How To Have a Great Christian Life

Watch the vid by Steve McVey, Christian Religion Lie #64 “Your Sins Can Disqualify You From Being Used By God” and my comments follow…

This lie is such a narcissistic one.

In fact, most of these lies I’ve been attacking are narcissistic. They focus on US. Focus on YOU. And what you “need to do”… “should do”… “have done”… or “have not done”.

And then in an even more powerful display of self absorbtion they tell you “because of YOU… God does this…”

Complete and utter LIES!

God is all powerful. Totally in Control.

And everything He does is completely unilateral and can’t be affected by what YOU do. It is the height of narcissim to think that God changes His plans and gets screwed up because of YOU.

The Bible shows this Lie is not true…

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Watch the vid below by Steve McVey, Christian Religion Lie #63 “The Holy Spirit Convicts Us Of Our Sin“ and my comments of course follow…

This is a VERY common lie that you hear all the time. But it’s simply not true.

What does the Bible say about your sins after you’ve become a believer?

• Hebrews 9:28 says Jesus came to put away sins by the sacrifice of Himself.
• Psalms 103:12 says because of your forgiveness your sins have been separated as far from you as the east is from the west
• Jesus’ last words were “it is finished” in John 19:30. What was? The defeating of sin because…
• 1 John 3:5 says that Jesus came to take away sin…
• So now the question to ask is…

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Watch the video below by Steve McVey, Christian Religion Lie #62 “We Need More Faith”and my comments follow…

Do we really need faith?

Did you just get a little bit of faith… and you have to keep asking for more? [click to continue...]

Watch the vid below by Steve McVey, about Christian Religion LIE #61 “The Spiritual Disciplines Are Things We Do For God“ and my comments follow…

You hear this lie all the time, that the spiritual disciplines like Reading The Bible… Praying… Meditating on God’s word, etc are all our “gifts” to God that supposedly make Him more pleased with us.

In fact, most of the time it is told as “these are your DUTIES to make God happy”

Not duties. Not our gifts. They’re gifts to US from God!

The truth of the matter is the spiritual “disciplines” (even that word makes it sound like a duty, something you have to MAKE yourself do instead of enjoying it, doesn’t it?) are not things we do FOR God.

It’s not like we’re doing it for God and making Him happy by doing it. Reading the Bible, prayer, every spiritual disciplines are all His gift to us.

The Bible is nothing but a HUGE love letter from God to the entire world, showing how He is such perfect love that He created a universe of humans just to shower love on… and bring into union with Himself.

Prayer is God’s personal gift to us. It’s how we can grow in intimacy talking with the great Lover. Love itself. God.

Think of it like your relationship with your woman

(This example is from a guy’s perspective but I trust my female readers are smart enough to see how it applies to them)

Do you think of sending lovey dovey text messages… random phone calls… complimenting your woman’s beauty… grabbing her, hugging her and ravaging her as “relationship disciplines”?

Do you see them as your duty to your woman? Or as your gift to her that you’re required to give?

Or do you see them as ways to enjoy deeper intimacy with your woman… grow your relationship… and dance in the giving and receiving of love between you and your partner?

When you look at “spiritual disciplines” as “relationship disciplines” then what you must do becomes quite clear…

Don’t believe this lie any longer!

So don’t feel burdoned by the spiritual “disciplines”…

Don’t feel like you have to do them to make God happy. Don’t feel like you’re even doing them for God. See them as gifts from your loving father to you… and go to them to enjoy communion and discovering more about God.

With Love

Caleb

Watch the video below by Steve McVey called Christian Religion Lie #60 “You Must Make Jesus Lord Of Your Life” and my, whacky as always, comments follow…

Ya gotta love it… how egotistical and narcissistic we as Christians are.

Jesus Christ is ALREADY Lord.

King of Kings. Lord of Lords. He is eternal. Omniscent. All Powerful. All Capable. Always accomplishes His will.

You can’t MAKE Him do anything — He’s God — that’s the point!

Paul says it like this in Acts 17:25:

“And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else.”

God is complete, in and of Himself, fully capable of EVERYTHING (because He created it and initiated it) and you can’t “make” Him into anything. Scripture already declares that He is Lord of Lords and King of Kings — this is just who He IS.

“Can you have Jesus be your savior but not Lord of your life?”

This sounds like some legalistic teaching that wants you to focus on what YOU are doing to “keep God first in your life” (click the link to find out why that one is a lie too!)

So is it possible to have accepted salvation in Christ and not have Him be Lord over your life because of something you’re doing or not doing?

Not possible, He isn’t even “lord” of our life (ie. “in charge”) He IS our life. Paul says this clearly in Colossians 3:4. He says in Acts 17:28: “For in him we live and move and have our being.”

Christ is our EVERYTHING. And we can’t “make” Him anything!

This is a Lie that keeps you looking at yourself to make sure you’re “doing it” to make sure you’re “keeping Him where he’s supposed to be”.

This is bad because then you won’t be focusing on Christ… God… your relationship with them or when they want to speak to you each day, you’ll be too concerned about what YOU are doing… instead of what Christ wnats to do through you each and every day.

So don’t believe this lie that you have to “make” Christ the Lord of your life. Just believe, by faith, that He already IS your life (and by extension, He is alreadly “Lord” of it) and walk in that each and every day.

With Love

Caleb

Watch the video below by Steve McVey called Christian Religion Lie #59 Your Sins Alienate You From Your Heavenly Father and my crazy comments follow…

You hear this lie a lot that when you sin, you somehow separate yourself from God… and then it follows the line of reasoning to think that when you repent, your relationship with God is then restored. But you already know that one is a lie!

Here’s the truth about what happens when you sin:

NOTHING can alienate you from God. Especially NOT sin!

You see, when you accept Christ into your life you are literally put IN to Him spiritually. And because God exists outside of the boundaries of time, you were put into Christ when He was up on the cross and died for the sins of the world.

Jesus’ bloodshed already paid the penalty for your sins…

Jesus’ blood brings you near to God… it’s what made you a part of Him.

Jesus’ last words before He died were NOT a lie!

When Jesus said “It is finished” (John 19:30) He MEANT IT!

Paul says it perfectly in Romans 8:38:

“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

How is this lie harmful?

Satan wants you to believe this lie because it keeps you feeling alienated from God, keeps you focused on yourself and keeps you from growing in intimacy with your heavenly father.

When you’re too concerned with your self and what YOU are doing, you have no time to focus on God, on Christ, and what He is doing in your life.

But know, for SURE, that it is a total and complete LIE. There is nothing that can separate you from your Heavenly Father and His Love because your relationship with Him was purchased at a VERY expensive price, the blood of Jesus.

With Love

Caleb

So I love just pondering, thinking about, talking about and meditating on Christ… God… and my Christian life… but it really makes my day to think…

Someone out there actually gets what I’m tryin’ to say!

And it’s when I get these rare gems of a comment, that it really makes my day.

(to be honest, I LOVE any comments, especially the nasty ones and ones where people disagree too!)

Terence recently left one such comment:

“Dear Caleb,

Thanks so much for sharing your view on what I call churchianity. I whole heartedly agree that the majority of the body of believers today have “by their traditions made the Word of God of none effect.” This is something that the present day church needs to seriously take a good hard look at. There are endless examples of “traditions” that we could discuss if I had the time but one that comes to mind is that you have to have a legal marriage license in order to have legitimate relationship in the eyes of God.

Recently my wife’s sister was asked to stop attending a church with her boyfriend until they were legally married. I am personally legally married to a wonderful woman and we have 9 children together and I am in no way against having a marriage certificate as it affords you many important legal advantages especially when you have children (which they don’t). I would definitely encourage couples that are going to have children to have one, but I was taken back that the church made it a prerequisite for their being a member since there is nothing mentioned specifically in the Bible about having a marriage certificate at all. They had been living together as a monogamous couple for as many years as my wife and I have been married.

I heard a radio talk show on the subject of people “shacking up” and decided to call in and propose that it wasn’t necessary in every circumstance to have a legal marriage certificate to have a loving, monogamous relationship. Whew! When I hung up the radio station was barraged with people calling in shouting me down as an adulterer, fornicator, and much worse.

What is wrong in the eyes of God or the eyes of Love because God is love, with a couple living together, who love each other and are responsible, caring people. What difference does a piece of paper make? Does it make them any more loving? Does it make them any more faithful or caring? I think we can see by the present divorce rate that it doesn’t. Why would God turn them away because of a little piece of paper?

Other topics that I consider traditions of churchianity are building church building, going to church on Sunday, the don’t drink, don’t smoke, don’t have sex, mentality of righteousness. Jesus obviously drank wine, Paul obviously drank wine, what’s wrong with a little wine or even a couple of beers. Of course smoking causes cancer that is a “no brainer” it has a lot to do with health but very little to do with our relationship with Jesus and loving others. Jesus said all the Law and the Prophets could be summed up in this. Love the Lord thy God …. and love thy neighbor as thyself. By this shall all men know that you are my disciples if you love one another.

I have traveled the globe with my family to tell people about Jesus for over thirty years. I lived in several countries in Latin America and even China for several years and one thing that stood out to me is that the problems in the world today are not rooted in their smoking, or drinking or even having sex. They are rooted in their lack of love for God and their fellowmen.

Caleb, I was so impressed with your desire to read the Bible with fresh eyes. outside the traditions that have completely blinded well meaning Christians from truly understanding the heart of God. I may not agree with every specific minor point but very much with the over all spirit of what you were saying. It takes a great deal of faith to step out of the traditions of the present day church and take a good clear look at what the Bible really has to say.

Jesus said in Jn 10:10— that he came that we “might have life and have it more abundantly.” He came to bring us life. Not only eternal life but real spiritual life in our lives today. I believe that spiritual life is love. For God is love… IJn 4:8.

– Terence”

Thanks Terence!

Your comment made me smile and made my day.

With Love

Caleb

P.S. Don’t feel bad if I didn’t choose your comment, Terence’s just “stuck out” to me lately, you’ll probably see me write about yours sometime soon.

Watch the video below, by Steve McVey, Christian Religion Lie #58 “If You Repent Of Your Sins, God Won’t Condemn You“ and then read my amazing (as always!) comments below…

This is bass ackwards thinking!

This LIE is one of those lies that legalists like to espouse because they suppose that the creator of everything… the alpha and omega… the only all powerful and all capable being in existence since before the beginning of time — is OBLIGATED to respond to us if we do something!

You can’t ever lock God into an “if… then…” equation.

Let’s start with, what the Bible plainly states:

There is NO condemnation for those in Christ!

Paul tells us this in Romans 8:1.

No matter what you do, you are not “condemned until your repent” no matter what you’ve heard preached from pulpits… told to you by well meaning parents or Christians… or see some televangelist on TV tell you!

But wait a minute…

“Is Caleb saying you don’t have to repent?”

NOPE!

All I’m saying is, you’re not condemned because of WHO God is. Your “NON-condemnation” has nothing to do with what you do — whether you repent or not. It has EVERYTHING to do with the unconditional love, mercy and grace of God.

So, if you’re not condemned… and your repentance has nothing to do with it… then

What is the role of repentance in the life of a believer?

John 8 gives the example of repentance with God. When Jesus has the adulteress brought before Him. Starts with verse 3-11 (NIV):

3 The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group 4 and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5 In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” 6 They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.

But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. 7When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8 Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.

9 At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. 10 Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”

11 “No one, sir,” she said.
“Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”

Did the adulteress repent first? Or did Jesus NOT condemn her first?

The answer of course is that Jesus didn’t condemn her first… and then told her to repent (go and sin no more)… which arguably she obeyed.

So we don’t:

repent >> get no condemnation.

As legalists and popular, modern Christianity would have you believe… NO! Everything that we do is a response to God’s love for us FIRST.

It’s because God first has given NO condemnation that we decide to repent:

no condemnation >> we then repent because we’re overwhelmed by God’s grace, mercy, and Love.

This is the way it REALLY works!

At least that’s the way it should work if you’re looking to live a Great Christian Life! So when you hear this lie, be sure to smack yourself upside the face and say “self! This is a LIE! I repent and turn back to Jesus because of what HE has ALREADY done for me… NOT the other way around!”

With Love

Caleb

Watch the video below by Steve McVey, Christian Religion Lie #57 “You Shouldn’t Express Negative Thoughts And Feelings Toward God” and my comments on this lie follow…

Here is the way you hear this lie being told…

“When you pray you should only speak positive upbeat words to God because you want to show Him you’re having faith in Him…”

“You shouldn’t say negative stuff in prayer, because that means you’re not having faith in God and He doesn’t like that…”

These are all Lies!

How is this lie used by the Devil?

God created us all human. Because of this, we all have emotions and sometimes we get negative emotions.

So if you believe this lie that you shouldn’t express your negative feelings to God, that you shouldn’t tell Him how you’re really feeling in prayer… then you will feel hypocritical and condemned because we all have these negative feelings — you’ll know you’re lying to yourself and God about how you feel.

Plus, believing this lie teaches us to not be honest with God about how we really feel.

God desires to lavish His love on you and enjoy and INTIMATE relationship with you. How can you have that if you’re afraid of telling Him how you simply FEEL in the moment?

The Bible teaches us it’s ok to express ALL our feelings to God.

Take Psalm 62:8 (emphasis mine) for example:

“Trust in him at all times, O people;
pour out your hearts to him,
for God is our refuge.
Selah”

God, like the perfect lover, isn’t afraid to hear all your feelings… to really get to know the REAL you… you can’t scare Him off!

Feeling negative feelings does NOT mean your faith isn’t strong!

Don’t think you’re not having faith because you’re not always feeling positive. This is a part of this lie that Satan wants you to wholeheartedly believe… but it’s not true.

IT’s ok to be truthful with God.

Don’t say “I know I shouldn’t feel this way“…

… when you approach God and tell Him your feelings because it’s OK to feel that way. You’re human, you’re allowed to have emotions.

Great men in the Bible like David and Paul all wrote that at times they felt like they despaired even of life — they were heavily depressed… but they were honest with God about it and are still considered great men of faith.

God made you, He knows you’re human… You’re not fooling Him anyways and He wants you to be honest with Him, intimate with Him, just like you would with any lover.

He won’t judge you, He’ll just love you unconditionally. That’s who He is.

So don’t believe this lie that you shouldn’t express your negative feelings towards God… instead run into His arms… tell Him how you feel… surrender fully into His will and protection… and allow His unconditional love to comfort you.

With Love

Caleb