Free Indeed..?

I was meditating on John 8:36 this morning, 'If the Son shall make you free, you shall be free indeed!'. In the original Greek the word free is translated as 'liberated, exempt from obligation or liability, and unrestrained'.  Now we know in this world that life itself casts restraints upon us, so how can these things be?

I look around at myself, my brothers and sisters and I wonder if we will ever really understand what Jesus did for us, if we will ever obtain that for which we were obtained, if we will ever believe the Word of God in a way that makes a significant difference for us and others?  I wonder if we will collectively ever acquire 'abundant life'?  I know that some have, and I supposed there will always be a small number of believers that will pursue these things until they obtain them, but I suspect most won't - perhaps its just too much work...

Let me explain further.  If we believe that we are indeed free, then our condition, our situation, our status and our image must begin to line up with our belief, and eventually will line up with our belief.  Proverbs 23:7 states, 'For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he'.  This word 'thinketh' is translated 'gate keeper, janitor'.  For us humans, our thoughts, or beliefs will rule or govern our lives.  Truth is absolute in the Kingdom of God, but if we never apply our belief, or faith to it, we can't come into it.

We have been granted true freedom, true liberty by our Lord Jesus Christ, as His followers, to live this life in a way that is pleasing to Him.  So what is holding us back?  We are!  But bro M, I can't do this because of such and such, or if I do that I'll lose my job, or my family, or my home, or I might find myself in prison, you know in my country its against their laws to live life as a disciple of Jesus. 

I'm not necessarily saying to go around violating laws, nor am I saying (as Paul did) that this new found freedom is a license to sin, its not, and we shouldn't if we can avoid it.  But I am saying that this world's laws, rules, guidelines, cultural norms and practices are the very constraints that we've been liberated from.  They no longer apply to us, we are operating under an entirely different construct within the Kingdom of God, and we've been granted that life so we can be effective witnesses and ministers in this life to those who are imprisoned by this world.

We are free to live this life in love and in service to our Lord Jesus Christ and those around us!  We are free to forgive those who have hurt or persecuted us!  We are free to win souls, preach the Gospel, cast out demons, heal the sick, provide for the widows, visit the sick and in prison, and all the other promises and commissions we've been given in scripture. We are free to live this life abundantly, in prosperity, in complete health, free from sickness, constraint, oppression, and all the other devices that the kingdom of darkness would throw our way - that kingdom no longer has anything it can do against us if we don't let it. We are free to stand against it AND WIN!

We are also free to create church cliques which keep people out of the Kingdom of God, rather than in.  We are also free to involve ourselves in the political processes of our land and show those who are living life outside of Jesus Christ that we don't like them, that we indeed hate them and want them to adopt our way of life - even though we are too lazy or scared to go and teach them the Gospel.  We are free to demand that they change their lives; homosexuals, abortionists, liberal democrats (haha), or any other 'evil' that we all perceive as a threat to our 'sanctified life' within our church circles (sarcasm noted here folks).  Unfortunately, we are free to be a reproach to the Kingdom of God and our Lord, if we choose - because at the end of the day folks, this whole thing is voluntary, that is the freedom that we've been given.

Sometimes I really wonder what is going through people's minds who claim to be disciples of Christ.  We get so busy trying to defend our faith, that we lose touch with the very real mission and reason we are here to begin with.  Jesus wasn't afraid to just walk into the synagogue and start ministering and demonstrating His authority as to prove His point.  He wasn't afraid to walk into the dangerous cemetery and personally confront the demon possessed (legion) man who nobody else would dare go near and extend that liberty that He walked in to that man, setting him free from those demons.  He didn't care what anybody thought about Him touching the lepers while ministering healing to them.  Nor did He worry about how the Pharisees felt as He saved a woman's life who had been accused of adultery by them.  He was free from their system.  He wasn't afraid of the Romans either, ultimately being put on the cross by them - never changed Him, didn't frighten Him, didn't persuade Him from His course.  He lived freely in this life to show us that we could!

We are no greater than our Master, and we need to get free from all of our perceived limitations, our biases, our fears, our bigotry and our immature behaviors that are turning people away from the Kingdom of God and not drawing them near.  WE NEED TO GET FREE! 

Jesus teaches us that we can and should walk in the fruit of the Spirit.  We should stop listening to the many voices, circumstances, situations, news, gossip and all the others, and start listening to His Word about these matters.  Lets get free from doubts, worries, fears, disdain for others, so that we can be free to love them, minister to them, and bring freedom to those who are suffering in a prison of darkness and despair.  We are the bearers of that freedom, and that hope, and that love and that good news.  No other group on the planet has it, if we don't bring it to the world, who will?  Selah

My brothers and sisters, there is a liberation coming, a sweeping move of the Holy Ghost and He is beginning to shake things in order to liberate us, and make us free.  We must be willing to let go of that which is binding us, even if it means abandoning old doctrines, traditions, and theologies to embrace a fresher revelation, a more complete truth.  the Lord is moving in the earth, and we are free to miss it if we choose to. When we know the Truth, the Truth will 'make' us free.  We must pursue it, and we must obtain it, so we can be in the earth what we were always meant to be.  Blessings, MM