BTZ Blog

How many of the bless me pray-ers, comfort me pray-ers, and prosper me pray-ers would pray this prayer? Lord, bless me with tears to shed for those whose lives are filled with pain and suffering, so that I will reach out my hand of compassion to comfort them and turn their pain into joy.

You can only become fully one with Christ if your identity is found in Christ. Deception has set in when people think that they live in oneness as the Body of Christ by being one with people of the same doctrinal faith or denominational group segregated from other groups because of denominational differences. Being one as Jesus and the Father are one is only possible by finding our identity in each other as the whole Body of Christ.  The unity by uniting with people of denominational likes and disuniting because of denominational dislikes does not unite us in the oneness that Jesus prayed for in His unity prayer.  The segregation by denomination separation is a ruination to the unification of God's people as the unified Body of Christ! 

God's Grace Gospel is misunderstood, called a greasy, cheesy, sleazy license to sin by the law-keeping, self-righteous condemners within the religious institutional system. To the self-righteous law keepers, I ask; think of the "smallest sin you commit"? Are you thinking of one? Is it gossiping, back-biting, slandering, white lying, butting more faith in religious constitutions and by-laws rather than Jesus the Word. Now think of the biggest sin you think you are immune to that other people commit? Is it murder, adultery or fornication, living with the opposite sex while not married to them, having an abortion, not believing the bible the way you do, extortion...etc. You think that the "small sins" you commit God winks at, but what you lable as "big sins" others commit He don't, thus they are condemned by you. Do you believe that God sees sin the way you do by categorizing them as tiny, small, medium, big, bigger and biggest? Do you think G...

More often than not, what is preach from the pulpits as the gospel today is the badgering of people to “do better” preceded by the gaining of salvation by grace. The badgering follows the gaining of salvation to the maintaining of salvation. Try harder! Pray longer! Read the Bible more! Go to church more! Tithe the10%! Be more committed! Stop sinning! Be as good as you can be! All this “striving to do” though appearing to be noble is “bad news” to people who are trapped by the guilt-laden expected expectations culture and condemning religious environment they live in that causes them guilt and shame because they feel they are to blame for being unable to measure up. This type of preaching is not the “Good News” gospel. The “do better” mentality, and the lifestyle it creates is far removed from God’s good news “Gospel of Grace” that Jesus lived and revealed the fullness of to Paul for the Church. Jesus was never bound by bitterness, hatred, lust, fear, or jealousy, nor to the expectatio...

Sin does not have a snowball's chance in hell in competing with the unbiased forgiveness of God's grace. When sin steps in the ring with grace, grace will always be the victor! Grace, grace God's grace, grace that is greater than all our sin.

We stagnate in our spiritual relational journey with God when we conclude that where we are is to have arrived at where we should be!

As believers in and followers of Jesus Christ, we are to preach the gospel...we announce the good news of what Christ accomplished by His death and resurrection. He accomplished the reality of the gospel. But the gospel is not just words to verbalize as is some people's opinion who are confident that the gospel is the yelling and telling, a few going forward to repeat the "sinner's prayer' a healing here and there, etc.. the gospel is much more, it also involves practical application in our daily living of living life daily. When we understand the gospel of grace, it not only affects the way we think and the way we speak it also impacts the way we live. When we realize that we are a people redeemed only by God’s mercy and grace, we become more patient with other people who have not accepted his offer of redemption. When we understand of what we have been forgiven, we become more forgiving. The more we understand and appreciate His grace to us, the more gracious we...

Some people think that the word “preach” means to verbalize the gospel and the verbalizing meets the requirement of preaching the gospel. One of the greatest hindrances and turn-offs to people accepting the gospel is the selfish, self-preserving orators who articulate the gospel, some with charismatic bellowing and yelling in judgmental condemning of people’s lifestyle yet, their lifestyle, (which is not open to viewing because of the hypocritical living) is worse than the people’s lives they are judging and condemning. Verbalizing the gospel without the actual lifestyle of what is verbalized (if what is verbalized is the true gospel) being the lifestyle of the verbalizer is one of the biggest reasons for the rejection of the gospel! Talking about Christ has less effect on people for Christ than living in Christ while living for Christ. Preaching by living is painting a beautiful picture of the attributes of God and is more effective than a thousand verbalized word...

If we are man-focused rather than God-focused we can miss God! Being man-focused inspires us to believe the words of man, follow a path to fulfill the word of man concerning us, to disregard our aptitude of reason and the wise council of caring people. More important, we can be so involved in preparing to fulfill the “word” concerning us and looking for a “sign” of approval, we become “dull of hearing” unable to recognize the still small voice of God and we end up shipwrecked and forlorn! A word from man is not necessarily a word from God...Be careful, wise and prudent!

No matter what our theology or doctrine is it has little effect as to the reality of God, who He is or what He is like. Our theology or doctrine does not define God, He is Who He regardless of what we believe about Him. Beyond out theology, beyond our doctrine, beyond all out theories, beyond all out opinions or preferences and beyond all out knowledge about Him is the reality of KNOWING Him. The only way to KNOW Him is to view Him through smokeless lens of Jesus not the darkened smoke lens of religious opinion. It matters not what our conclusion of Who God is because of what we have been told or our opinion is through the reading of the Bible, the only clear picture of Him is through His express image JESUS! If our understanding of God does not line up with Jesus, it is time to change out opinion of Who God is! Knowing Jesus is Knowing God!

Believers are created to be God focused by being centered in God and not man-cenered. When believers have the wrong focus, they are off center and their "gospel" will be wrong also. Which gospel do you believe and propagate? The man-centered false gospel or the God-Centered true gospel? It is an affront to God to say we have the right doctrine, practice a pattern of  programmed-event-drive-meeting s, know the bible, know about God, yet we continue to live for ourselves!  Many "christians" claim they are not living in sin, meaning...they do not cheat on their wife, they do not keep company with "sinners", they are not shacking up with a member of the opposite sex living as if they were married, they do not curse or swear, etc.. Yet they live for themselves and to please the religious organization they have chosen. They are convinced that they are favored by God and believe they are superior to other religious groups because they have ...

I wonder if we talked more to Jesus about people and talked less to people about Jesus, would we become more like Jesus to where He does His work through us, replacing our talking with our living as He lives through us? Would people see Jesus, have a better understanding of Him and desire to have a relationship with Him, more tha n our talking about Him would accomplish?

In the natural realm natural life is dependent on air, water and the sun. Without either life would not continue to exist. In the spiritual realm life is dependent totally on the SON, the three in One. Without the SON spiritual life and true spirituality could not, nor would not continue to exist! Therefore, if you are trying to be spiritual by climbing up some other way, even if the way is religious, it is of another spirit other than spiritual life provided by, in and through the Son therefore, it is not true spirituality.

People who who have exchanged their self life for Christ's life are known as believers who collectively are the Body of Christ, the Church. This relational journey we are now in with Christ is a progression where we get to know God as Jesus came to revel Him to us. The activity of the Holy Spirit is to empower believers to overcome the enemy so that we can enter into a greater dimension of the fullness of His provision so that Christ will be fully formed in us. As we travel this relational journey with God, there will be some very traumatic experiences in our life.  There are three dimensions within our spirit that are discernible. One is intuition, another is communion and the third is conscience. Your spirit was a slave to your soulish realm until the Word (Jesus)...not the Bible...that is sharper than any two-edged sword divided asunder soul and spirit. This happened when you were born-again. That is why joy comes, the spirit is no longer a slave to the soulish realm. The ...

Man’s insufficiency requires God’s sufficiency that is made available to us by His Grace and His Grace alone. The more we know ourselves, the more we will know that NOTHING that pertains to godliness, holiness, righteousness, justification, ministry, worship, prayer, preaching, giving of alms, is of value to the Kingdom of God if it is not empowered by His Grace and under-girded with His Love. The blackness of man’s sin causes the brightness of God’s Grace to shine all the more brilliantly to let us know that salvation is 100% provided by God and only God! There is nothing we can do to aid in gaining or maintaining our salvation. As it was provided by God’s Grace, so is it maintained by God’s Grace. Where sin did abound...Grace did much more abound! Grace is the empowerment of God’s divine assistance and nothing of man’s assistance!

Religious living people put their trust in the written word ('the letter') above the Living Word (Jesus) and end up having the righteousness of the law (self-righteousness). Grace living people however, place their trust in the Living Word, view the written word through the Living Word, allow the Living Word to manifested Himself in and through them, and thus end up having the righteousness of God that exhibits the grace and love of God. Religious living people justify their actions by quoting the words or actions of someone they deem as a man of God, believing what speaks to be the oracles of God. This action gives them spiritual approval by their spiritual idols that opens them up to deception. Grace living people however, never seek to justify themselves before men by complying with men's expectations. They are God's representative and their only ambition is to please The Lord.  Religious living people are more interested in men's opinions than in God...

To have an identity there must be relationship with someone or something. Without relationship there is no identity! Without identity we know not who we are therefore, people will establish relationship with practically anything to know who they are and be known by others. How do you determine your identity? By your appearance, by your dress code, by your profession, by your friends, by your social club participation, by your response reaction, by your class distinction, by your religion and by so many other ways. The problem is that when we let the above determine our identity, we succumb to the opinion of others to validate our identity. Look good...“Wow...your beautiful” or, “Your conceited” etc.. People’s opinions are a shaky way for us determine who we are. Professional Preachers provide a good example of this. Be a great orator, a good communicator, hold a master of divinity, hold a hierarchy position, and people will consider you a spiritual elite and roll out the red carpet for...

A conversation was overheard to the effect... Where one believer was called an heretic by another believer. “Why do you call me an heretic?” “Well...my belief is based on 40 years of studying the bible, I have sat under some of God’s great generals, one of them being my Pastor, a man who without a doubt knew the bible. You don’t believe the bible the same way I believe it, my belief is right because I got my belief from my Pastor and other men who knew the bible therefore, your belief is wrong therefore, you are a heretic.” “OK, what is it you believe?” “I believe exactly what Pastor________ believes.” “What does Pastor _________ believe?” “Exactly what Jesus believes.” “What does Jesus believe?” “Exactly what Pastor_________ believes.” “So what does Jesus believe?” “Exactly wwwhhhaaattt...I, eh...eh...I don’t really know!” Knowing the bible is not the same as knowing Jesus!

Therefore, believing we are created in the image of God means that the paramount reason for our existence is LOVE! Therefore, whatever we find ourselves involved in, if it is not under-girded by LOVE, empowered by LOVE, and demonstrated in LOVE, has no more effect than that of sounding brass or a tingling symbol. Therefore, whatever is thought to be done for God that is void of LOVE, is not of God or godly! With that in mind...understand the importance of saying “I LOVE YOU” and demonstrate that LOVE by the giving of ourselves to family, friends and people in general. Nothing in life is more important than LOVE because nothing is more important in life than God! LOVE someone today!

In my estimation it is the overestimation of our own estimated capabilities. It is generally accepted that diligent effort applied to the right process can accomplish just about anything. But over the years the failure of my best efforts and that of others had finally convinced me that my best efforts at building my life as a fit house for the Lord's dwelling place is useless, for scripture tells us that unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vain (Ps. 127:1). Building His Church is is business not our business. The joy of this life is found in trusting Him and following His leading out of a daily relationship of growing trust. Is it not a fact that overestimating our own capabilities complicates our relational relationship because of our doing instead of freeing us in our relational relationship for Him to work is work through us thus, He is the One who is building. It leads to feeling trapped in our failures and prideful in our successes. It is a breeding gr...

The gospel according to TV is presented by many to many as the gospel of Christ and the bible is abused in order to validate the selling, peddling, huckstering the gospel. This adulterated version of God’s word for improper profit and personal gain is not of God godly, rather it is of the devil devilish! You will hear sermons on such subjects as, "Planting Seed", or "Seed-time and Harvest," or "Making a Financial Covenant with God," or "Becoming a Faith Partner," or "Tithing on the Gross," or "At What Age Should One Tithe?" or "Tithing Your Way to Financial Freedom," or best of all, "Will a Man ROB God?" and the list goes on. At various times during the show, you will be offered for personal profit: BOOKS, TAPES, PAMPHLETS, VIDEOS, STATUES, PINS, TRINKETS, MEMBERSHIP CARDS, PLAQUES, CANDLES, CERTIFICATES, COMMEMORATIVE COINS, BAGS OF SALT, VIALS OF OIL, DIRT FROM THE HOLY LAND, WATER FROM THE SEA OF GALILEE...

Those who teach that a believer is to follow the law either lacks understanding regarding the finished work of Christ...or desires some kind of personal gain for himself or the religious group they belong to. To accomplish  that gain various manipulative forms...such as financial wealth...or control over people are used. Some have wandered away from these and turned to meaningless talk. They want to be teachers of the law, but they do not know what they are talking about or what they so confidently affirm. We know that the law is good if one uses it properly. We also know that law is made not for the righteous but for lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly and sinful, the unholy and irreligious; for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers, for adulterers and perverts, for slave traders and liars and perjurers...and for whatever else is contrary to the sound doctrine that conforms to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which he entrusted to me. (1 Timothy 1:5-11) Wha...

There are self-righteous people out there who seem to think they have better eyesight than God. Why? Because they seem to see and capitalize on people’s faults...God on the other hand, sees people through the the blood of Jesus and capitalizes on who people are in Christ, the perfect one, therefore He sees His children as faultless to stand before His throne!

What matters most to us as believers, “Doctrine” or “Jesus”? Some people are so hung up on the point of doctrine they have missed the person of Jesus! The thing about doctrine is that it can and does exist in isolation. Doctrine is isolated by the segregation of people into religious groups based on their believing the same doctrine. The name tags over the doors of buildings called churches is to let people know who are of “like faith” that the doctrines you believe is the doctrines we teach. If you agree with our doctrine this is the place for you. Come and segregate with us! Shucks...they even have you sign membership cards to ensure you agree with their brand of doctrine to join their group as a member. The reason we have so many divided denominational groups is because of the different doctrines that each group holds to as truth, thus they set up their own fortress to corral as many people they can persuade that their doctrine is the correct one and they call it church...join us th...

Legalism is anything that consumes our focus rather than Christ that takes away from the sufficiency, completeness and finished work that He accomplished through His death and resurrection. Legalism is trying to establish or maintain a relationship with God through religion or gain the favor of God through a performance-based endeavor as opposed to a grace-based relationship with God through Jesus.  Legalism is the doing of do's and not doing the don'ts of a religious system trying to earn God's favor acceptance and love. Such as salvation by works...The gaining of salvation by grace, but the maintaining of salvation by works...extra-biblical legalism, such as dress codes, not using makeup, women wearing their hair up in a bun...the wearing of hats...dress wearing by women, Sunday school, programed-event-driven-meetings...etc.. Then there is the mixing of the law and grace which renders grace not to be grace at all. This mixing of the pre-cross gospel with the post-...

The greatest storage memory bank known to mankind is the human mind. It is far ahead of any memory computer chip that is or ever will be. But like a computer memory chip our mind is programmable. From our time of birth our mind is being programed by our parents, our environment our religion and our likes and dislikes. If our minds have been programed by misunderstood or misinformed input data as the correct data and process our thinking and understanding of what enters our eye-gate and ear-gate as being truth, live our life as if it is truth and try to convince others that it is truth even though it is untruth! Is it possible that as a result of giving our minds over to the wrong data input we have accepted what is thought, promoted, feels and preached as the gospel as the true gospel when actually we may be upholding a false gospel? Our minds are a product of what we feed them and what we feed them we develop a insatiable appetite for, either good or bad, false or true. The sad part i...

Because of Christ we can see things clearly as long as we look through the lens of Jesus and not the lens of tradition and the doctrines of men and devils. Looking through he lens of Jesus we understand the freedom we have from ideas, philosophies, doctrines and religious obligations. We understand the freedom we have in entering God’s rest and living as a loved child of God and knowing that in Christ we are ALL equal. We understand that although the known “church world” is about the segregation and division of the Body of Christ by their members having to conform to their beliefs, rules and regulations; yet in Christ there is NO DIVISION! Christ is not the author of division of His Body therefore, not the founder of your myriad of “churches” that are in existence. In the church that Jesus is building there is no spiritual and supper-spiritual, no laity and clergy, no spiritual hierarchy ruling over Christ’s Body. Rather Christ is all and He is in all. He is the vine we are the branche...

The good news of the Gospel is: Our sins are forgiven…past, present and future, “never to be remembered against us any more! That means that our sins have already been judged, past, present and future! That means we will not be judged for them again. The price was paid for our sin was paid for by Jesus, past, present and future…that means we will not pay for them ever again! The decision has been made not by the law keepers, not by you nor by me, but by God and God alone. Your sins are paid for in full! I am not so naive as to believe that is OK to sin and there are no repercussions for continuing in sin, we will reap what we sew”, but we are to honor God by believing His word, and His word to us is that our sins ARE …past tense…forgiven. We should meditate on the wonder of that truth. They are forgiven. All of them. All that we will ever commit. This is part of what Jesus meant when He said on the cross, “It is finished.” Paid in full. Forgiven. Satan’s accusations...