Now consider this. Do you believe that every revelation or life changing truth has already been realized or discovered that is written in the Bible?

 We challenge you for the next 30 days to read your Bible diligently and pray to God that He reveal something to you that will forever change your life and the lives of those around you and ultimately the world!

  I believe what God has in store for you is definitely yours to still be discover!  Now break open your Bible, discover what He has in store for you and share it with the world!

“I have loved you with an everlasting love.” “I have drawn you with loving kindness.”  Jeremiah 31:3

“Your name is inscribed in the palm of My hand.” Isaiah 49:16

In other words, “I love you, I love you, I love you… Love, Jesus!”

And I know you can come up with many more.  After all, we have said something like that so many times and been very proud of that very fact.

But what I’ve been learning over the past year is that the only labor commanded of us under the New Covenant is that we labor to enter into his rest.

Hebrews 4:11-16
11 Therefore let us be diligent to enter that rest, so that no one will fall, through following the same example of disobedience. CLICK HERE TO READ IN FULL CONTEXT

WAIT!! 

That sounds contradictory. Labor to Rest?? What can that possibly mean?

One major clue can be found in the title of this book of the Bible – Hebrews.  From the beginning, the Hebrews were God’s chosen people.  Centuries before He had given them the Law.  A set of rules so impossible to keep that intervention was a necessity.

And if those Levitical rules were not enough, through the years the Rabbi’s or Pharisees and Sadducees, had developed even more rules or Rabbinical rules.  At the time this book of the Bible was written, the Hebrews knew no life outside of legalistic rules.  It was their nature; it permeated every thought, action and deed.

In the Bible there have been two ways to be in right standing with God.  The first was the Law.  To be right with God through the Law, you had to keep EVERY law, and there were thousands!  To gain atonement for your sin you had to get a spotless sacrifice such as a lamb and once sacrificed, its blood covered your sins temporarily.

But Jesus came to give us a higher and more perfect way to be in right standing with God.  This higher form is called grace.  Grace is so much higher than the law, that it took the entire New Testament to share the wonders of all that it meant.

The writer of Hebrews had a tough task ahead.  They wanted to help the Hebrews understand that they no longer had to follow rules to be in right standing with God.  Many got it and lived by it, but for others it was easy to fall back into their old habit of living by the law.

I am sure it felt comfortable to them like bathing themselves in a warm bath.  But the truth is that the law brings about the punishment of death.

Romans 4:15
15 For the Law inflicts punishment; but where no Law exists, there can be no violation of Law.

It was imperative for the writer of the book of Hebrews to caution them to not fall away, or fall back into living by the law.

Hebrews 6:4-6
4 For in the case of those who have once been enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, 5 and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, 6 and then have fallen away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance, since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God and put Him to open shame.

The highest form of life is living by the grace provided by God through Jesus Christ.  To live by the law is substandard.  To live by laws which provide certain punishment of death because they are impossible to keep, is far below the life God had planned for mankind.  In verse 6 above, the writer is urging them to not fall from grace back into the law where death is a certainty.

Grace is a FREE gift from God.  We cannot earn it and to try to do so puts us in a fallen state; a state of disobedience and faithlessness.  To perpetually work to earn favor keeps us in an unrepentant state.

If this seems odd to you, think of it like this.  When you are working for favor the focus is on you and what you have done.  This is sinful pride.

But to ignore works and to focus on THE work that was done at the cross by Jesus Christ we can receive the fulfillment of His love and good deeds will manifest naturally, apart from our own works or effort.

Our own works or efforts to ‘be good’ or ‘do right’ are like filthy rags to the Lord.  But freely receiving grace, allowing His blood to cleanse your sins, once and for all is true freedom.  The freedom that Jesus died to give us!

Beware that you to do not fall from grace back into living by the law.  Not Rabbinical or Levitical Law, but the laws of man, that have continued to be made, in an effort to achieve that right state with God. 

Yes, even we gentiles can fall from grace into law.  Check yourself daily, not to see if you have done right or been good, but that you have maintained total dependence on the grace of God to do all things and not of your own hard work.

We hear that word from the moment we are born. 

Mommy whispers in our ear, ‘Mommy loves you”.

As we grow we hear, and therefore learn, that big brother just ‘loves’ the neighbors new car.  Big sister, ‘loves’ her new boyfriend she just had one date with.  Mom ‘loves’ the new wallpaper in the bedroom.  Dad ‘loves’ his new job.

Our first impression of love is one of tender affection.  And honestly it IS our whole world.  But as we grow, that word becomes watered down.  That once powerful word which was the definition of our closest bond, has come to be on an equal playing ground with the neighbors new car and wallpaper.

Therefore, it is no wonder that when we first hear that God ‘loves’ us, we really do not have any true concept of what that really is.  And in turn when we are told to ‘love’ others, we ‘love’ them as wallpaper which we strip away as soon as we become bored with it, or cars which are traded away every few years.  This is the way we love because this is what we have come to know.

Recently God specifically led me to Philippians 1:9-11. I have read this scripture many times and had also underlined it. But as I read it this time I sensed that there was a much deeper meaning, which yearned to be revealed. I wanted it to soak into my being, so I asked God to help me to get it, really get it, in a new and fresh and powerful way.   

Verse 9 reads:
And this, I pray: that your love may abound yet more and more and extend to its fullest development in knowledge and all keen insight. Amplified minus the parenthesis

The first thing that stood out to me was that love (agape – greek) has knowledge and keen insight. We have often thought of love as being simply an emotion, not an entity with knowledge and insight. Maybe we have come to realize that love is also a verb. It is something you do. 

But love is also a proper noun.  Love can and does possess knowledge and keen insight.  Then I began to think, what was this knowledge and keen insight that love had.

Also in this verse it talks about love being developed more and more. So it has a beginning, but from that beginning it can be developed into a fullness beyond what it was originally. 

Verse 10 reads:
So, that you may surely learn to sense what is vital, and approve and prize what is excellent and of real value and that you may be untainted and pure and unerring and blameless. Amplified minus the parenthesis 

As I was meditating on these scriptures I began to realize that by exercising our love and developing it to its fullest, we begin to learn what is of true value intuitively and, that understanding causes us to make moral and right decisions which lead to purity. 

 This happens automatically, apart from our own effort because it is life transformation.  Not by forcing ourselves to follow the ‘be good’ rules, but by immersing ourselves in the reality of God’s agape love for us and funneling it through to others.  Life transformation ONLY happens from the inside out, NOT from outside in.

Your actions will be birthed out of a fully developed agape love and not out of obligation to follow a moral set of rules. Because our love will have become so developed, the knowledge and keen insight that love has will create in us automatically, a caliber of living that is reflective of Christ.

Verse 11 reads:
May you abound in and be filled with the fruits of righteousness which come through Jesus Christ to the honor and praise of God. Amplified minus the parenthesis 

When reading the parenthesis in this amplified verse I began to see a defined purpose in developing our love.  A purpose beyond just being good and loving and kind.  The parenthesis at the end of verse 11 say [that His glory may be both manifested and recognized].

I meditated on these scriptures for several days to allow God to fully reveal the deep meaning in these scriptures. Each day I saw more and more the depth and true meaning behind them. Here is a summary of what I feel is the meaning of these scriptures.

We are to purposely exercise our love toward everyone by drawing from Jesus himself and funneling His love, which is Himself, to others.  We are to exercise love daily, using it actively each and every moment. As it grows, we will automatically begin to make right and moral decisions. As we begin to make these right and moral decisions our lives will become more and more a reflection of Christ. And through this, God’s glory will not only be manifest in our lives, but it will be recognized by others and all men will be drawn to Him.

  …faith, hope and love, and the greatest of these is love. I Cor. 13:13

 People read Christian shirts, so the more shirts you have and wear, the more you are spreading His good news!  Plus, when you wear Christian clothing it makes a clear statement of who you are and what you believe in. Wearing clothing from The God Mafia is a great way to open the door to evangelize to others.  So when the clothes you wear look different than the norm, you stand out and it may be intriguing to others and open those doors. So it stands to reason, the more Christian shirts you wear, the more opportunities for you to witness! And don’t you want to look stylish and be comfortable? And who knows, when you are wearing a shirt from The God Mafia it may just encourage other believers and it will remind you daily of the One who loves you and commanded you to spread the Good News of Christ. And last but certainly not least, when you wear any Christian clothing you are honoring God.

Thank you Lord for being our provider.

Now read this again:

“By all indications from the responses he had received either by mail, email, phone calls and messages, not to mention those that had spoken to him in person, everyone thinks he should be in prison ministry!”

Proverbs 25:11  A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver.

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More Great Words… His Word!

Proverbs 18:21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.

Proverbs 12:18 There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.

Matthew 15:18 But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person.

Proverbs 16:24 Gracious words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body.

Ephesians 4:29 Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.

Proverbs 13:3 Whoever guards his mouth preserves his life; he who opens wide his lips comes to ruin.

Proverbs 21:23 Whoever keeps his mouth and his tongue keeps himself out of trouble.

Proverbs 17:9 Whoever covers an offense seeks love, but he who repeats a matter separates close friends.

Proverbs 10:19 When words are many, transgression is not lacking, but whoever restrains his lips is prudent.

Psalm 19:14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.

Romans 12:14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them.

Matthew 12:34 You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.

John 8:31 So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples,

John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

Proverbs 17:27 Whoever restrains his words has knowledge, and he who has a cool spirit is a man of understanding.

Proverbs 15:4 A gentle tongue is a tree of life, but perverseness in it breaks the spirit.

Proverbs 15:1 A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.

Ephesians 6:17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,

John 8:31-32 So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

John 1:14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Luke 6:45 The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.

Matthew 12:37 For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”

Isaiah 54:17 No weapon that is fashioned against you shall succeed, and you shall confute every tongue that rises against you in judgment. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord and their vindication from me, declares the Lord.”

Proverbs 29:20 Do you see a man who is hasty in his words? There is more hope for a fool than for him.

Proverbs 16:23-24 The heart of the wise makes his speech judicious and adds persuasiveness to his lips. Gracious words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body.

Proverbs 27:2 Let another praise you, and not your own mouth; a stranger, and not your own lips.

Proverbs 17:28 Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise; when he closes his lips, he is deemed intelligent.

So go by and see Hunt or Jennifer and check out all The God Mafia merch (ask for it by name) and while you’re there look around, they have some really great stuff!

Once again, a big welcome to “The Family” from all of us at The God Mafia Clothing and Apparel.

I have been asked these questions many times…. Do you really believe in a God that created Heaven and Earth? Do you really believe that this God of yours sent His Son, Jesus Christ to die on a cross for your sins? And that you can confess your sins to Him and be forgiven so when you die you will spend eternity in Heaven?  Do you really believe that the Bible is the inspired word of God? And my answer to all of these questions is very simple I know, but that answer is YES!

To the non-believer here is what you need to consider. Because I believe that all these things are true and I have confessed my sins before God, I am forgiven, I am saved, and I am set free. Therefore I do my best to understand God’s written word and ways. I try (I am not perfect) to do my very best to live the best life I can here on Earth. Now because I believe that, my life seems to be and is driven by blessings from the Father. I live a happier, healthier and more enriched life, which in turn has a wonderful overflowing effect on my family, my friends, my co-workers and even complete strangers that I am around. I am not saying that life is always perfect; we live in a fallen world, so there are difficulties that arise. But that’s were faith and hope collide. That’s a whole other writing in itself, more on that at another time.

Okay so here is when the non-believer really comes in. What happens when the day comes and I die and I find out there is no God? Oh well, right? I lived a richer, fuller, happier life and now I am dead. Nothing happens, right? But if there is this God in Heaven that I believe in, I live an eternal life that words can’t begin to describe.  So let say you die and there is no God. Oh well, right? But what type of life have you lived while you were here? Were you happy, healthy, and content or were you lacking and continually searching for answers? Once again, if there is no God and you die, you are just like me, dead. But what happens if there is this God, then what? What does your promised eternity look like?

Bottom line: I die – No God – Oh well. You die – there is a God – OH HELL!

Why not believe in something that promises a much better life, rather than a continued struggle here on Earth? My God is a loving, forgiven, caring God that longs to have a relationship with you. Call on His name today and start painting your eternal picture now.

Another thing that’s amazing is that I don’t believe I have ever heard this song done as a Christian Rock song. If you’ve heard it done this way, please let me know who did it. I’d love to hear it.

Okay, read the lyrics and be amazed! 

Amazing Grace by John Newton (1725-1807)

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost but now am found,
Was blind, but now I see.

T’was Grace that taught my heart to fear.
And Grace, my fears relieved.
How precious did that Grace appear
The hour I first believed.

Through many dangers, toils and snares
I have already come;
‘Tis Grace that brought me safe thus far
and Grace will lead me home.

The Lord has promised good to me.
His word my hope secures.
He will my shield and portion be,
As long as life endures.

Yea, when this flesh and heart shall fail,
And mortal life shall cease,
I shall possess within the veil,
A life of joy and peace.

When we’ve been here ten thousand years
Bright shining as the sun.
We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise
Than when we’ve first begun.