Tag Archives: Christianity

Salvation Requires Pinhole Accuracy

Paul Luckett | Brainflurry.com - Salvation Requires Pinhole Accuracy
Photo Courtesy of Ronnie Dankelman – Flickr

Salvation requires pinhole accuracy. Get it wrong and we die.

Jesus is the Good Shepherd who is leading us to a place that requires unimaginable skill as a shepherd and leader to get us to.

He alone can lead us to this place: ¹

the only place where there is good pasture and life, ²

the place that if we don’t get to, we will perish. ³

It is through a Door that requires pinhole accuracy to navigate to.

That Door is Jesus, Himself. ²

The Door is not broad through which anything and everything can fit. ⁴

Rather the Door is very narrow. ⁴

There is an incredibly specific Jesus we must go through.

It’s not the Jesus of how we think He would be, or the one that we want Him to be, or the one of our politics, but it is the real Jesus that came in the flesh, who died for our sin, who was raised from the dead and now lives before God forevermore. ⁵

Finding that Door, let alone getting through it is impossible, it’s like getting a camel through the eye of a needle. ⁶

But, “The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.” – Luke 18:27

The kingdom of God is at hand. Humble yourself. Repent and plead to God to help you. Expose yourself to His Word.

If He grants you ears to hear, the Chief Shepherd will appear.

Follow Him, alone. ⁷

He will get you there. ⁸

As a pastor, I am merely an under-shepherd and my one job is to keep your eyes on the Good Shepherd and direct you in His path. ⁹

Follow Jesus, alone. ⁷

He, alone, will get you there. ⁸

#perfectourlove

¹ John 10:7-8, Acts 4:12
² John 10:9
³ John 3:16-19
⁴ Matthew 7:14, Luke 14:13
⁵ Revelation 1:18
⁶ Luke 18:25, Matthew 16:17
⁷ Matthew 23:10
⁸ John 10:27-30
⁹ 1 Corinthians 11:1

The True Goal Of Faith In Christ

Paul Luckett | Brainflurry.com - The Aim And Prize Of Faith In Christ

The aim, goal, pursuit, final destination and prize of the upward call of faith in Christ is:

to be with God.

Love is the way. ¹

Love is being consumed with God. ²

Love is doing the things that please God: obedience that flows from a heart given by Him and burning for Him. ³

Loving obedience is abiding. Abiding is being with God. ⁴

Love is how I experience God. ⁵

Love is how I be with God. ⁶

God is love, therefore Love is the ends and the means -the “Alpha and Omega” as Revelation 22:13 puts it.

This is the whole aim, to be with God. ⁷

He is the true riches. ⁸

This is why I believe Jesus says in John 4:34,

“My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me”

And, now I begin to grasp John 14:28 when Jesus says,

“If you loved Me, you would rejoice because I said, ‘I am going to the Father,’ for My Father is greater than I.”

I also see why Jesus was so forceful with Peter when, out of seemingly sincere concern for Jesus, Peter tried to dissuade Jesus from the path God purposed for Him to suffer. Jesus replies to Peter, “Get behind me Satan, you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.” – Mark 8:33

Peter, though well meaning was still worldly and was unwittingly tempting Jesus into the comfort of the world rather than the companionship of obedience to God through taking up His cross -an implement of preparatory difficulty, suffering and death. But, above all, Jesus wanted and choose to be with the Father.

This same spirit of the rebuke of Peter is found in 1 Timothy 6:5,

“Those who suppose that godliness is a means of gain. From such withdraw yourself.”

We are to avoid those who make faith about being “blessed” with health, wealth and “leveling up” in this life, who would coax us into the comfort of the world and away from the companionship of obedience to God with Christ by taking up our cross.

Shortly after Jesus’s rebuke of Peter in Mark 8:33, in verse 8:36 Jesus continues, “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and lose his own soul?”

Profit.

The end result.

What does the Apostle and sanctified Peter say in 1 Peter 1:9 that the whole conclusion and the end result of our faith is?

Does he say it’s houses, cars, money, clothes or popularity?

No.

What does he say?

“receiving the end of your faith –the salvation of your souls.” – 1 Peter 1:9

And what is our salvation?

Not what, but who –Jesus Christ, God with us, who makes The Way, and who Shepherds us into fellowship with God. ⁹

The aim of Christianity is singular: to be with God.

Being with God is everything Jesus is and everything Jesus does.

So, every day and every moment of every day, the goal, pursuit, destination, aim, prize and ultimate desire is

to be with God.

Love, with God’s heart for the world, is the way. ¹⁰

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son” …now through you.

Let’s set out to give Jesus through the same loving obedience that we observed in Him. In doing so we are more able to be with God.

¹ 1 Corinthians 12:31 – 13:10
² Deuteronomy 6:5, Mark 12:29-31, Psalms 69:9, John 2:17
³ Ezekiel 36:26-27, John 8:29
⁴ John 15:4-10, 1 John 2:5, 1 John 4:12
⁵ 1 John 4:13
⁶ John 15:10, 1 John 4:12
⁷ John 10:10
⁸ Genesis 15:1, Psalms 62:4-8, 84:10
⁹ John 10:7-18
¹⁰ John 3:16-17

#perfectourlove

Just Preach The Word

Paul Luckett | Brainflurry.com - Just The Word

I heard a man say that hearing Genesis 1:1, “In the beginning God created the heavens and earth,” caused him to fall on his face and believe.

Christians have got to stop thinking that we have to make it make sense or present some sophisticated, educated, persuasive argument. Just preach the Word!

Does not our own Scripture say in 1 Corinthians 1:18,
“For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”?

It is His Word that saves, not our words or ability.

Avoid dressing it up.

Build the altar with whole stones.

Do not corrupt it with our tools.

Do not be ashamed of the gospel.

Be submitted to the Holy Spirit in your preparation, presentation, and just say His Word!

Testify! Just declare His Word. Bear witness to the Word’s effect on your life.

One of the most effective sermons in all of history was a woman without a seminary degree who simply testified and pointed to Christ.

Effective preaching always starts with and brings hearers back to the Word.

It’s not you, intelligence or how agreeable the message is that’s saves. We are only saved by faith through the revelation of Jesus Christ by the Holy Spirit through the Word.

“So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”

If they are “saved” any other way, they are not saved but deceived.

“And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling. And my speech and my preaching [were] not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.” 1 Corinthians 2:1-5

To my fellow co-laborers of the Gospel, which is all of God’s children (this is not just for “preachers”, we all have a ministry):

Preach the Word.

He does it. Not us.

Trust the Seed.

We Have To Be More Than Biblical

Paul Luckett | Brainflurry.com - We Have To Be More Than Biblical

We have to be more than biblical.

The Pharisees were biblical.

But, Jesus criticized them for obsessively following what was written and completely missing the point.

“You must be born again,” Jesus said.

This must happen before we can unlock Scripture and know the Word at all.

We must be born again in order to apply Scripture properly, that results in life.

Just being biblical results in death.

ANYTHING we do in the flesh (according to our own thinking –without the Spirit who gives us the heart and mind of God) is death, including churchy / religious activities.

Jesus is the cipher.

He is the correct interpretation of Scripture. And, we must be born again in order to see it.

We have to be more than biblical.

Without the being born again, what we think and say about the Bible will be wrong as hell.

Believe Jesus.

‘Blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!’
– Matthew 23:24

‘Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.

For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.

Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.’
– Matthew 5:17-20

‘And the Father Himself, who sent Me, has testified of Me.

You have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His form.

But you do not have His word abiding in you, because whom He sent, Him you do not believe.

You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me.’
– John 5:37-39

‘Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?”

Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.

That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

Nicodemus answered and said to Him, “How can these things be?”

Jesus answered and said to him, “Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not know these things?

Most assuredly, I say to you, We speak what We know and testify what We have seen, and you do not receive Our witness.

If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?

No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven.

And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. ‘

– John 3:3-16

The Bible doesn’t save you. Jesus does.

Breath Prayers

Paul Luckett | Brainflurry.com - Breath Prayers

“God is always good and is always faithful. I’m maintaining an attitude and making moves based on and that reflect confidence in that truth.”

“Not because of what I feel, but because I choose Your will.”

“This is going to hurt.”

“Lord, if You’ll go with me…”

“Thank you Father, for the opportunity.”

“Make me immovable.”

Jesus Goes Hard

Paul Luckett | Brainflurry.com - Jesus Goes Hard

This is me some days.

A lot of days, actually.

Struggling to get myself together and out of bed because I don’t know where I’m going or if where I’m going is worth the trouble.

But, Jesus goes hard.

He’s driven.

His goals are not like our goals.

He didn’t leave heaven to acquire houses fit for the cover of “Southern Homes and Garden” or for a certain lifestyle. Jesus said,

“Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” – Luke 9:58

“The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” – Matthew 20:28

And to the point of daily discipline, He said,

“I must be about My Father’s business.” – Luke 2:49

Jesus left heaven and got up everyday because of His love for and dedication to the Father.

But, I’m not so enraptured by a feeling of love for the Father that it propels me out of bed every morning. Many days I’m not excited. Many days I don’t feel like it.

“Lord,” I say, “I’m not there yet. Help me.”

And, He did. This is where He teaches me. Jesus says,

“Not My will, but Yours [Father] be done.” – Luke 22:42

Simply put, action in loving obedience is not a product of desire but decision. This is what Jesus demonstrates here.

I have to do, not based on what I’m feeling but based on what I’ve decided based in loving obedience to Him. His Truth and His Spirit give me that capacity. It is an appropriate application of Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

But, I’m right. I’m not there yet. So, I have to “exercise myself into godliness” (1 Timothy 4:7).

It’s not about daily motivation, it’s about daily discipline.

I have to do what I don’t want to do in loving obedience until it simply becomes what I do because obedience has become part of me. Thus, “exercising myself into godliness.”

I feel it’s also important to observe that Jesus did not move aimlessly. Hebrews 12:2 says that, as our example, as the one who ran the first race and set our course –as “the author and finisher of our faith”, Jesus endured pain and suffering “for the joy that was set before Him.”

Jesus was not pressing toward a thing –an achievement or an event.

Jesus was pressing toward a state, “the joy” –abiding in the pleasure of the Father.

“And He who sent Me is with Me. The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him.” – John 8:29

That “abiding” is in a continuous tense, meaning, it’s not just something that will happen in the future. In Jesus’s case, it always was, it will always be and it is right now.

His pressing was not for Himself, abiding with the Father was His natural state. His pressing was for our abiding.

“Father, I desire that they also who You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.” – John 17:24

So, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:14).

Therefore, I seek to go forth *abiding* more so than *doing*, having God’s heart to see people loved: seeing them delivered from the death of sin, given life through the knowledge of Him by the face of Jesus Christ and that life nurtured by His manifold grace through us in service.

I seek to go forth abiding, Him being a part of everything that I do.

It’s strange. That state, “abiding”, both results from and results in “always doing those things that please Him.”

So, if I’m not enjoying an abiding with Him, the answer is “doing those things that please Him” (loving people: making Him known, serving, etc.).

And, when I’m enjoying abiding with Him, the result is “doing those things that please Him.”

Love is “doing those things that please Him.”

Consider 1 John 4:12-13,

“No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us. By this we know that we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit.”

Love is “doing those things that please Him” and it is how we abide.

Love is how we experience God.

And, that’s the joy: being with God.

Love is how it is done.

Jesus goes hard for it.

Then, so will I.

So, I press.

#perfectourlove

Christian Imposters

Paul Luckett | Brainflurry.com - Christian Imposters

I know may people and churches claim to be Christian but we do not all serve the same God. Some worship demons and are actually members of the church of Satan.

Test whether you are really in the faith by how well you love.

If you have a hard time sharing space in America, making peace with your neighbors or being able to go and come with different types of believers, you’re going to have a hell of a time when Jesus returns.

As far as I’m aware, there are no subdivisions or suburbs in His Kingdom now or in heaven later.

Believers, as differing parts of the same whole –Christ, are getting it right only when we can move in and between each other’s spaces (in service, in preaching, in teaching, in leadership –in worship) effortlessly, like Jesus walked through walls after His resurrection.

If we’re born again, we can do likewise.

Whatever is between us, preventing the flow of the love of Christ, forsake it, cast it down.

That is what our weapons are for.

We must fight toward each other.

Repent and forgive (both, not just one or the other).

Love by any means necessary.

Love as God loves.

How you love is the proof of what you truly believe.

#perfectourlove

Holy FOMO

Paul Luckett | Brainflurry.com - Holy FOMO

Holy FOMO

He forgives failure,
but I won’t take that for granted.

Though relationship is never broken,¹
For a moment, failure dampens fellowship.

Jesus is winning.²
He’s saving souls, giving life, changing worlds.

He’s on a victory tour, until every enemy is put under His feet.³

I can be winning with Him.⁴
I don’t want to miss any of that!

But, failure causes me to miss out.

Sin is failure; a misplaced heart, wrong-doing, lack of zeal, laziness, cowardice –anything that causes me to fail to love as He loves, (purely, passionately, powerfully, fearlessly –redemptively).

So, I take sin seriously, as I do grace.

Therefore, I guard more diligently, I work more abundantly –I press, not to be justified (because that is the work of grace), but to fully enjoy Him!⁵

I have a holy fear of missing out.

I don’t want to miss out on a single moment with Him.

I want everything God has for me, and I’m not talking about money.

#holyfomo

¹ Romans 8:35-39
² 1 Corinthians 15:57
³ Psalms 110:1, Matthew 22:44, 1 Corinthians 15:25
⁴ 2 Timothy 2:12
⁵ 1 Corinthians 15:10

Fatal Words

Paul Luckett | Brainflurry.com - Fatal Words

Two fatal words:

“I’m good.”

As in,
“What I’m doing is working for me.”
“I don’t need direction, instruction or change.”
“I’m fine.”
“I’m doing good.”
“Sure, I’m not perfect but I’m doing better than a lot of people.”

If I’m not aware of where I can and need to grow I have already been deceived to the point of blindness.

If I’m not growing, either I’m not alive or I’m dying.

Death is resident in the world and is working against and in all of us.

If I can’t see it, I need to cry out to Jesus that I might receive sight so I can see the death in me, confess it to Christ that He may heal it so I can live.

This never stops being true, even if -no, especially if, I’m a Christian.

Endgame

Paul Luckett | Brainflurry.com - Endgame

The endgame of the Christian faith
is not personal state, ¹
it is becoming One in Love. ²

Love draws near. ³
So, my goal is His goal, to draw near to you.

Therefore, I:
labor first to be found in Christ, ⁴
then lift Him up (which draws peoples to Him), ⁵
and make war against the sin that attempts to separate us. ⁶

Love is The Power. ⁷
Life is its product.

Personal state: peace, joy, fulfillment and other good things are byproducts of living according to His purpose. ⁸

Receiving the God of Love is the primary thing. ⁹
Love is the process. ¹⁰
Life is the proof. ¹¹

¹ Matthew 20:25-28
² John 17:20-23
³ Ephesians 2:11-13
⁴ Philippians 3:7-11
⁵ John 12:32
⁶ 2 Corinthians 10:3-6
⁷ 1 John 4:16
⁸ James 1:16-17, 1 Corinthians 12:31, 1 Corinthians 13:1-3
⁹ Proverbs 4:7, Mark 12:29-31, John 6:29
¹⁰ Matthew 22:37-40, 1 Corinthians 16:14, Romans 13:10
¹¹ John 1:4, John 10:10, Luke 6:43-44, 1 John 2:6 John 4:14

#perfectourlove