Christmas in Our Hearts

What is Christmas to you? Christmas is many things to many people, but what is Christmas to you? Christmas is more than just a historical event of a baby sent by God and born in a manger, an event we celebrate annually.

Christmas is Christ born "for you" that He might be "born in you." When the angels announced to the shepherds that "for you" is born this day in the city of David, a child who is the Savior, Christ the Lord" (Luke 2:11), they were declaring to all mankind (not just the shepherds) that Christ was born "for you" a Savior. Christ as Savior "for you," means He has "made you safe" from dysfunctional sinful humanity, as by faith you allow Him to function dynamically as your life. Because of Christmas you have been made free to be man as God intended you to be. 

Christmas is a personal experience. Unless Christmas is personalized, understanding that Christ was born "for you," it will only be an impersonal historical event that is celebrated once a year. The message of Christmas is the incarnation of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world, born "for you," and available to be "born in you"  (John 3:1-6). Christ was born to die "for you," and raised from the dead to give His life “to you.” The apostle Paul opens his epistle to the Romans proclaiming this good news, "concerning His Son, who was born of a descendant of David according to the flesh, who was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead, according to the Spirit of holiness, Jesus Christ our Lord (Romans 1:3-4). 

Christmas was meant to be experienced not just celebrated. The Spirit of Christmas is the divine life of Christ born "for you," that He might be born "in you" to live "through you." Only then is Christmas really Christmas, when Christmas has come alive in our hearts. Mary, the mother of Jesus was there that first Christmas morning and she knew how to experience Christmas: "Mary treasured all these things, pondering them in her HEART" (Luke 2:19). Christmas is meant for the heart. Hold Christmas dearly "for you" deep within your heart and you will find the reality of Christmas being birthed through you for others, bringing a truly Merry Christmas! 

Are you a witness of Jesus Christ?

A Christian is a person indwelt by the Living Lord Jesus Christ and who has chosen to experience His Tested Proven Life. This tested proven life is "The Christ Life." As a Christ-one, (Christian) participates with Christ as their life, they give "testimony" to the living reality of or identity of, who they are joined to spiritually. Spiritual Union defines "who we are" (our identity).

The dictionary defines the word "testimony" as; "evidence or proof by the existence or appearance of something." The origin of the word comes from a Latin word which means "witness."

When a Christian chooses to participate by faith with the Tested Proven Life of Jesus Christ in the midst of temptation, they personally experience God's Grace which becomes their testimony and thereby are witnesses of His Life. A Christian is a witness of grace. Grace is God's activity or God at work. A witness of Jesus Christ gives evidence to the work of Christ in and through them by faith. As the Christian walks by faith, (being receptive to God's grace activity) they give testimony to the existence of the Divine Life within.

Testimony is the evidence/proof of Christ as our life! You are a "witness" of Christ's outlived life "in you"(spirit), "as you" (soul), and "through you" (body). This was the Apostles Paul's prayer for us in 1 Thess. 5:23.

Jesus said, "you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be "My witnesses" both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth" (Acts 1:8).

Each day we have the opportunity to be His witnesses in every choice we make.

The glorious privilege of the Christian is to allow the character of Christ to be expressed through our behavior, as a testimony of His grace, working in you, as you, and through you to the glory of God. May our lives give witness to Jesus Christ!

What are your choices today giving witness to? 

The following testimony is one of many persons who are discovering their true identity in Christ and learning to live in freedom at CrossLife Counseling.


 "All my life I have lived by a set of rules and standards that I thought was what God wanted for me.  And all for the cause of DOING GOOD!  So God could “get the glory”!  Little did I know that He doesn’t need my GOOD, he needs my HEART. For the first time in my life, thanks to this new revelation, I can honestly say…I AM A TOTAL FAILURE.  I had never known what was at the root of my ‘doing’ and what I was missing.  The problem was that I was at the center of my own universe and I had missed what it really means to be a Christian and that is CHRIST IS MY LIFE.  There was no FREEDOM because I was bound to religion and its activity.  

 I’m now done with “playing the role” and trying to keep an image that I thought I was supposed to maintain.  My “Christian life” didn’t work the way I was living it and I’m over it.  I can’t fix or save anything. I am a total failure and I’m finally… finally…OK WITH THAT!!!  It’s actually a huge relief because it’s not up to me anyway! I was never taught differently until now, and never had this understanding and revelation until now, THANK YOU CrossLife!"

Are You a Faithful Friend?

”Faithful are the wounds of a friend; profuse are the kisses of an enemy.” Proverbs 27:6

Are you “faithful,”....that is, willing to speak the truth in love? Give a friendly reproof even if it may seem severe? So, “that others may live,” knowing the truth...being corrected and reproved? Your faithful words may grieve and wound, and cause pain and uneasiness for the present, yet, are an expression of love and are designed for the good of the person reproved, and ought to be kindly received. Only a true friend will “risk” wounding like this. “Let a righteous man strike me—it is a kindness; let him rebuke me—it is oil for my head; let my head not refuse it.” Psalm 141:5

A true friend knows your weaknesses but shows you your strength (in Christ); feels your fears and vulnerabilities but calls you to walk by faith, believes in who you are (in Christ) and motives you to live by the Spirit of Christ not allowing you to believe the lie of self-pity when your down or the pride of self-orientation when you rip for a fall. Be a faithful friend, someone needs you! 

Christian Giving is God’s Character for Others

Christians have often been motivated by an obligation to give the church or to Christian causes, falsely believing they are required to do so by God’s injunction, and believing that the “all seeing eye” of God is watching them to determine if they measure up to the biblical commands of percentages of 10% or more. This kind of performance-based giving is fear-driven and focused on man attempting to please God and maintain favor with God. It is not Christian giving, but rather a form of fear-driven religious human performance.

Christian giving begins with Christ, for otherwise it would not be Christian. Christian giving is only derived from the Giver, God Himself. Christian giving is God’s character being expressed for others, that others may experience the Life of the Giver – Christ Himself. Christian giving is …“that others may live”! Jesus said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35). Christian giving is God’s loving and giving character of grace being expressed in and though the Christian toward others, and always unto God’s glory!  

God is a giver/lover, who is reaching out to other personal beings. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son” (John 3:16). Therefore a Christian (Christ-one), is a giver/lover who knows his/her identity in Christ and chooses to “live like it,” allowing the giving and loving grace of God to be expressed through them toward others, “that others may live,” unto His glory.

The pre-requisite of Christian giving is first and foremost the receiving of the divine Giver and the subsequent giving of ourselves to the Lord (II Cor. 8:5). God is not interested in your gifts until He has your heart. “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21). Christian giving comes from the heart of our identity in Christ. Christian giving is as “natural” for the Christian, as breathing is for a human being. Christian giving is effortlessly allowing the character of God to be expressed in and through the behavior of a person in whom God dwells. Giving is an act of faith – a Christian’s receptivity to God’s giving-activity.

Giving is the spontaneous desire of the Christian to allow for the manifestation of God’s loving and giving character to be expressed in and through his behavior toward others. “Delight yourself in the Lord; And He will give you the desires of your heart” (Psalm 37:4). Giving is selfless and thus best understood as God’s unconditional love or action for others. "The love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us" (Romans 5:5).

We love, we give, because the loving, giving God is living and working in us. “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them” (Eph. 2:10). The point being made is that Christian character is always derived from the character of Christ. Therefore, Christian love is an expression of God's loving character and God's giving character, which has been given to us by the presence of the Spirit of Christ indwelling us.

The will of God for the Christian is always to allow the life of Jesus Christ to be “lived out” in giving to, loving, and serving others (II Cor. 8:5).

As Christians, we are to prayerfully discern what God’s giving intent is for us, to determine how He desires to give through us: when He wants to give, to whom He wants to give and how much He wants to give. It is never a question of whether a Christian will give, only when, how much and to whom.

The Christian has a choice to give or not to give! We do not have to give as an obligation or requirement. The Christian desire to give is because the Giving God who is love, is always giving of Himself “that others may live.” There is always a sowing and reaping in life (Gal. 6:7). “He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully” (2 Cor. 9:6). Giving is the privilege of the Christian to participate with God in all of His giving activity as we give ourselves to His purposes. Don’t miss God’s opportunity to give, for it is the privilege of the Christian to be used as an instrument of God’s loving/giving character as a “cheerful giver” (II Cor. 9:7).

The motto of CrossLife Ministries is, “that others may live,” which expresses the giving heart of God as an integral part of our mission statement. We thank God for each one who has given and is participating as a vital part of this ministry. Your involvement in this ministry has touched a multitude of lives and expresses the giving/loving heart of Jesus. We say, “thank you” in advance to all those whom God will be prompting to give and participate in this ministry of grace, “that others may live”!  

© 2015 by Don Burzynski, www.cross-life.org

What is Christian counseling?

To those seeking counsel for situations in their lives, the question must be asked: What kind of counsel are you receiving? Is it focused on you and your problems or on Christ and His Life?

Many individuals seek help from a wide variety of counselors and therapists today. How do they differ? What is a Christ-centered biblical approach?

The following is a brief example of the counsel that we share at CrossLife Ministries. Whether in person or via the internet, Skype, text, email or phone calls, we communicate the love of Christ in the context of a non-condemning message of grace.

Recently a Christian leader inquired, “How does one deal with anger issues,” which he struggled with, and which on occasion would lead to rage affecting his marriage and ministry.

He had received “Christian counseling” that focused on psychologically understanding himself better, and in particular his emotions. He was counseled that the root of his problem was emotional. The counseling was directed at helping him to better understand his emotions/feelings, so that he might be able to discern what those feelings were intended for, and then give them a healthy expression rather than unhealthy expressions.

It was suggested to him that he would need long-term addiction counseling to conquer this problem, and that the counseling and therapy would be directed primarily toward dealing with “emotional pain.” By getting “in touch” with his emotional pain, he would allegedly find the answer to dealing with his addiction to rage.

He contacted me after having received this counsel, asking if I would advise him to continue in the therapy, and whether I though additional counsel would be helpful. (The treatment for 3 days had cost $5,000.00 and he was now being advised to do a nine-month program, which I am not sure of the cost?).  

In sharing my response, it is hoped that others will realize that Christ and Christ alone is sufficient for every problem we have or will face, and that unless we receive a revelation of Christ as our life we will never learn to live in victory regardless of our struggle with behavioral dysfunction. 

A CrossLife response:

Dear _________

As helpful as learning to express your emotions might be, and learning you’re not the only one with emotional challenges, and as a result there is not something wrong with you, there is more, "...much more, …we shall be saved by His life" (Romans 5:10).

True “life” experience is more than psychological functionality – knowing how to sort out all your thoughts and feelings and expressions (of the will). Important as that is, if that is the primary basis (and function) of who you are, it all depends upon YOU (learning to express your feelings), rather than Christ as your life and learning to walk by faith in spite of your feelings. 

There is a HUGE contrast in the focal point between humanism and Christianity. In humanism man is the center, "the point of reference," (therefore everything depends on him – YOU); in Christianity – Christ is the center (everything depends on God). There is nothing wrong with feelings (God created you an emotional creature); they are always indicators of what you are thinking and potentially believing (that however is a choice). It's fine to allow Christ to reveal your soulical "variations” and why you have felt the way you have felt (understanding rejective memories), (why you rage, get angry, and what you use to mask your "addiction", alcohol), but understanding who you are in Christ and learning to function in your identity is not centered on yourself or your psychological feelings, or even your flesh patterns of dependency. Yes, let Christ help you process them, identify false thinking i.e. lies, but then choose to allow His truthful revelation, hearing His voice rather than "the voice of the emotions," remind you of “who you are” and “how you are to behave” consistent with the character of Christ as your life expresses your true identity. 

The safe place you felt (counseling center, counseling approach or counselor) should never be seen in a “person or place" other than Christ Himself (do not attribute the work of God to a process or place apart from Christ as the means of grace). If your "mind" focuses on anything other than Jesus as the source of your feeling safe, you are focusing on an idol. The greatest idolatry is humanism (self-reference), regardless how man has explained it or couched it. Identity is focused on who God is and who He created you to be, and you have to allow Him and His character to be your chosen expressions of behavior. 

No one can teach you how to walk by faith and no one can imitate God’s character. Faith is the receptivity of God's activity. Faith is you hearing God and participating with His grace activity. Faith is you allowing for His character to be acted out through you even when you feel like “raging”. Faith is learning to "touch" the “unseen” and eternal, not your emotions. Because all you have known is an emotionally fleshly reaction to the seen which focused on circumstances. Walking by faith is an “unseen reality” of Christ as your life. Until you choose to depend on Christ in the moment (faith) and experience His character of grace, the fruit of the spirit, love joy, gentleness, kindness, understanding and the Godly control of self, you will most likely continue to walk after the flesh which has been angry and full of rage. That's why Paul wrote, “we walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Cor. 5:7).

You need to be careful that psychological counseling does not cause you to become more self-conscious than you already are. Biblical Christ-centered healthy counseling or therapy should always cause you to walk away more Christ conscious (in awe and in worth-ship of Him) rather than self-conscious (soulically conscious or emotionally conscious). The problem is that you can and have become much more in touch with your soul than your spirit. Being a Christ-one is not primarily a psychological reality. Man has always focused on the soul, rather than the spirit, on your thinking, your emotions, and your will, which you are far more familiar with than you are the spirit realm (unseen). It is vitally important to “listen under” (the meaning of New Testament – “obedience”) the Spirit of Christ and what He is saying to you. Nothing should substitute “hearing the voice of God” and walking by faith (John 10:27 “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me”). Christ is your life – NOT a better understanding of your emotions and how to relate to them. 

It is a matter of your "Point of Reference." Who is the beginning point; who is the starting point; who is the pivot point – Christ or your emotions?  Christ is the Alpha and Omega, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end” (Rev. 22:13). Christ is to be the basis of your functioning spiritually, psychologically and physiologically as He intended – NOT you’re best effects to understand yourself emotionally or your best effects not to rage again.  

Jesus said, “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30).

I hope these thoughts prove to be helpful as God in Christ Jesus reveals Himself to you, as He is your only ability to experience LIFE. Keep in touch.

Your brother in Christ, Don Burzynski, 

CrossLife Counseling, Vero Beach, Florida 

www.cross-life.org  

© 2015 Don Burzynski 

The meaning of CrossLife?

It’s about identity! Who we are! 

The purpose of the ministry of CrossLife is to help a Christian understand their identity in Christ. The center point or point of reference of the gospel is Jesus Christ and what it means to be Christian. Christianity begins and ends with the “Cross-Life” of Jesus Christ! 

The death of Jesus Christ on a cross is the pivot point of history and the central focus of the Christian gospel. In His death on the cross Jesus was taking the death consequence of sin for all mankind.

Jesus as the God-man, who as man could experience the death consequences of sin, and who as God could restore divine life to man spiritually, allows man to once again be in relational fellowship with God.

The death of Jesus on a cross was absolutely necessary for man to be indwelt by the very life of God. The Cross reveals the two fold purpose of 1) death and 2) restoration.  He went to the cross, that we might have His Life! The “cross” and “life” are inseparable, therefore, “Cross-Life”. Without the cross there would be no life. The cross was a means to an end, “He came that you might have His Life.” The presence of Christ within a human spirit, union-life which is spiritual solidarity.

When Jesus said, "It is finished" we were "crucified together with" Him, this refers to our spiritual union or solidarity with Him.  When Jesus died on the cross He died there for you and me, but He also died there “as you” and “as me”. When He died, “we died”. We were "in Him" when He died. The entire human race was represented by Jesus when He took the death consequences for sin upon Himself, but that spiritual-union or solidarity only becomes personal for you and me when we receive Jesus Christ by faith.

As a Christian understands who they are in Christ, they can begin to choose to live consistent with what Christ as their life is doing in them, allow His character to be manifest through them which is the behavioral expression that every Christian desires to experience. The counseling, leadership training, mission opportunities, and interactive gatherings of Christian fellowship at CrossLife is based on the living reality of Christ as your life, or as we call it the “CrossLife.”

God has been working through CrossLife since our establishment in Vero Beach, Florida in 1993 to teach and encourage people to function by the dynamic of God's grace in Jesus Christ.

Visit our website www.cross-life.org  for valuable training material or visit us in person at 2501 27^th Ave. Suite A-9S, Vero Beach, FL. 32960 

A Testimony of Abundant Grace

“My identity is in Christ and what he wants for my life.” - Kristy

Kristy and Dad

The Acts of the Apostles records (chapter 4), how God’s power was manifest through Peter and John after Pentecost and how the “rulers and elders and scribes were gathered together in Jerusalem…and all who were of high-priestly descent…they began to inquire, “By what power, or in what name, have you done this?...And with great power the apostles were giving testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and abundant grace was upon them all.” 
The following testimony is a personal account of the abundant grace of God manifest in May of 2015 at Portantorchas Bible School in Costa Rica where I was privileged to be the guest speaker and teach a class called, “Christ As Life.” What made this opportunity so very special is the fact that my youngest daughter Kristy was a student. It was a joyous reunion to see her and to experience this God-appointed time together.

Students and staff who attended class

Each of the bible school students was required to turn in a paper with their summation and insights regarding the class. The following is my daughter Kristy's paper. It brought tears of joy realizing how God had captured her heart and all that He is doing in her. It is shared to be of encouragement to you. –Don

Kristy Burzynski
Teacher: Don Burzynski
Course: Christ As Life                                                                                                                     5/11-15/15                                                                                                                         Portantorchas Bible School, Costa Rica

Christ As Life
     I had the privilege to listen to my dad teach the Christ Life seminar and was amazed at all God had shown me. While listening to my dad teach, he said: “God’s purpose of our lives is for us to experience Him.” The main focus is God and what He has done in us and as we choose to agree with Him and what He will do through us. It’s not what we do for God but what we allow Him to do in us. In class he also discussed “Who is your point of reference?” The false premises of this would be “I am, because I do…” This is wrong. Why? Because “everything starts with who God is, and everything ends with who God is.” If we are to know God, we must know that God is the “point of reference” for everything! Our understanding must be derived “out of,” Gods own self-revelation. We must allow God to determine our understanding of Himself. The class also talks about God’s character, the flesh, sin, body/soul/spirit, and what it means to have Christ as your life.

Spiritual Principles Learned
1.      God is only glorified by what God does: “Jesus… is the radiance of his (Father’s) glory and the exact representation of his nature…” Hebrews 1:2-3
2.      God’s highest glory, according to God, is His son: “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.”
3.      Nothing good dwells in my flesh: “The acts of flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity, and debauchery…” Gal 5:19
4.      We should remain in God: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.”
5.      No man has seen God at any time: “No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is Himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made Him known.” John 1:18
6.      God has revealed Himself in his natural creation: “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities – His eternal power and divine nature- have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.” Rom 1:20
7.      God is a personal God to his people: “God said to Moses, “I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I am has sent me to you.”
8.      God has revealed himself supernaturally in the incarnation of His son, Jesus Christ: “The word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:14

“Nothing good dwells in my flesh” Rom. 7:18.
     First let’s start off with what is the meaning of flesh? Your flesh is the way you have learned to manage and operate your life apart from God, under the deception of Satan, through his sinful character. Every human being has a body, soul and spirit. The flesh is a part of the soul. You can’t get rid of the flesh; it will always be there until the day you die. There are only two ways of living: by the flesh or by the spirit (See Romans chapter 8 and Galatians chapter 5). You can choose to participate with God or to participate with the desires of your flesh. Galatians 5:16 says: “So I say walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.” As long as we keep our eyes on Christ and what He wants for our lives we won’t need to walk by the flesh. “Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires” (Gal 5:24). The flesh is always centered on self. What are my desires or what are my needs. Satan has deceived people into thinking that you do not need to be dependent on God, that you can live your life independently apart from God. Flesh is a learned independence. Independence is actually a delusion; God is the only independent being. But what we have done is brought this mindset and lifestyle developed apart from God and centered it on ourselves. Satan wants you to think that the flesh does something for you. Our flesh can hold us captive as a victim. The way he described it was with an image of an octopus.  An octopus has eight legs, no spinal cord, and goes wherever the water takes it. On each of the legs of the octopus there can be “anger, lust, hatred, pride, bitterness and depression.” These are all our flesh patterns. As he continued explaining this illustration he said, “So what happens if you cut off one of the octopus legs?” It can grow another leg. You can’t get rid of one because you will still have 7 legs. So what he was basically saying is, the flesh is one problem with many symptoms and Satan doesn’t care which way he steals your life, as long as he keeps you distracted from your relationship with God. If we are focusing on our sins or on our fleshly desires all the time it is going to distract us from the most important person in our life—God. God never wanted man to be sin-conscience. So how can we then reform the flesh? We can’t, only God can. Your identity is in Christ not your flesh. Gal 5:25 “Since we live by the spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.”

God is only glorified by what God does (Isa. 42:8 & 48:11).
     Many of us attempt to understand God by what God does but who God is has to do with His character. He is not who He is apart from His character. God acts out of His own being to express His exclusive character. It is not what man does for God but what God does in and through you. So many times Christians think they have to do all of these things for God: read the bible, go to church, pray etc. Thinking that it depends on our behavior or our actions but Christ is the Dynamic of His Own Demands and all imperatives of the New Covenant are fulfilled in Christ. I’m not saying don’t do those things but simply saying don’t let it become a “religious practice” that can take you away from your relationship with God. “The glory which thou hast given me I have given to them…” (John 17:22). Our identity should be found in Christ not what we do. His glory comes from God, through Christ, to us as a gift.

God is a personal God to his people
     God’s purpose for our life is not a new teaching, or a sinless perfection, not a life of passivity, not a self-help teaching, not a second work of grace, not a formula for self to imitate Christ, and is not overlooking or approving sinful behavior. God’s main purpose for man is to have a relationship with us, you cannot study your way into a relationship. God is a personal God and wants us to participate with him. Man cannot be a man apart from God—as God intended man. Jesus Christ expressing His life in and through you is what gives God His greatest glory. Christianity is not what we do but is a Person. This Person is Jesus and it is no longer you that lives but Christ. “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me” (Gal 2:20).

Application
     Before my dad’s class I always thought that I was the problem because of my fleshly desires. But I realized that Satan wanted me to think I was the problem all this time. It was a major distraction and I was no longer focused on Christ but my sins that I had committed. I also learned that my flesh is not who I am. My identity is in Christ and what he wants for my life. I also have more confidence in myself that I never had before. I don’t have to believe the lies Satan was telling me anymore and can rest in the comfort of Christ. “Faith is the receptivity of God’s activity.” 

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     I cannot think of a greater joy for a father than to be used of God as a vessel to minister to one of His children’s spiritual life. I do hope that by sharing this, you can share in my delight for what God is doing by His grace in my personal family and in the Family of God as a whole. -Don Burzynski www.cross-life.org 
 

Are your beliefs worthy of your faith?

Everyone has strong beliefs about an assortment of subjects, not limited to politics, education, religion, marriage, family, life, death and God. When it comes to God people say with confidence that they believe in God or that they don’t and that their beliefs are spot-on. We all live based on what we believe to be true making important decisions every day that affect our lives and fortunes. Many believe themselves to be Christian based on the belief that they are forgiven of their sins and on their way to Heaven because of what they deem as true. It is vitally important that our beliefs for making these “life and death” matters of Heaven or Hell be founded on the truth of what God has revealed. It is important to ask ourselves the question, “Is believing the right doctrine enough to secure our future in heaven or anything for that matter? And where does faith come in? Is faith the same as belief? If not, what is the difference? Are your beliefs worthy of your faith? Let’s take a look at these words and see if they are saying the same thing.

Faith or belief are all translated from the same root word in Greek, the noun - “pistis” and the verb – “pisteuo” translated “to believe” or “to have faith.” Unbelief, doubt, etc., are all derived from the same Greek words with the prefix a- (a- means “no”). While faith surely includes the element of belief, they are not one and the same. The misperception developed due to the fact in classical Greek that the words were used in relationship to trusting something or someone. Certainly one must believe that something, or someone exists before it is possible to put one’s faith in that person or thing.

To put one’s ‘faith’ in something, or someone, means that one is putting his or her trust in that person or thing. Who or what one trusts can have far-reaching, even eternal, ramifications. It means reliance on, dependence upon, that person or thing. I can believe something that I have read in the Bible declaring it true, however this does not establish that I am walking by faith in the biblical reality that I have given mental assent to. True faith is more than simply believing.

The most fundamental aspect of faith is to be receptive to God. Our receptivity to God is not based on facts or mental understanding as to what is true or what is false, but rather is our receptivity of the person of Jesus Christ Himself. As the Apostle John declares in John 1:12 “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name.” Paul taught the same truth in Colossians 2:6-7 “Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him…established in your faith.” The gift of God to mankind is Jesus Christ and the reception of that gift is received by faith. “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8).  Our receptivity to God’s activity allows us to function in confidence regardless of circumstances. 

Whereas, belief is primarily soulical, a function of our minds, trying to figure out what is true or false, right or wrong, (where I am in control), faith is receptive to the Spirit of Christ as I choose to trust God even without seeing. Understanding our spiritual union in Christ allows us not to function merely out of the rational thoughts of the mind (seeing) but rather live from the relational union of the spirit. The difference between belief and faith is the difference between rational (soul) and relational (spirit). “The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God” (Romans 8:16). “But he who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him” (1 Cor. 6: 17).

Christians are often more comfortable relying on doctrinal beliefs in a type of mind-game rational using everything they know to come to the right conclusions. Belief is like a maze of thoughts bombarding our minds. The Christian is left attempting to sort out and explain what is true and what is false establishing what they believe, giving a defense of the faith, which then develops into a neatly packaged belief-system that they can depend on and trust in, often arguing about. We become self-conscious about our beliefs and as such it can make us feel uncomfortable if we don’t have all the answers to life’s perplexing problems.

Faith is very different as it is not about facts and figures and often doesn't have a reason to give for “why” one is believing.  Faith differs greatly from belief and actually transcends it, as faith connects me to the spiritual realm where I am one with Christ. Faith agrees with what God is revealing to me in my spirit. Faith does not depend on intellectual acceptance or recognition as does belief. Faith can’t figure everything out and can’t be “nailed down.” Faith must trust God because we can never figure God out, “how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out” (Romans 11:33)! Faith is our receptivity to what God is doing even when we don’t understand which often we will not understand. Faith is our willingness to listen rather than simply thinking about what is the right thing to do doctrinally. Faith hears what others are saying, being open to the body of Christ and the wisdom of a multitude of counselors (Prov. 15:22). ”God has been made known to all…leading to obedience of faith” (Rom. 16:26).  The Greek word for obedience is (hupakouo) which means "listening under." The obedience of faith is not mental assent to a belief about God but is a willingness to listen under and hear His voice to determine what God is saying. “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me” (John 10:27).  This obedience of faith is the ongoing relational reality of the Christian life that is not just for the moment but rather for every situation that I find myself, both now and forever. The obedience of faith is for me, as I listen to what God is saying to me but my faith is not always for others. Beliefs can be passed on to others as creeds or commands but only faith is personal and must be realized for oneself. Faith cannot be passed on. Faith is between you and God and no one else. Paul desired to be an encouragement to the Saints at Roman and for their faith to be an encouragement to him. “For I long to see…that I may be encouraged together with you…each of us by the other’s faith, both yours and mine” (Rom. 1:11-12). Faith is between you and God for the moment and should not be considered something that you can use as a spiritual gift or commodity for tomorrows tests.  God is revealed from “faith to faith” (Rom. 1:17). Beliefs require facts while faith requires relationship. “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ” (Romans 10:17).

Faith is always receptive to God’s revelations which are very specific and/or “point on” for what He is doing in our life “for such a time as this?” (Esther 4: 14). Faith is receptive to God’s activity or action, which is grace. Believing alone does not mean that I experience the grace of God. I might talk about God’s grace in theological beliefs but only faith identifies with grace! Faith is personal and allows me experience my identity in Christ. Belief can be sterile, even becoming demanding and controlling, often directed toward other people. Belief is more of a “shotgun” approach which tends to take a broad view and attempts to apply them to everybody else. Beliefs can kill, faith experiences life! “…for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life” (2 Cor. 3:6). Jesus spoke of this in Matt. 23:1ff. “Then Jesus spoke…saying: “The scribes and the Pharisees…tell you, do and observe, but do not do according to their deeds; for they say things and do not do them. They tie up heavy burdens and lay them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are unwilling to move them with so much as a finger.” Those who want you to believe a certain way will refer to the "principles" and "precepts" of scripture using them as bully-pulpit to demand allegiance from you to obey. Belief often leads to behavioral prescriptions for success and what is promoted in our culture as behavior modification. Belief frequently develops into performance based religion. 

Belief is one-size-fits-all, (cookie-cutter-religion) while faith is individual and intimate and is only realized as a Christian participates with the intimacy of the Triune God. Beliefs are a “dime a dozen” and a public matter but faith is “priceless” and between God and the person He has revealed Himself. It is only as we begin to live by faith that we begin to experience the intimacy of relationship with God. “…Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me” (Gal. 2:20).

Belief has to always be accurate or correct, for to doubt or to have uncertainty is the “kiss of death” for belief. The assumption of belief is, it has solved all of life’s problems and has all of the answers to life’s most perplexing questions. To question or to doubt would mean that you don’t believe and that would be the cardinal sin of “believe right religion.” They teach that doubt is the enemy of good and you must strengthen your beliefs and become mature in the Lord – in your beliefs about Him. Failure is seen as weakness and weakness is viewed as having an inadequate belief system. The cure or remedy of religious belief is that you study to strengthen your beliefs so you will be prepared to face every challenge because of your knowledge.

Unfortunately many times people’s beliefs talk them out of living by faith but those who are learning to walk by faith are experiencing God. You might ask, “Does any Christian truly live by faith?” The answer is a resounding YES!

“Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Heb. 11:1). Nineteen times in Hebrews chapter 11 Paul declares that the people of God lived BY FAITH.

³ By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible. 

⁴ By faith Abel offered to God a better sacrifice…

⁵ By faith Enoch was taken up so that he would not see death… 

⁷ By faith Noah, being warned by God about things not yet seen, in reverence prepared an ark for the salvation of his household…

⁸ By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was going… 

⁹ By faith he lived as an alien in the land of promise…whose architect and builder is God. 

¹¹ By faith even Sarah herself received ability to conceive…

¹⁷ By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac…

²⁰ By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau, even regarding things to come… 

²¹ By faith Jacob, as he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph…

²² By faith Joseph, when he was dying, made mention of the exodus of the sons of Israel, and gave orders concerning his bones…

²³ By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden for three months by his parents, because they saw he was a beautiful child; and they were not afraid of the king’s edict… 

²⁴ By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, ²⁵ choosing rather to endure ill-treatment with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, ²⁶ considering the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt; for he was looking to the reward. 

²⁷ By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he endured, as seeing Him who is unseen. 

²⁸ By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of the blood, so that he who destroyed the firstborn would not touch them.

²⁹ By faith they passed through the Red Sea as though they were passing through dry land; and the Egyptians, when they attempted it, were drowned.

³⁰ By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they had been encircled for seven days. 

³¹ By faith Rahab the harlot did not perish along with those who were disobedient, after she had welcomed the spies in peace.

³² And what more shall I say? For time will fail me if I tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets… 

³³ who by faith conquered kingdoms, performed acts of righteousness, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, ³⁴ quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, from weakness were made strong, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. ³⁵ Women received back their dead by resurrection; and others were tortured, not accepting their release, so that they might obtain a better resurrection; ³⁶ and others experienced mockings and scourgings, yes, also chains and imprisonment. ³⁷ They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted, they were put to death with the sword; they went about in sheepskins, in goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, ill-treated ³⁸ (men of whom the world was not worthy), wandering in deserts and mountains and caves and holes in the ground.

³⁹ And all these, having gained approval through their faith…

We began this article by asking the question, “Are your beliefs worthy of your faith?” After our discussion, I would declare, “Absolutely NO!” Only Jesus Christ is worthy of your faith.

Living by faith allows us to be the Christian human beings God created us to be, choosing to function dependent and deriving from God. “…for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure” (Phil. 2:13). It is only in this divine-human relationship of being Christian that the “static” foundation of belief finds its expression in the dynamic receptivity of faith. “Without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6). When Paul says “without faith it is impossible to please Him,” the word for “impossible” is “adunamis” which means no power or more literally, “no dynamic.” (The Greek word dunamis is the root of the English word “dynamite.”) That is why Paul says that without faith there is no power or dynamic to please Him. It’s like plugging a power tool into a dead socket which is why James states in chapter 2 that faith without works is dead. Faith always derives from the receptivity of God’s activity or you have just voided the whole definition of faith! That is why our faith receptivity always has to be connected and deriving from His grace activity because that’s what grace is, it’s the “dunamis” the power of God.

The words of the song of a well-known hymn “Living by Faith” by James Wells are appropriate:

I care not today what the morrow may bring,

If shadow or sunshine or rain,

The Lord I know ruleth o’er everything,

And all of my worries are vain.

Refrain:

Living by faith in Jesus above,                                                                    

Trusting, confiding in His great love;

From all harm safe in His sheltering arm,

I’m living by faith and feel no alarm.

Though tempests may blow and the storm clouds arise,

Obscuring the brightness of life,

I’m never alarmed at the overcast skies—

The Master looks on at the strife.

I know that He safely will carry me through,

No matter what evils betide;

Why should I then care though the tempest may blow,

If Jesus walks close to my side.

© 2015 by Don Burzynski 

The Resurrection – The Living Reality of Christ In You

The resurrection is more than just an historical miracle or a theological explanation and therefore must be understood as a living reality for the Christian.

Jesus death on the cross was a corrective or remedial action which was necessary to remedy man from the problem of man’s deficiency not just his sins. What was this human deficiency you ask? The human race deficiency was that man was not a man as God intended man to be. What qualifies or disqualified mankind from being man as God intended?

Adam and Eve who (represented mankind) was given the choice of life and death in the Garden of Eden. God had told Adam to eat freely of the “tree of Life,” which was the choice of life, to experience the very Life of God. It was God’s desire and design that man derive his life from God. (Man is never on his own doing his own thing but is always deriving spiritual life from one of two sources, either God or Satan).

In order for there to be a choice there was the ‘necessary opposite’ of the “tree of the knowledge of good and evil.” God warned Adam not to eat of this tree due to the death consequence of doing so (“but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die” (Gen. 2:17). To eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil would cause man to experience spiritual death, something that was not God’s intention for man.  In essence the choice would determine what spiritual source Adam (and all of us, as Adam was representative man for the human race) would derive from, either God or Satan. Adam’s disobedience choice is known as the Fall of Man.

The Gospel is God’s remedy for man’s disobedient choice and the catastrophic consequences which resulted. Jesus Christ the Son of God became flesh (“…And the Word became flesh” John 1:14, the incarnation), to become the alternative representative man for humanity and die in man’s place.

He was willing to submit to death, though He was “without sin” (“…For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin…” Heb. 4:15; “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” II Cor. 5:21), so that as representative man (“…The last Adam became a life-giving spirit…” 1 Cor. 15:45) He might become our substitute and assume the death consequences of our (man’s) sin (“…For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son…” Rom. 5:10), and by His Divine Life overcome the “power of death” (“…that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil…” Heb. 2:14), and make His life available to humanity again (“…much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life…” Rom. 5:10).

Why did Jesus die for you? How you answer this question makes a huge difference. How do you interpret the death of Jesus? Was God the Father an offended deity who was angry due to our sin and thus demanded that a penalty of death be paid for sin before He would forgive us (mankind)? This is the popular view of the crucifixion, which is portrayed in movies and the preaching of our day, which casts God as an angry, bloodthirsty, death-dealing God who poured out His disciplinary wrath and judgment upon His own Son, Jesus, Why? Because someone must pay the price for man’s sin! While God the Father is seen as angry judge, Jesus is portrayed as a loving and forgiving God who was willing to show us grace and appease a judgmental God and redeem us from the consequences of our sin. Jesus is the mercy side of God and the Father is the justice side of God.

What does this kind of perspective do to our view of God? It divides the Father and the Son and severs the Loving Trinity into a distorted God whom people are afraid.  The Father is seen as being against us; the Son is for us. The Son is acting as our legal advocate attempting to convince the Father, the Judge, to let us off the hook. What a tragic twisting of the Oneness of the Triune God who is Love.

The truth is that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are always One and In Union with each other and as a result have the same purpose, which is to restore humanity to God’s original intent. God is for us and not against us or angry with us, never has been and never will be! God is grace and love and His intent has always been to deal with the death consequences of “the one having the power of death” (Heb. 2:14) by defeating Satan “once and for all” (“…He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.” Heb. 9:2) in behalf of mankind.  

In order for Jesus Christ to restore man to God’s original intent, “…Christ in you…” Col. 1:27; “…Christ lives in me…” Gal. 2:20; “…For to me, to live is Christ…” Phil 1:21 the restoration of God’s life to man required that Christ take our spiritually died condition and the sinful consequence thereof. Jesus could not give us His life and identity for us, unless He first took our spiritual death and sinful identity and dealt the death blow to it (“For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit” 1 Pet. 3:8). God gave His Life FOR us, in order to give His Life TO us, in order that He might LIVE His Life THROUGH us!

In the Fall of Man, Adam lost the indwelling life and presence of God “…BUT God so loved the world that He gave…” (John 3:16)! God’s redemption and restorative grace would not tolerate the “one having the power of death” (Heb. 2:14) to hold man hostage forever (II Tim. 2:26).

Jesus willingness to die on the cross was the undoing of Satan’s death consequences. Jesus “Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” (Phil. 2:8), “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” (II Cor. 5:21). “But God raised Him up again, putting an end to the agony of death, since it was impossible for Him to be held in its power” (Acts 2:24), what was “the agony of death” that we were freed from?  It was the spiritual dead condition that we were born into, which Jesus put to death “the one having the power of death, that is the devil” (Heb. 2:14), “…The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil” (1 John 3:8).

On the cross, Jesus exclaimed, “Tetelestai – It is Finished!” His obedience unto death allowed for His resurrection life to be the restorative reality for mankind.

God’s ultimate purpose was to give us His life! In the resurrection of Jesus life, He overcame death, God overcame Satan.

The resurrection is the living reality wherein the living Lord Jesus is presently indwelling Christians and living out His resurrection life in Christian behavior, TODAY! Sadly many will survey the historical cross of Christ and His resurrection 2000 years ago without a living reality of what it means to be a Christ-one with the resurrection of Christ as life both now and forever.

In declaring the purpose of His coming, Jesus said, “I came that you might have life, and have it more abundantly” (Jn. 10:10). It was the resurrection that provided man with the opportunity to be restored with His life to all who are willing to receive. As Paul wrote, “The first man, Adam, became a living soul. The last Adam (Jesus) became a life-giving spirit” (I Cor. 15:45). Paul wrote, “As in Adam all die, so also in Christ all shall be made alive” (I Cor. 15:22).

All men are united spiritually with either Adam or Christ, in either spiritual death or spiritual life. The “last Adam,” Jesus Christ, came to die on our behalf and offer His resurrected life which was poured out at Pentecostal, the “life-giving Spirit” to once again allow man to be and to live as God intended man to live. Paul wrote, “the Spirit gives life” (II Cor. 3:6) which is the risen and living Lord Jesus who now functions as the “Spirit of Christ” (Rom. 8:9) restoring man to spiritual life function as God designed.

This resurrection life is the Spirit of Christ who is Eternal Life. “This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent” (John 17:3).  This Eternal life that the resurrected Lord Jesus makes available to mankind is Himself. “I AM the resurrection and the life” (Rom. 11:25), Jesus said to Martha, “I AM the way, the truth, and the life” (Jn. 14:6).  Mankind’s greatest need is the restoration of the presence of God’s life in their spirit to energize their behavior to the glory of God. John declared, “He that has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life” (I Jn. 5:12).

The most important question that man should ask is, how do I partake of this resurrection life of Jesus? Peter answers the question when he writes, to be “born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (I Pet. 1:3). Jesus knowing His calling and purpose for coming to earth spoke these words to Nicodemus, “You must be born again” (Jn. 3:7). “Unless one is born from above” (Jn. 3:3), and receives the resurrection life of Jesus Christ being filled with God’s presence man cannot be man as God intended man to be.

One of the best known scripture verses is what Jesus spoke to Nicodemus and it still remains His invitation today, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life” (Jn. 3:16).

So what does it mean to believe? It is to receive, “As many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God” (Jn. 1:12,13). Jesus said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life” (Jn. 5:24). If any man believes and receives the One who is the Resurrection and the Life he shall “passed out of death into life” (I Jn. 3:14). Our gospel is one of resurrection life, “You were raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead… He made you alive together with Him” (Col. 2:12, 13).

The Christian is a Christ-one, “Christ is our life” (Col. 3:4). The Christian life is the Christ life dwelling within us and functioning through us. Christianity is Christ – living His resurrection life in and thorough us. “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (1 Pet. 1:3). The Resurrection – The Living Reality of Christ In You.

© 2015 by Don Burzynski