Someone recently asked me why she should go to church. She felt like attending church was unnecessary for her to mature in the things of God. Whenever we have questions like this about God’s will for our lives, we must turn to the scriptures. Often when we don’t “hear” from God we can “read” from God. It is vitally important not to live by what WE believe to be true and good, but to live by what the scriptures teach us. When we place our belief system in our feeling or opinion we miss the mark. In regards to attending church the Bible is clear on this. We are to be thoughtful and creative in our attempts to inspire and provoke one another to serving God particularly by assembling ourselves for the purpose of worshipping God together.

“And let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.” (Hebrews 10:24-25 NASB)

Here’s how THE MESSAGE translation says it… 

“Let’s see how inventive we can be in encouraging love and helping out, not avoiding worshiping together as some do but spurring each other on, especially as we see the big Day approaching.” (Hebrews 10:24-15 THE MESSAGE)

Also consider what the wisest man who ever lived said… 

“A man who isolates himself seeks his own desire; He rages against all wise judgment.” (Proverbs 18:1 NKJV)

According to scriptures it is simply unwise to isolate yourself from other believers. Lone rangers are simply that… LONELY! God HIMSELF said it is not good for us to be alone (Gen 2:18). This is why we gather together. It is not only important for you to be in church, it is more important for you to ASSEMBLE yourself with other believers. It is hard to assemble yourself with other believers if you are not with them in spirit AND in body. You may not necessarily feel like you need church but consider for a moment that the church needs YOU! (Truth is, you need them too; you may just not be willing to admit it). Remember, there may come a time (and most likely will) when you are in desperate need to be surrounded by a mature community of believers. This is why you need to be a committed part of a “household of faith.”

“So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith.” (Galatians 6:19 NASB)

We were not made to just “attend” church. We were created for community (COMMUNE + UNITY). Another way of saying it is U – N – I – TY (you & I tie). It is very important for you to plug in to a thriving, grace based church and involve yourself with your time, talent and treasure. One primary way to do this is through connecting to a small group or volunteering for a ministry. Being with other believers regularly is how we grow, mature and hold ourselves accountable. Yes church is not a perfect place. Why? Because it’s full of imperfect people (like you and me). David, Israel’s greatest king and a man passionately after God’s heart, once wrote that we won’t flourish as believers unless we are planted in (committed to) the House of God (Psalms 92:13).

You may feel like you are growing to maximum potential without regularly assembling with a body of believers. However, truth is, you may be falling short because you aren’t surrounding yourself with other believers of “like precious faith” who can regularly encourage, challenge and speak the truth to you in love. Yes, you may have a small group of friends that play this role, but simple obedience to God is key here. Staying out of church won’t ruin your chance of going to Heaven but you may miss some very important relational and spiritual blessings along the way by keeping yourself isolated from true, committed community. Many times we don’t want to take the risk of being hurt, disappointed or sacrifice time in our lives to be a part of a body of people. But that’s the risk we’re going to have to take in order to flourish to our full potential.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9kOO_icH9Kg

The following blog was submitted for a web-based ministry in the Philippines. Word 4 You is a powerful endeavor created by my great friend Stefan Suarez to reach Filipino youth with the gospel of grace. I am honored to be a part of what God is doing through Stefan and Word 4 You.

I recently watched a major Christian speaker tell thousands of people LIVE and millions watching around the world by TV that God loves us BECAUSE He knows we love Him. This is simply NOT TRUE! God loves us perfectly outside of our ability to love Him or perform for Him. The Bible tells us that He loved us even before we accepted Jesus as as Savior (Romans 5:8).

I’ve had the privilege of traveling to the Philippines many times over the years! There I’ve met some of the most precious and sincere young people and even have become lifelong friends with so many. Their heart is so pure and they desperately want to honor God! Yet, I can see it in their faces and hear it in their voices… DISAPPOINTMENT! Disappointment in themselves… disappointment in their commitment… disappointment in the way they have proven their love for Jesus.

The reason for this is because we are taught from time we are very little to obsess about our spiritual growth and religious progress. Churchianity teaches us to work hard to earn God’s love, favor and blessing by adhering to Biblical formulas and prescriptions… and so on and so on… Preachers work us up into an anxious fervor to love God with all our heart and all our soul and all our might. Yet, at the end of the day we find our love level for God rising and falling depending on the season of our lives and our emotions. The life of religion is all based on behavior and performance. The sad part of all of this is we feel accepted by God when we do well and rejected when we do bad.

Yet, the Gospel is not the bad news about us. It’s the good news about JESUS! Jesus came bringing a NEW WAY of love and acceptance. 1 John 4:10 redefines Love… “In this is love, not that we loved God, BUT THAT HE LOVED US.” John understood this best. He was known as the beloved disciple or in our language the most loved disciple (John 19:26; 20:2). Why? John knew Jesus loved him so much he felt he was the most loved of all the disciples. John gave himself the title: THE BELOVED DISCIPLE. We all need to believe God loves us like that. It’s not what bad sinners we are. It’s what a good savior Jesus is. God doesn’t love us because we are lovable. He loves us because HE IS LOVE! (1 John 4:16) We are God’s beloved because we BE LOVED!

The “Last Supper” so powerfully illustrates this. Peter sits at a distance from Jesus at the table while John reclines, leaning back on Jesus chest (John 21:20). Notice the symbolic contrast of grace and self-effort here. Peter promises Jesus he will never leave Him and if necessary even die with Him (Mark 14:29-31). Yet, later into the night Peter vehemently betrays Jesus, swearing he doesn’t even know Him. Yet, where is John when Jesus is handed over and crucified? John never leaves His side for a second. In fact, John is right at the foot of the cross gazing at Jesus (John 19:26). John remains steadfast, even in Jesus’ darkest hour because he knows how much he is loved. When we know we are fully loved and accepted we will live for God better accidentally than we ever could on purpose.

Peter’s name in the Greek means stone. It represents the Old Covenant concept of loving and obeying God out of obligation to the Law (engraved on stone). But John’s name means grace. It represents the New Covenant truth that when our lives are rooted in God’s unconditional love we are assured and secured by His love (engraved on our hearts).

God’s regardless love for us, keeps us… REGARDLESS!

This powerful 3 day assembly will include prophetic worship & intercession and special breakout sessions focusing on musicianship, dance, and the arts. You will experience foundational Biblical teaching that will align your life with Heaven’s perspective and be refreshed in the presence of the Holy Spirit and in fellowship with other like hearted believers. The conference will be held at The Tabernacle, 3210 Southwestern Blvd. , Orchard Park , NY 14127.  To register or for more information, call 1-800-51-WINGS or visit www.eagleswings.to/soundofthekingdom

“As a Pastor I understand the apprehension that many leaders feel when considering the subject of grace for their church…Like them, I have seen so many theologically unbalanced doctrines presented in the church and furthermore propagated with significant impact via the world wide web on the subject of grace and this has been a significant discouragement to me because I know without doubt that grace, properly presented, IS the difference for so many between remaining spiritually imprisoned or being set free… But the key is, it has to be doctrinally sound… Tony Sutherland has literally BLOWN ME AWAY with his book! The amount of time and study necessary to present such a balanced perspective on grace as he has is invaluable to me as a leader! I was speaking recently with a very influential pastor and worship leader here in the United States and he was taken back with a look of shock and curiosity as I went on to tell him, “GRACEWORKS is quite possibly the single most inspiring and enlightening books that I have ever read on ANY subject…” GRACEWORKS is absolutely the most thought out and balanced perspective of grace that I have personally ever heard or read. Having grown up in the church and having served under some very significant and impacting ministries, I feel like opportunities are few and far between where I come across a teaching that I have not heard or considered myself at some point in the last 20 years. However, on several occasions while reading, I initially found Tony’s statements difficult to process mostly because I had never considered this new perspective before; only to be convinced it’s validity by the end of each chapter because of such detailed explanation and scriptural support. I would even be so bold to say, any leader who would take issue with this book (as a whole), has probably not read it in its entirety. I’m an extremely analytical person and have found, (surprisingly) that every question of “yeah but..” or “what if…” that I have encountered in my mind while reading this book, has been pointedly addressed by the end of the chapter or in subsequent chapters. I believe that every Christian and especially Pastors/Leaders would benefit from the consideration of what is presented in GRACEWORKS. I’m quite convinced that anyone who reads it will come away with something that will benefit them for the rest of their lives. I’ve read entire books and walked away with one point or principle that made the entire book worth the read… Personally, I have found, so many of these “principles” in GRACEWORKS that reading it has literally caused me to reevaluate much that I thought I already knew or understood… and, this is the first time in my life that I have experienced that kind of recalibration on that scale… Astounding! Impacting! Life Changing! GRACEWORKS should absolutely be on your bookshelf! I’ve been a part of conferences and seminars costing multiples of hundreds of dollars to attend that didn’t produce as much fruit in my life as one chapter in this book… I guess it’s needless to say… I’m a fan of Tony’s book!”

For more information about Aaron and his ministry log onto www.tattoopreacher.com

Hey Friends! God has placed an INCREDIBLE OPPORTUNITY before me. Therefore, in this edition I want to reach out to those who have supported me through prayer and financial investment this past 8 years. I’m also appealing to those of you whose lives have been changed by my book and the glorious gospel of of God’s unconditional love and grace.

As many of you know, I released my first book this past year called GRACEWORKS (328 pages). This book is dramatically changing lives around the world. It is also currently being translated into German and Russian and we are even exploring a Spanish translation in the near future. I cannot tell you the number of overwhelming responses and testimonies of how God is breaking religious mindsets through the revelations of this powerfully anointed book. People are being delivered from condemnation, guilt, fear, depression and even panic attacks and other anxiety related struggles. I am literally selling out of stock at almost every event. People are starving for the truth about the gospel of the amazing grace of God. Their minds have been ravaged far too long by legalism and religion. People are tired of churchianity. They’re longing for the real power that sets them free!

Up to this point I have been with an online publishing company. Currently I am having to pay $12 or more per book for all orders, many times even $15 per book. It is because of the on-demand printing format that the prices are so high. It has been a good way to start the book release process but in the long run it is becoming difficult to continue orders and is very counter productive for overhead and retail (both for the consumer and me). There have been a few events where I have not been able to order books. This is not acceptable! People desperately NEED this message and this book!

Therefore I have recently spoken with a representative from Dickenson Press, a large independent publishing/pressing company out of Michigan. I now have the opportunity to purchase a large inventory of GRACEWORKS at $2.50 per book. Stocking a larger inventory will allow me to drop my current market retail price considerably (making it more easily available and much more affordable, especially overseas). Free Chapel Bookstore has also requested an inventory to stock their shelves. This is a HUGE opportunity for our church and for people from around the world who visit our church every week!

In order for me to purchase an inventory of books at $2.50 per book, I have to order a very large quantity (2000 books at $5000). I need your help! Would you please consider making a significant donation. Especially if you have purchased the book and it has changed your life would you consider also helping others come into the glorious revelation you have come to know. Every dime you give (large or small) will go to help set people free! When making a donation, simply click the DONATE tab to the right and it will take you to our secure online PayPal site. All contributions are tax deductible.

Thanks for helping me through your prayers and financial support to spread the message of God’s unconditional love and grace around the world!

P.S. I also have a BRAND NEW BOOK releasing in just a few days (with a foreword by my Pastor & New York Times best selling author, Jentezen Franklin). I’m so excited about this new release! It will be an invaluable resource to pastors and churches. More details to come.

To further understand the profound truth of being God’s beloved, we must look closely at the Baptism of Jesus. Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist. Remember John means grace. This symbolizes that Jesus was baptized by grace. We must also be baptized into grace. Notice also immediately following Jesus’ baptism, the Heavens opened and God says, “Behold my BELOVED Son in whom I am well pleased.” Notice that when you are baptized in Grace the Heaven’s are open above you. Favor belongs to those who know God unconditionally loves them.  Immediately following this satan attacks and harasses Jesus. The devil says three different times in Matthew 4, “If you are the sssssson of God…” Notice satan left out a very important word: BELOVED! When we don’t believe that we are God’s beloved we lose our sense of grounding, security and identity. Satan tries to discredit God’s love for us by making us doubt that we are God’s BELOVED sons and daughters. But when we know we are God’s beloved, nothing can shake us. We are unstoppable when we believe in the unconditional, unfailing, unshakable love of God.

Even Jesus Himself had to hear His Father tell Him he was acceptable long before He performed any miracles, preached any sermons or did anything at all for that matter. Likewise, God’s acceptance of us is predicated on His great love for us, not on anything we do for Him. This truth empowered Jesus to obey His Father even to the point of death. If Jesus’ identity was totally wrapped up in His Father’s love for Him then it behooves us to do the same. God’s love for us is the shield that protects us from the opinions and even slander of others. How can the thumbs up or thumbs down of others compare to God’s approval of us? Truth is, when we ignore or forget God’s grace (His unconditional acceptance) we soon begin to depend upon the applause of men. It has been said that if we live for the praise of others then we also will die by their criticisms.

All the while satan tempted Jesus to take matters into His own hands, Jesus stood His ground and carried out complete obedience to God’s assignment (no matter the cost). Satan’s attempts at luring Jesus out of the will of God were unsuccessful. Why? Again, Jesus knew He was God’s beloved Son and fully accepted by His Father. Temptations and distractions cannot succeed when we know we belong to God! We can survive even the greatest of adversities and trials! When we believe we belong to God, no strings attached, we can rest secure and confident. Everything good is bound to come of it! In fact, when we settle the acceptance issue once and for all, it won’t matter who rejects us. We’re approved by God and that settles it!

God will never again be angry with us because of Jesus’ kindness toward us (Isaiah 53:10; 54:9). It pleased God to crush Jesus. In other words, God’s demanding wrath for our sin was completely fulfilled in Jesus thorough and finished work. Now God can no longer be angry with us even when we fail because of Christ’s sufficient act of loving obedience on our behalf. This truth will change you to the innermost being if you let it. Truth is, you cannot be in water and not get wet any more than you can be in grace and not be holy. Being immersed in God’s love empowers you to obey Him. When you are focused on God’s love for you it will cause you to be solid, unmovable and irreversibly loving and obedient to God. Your worship will take on a much deeper level of intimacy and dimension of power. Your lifestyle will reflect the words of the old, simple song, “Oh how I love Jesus BECAUSE HE FIRST LOVED ME.”

The sum total of the Law is to love the Lord your God with ALL your heart and ALL your soul and ALL your strength (Deuteronomy 11:13). Is there anyone who can do this perfectly? NO! Why? It is because your heart, soul and strength are prone to fail you. However, when you are immersed in the unchanging love of God, His love will CHANGE YOU. When you focus on your love, your passion, your worship, and your songs for God, your zeal will eventually deflate. Is your love level for God declining? Steadily gaze on the unrelenting, ferocious love of God for you and the peace it brings will embolden you to live a life that knows no burn out! We rest with God in intimacy that we might run with Him in ministry.

We don’t love God to get God’s love for us. We love God BECAUSE He loves us. And remember: God doesn’t love us because we are loveable. He loves us because HE IS LOVE! It is only because of God’s grace that we are accepted and called BELOVED! We have a 1000% seal of approval from God through Christ. In fact, God simply loves us JUST BECAUSE!

I recently watched a major Christian speaker tell thousands of people LIVE and millions watching around the world by TV that God loves us BECAUSE He knows we love Him. This is backwards theology. How can one read Romans and not understand that God loves us perfectly outside of our ability to love Him or perform for Him. He loved us while we were yet sinners (Romans 5:8). This “love God first” paradigm is fundamentally and deeply rooted in legalism. It’s MEology. Its… Focus on ME… Obsess about MY progress… Work hard to earn God’s love and blessing… And on and on and on… This is Old Covenant teaching in its rarest form and is extremely toxic to the body of Christ. So often we are charged by leadership fervor to love God with all our heart and all our soul and all our might. This is the old Covenant mandate. However, our love level for God diminishes day by day. It rises and falls depending upon the season of our lives and our emotional love level.

Jesus came with a new way of love. 1 John 4:10 redefines Love… “In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us.” John knew this best. He was known as the Beloved disciple. I’ve often wondered why he alone (and not the other disciples) was referred to as the beloved disciple of Jesus. It’s simple. It’s only found in the Gospel of John (John 20:2; John 21:24). John self titled himself as Jesus’ beloved disciple. John knew Jesus loved him so much that He felt he was the most loved of all the disciples. We all need to believe God loves us like that. We are God’s beloved because we BE LOVED! In fact we are JUST AS acceptable to God as Jesus is. We are completely justified in Christ (Romans 3:24). JUSTIFIED = JUST IF I’D never sinned!

A powerful illustration of the amazing effect God’s love has on our lives is the scene at the Last Supper. Here Peter tell Jesus that He will never leave Him and if necessary will even die with Him (Mark 14:29-31). Peter is sitting at a distance from Jesus at the table while John is reclining and leaning back on Jesus chest (John 21:20). Notice the symbolic contrast of grace and self effort here. Peter promises Jesus that no matter what happens to Jesus that he would not leave Jesus and even be willing to die for Him…

“Even though all may fall away, yet I will not.” (Mark 14:27-31) 

Yet, when the soldiers come to seize Jesus, Peter reacts violently by cutting the ear off one of the temple guards and then franticly flees Jesus along with the other disciples. Later into the night Peter betrays Jesus vehemently. But look at John (the one who was reclining on Jesus chest, who knew he was loved and accepted). Where is John when Jesus is crucified? He is right at the foot of the cross with Jesus’ mother, looking up at Jesus, never leaving Him for one second. Peter promised to be with Jesus all the way and failed. Why? Because he was focused on His human love and ability to fulfill promise to Jesus. John remained with Jesus even in His darkest hour because he knew how much he was loved. Likewise, when we get the acceptance issue worked out with God, it won’t matter who rejects us.

Peter’s name means stone. Peter’s love for Jesus represents an Old Covenant concept of loving God: that we are to be 100% faithfully loving and obedient. But John’s name means grace. He represents the New Covenant truth that when our lives are rooted in the grace of God we can go the distance with Him. The deeper the root the greater the fruit…

“So that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.” (Ephesians 3:17-19 NASB)

Where legalism and religion fails, grace produces grid iron believers who can survive in any environment. Why? Because we more fully obey out of God’s unlimited reserve of Love for us, instead of our rapidly declining and draining love for Him. Our love for God is faulty and failing because it is based on our human initiative and passion. God’s love never fails because it flows from His eternal, unlimited supply. God’s REGARDLESS love for us, keeps us regardless, come what may! Hallelujah!

Every Valentine’s Day I give my wife a heart-shaped box of chocolates. It’s like diving into love! When you dive-in to God’s agape love for you it will transform your life forever! The following excerpt is from my book GRACEWORKS (page 177).

To truly worship God we must understand His love for us. And if we want to know God’s love we must look closely at Jesus. Hebrews 1:3 tells us that Jesus is the EXACT REPRESENTATION of God. In fact, He IS GOD! John 1:14 says that Jesus is full of grace. Therefore if Jesus is full of grace then God also is full of grace. So when we see Jesus, we see God and His enormous heart of love for us. Why is it so critical to understand God’s love? Galatians 5:6 (above) tells us that faith works by love. For years I believed this to mean that if I labored diligently to love God and love others then my faith would work. This would be an endless cycle (and legalism in rare form). Why? Because our operable faith would ultimately be dependent upon how well we serve, give and love. This was Martha’s dilemma. She was caught up in her efforts for Jesus instead of getting caught way in Jesus love for her. However, Jesus told Martha that Mary had chosen the ONLY THING that was necessary: to receive God’s love for her. The Greek word for love in Galatians 5:6 (above) is agape (God’s unconditional love). Faith works by agape. When we truly believe God loves us UNCONDITIONALLY our faith will work UNINHIBITEDLY because it’s based on God’s perfect love for us not on our imperfect love for Him!

To obtain your own copy of GRACEWORKS click HERE