<html><head></head><body><div><div><div><div><br></div>John 7;38&amp;39<div><br></div><div><b>38. &nbsp;He who believes in me, as the scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart shall flow rivers of living water.”</b></div><div><b>39. &nbsp;Now this he said about the Spirit, which those who believed in him were to receive; for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.</b></div><div><b><br></b></div><div>Christianity is not simply a faith (a system of doctrinal beliefs) by which we&nbsp;receive&nbsp;the promise of future eternal&nbsp;life. &nbsp;It is&nbsp;a faith for the giving of the Father’s love and life into this world through us.</div><div><br></div><div>Today Christianity is understood to be an intellectual teaching&nbsp;by which people&nbsp;believe in the objective work of Jesus; his incarnation, life of teachings, signs, and wonders, culminating in his sacrificial death and resurrection (in payment for our sins),&nbsp;the giving of&nbsp;faith to confess our sin,&nbsp;and claim&nbsp;the promise of eternal life in heaven when we die, as we subscribe to this teaching. &nbsp;Our sinful human nature and carnality want to limit God to just&nbsp;forgiving us through the atoning sacrifice of Jesus, giving us intellectual awareness of our sinful condition,&nbsp;our&nbsp;need for forgiveness, and a ‘faith’ to believe we are now forgiven heirs of heaven. &nbsp;All this, keeps God at a safe distance from our inner selves, our ‘real’ lives.</div><div><br></div><div>This understanding of Christianity is incomplete and very dangerous. &nbsp;It avoids the power of the intimate&nbsp;work of God upon and within us. In the Sacrament of Holy Baptism we are not just forgiven, we are given a new Life. &nbsp;We are baptized <u>into</u><span>&nbsp;Christ in order that we share in his own death to sin and selfishness, and are born anew into a life wherein</span><span> we flow with </span><span>living waters of love and life to others. &nbsp;In short, true ongoing,</span><span>&nbsp;transformational,</span><span> repentant,</span><span> change, empowered by the Word of God and the working of the&nbsp;</span><span>Holy Spirit has been&nbsp;given us in our&nbsp;baptism.</span></div><div><br></div><div>I call &nbsp;the&nbsp;Christianity of today, ‘Christianity of Convenience’. &nbsp;God is a part of peoples’&nbsp;lives, but he is not the focus, foundation, center, and real source of their&nbsp;lives. &nbsp;For many ‘Believers’, God is a kindly,&nbsp;loving&nbsp;Father, who forgives them,&nbsp;but who expects nothing from them and&nbsp;does not change them, (except for&nbsp;an occasional attendance at a worship service and the&nbsp;lip service which goes with it). &nbsp;God is a part of their lives, but he is not their whole life. &nbsp;&nbsp;Scripture speaks of ‘Today’s Christianity’ saying, <i>“These people honor me with their lips, but their heart is&nbsp;far from me.” &nbsp;</i>(Matthew 15;8). It is pharisaical not transformational.</div><div><br></div><div>True Christianity is radical transformation, whereby Believers become devoted,&nbsp;sacrificial givers. &nbsp;The most remarkable aspect of this life of faith is that our giving of self and our devotion to God is done willingly, gladly, and&nbsp;joyfully. &nbsp;It is born of true thankfulness and love. &nbsp;Christ’s own peace and joy are ours.</div><div><br></div><div>Of course, the old Adam, our selfish sinful nature is ever present, resentful, and resistant, BUT, we have been given power over him. &nbsp;The old Adam no longer has dominion over born anew Believers. &nbsp;By the Gift of the Holy Spirit, we have power now to deny carnal&nbsp;selves, take up our crosses and follow Jesus.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Such living is what Paul is calling for when he says, <i>“But I say, walk by the Spirit, and do not gratify the desires of the flesh.” </i>(Galatians 5;16). Such living is possible! &nbsp;Christ dwells in us by faith! &nbsp;It is his indwelling presence which empowers us to, <i>“…by the Spirit, put to death the deeds of the body…”</i></div><div>(Romans 8;13). &nbsp;<i><u>We</u>&nbsp;</i>of our own human strength <u>can not do this</u>, Christ in us does it, as we believe in his living presence within us. &nbsp;(see, Galatians 2;20). &nbsp; Holiness and righteousness are&nbsp;not simple reckoned to those who believe, they are actually given to us for newness of life now.</div><div><br></div><div>In this life we will always be at war with our enemies, the devil, this world, and worst&nbsp;of all our own flesh. &nbsp;We will have battles which we loose wherein we yield to temptation. &nbsp;But, this is not the&nbsp;‘normal state’ as Believers. &nbsp;True Christianity is a call to walk daily&nbsp;in freedom&nbsp;with Jesus in holiness, no longer enslaved to our passions and appetites. &nbsp;We are able to love God and each other sacrificially.</div><div>This is the living water which Jesus promises to all who drink. &nbsp;Such living by faith is daily founded in the reading of God’s Word.</div><div><br></div><div>Prayer: &nbsp;Increase my faith dear Father to believe a life flowing in&nbsp;holiness and newness is for me now in Christ. &nbsp;<span>In Jesus I pray, Amen</span></div><div><br></div><div>Love,</div><div>Dad/Baba/Eric</div><div>Grandpa Pickle Pastor</div><div>“A chapter a day, every day, progressively, be transformed, ‘soak’ in the living Word.”</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br><br><a href="https://overview.mail.yahoo.com/?.src=iOS" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a><br></div></div></div></div></body></html>


John 7;38&39
38.  He who believes in me, as the scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart shall flow rivers of living water.”39.  Now this he said about the Spirit, which those who believed in him were to receive; for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.
Christianity is not simply a faith (a system of doctrinal beliefs) by which we receive the promise of future eternal life.  It is a faith for the giving of the Father’s love and life into this world through us.
Today Christianity is understood to be an intellectual teaching by which people believe in the objective work of Jesus; his incarnation, life of teachings, signs, and wonders, culminating in his sacrificial death and resurrection (in payment for our sins), the giving of faith to confess our sin, and claim the promise of eternal life in heaven when we die, as we subscribe to this teaching.  Our sinful human nature and carnality want to limit God to just forgiving us through the atoning sacrifice of Jesus, giving us intellectual awareness of our sinful condition, our need for forgiveness, and a ‘faith’ to believe we are now forgiven heirs of heaven.  All this, keeps God at a safe distance from our inner selves, our ‘real’ lives.
This understanding of Christianity is incomplete and very dangerous.  It avoids the power of the intimate work of God upon and within us. In the Sacrament of Holy Baptism we are not just forgiven, we are given a new Life.  We are baptized into Christ in order that we share in his own death to sin and selfishness, and are born anew into a life wherein we flow with living waters of love and life to others.  In short, true ongoing, transformational, repentant, change, empowered by the Word of God and the working of the Holy Spirit has been given us in our baptism.
I call  the Christianity of today, ‘Christianity of Convenience’.  God is a part of peoples’ lives, but he is not the focus, foundation, center, and real source of their lives.  For many ‘Believers’, God is a kindly, loving Father, who forgives them, but who expects nothing from them and does not change them, (except for an occasional attendance at a worship service and the lip service which goes with it).  God is a part of their lives, but he is not their whole life.   Scripture speaks of ‘Today’s Christianity’ saying, “These people honor me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.”  (Matthew 15;8). It is pharisaical not transformational.
True Christianity is radical transformation, whereby Believers become devoted, sacrificial givers.  The most remarkable aspect of this life of faith is that our giving of self and our devotion to God is done willingly, gladly, and joyfully.  It is born of true thankfulness and love.  Christ’s own peace and joy are ours.
Of course, the old Adam, our selfish sinful nature is ever present, resentful, and resistant, BUT, we have been given power over him.  The old Adam no longer has dominion over born anew Believers.  By the Gift of the Holy Spirit, we have power now to deny carnal selves, take up our crosses and follow Jesus. 
Such living is what Paul is calling for when he says, “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and do not gratify the desires of the flesh.” (Galatians 5;16). Such living is possible!  Christ dwells in us by faith!  It is his indwelling presence which empowers us to, “…by the Spirit, put to death the deeds of the body…”(Romans 8;13).  We of our own human strength can not do this, Christ in us does it, as we believe in his living presence within us.  (see, Galatians 2;20).   Holiness and righteousness are not simple reckoned to those who believe, they are actually given to us for newness of life now.
In this life we will always be at war with our enemies, the devil, this world, and worst of all our own flesh.  We will have battles which we loose wherein we yield to temptation.  But, this is not the ‘normal state’ as Believers.  True Christianity is a call to walk daily in freedom with Jesus in holiness, no longer enslaved to our passions and appetites.  We are able to love God and each other sacrificially.This is the living water which Jesus promises to all who drink.  Such living by faith is daily founded in the reading of God’s Word.
Prayer:  Increase my faith dear Father to believe a life flowing in holiness and newness is for me now in Christ.  In Jesus I pray, Amen
Love,Dad/Baba/EricGrandpa Pickle Pastor“A chapter a day, every day, progressively, be transformed, ‘soak’ in the living Word.”



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