Does the preaching of full victory in Christ promote disillusionment?

How few there are who are willing to take the words of our Lord and believe them as is, that He indeed has promised to set us from from our fleshly nature, and from the sins that so easily beset our lower nature. Many argue that to lift up a standard of holiness as our goal, our very reason to be Christians, to be changed in the image of our Lord in this life, promotes disillusionment. If we were talking politics, I agree, idealism is not realistic, and can leave many disillusioned.

But we are not. We are talking about the God of the Universe who has made many clear and undisputable promises to us, promises that we see unfulfilled in the lives of most believers, and instead of us searching for how to attain them, what we have done is to lower the expectations of the scriptures to fit what we experience. Once we started doing that, and unbelief made its way to our pulpits, faith in God was changed to "idealism" and the reality that we taught Christians to expect from God in their daily walks became failure and struggle, the Romans chapter 7 experience. That, I believe, is the root of the disillusionment so evident in the church today.

Yet it is at this precise point, at the point of our failure, that we have a choice. Do we simply lower the standard of "Without Holiness no man shall see the Lord", and settle for a walk without power, where we just do our best and trust the forgiveness of God to make up the difference, or do we, on our knees, fall before our God and seek for an answer from heaven that has eluded us, an answer that can set us "free indeed" as He has promised us?

Any truly honest saint will have to admit that the church is not the same as it was almost 2000 years ago. 120 men, filled with God's spirit, turned the entire known world upside down in one generation. There was but two words for the lives of the early saints... sold out.

No Christian TV stations, no radio, no tract ministries, no church buildings, no printing presses, no internet, no bookstores, just hearts on fire. Why were they on fire? They had been set free, free from their old nature that had enslaved them. And because of that, they were ON FIRE.

Some worrry about this "idealism" in Christianity being dangerous because people will be hurt. Do we not think that what we have gotten people to accept as the expected result of following the Lord now, that true fredom is impossible in this life, has sucked the wind out of the sails of millions of hearts, millions of Christian marriages, millions of teen-agers who figure "Why bother? It doesn't work anyway."?

With all my heart, I believe it is not unwavering faith that has caused this, but the lack of faith that is at the root of the problem. We have the weight of the success of the walk on our shoulders, and the result we now have come to expect is failure. Do we fall on our knees in brokenness and seek God to stretch forthj His hand and fulfill His promises to us. No, we simply lower the standards so we do not stand in the place of failure. Instead of holding up the shield of faith that says "I can do all things thru Christ who strengthens me", we adopt as our Christian mantra "Christians aren't perfect, just forgiven." Borthers and sisters, may God help eachof us,to find the walk where we are promised to "mount up with wings of eagles, you will run and not be weary, and walk and not faint."

Ultimately, we will be held accountable for one thing and one thing only.... how did we respond to the words of God? Words of God not believed will be to our shame on the final day. Dark days are coming, days we can not even imagine. We will need more than church services and pats on the back that all will work out all right if we just hang on. We need to equip the saints to fight, and if we give them the weapons and armour God has prepared for us, they will, for the first time, be truly able to begin fighting for others, when they see satan truly defeated in their own hearts.

Please understand, walking in the new man where the flesh is defeated so that sin doesn't reign any more in our bodies does not mean we are "perfect" in the sense we commonly think. We have not "arrived". There is much to do, many changes that need to occur, much fruit to produce, as we now truly begin the journey to be changed into the image of Christ. When Paul said he had not yet attained, it was to Christ-likeness. But this same Paul said in no uncertain terms, "I can do all things thru Christ who strengthens me." The apostle Paul did not struggle with sin, but indeed showed others how to defeat it. "Be ye followers of me, even as I am of Christ." May God give us 10,000 ministers of fire who can make that same statement.

The disillusionment that young people have in serving God where Christlikeness is the goal comes not from serving God thru the promises, for the promises are to those who worketh not. No, the disillusionment comes from serving God the way we have been taught, thru self effort, I.e. the law. It must cause failure, and disillusionment.... but not with the gospel but with ourselves and our abilities.

Yet, it is at this exact point that we must then re-focus a man's eyes on our saviour and tell them about the covenant that does not leave one defeated, but does in them what they cannot do, defeat the fleshly nature, the covenant of grace.

This covenant was not to simply forgive us (but thank God it does!). It was given to empower us the way the old could not, by the spirit of God abiding in our heart, causing us to will and to do of His good pleasure.

I hope and pray I am not coming across as a haughty know-it-all. I am the least of the least and for 38 years of serving Him, some in a pastor's roll, I was the chief of sinners and I was FULL of disillusionment. It was in sheer desperation that I finally broke in my stubborn self confidence and fell at our master's feet and He, in His infinte mercy, led me to see that His promises were to lead each of us to the walk we longed for, and that if we would but believe them, they held the key to an overcoming life, a life of victory, a heart that does not bring dishonor to His name, without the constant battle going on of Romans 7.

Brothers and sisters, that was over a year ago now. For one straight year, God has kept me. This walk I speak of is not something we "achieve". There is no possibility of pride here, no room for boasting...NONE. It is a gift we receive when we are fully broken of all confidence in our flesh, and have nowhere else to turn.

I know this is long, but bare with me just a minute longer. I truly want you to see this, so that you might have your doubts eliminated and you can fully understand what God is wanting to give us all, so that in real truth, the church can finally become the bride without spot or wrinkle.

In Ezeliel 38, God gives us one of the few glimpses in the old testament to the coming new covenant. He prefaces this with an explanation as to why He offers us a new and living way. Why was it? Because we, His people, had blasphemed His holy name whereever we have gone, professing to the world that "WE ARE THE PEOPLE OF THE LORD", boasting that if the world looks at us, they see the full abilities of God to change and mold a man into His Son's image. Ouch. Our pride has blinded us to the truth that self effort Christianity is a failure, and in our own religious spirit, we offer something to the world they do not want....and who can blame them?

God continued. I am going to do something to change this, i am going to bring in a better covenant, but know this, my people, I am NOT doing this for your sake. I do this for my own Holy name's sake. I will sancitify you, I will pour clean water upon you, and in place of your pride and disobedience and secret sins, I am going to cause you to walk in my statutes. I will give you obedient hearts. My church, a place of lifelessness and desolation, a place mocked by the world, shall again be turned into the garden of Eden, and the heathen shall know that I am the Lord, when I shall be santified IN YOU in their midst.

But God was not finished in this amazing discourse, a discourse about us...today. In Ezekiel 36:37, God speaks to us, to the present day church, to the heart of every true believer who can look at our failures, our religiousity, and the sin that grips our hearts and admit that what God is saying is truly describing us. God says this:

"I shall yet be inquired of by the House of Israel to do it for them"

This, my friends, is the mesage God has put on my heart. Our God IS able. He IS the God who is able to keep us from falling and present us faultless before His presence, the God who "will cause us to will and to do of His good pleasure".

Saints, it is time we throw off our cloak of religion and put on the cloak of real manifest righteousness. This simple walk of faith will change everything as we know it. I for one am ready for the sleeping giant called the church to arise and put on strength. My prayer is that you are too.

In Him

Bruce