tastes, looks, or works nearly as well as the real thing. Imitation leather is not as good as real leather. Imitation crab-meat does not taste like real crab-meat. Incredible as it is, man has even carried this same preoccupation with imitations, into the realm of the spiritual. There is a genuine relationship with God and then there is relationship with man-made religion, and man has settled for relationship with religion, the counterfeit of relationship with God.

“Show a little KINDNESS and overlook the BLINDNESS of the narrow minded people,” stinkin of narrow minded thinkin.

The more in tune you are with God and the more you live in His LOVE, the more the religious naysayers will say, and the more they will try to draw you into religious bickering. Do not be drawn into their petty religious battles, they don’t matter anyway! When it comes to the naysayers and criticizers in your life learn to become a professional IGNORER! Besides, it matters not what they think of you, it matters what God thinks of you!

Be an ENCOURAGER not a DISCOURAGER! Be a people LIFTER not a people DOWNER!  Be a PEACEMAKER not a PEACE BREAKER! Be a LOVER not a HATER! Be a God PLEASER not a man PLEASER!

Let resurrection power override your theology, doctrine and selfishness regarding your particular denominational persuasion and allow resurrection love to flow from you to all people that cross your path and develop a relationship with those the Spirit leads you to!

The resurrection provides new meaning to life and the opportunity to start over no matter what you are going through. Let resurrection life lift you from despair and despondency from loneliness and weakness and rise to strength, trust beauty and joyfulness.  May the RESURRECTED POWER of the RESURRECTED CHRIST infuse you with RESURRECTION LIFE that you will share with others to RESURRECT them from spiritual apathy because the SAME POWER that RAISED Christ from the dead DWELLS in YOU and is being MANIFESTED through you!

There is no doubt that Jesus was brutally tortured by the Romans and they believed that the torture would result in His death. But there was not enough arsenal in all the torture chambers of the world to kill Jesus, He was not a victim! Nothing they could do would have been sufficient to kill the Son of God. Jesus was neither a victim of the lies of the religious rulers nor of Rome’s corrupt political posturing. Death would only come when he surrendered to it. “The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life... No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord” (John 10:17-18). He laid down His life because of His LOVE for people. so that we would become a part of Him through the new birth to continue to show the people of the world what God is like, as He did prior to His laying down of His life. We now make up His body on earth. What kind of God are we showing to the world?

The crucifixion, is it in its totality the penal substitution, where the cross is viewed as the place where God expended His wrath on His Son as a substitute for the punishment mankind deserved, and through this wrath satisfying His demand for holiness? This is the view that I was taught to be central to the Christian faith even to the point that those who did not embrace this view were not truly Christian. I now see the cross as more about God expending His wrath on our sin and shame on Jesus as He took our sins upon Himself, to effect a cure for broken and fallen humanity, and by doing so satisfies His LOVE and HOLINESS to bring us into personal relationship with Him. I believe this view does not negate substitutionary atonement but embraces it in its fullest meaning.  The cross was LOVE initiated not  PUNISHMENT initiated!

LOVING is not a matter of CHANCE, it is a matter of CHOICE! LOVE is not something to wait for or be RECEIVED, it is something to GIVE and in the GIVING of LOVE you will RECEIVE LOVE. God has CHOSEN to GIVE His LOVE to mankind, so mankind will LOVE mankind with His LOVE and in doing so mankind is LOVING GOD!

In order to know how to get to where we are going we need to know where we are, because if we don’t know where we are we won’t know how to get where we are going. And if we don’t know where we are going, any old road will take us there. If we don't know where we are, we are LOST. If we don't know we are LOST we don't know we need to be FOUND. Do you know where you are?

It may help us to consider how sinners stood in the presence of Jesus while He was on earth, for he was the full representation of God. If we could ask the adulteress who was caught in the very act of sin, the prostitutes who were actively engaged in their profession, the tax collectors who were knowingly stealing from their fellow man, and all the other non-believers who Jesus ate and drank with. Would  they say; “being in His presence was the most liberating and freeing experience in their life. Religious teachers seem to always preach in a way that evokes sinners to be afraid of God’s presence, as if God is an angry God who is waiting to punish them whenever they do wrong, and they have no right to stand in His holy presence; but the reality is God’s presence is the place that He longs for sinners to be. God does not consider Himself so “holy” a sinner can not stand in his presence; God understands the only way a “sinner” can ever be free is by having the right to stand in his...

The gospel of Grace flows from the heart of Jesus as a mighty river, if we flowed with its current rather than fighting against its current, the river of Grace would deposit us into His ocean of LOVE. To many in the river of Grace swim against its flow to establish a tributary of healing, prophecy or as some would say “pet doctrine.” If we flowed in the river of His Grace to the ocean of His LOVE, His LOVE would fuel the divine power of His Holy Spirit to work through us to accomplish His will on earth! Any of what is called the “whole council of God” that is preached without being under-girded and fueled by LOVE is “as sounding brass and a tinkling symbol.

There is much about theology and doctrine that I do not know, but what I do know I know in my knower is right! I know, God is LOVE and He LOVES you and me unreservedly, completely, and unconditionally.” Therefore, it is hard for me to understand why the theologians and doctrinal knowers get upset with me for promoting God is LOVE. Is it because they don’t fully know the LOVE of God!

The best way to enjoy a fulfilling journey on earth is to travel the journey through the reality of understanding, forgiveness, love and compassion.

The amazingly amazing reality is: The person God cares about and loves is "YOU"!

Broad is the road and many travel it. Narrow is the road and few travel it. True people of God stand in the narrow gate saying, “Come unto Jesus all ye that labor.” You can only fit through the narrow gate if you drop all your “works” baggage and the performance trappings of religion. Upon entrance thorough the gate you will find relationship rest. If you try to get through dressed in religious garb of performance or your own righteousness you simply won’t fit. Jesus is the narrow gate!

The accomplishment of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross was to move us from the “hired hand” working for God, way of thinking of the Old Testament to be FAMILY MEMBERS in a community relationship, working with God to express His LOVE that will draw people unto Himself.

Doing nothing, saying nothing, being nothing and standing for nothing, will probably save you from criticism because people will think you are nothing! Doing something, saying something, being something and standing for something will probably subject you to criticism, because you are something. Be a SOMEBODY instead of a NOBODY by being a person of TRUTH, UNDERSTANDING, COMPASSION and LOVE!

RELIGION: Is to obey the rules and regulations of the institution therefore I am accepted as a member in good standing by the institution. It is an outward conformation without an inward transformation!
 THE GOSPEL: I’m accepted as I am, forgiven and loved because of grace and because of Jesus, therefore He works through me as I work with Him and because of Him I am become a member of His Church without any doing of my own efforts! It is an outward conformation because of an inward transformation! RELIGION: Motivation is based on fear of not being accepted and the insecurity of not being spiritual enough for God to speak directly to you so you need a mediator.
 THE GOSPEL: Motivation is based on God accepting you by His grace and not of works therefore you are motivated because of grateful joy because of God’s gracefulness. RELIGION: Is to partner with God in order to get things from God and to escape hell.
 THE GOSPEL: Is to partner with God to get to know God through relationshi...

If in all your getting you fail to get love, joy, peace and contentment you are of all men most miserable. Success is not about getting things. Success is having a satisfied mind and having peace of mind by being content and enjoying what you already have! To have an abundance of this world's riches and not have a satisfied mind is NOT SUCCESS!

Why was Jesus rejected by the established religion of His day? Could it be because He refused to align Himself with the religious way of thinking and  that cast Him in a role that was despised and rejected by the religious leaders within religion. Is it possible to be a BELIEVER and in RELATIONSHIP with God without participating in or catering to the trappings of religion?

William Law was born in England in 1686 and he died in 1761. The older he got the more he saw the fallacy in religious higher learning and criticism--seeking God by the power of the intellect as opposed to His divine person indwelling us as His temple and teaching us Himself by the power of Spirit revelation. He devoted this writing to this subject the following is a excerpt. “Our divine Master compares the religion of the learned Pharisees "to whitened sepulchers, outwardly beautiful, but inwardly full of rottenness, stench and dead men's bones." Now from where was it that a religion so serious in its restraints, so beautiful in its outward form and practices and commanding such reverence from all that beheld it, was charged by Truth itself with having inwardly such an abominable nature? It was only for this one reason, because it was a religion of self. Therefore from the beginning to the end of the world it must be true that where self is kept alive, has power and ke...

Does being a member of the Church of Jesus Christ go beyond Sunday-go-meetings; learning theology; studying doctrine; mastering the Bible; deciphering eschatology; praying more; attending mid-week church services; praising and worshiping times; paying of dues; doing spiritual warfare; exercising spiritual gifts; hearing God’s voice; imitating Jesus; escaping hell; revival and renewal?

Most Sunday-go meetings I have attended are conducted by an AGENDA that fuels and drives the programs of the organization. We have an AGENDA driven Christianity that promotes an AGENDA driven life that renders us unable to be the LOVE driven church, daily LOVING the people we encounter, because we are so focused on the AGENDA of the organization. The CHURCH that Jesus said He would build is not AGENDA FOCUSED but LOVE FOCUSED toward PEOPLE!

People are more apt to see and experience the truth of the gospel and receive spiritual nutrition, through the context of RELATIONAL FRIENDSHIP and FELLOWSHIP rather than the Sunday-go-Meeting lecture style presentation by the chosen professional to the spiritual starving, keeping the spiritual starving, starving.

Do you know why you believe what you believe? Have you examined the source of your beliefs? Are you letting the context of the whole of what the scriptures has to say as to why you believe the way you do?  Don't let any denomination, pastor or person breathe their identity or beliefs into you. Let God by His Holy Spirit through His Word do it!

To be blind in the natural and still not lose sight of God’s purpose and vision is far better than to see in the natural and be blind to God’s purpose and vision. Even though some people can see they still choose to be blind and remain in spiritual darkness!

External manipulation of people to control them through performance based rule and regulation keeping, may get them to conform externally without any change internally.   That is why in Mat. 23:25 Jesus said, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside they are full of robbery and self-indulgence.”  CONFORMATION to EXTERNALS CAN ONLY BE ACCOMPLISHED BY TRANSFORMATION OF INTERNALS!

Condemnation causes devastation to people’s lives because it imprisons them in the present to the failures of their past and blurs their vision of the future.

In our relationship with God, if we spiritually stagnate on the plateau of doctrinal knowledge we cease to mature in Christ. Instead we re-resurrect our old nature and it pretends to be new. The longer we park on the plateau of man-made doctrinal knowledge brought on by denominated bible interpretation, the more our relationship status degenerates into religiosity spurned by a religious spirit of performing do's and dont's, bringing us into the bondage of religious performance, void of spiritual life.

A pastor or teacher may be of help in pointing you in the right path but, you are ultimately responsible for what you believe. You cannot say, well that is what my church believes, that is what my preacher told me or that is the belief of my denomination and expect to be excused for not believing God's Word. It is your responsibility to be in the word, to be in prayer, to heed the voice of the Spirit, yes, your teacher and preacher will be accountable to God for what he teaches and preaches, but you will be held accountable for what you believe! Your trust cannot be in a preacher or a denomination, it must be in the word of God, for that is the only way you will be an over-comer and understand the truth that is in God's Word.

As a believer, your involvement with God goes far beyond joining some “church” and following their set of rules and regulations. You are a new creation by being divinely baptized into one body (believers) by one Spirit. As the body of Christ you are not governed by man’s laws within religion, but by the nature of the One who created the new creation, Jesus Himself. Your hope of righteousness does not depend church attendance or personal piety but in the divine nature that has been placed within you. The work that He began in you cannot be finished by some organization, He Himself will finish it to His glory.

Believer when you stand before God, He isn't going to ask what was your vision, what did you dream, what was your program, what did you preach, or if you believe Arminianism or Calvinism? He is more likely to ask...How did you demonstrate my LOVE to people? His LOVE is the SPIRITUAL FOOD that  the SPIRITUALLY SATISFIED feeds the SPIRITUAL STARVING and brings the SPIRITUALLY DEAD, LIFE!

Most people view repentance as a correction in direction but, it is more a correction in connection! Repenting to correct a direction is somewhat easy to forget and return to the direction you wished to correct. Repenting to connect to Him who empowers you to correct will keep you in the right direction!

The sustaining force of SALVATION is LOVE! The sustaining force of RELIGION is the FEAR of HELL! Relationship with God stems from LOVE and perfect LOVE will cast out all FEAR even the FEAR of HELL! The FEAR of HELL is the snare RELIGION sets to win converts and choke its members into submission! LOVE will bring people to Christ and set them FREE to be the BODY of CHRIST, the 'CHURCH"!

If we would practice LOVE and KINDNESS whenever possible we would practice LOVE and KINDNESS always because it is always possible!

 Many people although physically present and going through the motions of saying the right phrases and doing right things yet their heart isn't in it. They are emotional absent. That is nothing less than selling relationship short!  A similar spiritual condition afflicted the Pharisees (Matt. 15:8-9). They were serving in the temple and instructing others in religion, but their hearts were far from God. We too can teach and serve religiously but be far from God. Religious activity is meaningless when our focus is not on Jesus.

It is not the brow bashing, condemning, ridiculing, belittling, program presenting, or the threat of hell fire that will awaken people out of religious induced stupor to to rise to spiritual action.  The only thing that will cause people to rise from spiritual dormancy and to be open to spiritual involvement and action is an understanding of God's GRACE and LOVE! God's Grace and Love is the key, Grace and Love is the transforming power tat will bring spiritual transformation!

Most of us make a fool of ourselves at sometime or other along the journey of life and if you are like me, it happens more than once. However, a true friend will not regard you as foolishly being a foolish fool all the time! Thank God for friends.! If I say in my heart “there is no God” then call me a fool, for Psalms state, “a fool says in his heart, there is no God”.