Legalism Jacks Up Your Relationship with God

There was a time in my life when reading the Bible made my stomach hurt! The reason? I believed a faulty gospel. It was a formula: Faith in Jesus + rules = a life pleasing to God. The problem with that is, it is not the gospel.

Paul wrote to the Galatians that if we add anything to our faith in Jesus alone, even as Christians, we are believing a “different gospel”. Galatians 1:6-7 says, “I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the One who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel which is really no gospel at all.” Believing a different gospel turns us away from our heavenly Father to a caricature of Him. Our concept of God becomes twisted. Rather than living by faith and enjoying a love relationship with Him, we live in bondage to fear, guilt and shame rooted in religion. And we always feel that regardless of how much we obey God, He is never pleased. No wonder my stomach hurt!

Adding rules, even rules in the Bible, is legalism. Legalism is using the Bible as a rule book rather than a relationship book. It is a system to try to gain God’s favor. Grace is a Person – Jesus Christ. As Christians, we experience God’s grace by faith through our union with Him. Grace is a relationship, not a system.

Is it possible that as a sincere Christian, you have been duped into believing a “different gospel”? Maybe that is why you struggle to believe and enjoy God’s love for you. Maybe that is why a lot of people give up on church and Christianity because they don’t experience the God who loves them, but believe in a god who is always telling them that they don’t measure up. I don’t blame them. They are not really turning from Christianity but from a messed up gospel.

When the Holy Spirit made clear to me the pure gospel of grace, I experienced not only relief but such incredible love like I had never known. Today, I still read my Bible every day. I also memorize it, meditate on it, ask God to speak to me from it, obey it and teach it. I love God’s Word because it keeps pointing me to Him. I obey my Father because I love Him. I sometimes see in His Word where I am not obeying Him, and I repent asking Jesus to enable me to obey by Him living through me. My stomach no longer hurts, and my heart often rejoices when I read His Word.

How about you? Is your relationship with God jacked up because you have been led away from the pure simple gospel of grace? Let go of rules and cling to your union with Christ alone. Read Galatians for yourself and live free in Christ!


Mark Maulding, President and Founder


GraceLifeInternational.com
All Content Copyright © 2012 Mark Maulding

You Are Alive in Zombieland!

When my youngest son was about 12, we were at the mall and he wanted to go into the bookstore and look around.  I waited outside for a while and then began to wonder why he was not coming out.  So I went in the store and found him reading a book from the shelf.  I said, "Christopher, what are you reading?"  He smiled and said, "How to Survive a Zombie Attack".  We both laughed.

Those without Christ may be very nice neighbors or coworkers but on the inside they are dead.  You might say they are spiritual zombies.  That was true of you and me before we had faith in Jesus.  We were walking around on the earth in a body which was animated but deep inside we were spiritually dead.  Ephesians 2:1 says it this way.  "And you were dead in your trespasses and sins..."

When God saved you, He not only forgave you but you came alive for the very first time in your life! Ephesians 2:5 says, "when we were dead in our transgressions, (God) made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus."

Instead of being a Zombie, you are alive because Christ is your Life!  Your marital status is not your life; your kids are not your life; your spouse is not your life; your work is not your life; your ministry is not your life; your financial status is not your life; your illness is not your life; your ethnicity is not your life; your favorite movie star is not your life.  Only Jesus Christ is your Life!  Colossians 3:4, "For when Christ, who is our life appears, then shall we also appear with Him in glory."

Say it out loud.  Christ alone is my Life today!!!

Live Free In Christ,

Mark Maulding, President and Founder



GraceLifeInternational.com
All Content Copyright © 2012 Mark Maulding

Is Your Christian Life 3-D?

I remember when I saw my first 3-D movie. It was Sponge Bob Squarepants at the Carowinds Theme park.  When they were chasing the pickle, my kids and I felt like we were actually in the movie.  In fact, the pickle almost hit us and we all tried to move away from it.  I was hooked.  In most cases, I would now prefer to see a movie in 3-D.  It is so much more enjoyable and fun to feel like you are a part of the movie rather than just watching a movie.
   Before I understood what the Bible teaches about the New Covenant, my relationship with God was 2-D. The Bible seemed to be more about what I should be doing that I was not doing for a Jesus who could never be pleased.  I always felt guilty, did not sense that God loved me and perceived myself as a Christian who rarely measured up in God's eyes.  I was driven to perform for God's acceptance but it was like being in a 2-D movie.  I really wanted to be like Jesus whom I read about in the Bible but He was not very accessible.  No wonder over time my stomach started hurting when I read the Bible.  I do not think that is Christianity.
   My problem?  I was reading the Bible through the glasses of the Old Covenant which says to be blessed you have to obey God very conscientiously.  Deuteronomy 28:1-2 says "If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully follow all His commands I give you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations on earth.  All these blessings will come upon you and accompany you if you obey the Lord your God."
   No wonder I was miserable!  You can never do enough under the Old Covenant to get blessed by God but more importantly as Christians, we are now under the New Covenant.   When you understand the New Covenant, it is like putting 3-D glasses on.  You are not watching the story, you are in the story.  You understand that Jesus is in you to love you unconditionally and to live His life through you in every area of your life.  You see, the New Covenant focus is about living by faith, not performance.  Galatians 2:20 says it this way, "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.  The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me."
   No wonder Paul prayed in Ephesians 3:16-21 that Christians would have a revelation of Jesus Christ in them!  Only then can we experience a 3-D Jesus in our lives.  The understanding of Jesus in us transforms forever our view of God, ourselves and others!  We are never the same nor is our life.
   Pray Ephesians 3:16-21 every day for yourself and those you care about until it is answered!  God has no other plan by which we are to live our lives.  He has always intended us to live in 3-D! 




Live Free In Christ, Mark Maulding, President and Founder GraceLifeInternational.com All Content Copyright © 2012 Mark Maulding

How Jesus Can Lead Others Through You!

Many years ago, I greatly failed as a leader in my attempts to plant a new church. That was part of what God used to bring me to brokenness.  Looking back, I am so happy I failed.  In that failure, I came to understand that Christ is my Life!  Not success or anything else is my life, only Christ.
   So, when God led me to move my family from our home state to start Grace Life International in 1995, I knew I had to go about it very differently.  I was certain God was leading me to begin this ministry and had a deep sense of destiny.  Yet, I was fearful because of my previous failure.  That was right where God wanted me to be.  I distinctly remember being on Interstate 85 and praying about this in my car.  I said, "Lord Jesus, if you do not lead this ministry through me, then we will not last very long.  Please lead this new ministry through me!"  He answered my prayer.
   When we started, we had three staff plus me, with no office space, no furniture and no office equipment.  17 years later, we find ourselves with 30 staff members in six locations.  We have also been blessed by Jesus living through us to minister to thousands of people regionally, nationally and internationally.  We now have other leaders on staff who depend on Jesus to lead through them!
   You are a leader whether you know it or not.  You do not have to have a recognized position of leadership to lead.  You do not have to be in a ministry to lead.  Leadership is simply influence.  And you do influence people even if you don't realize it.
   The best way for you to lead, i.e. have influence is to daily ask Jesus Christ to live through you to influence the people around you.  Then, watch for opportunities.  Who knows what kind of influence you can have on your family, friends, neighbors, work and church!
   Start asking Jesus to lead through you.  I suspect what people will notice the most is your love for them, which is the greatest influence of all!
   Until next time, remember, He loves us!

Live Free In Christ,

Mark Maulding, President and Founder 
http://www.gracelifeinternatinal.com/



GraceLifeInternational.com   All Content Copyright © 2012 Mark Maulding