These false teachers, some of whom have made valuable contributions to the body of Christ earlier in their life, are obsessed with doctrine. They believe the truth is found in “rightly dividing” the scriptures. They’ve applied their considerable intellects to this passion and have come up with conclusions that are as evil and they are stupid. Their relationship begins and ends with the written word, because they don’t realize that the truth is not found in words written on paper in the Bible. Written words made alive by the Holy Spirit can lead you to the Truth while the Bible read by those who worship intellectual knowledge will become a stumbling block to the Truth. The inspired scriptures were written for the purpose of leading us to Christ who, alone, is the truth.

My friend, Steve Crosby, shared the literal definition of truth as it is spoken of in the scriptures. It had to do with fidelity in relationship. Jesus spoke of himself as the truth, because he was true to the original, who is God. So in the biblical context, truth can only be realized in faithful (to the original) relationships. When Jesus said that the truth would set his listeners free, the New Testament wasn’t yet written. Jesus never suggested that we should have a relationship with the Bible. Many who have an intellectual relationship with the scriptures fail to have a relationship with the One to whom the scriptures point. The result ranges anywhere from boring to disastrous.

The good news is that when our lives become integrated with Christ’s though child-like trust and abandonment of all that distracts, we are set free from everything that holds us back from living life in him to the fullest. The struggle brought on by the futile attempt to grasp spiritual understanding with our mind is put to an end and our spirit is set free to explore the unfathomable wonders of his love and grace.

David Fredrickson

A few years back a woman who was a friend of Lilly and mine was on the verge of death due to a heart condition she had since birth.  Some people were telling her husband God was going to heal her and there was a huge push to see her healed.  There was such a drive behind it that it wasn’t peaceful.  Then Father showed my friend Bob Humphrey that God was soon going to be taking her home.  This ran against all the hype and popular charismatic teachings.  Bob shared with his friend, the woman’s husband, what God had shown him and said, “Don’t miss this season.”  The man knew that’s what God was saying and laid down his anxieties and realized this was not the season to run around looking for a healing but instead it was the season to make the most of his last hours with his wife and peacefully say good-bye.  Thank God he listened to what Father was saying.  We so often miss the season we are in because we place our ideologies and/or desires ahead of what Father is saying and doing.  I shudder to think of the intense remorse our friend would have had if he hadn’t listened to Father and embraced the season He was in and taken the time to say good-bye.

It is so important that we live in such a way that we are doing what Father is doing.  We need to be aware of the season we are in.  If it’s time to rest we need to rest and not be anxious about the next step.  If it’s time to work we need to work alongside of Father and cast off laziness.  If it’s time to downsize, we need to do so.  If it’s time to increase, we need to embrace it.  If you notice there is no formula here.  We live by doing what we see Father doing because our life is in Him.  The tragedy is that we have been trained to live by formulas and look to others to tell us what God is doing rather than seeing for ourselves the season in which He has us.

I was talking to my friend David the other day about how Father led many of us out of the system of religious obligation.  We observed how Father had many of us basically take a vacation from ”Christian work” because we had lived such driven lives apart from His rest.  Then David said, “The problem is for many the vacation never ended.”  Part of that could be laziness but it could also be the result of being trained to look for somebody to come and “crack the whip.”  In this new place of freedom Father doesn’t do that.  He simply nudges us and says, “Here’s what I’m doing.  You want to work with me?”  For people who are used to hearing the crack of the whip, that’s just too subtle.  But Father’s love for us is not based on our performance.  So long gone are the days of guilt being the motivator to get us to work.  Rather, His call to us to join Him in the fields is a call that echoes the desires He has placed in our hearts.  I’ve been so reminded recently of how our time here on Earth is so short.  It’s so important we don’t squander our time here, but instead look at our lives with eternity in mind.  Don’t miss the season you’re in!

This poem by a wise 14 year old named Jason Lehman called “Past Tense” comes to mind.

It was spring, but it was summer I wanted,
the warm days, and the great outdoors.
It was summer, but it was fall I wanted,
the colorful leaves, and the cool, dry air.
It was autumn, but it was winter I wanted,
the beautiful snow, and the joy of the holiday season.
I was a child, but it was adulthood I wanted,
the freedom, and the respect.
I was twenty, but it was thirty I wanted,
to be mature, and sophisticated.
I was middle-aged, but it was thirty I wanted,
the youth, and the free spirit.
I was retired, but it was middle-age that I wanted,
the presence of mind, without limitations.
My life was over,
but I never got what I wanted.

Loren Rosser

The longer I know some of my friends who’ve not yet come into a personal relationship with Christ, the more amazed I become at how unselfish, uncritical and caring they are. Some are more transparent, honest and teachable than most Christians I know. I met a friend of Loren Rosser’s who represents a father image to Loren because of his loving, gentle nature, the peace he brought to the work place as a supervisor and his tender heart toward the less fortunate. He does not profess to know Christ personally either.

Both Loren and I admitted that we were convicted by the example of our “unbelieving” friends. Do our lives really contrast so vividly with theirs? So how will they “know we are Christians by our love” if they are just as loving (or more so in some cases) than we are? Maybe we thought that getting free of religion was enough, that receiving Father’s love would transform us so radically that Jesus would be lifted up everywhere we go.

I believe in the transforming power of love. I don’t believe trying harder or that focusing on personal holiness and discipline will do the trick. I don’t think that praying and fasting is the answer. Reading the Bible more won’t do it. I tried all that for years and was as successful as the Pharisees were.

Being patient, kind and caring for others is a good start, but how radically do we do live that way? Love moves one to self sacrifice for whatever advances the kingdom. It requires total abandonment of all that is not attached to Christ in our pursuit of God’s interests.

Jesus’ entire life demonstrated extreme love. He abandoned equality with God and every other privilege of being God in the flesh, broke every rule by becoming sin for us, and scorned every reasonable argument for self preservation or admonition on how to win friends and influence people.

No, love is the only answer. But I believe that we need to recklessly abandon ourselves to the love of God. Other former pastors that learn about my journey through conversation or by reading my book think that I’m a fearless pioneer. News flash: I couldn’t have lived with my conscience if I had continued to support and be supported by a system I no longer believed in.

The truth is, I have been too cautious and calculating. I’m afraid of being rash, moving too fast, losing my life. Losing my life? That’s what’s meant to happen, isn’t it? Writing this scares me spitless, so obviously I’ve got a lot more to learn about Father’s love. I think the only way to find out is to go all out and risk everything at the slightest hint that God is leading. Zeal without wisdom is a caution for young people. At my age, wisdom isn’t the problem. How about you?

David Fredrickson

I was on fire that Sunday morning.  I spoke with a conviction that came from the bottom of my gut.  The congregation seemed to be taking it all in.  But the faces of the leaders told a different story.  They looked stone cold, even angry.  Especially after I said, “People don’t exist to follow the visions of leaders; rather true leadership serves others by finding out what is in them and helping them achieve what is in their hearts.  We’ve had it backwards.”

After I was done speaking I went and sat down next to my wife.  There was an uneasiness in the room I had never felt before.  It reminded me of riding in the car with my parents just after they had a fight and were currently giving each other the silent treatment.  Sure there was nothing said, but the tension was so thick you could cut it with a knife.  One of the pastors stepped up to the mic and continued on with the service as if I hadn’t said a word.  “Uh-oh.”  I thought.  “Something’s not right.”  I wanted to just shake it off but the uneasiness wouldn’t leave me.  I felt like I wanted to crawl under the pew, curl up in a ball and hide.  This had never happened to me before.  I hit something – the bulls eye of a sacred cow.  Oh how I wanted everything to just be “normal” again.  In desperation I asked Father, “Did I do okay?”  To my surprise His response was, “No matter what happens, I’m proud of you!”  What!!!  Hold on!  That’s not what I wanted to hear!  He was supposed to tell me, “Everything’s fine.  They were all built up and edified.  You’re just feeling weird right now.”  I asked Him an honest question and He gave me an honest answer.  Little did I realize at that time the shackles of religious obligation that had held me captive for years were beginning to break and I had just exposed my captors.  My days as a youth pastor were numbered.  A journey towards freedom had just begun.

I was thinking today about all the prayers Christians have prayed for revival, direction, prosperity, their purpose, ministry, and so forth.  Why do we see such little fruit from many of these prayers?  Is God stingy?  Is He hard of hearing?  Do we have scream at Him and cut ourselves before He’ll answer?  Yet we talk about how Father so loves us.  We believe that He desires to have relationship with us above all else.  We’ll even say, “God is always speaking.”  Then where is the disconnection?

I think the disconnection is actually quite simple.  Father loves us so much, make no mistake about it!  But because His love is so real He will only speak the truth to us.  He doesn’t tickle our ears.  Yes He encourages us – with the truth!  This is why His encouragement is so incredibly edifying and life changing.  It’s the truth; not mere flattery.  But when we speak to Him honestly, because He loves us and is the truth, He answers honestly.  The truth is that many times we just don’t like His answer.  It doesn’t tickle our ears.  It doesn’t flow with our agenda.  It’s uncomfortable. Like kids playing a board game, we see what we’re supposed to do and we don’t like it, so we spin the wheel again hoping for different results.

I can’t tell you the pain I would have been spared if I would have listened to that glitch in my heart when an “opportunity” came my way.  I can’t tell you the pain I would have spared others if I would have listened to that uneasiness in my heart rather than go along with their plans.  Sometimes the hardest thing to do is to tell a close friend or relative, “No.”   I’ve heard it said, “Obedience is often not measured by what it costs us, but what it costs others.”  When we listen to the hard things Father is saying some folks are really not happy with us.  We’re not on board with their agendas anymore.  They’re plans are frustrated and they’re left disappointed.  For this reason the prophets were never popular.

“For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear.” 2 Timothy 4:3

We have to remember that His words bring life.  He loves us so much that He desires to see us experience His life and for our joy to be made full.  But sometimes in order to get there He has to share hard things with us.  “Faithful are the wounds of a friend.”

Loren Rosser

Part of my identity is that of a non-conformist and an out-of-the-box follower of Christ. As such, I hate religion, especially religion that wears the cloak of Christianity. Hating religion is not the problem. But identifying as a non-religionist causes me to look through colored glasses at those who embrace it.

Recently a good friend recommended a book that explores the subject of Christian brotherhood. It is a deeply thoughtful and insightful writing, and at times, quite inspiring. It speaks directly to an issue that is of paramount importance if authentic Christian community is to exist. Yet I had to work through my prejudice toward the author to receive the message. You may not recognize the name Joseph Ratzinger. How about Pope Benedict XVI? Yep. He wrote Christian Brotherhood many years before becoming pope, but his depth as a theologian contributed to his rise to popedom. Is that a word?

Anyway, my encounter with the little book underlined the fact that my identity as being out of the box put people in one. Prejudice causes one to take sides. It can be in or out, for or against, but always on one side or the other. God sees only the heart and deals with the inward only. The exterior may reveal interior problems, but is of itself, totally unimportant.

When Joshua was preparing to attack Jericho, he encountered the Angel of the Lord. Not recognizing him, Joshua asked him whose side he was on. The Angel answered, “Neither, but as captain of the Lord of hosts I have come.” God doesn’t take sides. He is. Our identity is to be Christ alone. If we take sides, no matter which side we choose, we’ll be coming against him in some area or another.

David Fredrickson

The first topic is God is love.  For years believers have lacked the revelation that God genuinely and deeply loves them.  Oh sure, we talked about His love and held doctrinal beliefs that God is love, but we didn’t know, that we know, that we know God loves us.  It was just the correct thing to believe.  It was merely head knowledge but it didn’t impact our reality.  The actions and attitudes of believers revealed this was the case.  In this hour I see Father is opening people’s eyes to His character and going beyond head knowledge and straight to the heart as He is giving people revelation of the truth that He truly is love and He deeply loves us.  That is no small thing.  When a person gets ahold of this everything changes.

The second topic is freedom.  “Who the son sets free is free indeed.”  For years, even centuries, the church has been held captive to the systems and ideologies of men.  We would talk about freedom, but we didn’t even know what it meant to truly be free in Christ.  That’s largely because we didn’t even know we were prisoners!  We had become so familiar with our prison cells that we came to believe they were of God and couldn’t recognize them for what they were.  Our captivity rendered the church powerless, impotent, and joyless.  Creativity was killed as believers were forced to live inside boxes and color inside the lines.  But Father is setting people free from religious obligation and turning them back to the freedom that was purchased for them through Christ.

The third topic is “love one another.”  It’s been said that they will know we are His by our love.  Sadly, the church somehow interpreted that as we’d be recognized as being followers of Christ by our doctrinal beliefs, our church attendance, our adherence to rules and traditions, our awesome worship services, our in depth knowledge of the Bible, and so forth.  Then we scratch our heads and wonder why so many want nothing to do with God.  We convinced ourselves we loved one another but the truth is the church has been totally relationally impaired.  Everything has been agenda driven and all our interpretations of the Bible have been from an institutional perspective.  We’d go through great contortions in order to force the New Testament that was written entirely from a relational reality to fit into our institutional boxes.  Our relationships resembled those found within a corporation or a social club rather than a family.  And that’s just it; for the most part the reality of the body of Christ being a family was simply not present.  At most the church resembled some kind of horribly dysfunctional family in which certain brothers dominated their other siblings as they kept them at a distance from their Father, all the while convincing their siblings and themselves they were doing their Father a service.  But that season is coming to a close as the children of God are refusing to allow any person to stand between them and their Father any longer.  Many who once dominated their siblings are realizing they are actually equals and repenting of their domineering ways and finding great joy in simply being a part of the family.  Believers are shedding old identities and starting to place their identities in Christ and Christ alone.  Because of this, believers are finding it easier to love others, especially those who are different from themselves.  Relationship with one another is rapidly becoming the priority among the saints.

It is my belief that if believers truly grab ahold of these three things and take them to heart we will see a strong and mature church.  Each of these three things do not stand alone, rather they are interwoven and all flow out of the first, the core revelation that we are loved by God.  When one sees God’s heart, freedom is the natural result.  He can no longer stand for anything that robs himself or another of his or her liberty.  And one cannot truly love another until He knows God is love because we are reflections of our views of God.  But, we cannot love another as he or she truly needs to be until we are free within our hearts to do so.  These three topics are the things that I so yearn to see become a reality in the church and what I see Father doing in this season.

Loren Rosser

“Poor Matthew denies God’s love with suicide.”

“God is judging Rick Warren for being a false prophet.”

Matthew Warren’s tragic suicide has triggered a variety of vitriolic responses from those who don’t know Christ. Among these hate-mongers are professing Christians. Their comments underline the stark contrast between those who adhere to religious Christianity and those who actually follow Jesus.

I haven’t listened to Rick Warren preach, nor have I read The Purpose Driven Life. I only know that a brother in Christ has suffered the loss of his son. The last thing he and his family need to deal with is venomous remarks launched from withered souls who relate to an angry god.

While wondering how people could be so cruel and insensitive, I am convicted by the realization that I have more compassion for those who don’t know Christ than those who profess to and act otherwise, or misrepresent Christ in any way. So I don’t write these words in the false assumption that I have it together in this area. I need a lot more compassion for the folks I’m addressing here. But it’s astounding to me that people who claim to know Christ often behave in ways that many “unbelievers” would not.

I have friends who espouse new age philosophy, ancient wisdom and Wicca, and others who practice no religion. They respond to tragedies like this with compassion. How is it that some professing Christians are so mean spirited? Jesus said that his followers would be known by their love for one another.

A Pole conducted by the Barna Group asking young people 16-29 years old what they think of Christians reveals that a majority of young adults see them as hypocritical and noted for what they stand against. What do they stand for? Certainly not for one another if the ‘other’ is in a different ‘camp.’ Those whose religion hinges on pet doctrines or philosophical dogma have empathy only with others who believe the way they do about things that are peripheral to what really matters.

People who make comments like the ones mentioned at the beginning of this blog must put aside the self righteous cloak that covers their insecurity and ask themselves what spirit moves them. Fortunately for them, God won’t judge them according to the standards of the vengeful god they worship. God loves them and is longing for them to know him. He’s ready to teach them the way of love if they’re willing to give him the slightest opportunity.

David Fredrickson

It’s interesting that when Jesus spoke about His return He often compared it to a wedding.  The groom, Jesus, and the bride, the church, are married at last.  Yet, when most Christians talk about His return it sounds more like they’re waiting for the return of the cowboy Clint Eastwood played in “Unforgiven.”  The measure of how soon He’ll return is based on how bad things get.  When it’s dark as can be Jesus will come riding back, guns a blazing, and take down all those dirty rotten sinners.  We’ll get the best seats in the house as we watch all them bad guys get their “come upins.”

But when I look at what Jesus said about His return I must say, I think Christians are gaging the proximity of His return by the wrong thing.  It’s interesting that Jesus likens His return to a groom coming to get His bride for their wedding.  Well, what is the main characteristic of a couple that is engaged?  They are deeply in love with each other!  So much so that they can no longer stand being a part.  They’ve got to be together as one.

What is the bride like before the wedding?  She is very excited.  She is counting the days, hours, and seconds until she’ll be married.  This is the biggest day in her life.  She and her fiancé are seen together making plans, holding hands, sneaking in a kiss, and sharing their dreams.  She can’t wait for her wedding.

This is why Jesus will return, for a church that is so in love with Him that they simply can’t stand being a part for one more second.  He’s returning for a church that looks and behaves like a bride just before her wedding.  Jesus will be coming back because He and His church are deeply in love and ready to get married.

Many Christians behave like women who only want to get married to get away from their stinking families or move out of their stinking neighborhoods.  They’re not in love with the guy they’re going to marry.  He’s just their ticket out.  Let me ask you, would a sane man want to marry a woman like that?  She doesn’t love him for who he is.  She doesn’t even really know him!  What kind of marriage would they even have?

Believers have been looking the wrong direction for Christ’s return.  The world is dark and it always will be.  And I’m sure it will just get darker.  But that isn’t what Jesus is looking at any more than a groom watches the six o’clock news to determine when he’s going to get married.  He looks at the woman he loves!  When they’re both ready the wedding date is set, the plans are made, and the two get married.

Jesus is looking at us, not the darkness!  He’s coming back because He wants to get married.  He’ll come back when His bride wants to get married too and she has made herself ready.

Loren Rosser

When I was bound by religion the possibility that a doctrine or philosophical belief I considered important might be wrong rattled me. Obviously, much of my confidence was based in believing I was right, as if being right strengthened my standing with God. It’s no longer a matter of right or wrong, but a question of the disposition of my heart.

Recently I’ve been in numerous conversations regarding the inerrancy of the scriptures, a subject causing much heated discussion and controversy among Christians today. Yet as Chambers wrote, we’re not asked to believe the Bible, but to believe the one whom the Bible reveals. (John 5:39-40)

The freedom that Christ has given us releases us to believe only what he makes life to us by his Spirit. To be set in beliefs peripheral to the reality of an experiential relationship with Christ stunts growth in him while feeding spiritual arrogance and the tendency to judge others. We can know almost nothing of Christ from history, nor can it be proven historically that he is God. But when we believe him the truth is revealed and his life is released in us.

David Fredrickson

Now imagine a fair maiden is approached by a true prophet and the prophet tells her what her future husband will be like.  “You will marry a handsome man who will love you with all his heart, more than life its self.  He will love you so much he will always put you first.  He will always put your needs ahead of his own.  He will love you so much he will always do what is best for you.  His love for you will motivate him to provide for you everything you need, and not just money, but also intimacy, encouragement, comfort, and companionship.  He will love you so much you will be the first thought in his head when he rises in the morning and the one he is thinking about when he closes his eyes at night.”  What do you think would be the maiden’s reaction after hearing this?  Would she respond by saying, “I don’t know Mr. Prophet, that sounds dangerous, that man is too loving.”

I’ve been observing a strange thing.  Many Christians are extremely cautious of having a God who is “too loving.”  It’s as if that is a dangerous thing.  They are quick to balance out His love with anger and/or wrath.  It’s like they’re preparing a plate of food and on it they’ve got their corn, their potato, their roll, and their chicken.  But you wouldn’t want a plate that has nothing on it but potatoes or corn.  You’ve got to have a balanced meal.  So it is with their view of God.  You’ve got your potato of love, your corn of anger/wrath, your roll of discipline, and your chicken of holiness.  You’ve got to have a balanced view of God.  You don’t want a plate full of nothing but potatoes.  So God is loving, but not too loving.  You’ve got to keep your view of God balanced.  But what Christians don’t realize is they sound like the woman in the first paragraph, quick to clarify that God is loving but He’s also angry.  Then they are puzzled why others don’t want to give their lives to God.

I’ve noticed as I share with people that God is love there is a concern that I’m off balance.  I’m getting into some dangerous territory.  Who knows what kind of dangerous things could happen to Christians who take the message of God loving them too far?  So they sound like the fair maiden responding to the prophet by saying, “Sounds dangerous, that God is too loving.”

I find it interesting that many Christians are concerned about having a God who is “too loving” but I don’t hear the same concerns about having a God who is too angry, too wrathful, or too judgmental.  I usually hear justifications of why their God is too much one of those things.  But here is the real question, is there even such a thing as “too loving”?  When you look at love through it’s real definition, not what you’ve learned from the latest chic flick or romance song, but how it is described in 1 Corinthians 13, how can there even be too much love?  It is impossible to have too much love.  There is simply no such thing!  Can you love your spouse too much?  Can you love your child too much?  Is there a single person out there who God has ever confronted saying, “You need to mix a little wrath in with that love for your kid – you love him too much”?

The problem is that many Christians don’t understand that when the Bible says God is love – it means God is love!  This is the very definition of His personality, the core of who He is.  It doesn’t say “God is anger” or “God is wrath” or “God is judgment.”  It says, “God is love.”  These aren’t equal attributes of God, rather there is a single bottom line for God, and that is love.  All of His motives and actions flow out of that.

So does God get angry?  Let me answer that with another question.  Would you get angry if somebody broke into your house and was about to kill your child? Of course you would!  Why?  Because you love your child and love motivates you to do things like protect. So yes, God gets angry, but His anger is always motivated by love. We read that God hates sin.  Why?  Because sin destroys that which He loves – US!  He’s not angry at us.  He loves us.  Sin is the person who broke in the house to kill His child.

Think of a surgeon who lost his mother to cancer.  When he was a young man he decided to become a surgeon so he could help people facing the same thing that took his mother from him.  He hates cancer – with a passion!  But he clearly cares deeply for his patients, so much so that he went into this career to deliver them from their misery.  He and his patients actually have the same enemy – cancer!  Not for a single moment does he ever confuse a patient with cancer.  Never once does a patient feel judged by him, rather all they sense is deep concern and compassion.  And when he operates he is EVER so careful not to harm the patient as he removes the cancer.  He doesn’t just grab a knife and in a rage start stabbing away as he says to patient, “I love you, but I hate your cancer!”  No way!  He is ever so careful.  In fact, if operating will put the patient’s life at risk, he won’t do it!  He would rather see the patient live with cancer as long as he or she is able, than to put the patient’s life at risk in the name of conquering the cancer.  The patient’s life is his biggest concern.

This is how God is with sin.  We are not our sin.  It is separate from us.  It is not our identity. When God looks at you He sees you – not your weaknesses and failings.  His heart is for you.  If it is safe – He may operate to remove a cancer (sin) that is vexing you, but when he looks at you that is not what He sees.  He sees you.  The difference between God and the surgeon is God doesn’t live to remove our sin.  He doesn’t see that as His “job description.”  Rather, He is a Father, and that is all He wants to be us.  When He looks at us He doesn’t see our sin.  He sees us!  And He rejoices over us!  (Even when we feel like a wreck!)  Sin is off the table as far as He’s concerned – thanks to Jesus!

I think that people who are concerned about having a God who is “too loving” actually don’t know the true definition of love.  I find that often they’re thinking of romantic love or “hippy free love” rather than true, selfless, being broken for one another, love.  They don’t think of the love between a parent and child or husband and wife.  You don’t need to balance love with some other attribute to have a correct view of God.  Love is the balance. God is love.  Many Christians are like grapes dying on the vine simply because they don’t realize how loved they are.  Holiness won’t fix a person.  Wrath won’t fix ‘em.  Anger sure won’t.  Even if you get mad as hell!  Love is the only thing that will draw the hardest of hearts into Father’s arms.  As Victor Hugo said so well, “To love another person is to see the face of God.”

Loren Rosser