Meditation Chip Brogden

November 14

The Most High Rules

“The Most High rules in the kingdoms of men.”
DANIEL 4:17

Christ is increasing and filling all things. Have you seen this? If you have, then embrace it, submit to it, cooperate with it, be in harmony with it, order your life around it, demonstrate it to the world around you, and pray for its fulfillment.
Get aligned with something and Someone higher and greater than yourself. For when you see God’s Purpose, and you adjust your life according to that Purpose, and you consistently pray for the fulfillment of that Purpose, then His Purpose cannot be stopped; His Will cannot be frustrated; His Kingdom cannot be defeated. Heaven singles you out and Hell trembles with fear. You just became undefeatable! You just joined the Remnant.
Source: The Irresistible Kingdom by Chip Brogden

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November 12
God's Response to Spiritual Decline

“Who is he who overcomes the world, 
but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?”
1 JOHN 5:5

The Lord’s answer to a state of decline is to reveal Himself and His eternal purpose. Once the Lord has established for Himself a people that will represent His interests, then He will move immediately to secure, protect, establish, and strengthen the Remnant. Here is what I want us to see. When we align ourselves with God’s Thought, with God’s Kingdom, and with God’s Will in Christ, we are invincible.
Source: The Irresistible Kingdom by Chip Brogden

©1997-2013 TheSchoolOfChrist.Org. Permission is granted for non-commercial (free) distribution provided this notice appears. Share this message with your friends! 

November 13
Press Toward the Goal

“I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”
PHILIPPIANS 3:14

God has a purpose for the universe: that in all things Christ would have the preeminence. This is the Heavenly Bullseye. Since you, dear reader, are part of the universe, you are one of those “all things.” So this purpose includes you.
Actually, this is the same purpose He had in mind for Adam: that Christ would have the preeminence in him. But Adam chose an independent path and failed to give Christ the preeminence. He took the preeminence for himself. Adam missed the mark, which is a life submitted to, and totally dependent upon, God.
Source: The Irresistible Kingdom by Chip Brogden
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A Free Live Webinar with Chip Brogden
Thursday, November 14, 2013
7:00 p.m. EST (New York Time Zone)
If you look up the word "meekness" in a dictionary, you'll find both a positive and negative definition.
On the positive side, Meekness is defined as humility, calmness and patience.
On the negative side, Meekness is defined as weakness, overly submissive, and tame.
Which is correct?
Well, just look at the life of Jesus.
Which best describes the kind of meekness that Jesus exemplified: humble, calm and patient; or weak, overly submissive, and tame?
The Son of Man is many things, but He is certainly not weak, overly submissive, or tame - not by any stretch of the imagination!
So why does Meekness so often get associated with Weakness?
If Meekness is Weakness, why does the Bible say that "the meek will inherit the Earth"?
Maybe we need to take a fresh look at Meekness as a fruit of the Spirit so we can tap into its power.
Join us this Thursday night to learn more: 
http://theschoolofchrist.org/webinar
The webinar is free, but your gift (of any amount) helps pay our webinar bill.
Hope to "see" you Thursday!

I am your brother,

Chip Brogden
http://TheSchoolOfChrist.Org
©1997-2013 TheSchoolOfChrist.Org. Permission is granted for non-commercial (free) distribution provided this notice appears. Share this message with your friends!

November 11
Hidden Manna, Secret Name

“To him who overcomes I will give some of the hidden manna to eat. And I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written which no one knows except him who receives it.”
REVELATION 2:17

The manna is HIDDEN and the name is SECRET. The Lord is doing a work, but that work is, for the most part, hidden and secret. If we are always looking for something out in the open and in plain view then we will miss the deeper workings of God below the surface.
Source: The Irresistible Kingdom by Chip Brogden

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The Persistent Purpose of God

by Chip Brogden

I once conducted a workshop in Cincinnati, Ohio with about forty believers from various backgrounds. To get things started I asked them to do a little exercise. I asked them to write down on an index card God’s Ultimate Purpose – His Goal, His Will, the Reason that governs everything He has done, is doing, and will do. Yes, I assured them, you can sum this up on one index card!
When the people were finished writing I collected the cards and we began to discuss the answers (we could discuss them without fear of embarrassment because I had asked them not to sign their names).
The answers I received were very good, but I wanted to take them deeper...
Click to read more:

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November 10

Why God Resists Us

“God resists the proud.”
JAMES 4:6

Our automatic assumption is that anything which resists us or hinders us is of satanic origin. Yet we learn from James 4:6 that there is Someone Else who can resist us. There is Another Who carefully watches what we do, and frequently hinders us from making progress. It comes as a shock and surprise to some Christians to see one day that God, not the devil, is resisting them. The Lord Himself resists us, closes doors, causes things to be unfruitful, and spoils all our plans. How so? Because “God resists the proud.”
This resistance from God is insurmountable. It is a fearful thing to fight the Lord. We spend most of our lives wrestling with God instead of cooperating with God, and in the end we have nothing to show for it. So much time and effort is wasted because we proceed in our own, stubborn way. We attribute all difficulties to the devil, or to other people, or our circumstances, or our environment, and fail to recognize that the Lord Himself is resisting us.
Source: Embrace the Cross by Chip Brogden

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November 9
To Be With Him

“He appointed twelve, that they might be with Him...” 
MARK 3:14

The first order of business was not the preaching or the sending forth; it was simply being with Jesus. During those times of being alone and apart with Christ He revealed Himself to them in a deep way. They walked with Him, watched Him, and listened to Him for three and a half years. Just as importantly, they learned to walk with each other. They learned how to serve one another in love. When Jesus finally did send them forth to preach they actually had something worth sharing and worth listening to.
Your primary calling as a disciple is to BE with Jesus, because that is how you LEARN OF HIM. It is not learning about the Christian faith – that is a thing. It is not learning about Bible doctrine – that is a thing. It is not learning about Christian things or religious things or spiritual things. It is not learning about the Bible. It’s not even learning ABOUT Jesus, it is learning OF Jesus FROM Jesus.
Source: The Church in the Wilderness by Chip Brogden

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November 7
Knowing What vs. Knowing Whom

“I know Whom I have believed.” 
2 TIMOTHY 1:12

A certain brother was always emphatic about what he believed until someone with equal or greater argument confronted him. This occurred one day when someone pointed out several supposed “errors” in the Bible. This caused the brother to be very alarmed. He went to an elderly sister and informed her of these alleged errors and wanted to know her opinion. She simply stated that the knowledge of God did not depend upon the answering of these questions.
He thought, perhaps not to you, but to me it is important! So he spent the next year investigating what this other person had told him and found it to be untrue. But, had he simply known God He would not have found it necessary to study the whole thing and reason it out. The elderly sister was right, the knowledge of God did not depend upon the answering of those questions. If you know Who, knowing what and why become less significant.
Source: Lord of All by Chip Brogden

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November 8
Our All for His All

“We have left all and followed You.” 
MARK 10:28

Here is a golden truth: if He possesses all that YOU have, then you will possess all that HE has. Allow that truth to sink into your heart. Breathe it in and out. Let the Holy Spirit soak it into the pores of your soul and you will not be able to contain His joy and peace emanating from you. You will start giving things up that before you would have never let go. You will gladly relinquish everything.
Source: Lord of All by Chip Brogden

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November 6

Seeing As God Sees

“He, the Spirit of truth… will guide you into all truth.”
JOHN 16:13

To choose the Truth is to want the Truth at all costs, even if it means sacrificing everything I have believed up until now, challenging all my paradigms, questioning all my teachers, examining everything I have ever experienced.
Of course our first decision about Truth is based upon Who Jesus is. With that question settled many Christians are content, but Truth is living. Truth will continue to reveal Himself to us and around us for as long as we will allow it. What, after all, is Wisdom? Wisdom is the ability to see things from heaven’s, and thus God’s, perspective. Daily we must choose between ignorant bliss or seeing things as God sees them. It is a daily choice. You cannot be told, you have to see it for yourself.
Source: Lord of All by Chip Brogden

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November 5

Serving Two Masters?

“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.”
MATTHEW 6:24

The context of this passage is talking about mammon (the love of, and the endless pursuit of, wealth). But the principle applies to everything else. There can only be one master in your life. You can only serve one thing at a time. You are not free to do as you please. Even if you say you serve no one, you are still serving Self. So which will it be? Jesus says if you love Him then you will hate everything else. What does that mean?
It means that you will allow nothing and no one to take the place of the One you love – not for a day, not for an hour, not for a minute. If our love for the Lord is strong then we will learn to hate everything which competes against Him. We will despise anything that seeks to hinder our relationship with Christ.
Source: Embrace the Cross by Chip Brogden
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A Free Live Webinar with Chip Brogden
Thursday, October 7, 2013
7:00 p.m. EST (New York Time Zone)

Can You Increase Your Faith?

Hello Elaine!
Ever since the disciples first asked Jesus, "Increase our faith!" we have looked for ways to get, grow, and build our faith.
We hear Jesus say, "All things are possible to him who believes" and we WANT to believe.
But Faith is one of those simple things that got complicated by man.
And I think we've overlooked two important aspects of Faith.
In the first place, Faith is not a power or a force; it is a fruit of the Spirit.
As such, Faith and Love are connected.
So if you understand those two things - Faith as a fruit of the Spirit, and the Faith/Love connection - you'll look at the whole "faith" teaching in a brand new light.
And your Faith will never be increased until you understand what Faith really is.
(It's so simple you'll wish you had learned this years ago - before the television preachers defined it.)
Want to learn more?
Join us for this week's live teaching:
http://theschoolofchrist.org/webinar
It's free to register, but your gift (of any amount) helps pay the webinar bills.
Until then! 
I am your brother,

Chip Brogden
http://TheSchoolOfChrist.Org
P.S. We're taking orders this week for my new book, The Songbird and the Flower. If you haven't seen the video yet, check it out here:
http://SongbirdMinistries.com
(Special pricing ends soon... don't miss out!)

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November 4
The Cross: The Tree of Life

“To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life.” 
REVELATION 2:7

Like Adam, we can choose to eat from either tree, but we cannot eat from both. Adam sinned when he fell into the flesh and yielded to his Self-life. He rejected the Tree of Life in favor of something that was “good… pleasant… and desirable” (Genesis 3:6). The Cross does not look like a Tree of Life at all. It is neither good, nor pleasant, nor desirable. It looks like death. Perhaps this is why Adam did not eat from it first.
But God’s End is not death, regardless of appearances: God’s End is Life out of death, which is resurrection. To eat of the fruit of the Tree of Life is to glory in the Cross of Jesus Christ and find Life out of death. It is becoming popular to preach and teach about the Cross these days, but how many are eating of its fruit? Can we really see the Cross as the TREE OF LIFE, and are we eating its fruit? We will know a true disciple of the Lord, not by words, but by fruit, and the Cross is the Tree of Life from which this fruit comes.
Source: Embrace the Cross by Chip Brogden

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November 3
Nothing Without Him

“Without Me you can do nothing.” 
JOHN 15:5

Jesus would explain to His disciples that spiritual life hinges upon living in active dependence upon Himself. That is the fundamental lesson to learn because it is the fundamental sin of mankind – the independent path. Jesus says without Him we can do nothing. Nothing! But it is human nature to try and do something in ourselves. We call it freedom and liberty; blazing our own trail; making something happen. But the end result is death and destruction.
The fall of man illustrates a fundamental truth: that whenever Self is allowed to rule in the place of Christ, the result is sin, sorrow, separation and death. Apart from Him we really can do nothing.
Source: The Irresistible Kingdom by Chip Brogden

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Head of All Principality and Power
by Chip Brogden

Some will ask, if Jesus is indeed head of all principality and power, how is it that the devil and his demons are still able to do so much?
Jesus is Lord of All, but we do not yet see all things submitted to Him.
Jesus is Savior of All, but we do not yet see all people believing in him.
Similarly, Jesus is Head of All Principality and Power, and yet “we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Eph. 6:12).
What is the explanation?


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November 2

All I Have is Yours

“Bring out the best robe and put it on him.” 
LUKE 15:22

To put on the Lord Jesus is to be clothed with the very best robe. This robe makes us look better than we really are. But when we are dressed with the best we begin to act differently. Having put on the Lord Jesus, we are clothed with Him and His character replaces our character. His Life is received in exchange for our life. If we cooperate with the Life we will naturally find our behavior is changed.
But what of the elder son? “Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours” (Luke 15:31). Hallelujah! There is no partiality with God, however much we may think God is being more fair or more generous to some brother or sister. Not so: the robe, the ring, and the shoes only represent the “all,” the fullness of the Father, and “of His fullness we have all received” (John 1:16). The Father says, “All that I have is yours!” Who can dare ask God for a single thing apart from the Son?
Source: Lord of All by Chip Brogden

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November 1
The Glory is His

“Yours is the Kingdom, and the Power, and the Glory forever. Amen.”
MATTHEW 6:13

There is a Remnant of called-out ones who have seen the Glory of the Son and WILL seek the interests of God’s Only Begotten One. In a time when men solicit the glory and honor and power from one another, there is a Holy Nation of priests and kings who will give the Son the glory He deserves, declaring, “YOURS IS THE GLORY, we will render to You, and to You alone, the glory due Your Name.”
Source: The Irresistible Kingdom by Chip Brogden

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October 31
The Daily Walk

“The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves such as have a contrite spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all.”
PSALM 34:18,19

We must learn sooner rather than later that discipleship is a process of tearing down in order to build up. We cannot expect to have a single mountaintop experience with the Lord and then assume from henceforth the work of the Cross is completed in us. When we are standing with the Lord in the New Jerusalem we may lay down the Cross. Until then, we dare not entertain the thought that we have already been made perfect. We must deny ourselves and take up the Cross daily.
Source: Embrace the Cross by Chip Brogden


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October 30
He Does What You Cannot

“We had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead.” 
2 CORINTHIANS 1:9

Know that Christ is not here to help you become a better person, but to make you so weak in yourself and so sick of your own way that you can do nothing but trust in Him to do what you at last realize you cannot do. It does not matter if that something “we cannot do” is save ourselves, control our temper, get along with others, raise our children, or overcome a lustful habit. The course is the same. After many attempts and failures we at last realize we cannot, so we throw ourselves on the mercy of God and trust Him to do what we cannot do.
Source: Embrace the Cross by Chip Brogden


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A Free Live Webinar with Chip Brogden
Thursday, October 31, 2013
7:00 p.m. EDT (New York Time Zone)

Click Here to Register
https://convertegy.leadpages.net/soc-webinar-gentleness/
Unlock Your "Super Power"
While I was studying for this week's teaching, it occurred to me…
When you walk in the flesh, your heart gets harder and your character get weaker.
But when you walk in the Spirit, the opposite happens: your heart gets softer and your character get stronger.
Don't ever make the mistake of thinking that a soft heart means a slack hand.
There is tremendous power in gentleness and goodness.
Not the wimpy, "walk-all-over-me" sort of gentleness...
I'm talking about the kind of gentleness that can stop a murderer.
Or silence an angry mob.
Or melt someone's heart with just a glance.
It's the kind of gentleness that is not overcome by evil, but overcomes evil with good.
With all the evil abounding today, I'm interested in getting more of this "super power" in my life.
How about you?
Join us for this week's live teaching and we'll examine it together:
http://theschoolofchrist.org/webinar
It's free to register, but your gift (of any size) helps pay our webinar bill.
Until then! 
I am your brother,

Chip Brogden
http://TheSchoolOfChrist.Org

©1997-2013 TheSchoolOfChrist.Org. Permission is granted for non-commercial (free) distribution provided this notice appears. Share this message with your friends!


October 29

The Fullness of the Kingdom

“Of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time is... And what I say to you, I say to all: Watch!” 
MARK 13:32,33,37

The Kingdom may be near, at hand, at the door, even within; but it has not come in its fullness until the King Himself returns. This is the sense in which Jesus calls upon us to watch and pray for the Kingdom to come. It is literally praying that the King will come into the fullness of His Kingdom – not merely within the heart of the individual believer, but in a tangible, visible, universal sense that brings about the full recovery of the Heavenly Order with Christ once more having the preeminence in all things.
Source: The Irresistible Kingdom by Chip Brogden

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October 28
Submit to the Cross

“O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.” 
MATTHEW 26:39

His sweat mingled with His tears, and He wrestled with Himself three times before He could settle the issue, but once it was settled, He gave no resistance, and within a few hours everything was accomplished.
Oh! That is where we are lacking today! How long will we kick and struggle against the pricks? How long will we argue and complain against God and resist His dealings with us? If we have to die in order to truly live, let us be about the business of dying! If we must be crucified in order to have Resurrection Life, then let us just submit to it and get it over with!
Source: Embrace the Cross by Chip Brogden


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October 26
Prisoner of Love

“Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus...” 
PHILEMON 1:1

It is a glorious thing to be the prisoner of the Lord, for in our bonds we find liberty. In our weakness we find strength. In our foolishness we find wisdom. In our poverty we find prosperity. By losing everything we find everything. By giving up all things we inherit all things. By accepting the sentence of death we find the Life of the Lord.
Let us stretch forth our hands and allow Him to dress us and lead us where He wishes us to go, in the way we would not choose for ourselves, for that is the Narrow Way, and it is the path of blessing, though it be disguised.
Source: Embrace the Cross by Chip Brogden

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October 27

Order of Creation

“God, who created all things through Jesus Christ.” 
EPHESIANS 3:9

If you walk into a dark house and find the furniture scattered and the rooms covered with dust and spider webs everywhere, you would probably conclude that no one had lived there for some time. But if you walk into a house and find the lights are on, the rooms are tastefully decorated, the furniture is arranged in an orderly fashion, the table is set and dinner is cooking on the stove then you would not be surprised to find someone lives there and has put everything in its place.
The more we look at creation the easier it is to believe that there is Someone with infinite wisdom Who designed everything with purposeful intention according to a definite order and arrangement. The Scripture says that this Someone is God, Who “created all things through Jesus Christ.”
Source: Embrace the Cross by Chip Brogden

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A Warning to the Lukewarm

by Chip Brogden

We have a lot of people on our mailing list who come to The School of Christ, and who visit our website, and benefit from the teaching; and they attend church on a regular basis – even though they know exactly where we stand on the subject of Organized Religion. Our heart’s desire is to see God’s people delivered from anything that keeps them in bondage, anything that hinders them from spiritual maturity, and anything that distracts them from the simplicity of Christ. I’ve said this before, and I’ll be very clear in saying it again: that in my opinion, Organized Religion is the greatest hindrance to a real relationship with Jesus that I know of. There are many reasons why I believe this. And there are many people who agree with me. And there are just as many people who disagree with me; and they continue to go to church and support that religious system, and they believe they are doing what God would have them to do.
Let me emphasize: our heart is for God’s people, wherever they are – both inside the religious system and outside the religious system. In fact, part of our three-fold mission is “to provide for the spiritual growth and maturity of all believers.” Assuming “all believers” means real, true followers of Jesus (not hypocrites and counterfeits, but genuine believers in the Biblical sense of the word), then The School of Christ is here for God’s people, both inside the Institutional Church, and outside the Institutional Church.
Now, since I believe that “Church” is the greatest hindrance to spiritual growth and maturity, naturally I’m going to encourage God’s people to think seriously about where they go, and what they support, and why; and I’m going to challenge this religious system that we have created. If I didn’t speak out against it, and challenge it, and question it (while all the while I believed it was hurting more people than it helped) then I wouldn’t be honest. The reason we speak these things is because of our love and concern for God’s people. And it’s that love and concern that motivates us to speak out against abusive leadership, and abusive groups, and abusive pastors and prophets, and the entire religious system that keeps God’s people in a kind of spiritual ghetto – keeping them down, holding them back, or worse, lulling them into a false sense of security and fellowship that is based on something other than the Lord Jesus Christ...
Click to read more:
http://theschoolofchrist.org/articles/a-warning-to-the-lukewarm.html

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October 24
Simple Spiritual Growth

“He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.”
2 CORINTHIANS 5:15

With less of me, there will be more of Him in my life, so why would I resist that? There should be less of me today than there was yesterday, and there should be more of Him now than there was before. If I will submit to Him today, then tomorrow there will be yet a little more of Him and a little less of me. Praise God! Spiritual growth is not stronger anointing, greater power, or increased knowledge. Spiritual growth is “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30).
Source: Embrace the Cross by Chip Brogden

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October 25

Bread of Life

“‘Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.’ Then they said to Him, ‘Lord, give us this bread always.’ And Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life.’” 
JOHN 6:32-35

The people were asking for Jesus to give them bread, but failed to recognize that He Himself is the Bread of Life. They worked and toiled for something which would perish, but were not willing to receive the True Bread that would not perish.
The significance of the Lord Jesus is not that He can give us bread, but that He is the Bread.
Source: Lord of All by Chip Brogden

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October 23
True Confessions

“‘Who do you say that I am?’ Simon Peter answered and said, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’”
MATTHEW 16:15,16

Jesus did not teach Peter what to say, He merely revealed Himself to Peter. He did not sit down with His disciples and say, “I am the Christ, the Son of the Living God. Now repeat that after Me several times, and I will test you on this in the morning.” He did not teach them a catechism or a rosary or a mantra or a confession, He merely revealed Himself to them as He in fact is. They made the confession in due course, having revelation.
The Testimony of Jesus always springs forth from the Revelation of Christ. If we do not have the Revelation then we cannot have the Testimony. That is to say, we cannot bear witness of what we have seen and heard if we have not, in fact, seen or heard anything. We try to get people to confess in order that they may ATTAIN to something, but true confession comes forth naturally after they have OBTAINED it.
Source: Lord of All by Chip Brogden


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October 21

The Tree of Life

“To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God.”
REVELATION 2:7

We should see that Christ does more than restore what Adam lost. He goes beyond Adam, offering the Overcomers fruit from the Tree of Life, fruit Adam knows nothing about. Obviously this is symbolic language, but what does it mean? The Tree of Life represents the Cross, for from that Tree the Lord yielded up His Life for us all. Those who overcome have learned that fruitfulness and Life come from death to Self, and that is what the Cross means. The Cross is a Tree of Life to those who embrace it.
Source: Embrace the Cross by Chip Brogden

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October 22
Because He Lives

“In Him we live and move and have our being.”
ACTS 17:28

The Law of Life means that I do not try to be or do anything in my own strength. Instead, the Life leads me, the Life instructs me, and the Life gives me the words and the actions.
I am not a Christian because I believe in the Bible, follow the teachings of Jesus, and live a good life. I am a Christian because Christ is my Life. Since Christ is my Life, I no longer live, but it is Christ Who lives in me. I do nothing to achieve this, it just is. Because He lives, I live.
Source: Lord of All by Chip Brogden


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A Free Live Webinar with Chip Brogden
Thursday, October 24, 2013
7:00 p.m. EDT (New York Time Zone)
Click Here to Register
http://theschoolofchrist.org/webinar

Hello Elaine!
Join us to learn what the Bible says about PATIENCE, including...

- Why Patience is a spiritual fruit (not a virtue);
- The critical difference between patience and longsuffering (this will make total sense once you see it);
- AND... 8 Practical Ways to keep your cool through almost anything!
We expect this one to fill up fast, so click here to register now: http://TheSchoolOfChrist.Org/webinar
The webinar is free. If you feel led to give, any amount (large or small) helps cover the cost.
Hope to "see" you Thursday!

I am your brother,
Chip Brogden
http://TheSchoolOfChrist.Org

©1997-2013 TheSchoolOfChrist.Org. Permission is granted for non-commercial (free) distribution provided this notice appears. Share this message with your friends!

October 20, 2013
Hello Elaine!
A new blog post has just been added to the site...

The Fellowship of His Body

by Chip Brogden

Christ calls us as individual disciples and the Holy Spirit then works with each of us personally. Now we see how the individual disciples are brought together to form His Body. Each retains their uniqueness, yet there is something among each of them that is common to all. There are different members in different places with different purposes: each distinctive but each working together, united beneath the same great Purpose and Intention of God, working under the direction of the Head like a great spiritual symphony.
“God set the members every one of them in the Body, as it has pleased Him” (1 Cor. 12:18). This results in a spiritual oneness and unity (for better or worse) so that “if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it” (1 Cor. 12:18)...
Read the rest of this article:
http://theschoolofchrist.org/blog/the-fellowship-of-his-body.html

I am your brother,
Chip Brogden
http://TheSchoolOfChrist.Org

©1997-2013 TheSchoolOfChrist.Org. Permission is granted for non-commercial (free) distribution provided this notice appears. Share this message with your friends!

October 20
The Travail of Creation

"We know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now.”
ROMANS 8:22

Just as all things are working together towards God’s purpose of increasing Christ, so all things are working together towards decreasing us. It does not matter if we understand it or comprehend it. It does not matter if you believe in it or agree with it. You are being decreased just the same, and Christ is being increased. It MUST be so, therefore it IS so.
Scientists call this decreasing “entropy,” and it means, “inevitable and steady deterioration.” We can observe this in creation. The present things are groaning and laboring in pain, deteriorating in order to make way for a new heaven and a new earth. We begin to die as soon as we are born. We can look in our own bodies for evidence of “inevitable and steady deterioration” as we move towards a redeemed body. But more importantly, WE, the “I,” the “Self,” is being decreased that Christ may fill us.
Source: The Irresistible Kingdom by Chip Brogden

©1997-2013 TheSchoolOfChrist.Org. Permission is granted for non-commercial (free) distribution provided this notice appears. Share this message with your friends!

October 19
Good Out of Evil?

“You meant evil against me; but God meant it for good.” 
GENESIS 50:20

The story of Joseph is not just the story of Joseph. It is the story of how God works everything together for His Purpose. No matter how far removed from that Purpose things seem to get, eventually we see its fulfillment.
At some point in eternity we will all stand before God and will finally see His Ultimate Purpose fulfilled. Then we will look back on the sad history of the human race and we will see how God brought something good out of every evil thing that ever rose up to challenge His Purpose. For some people the existence of evil is a stumbling block. If God is good, why does He allow evil? A better question is: how can God allow evil and still manage to bring something good out of it in the end? Evil is not a stumbling block to an all-powerful, all-knowing Creator who specializes in bringing good out of evil. What He did for Joseph He will do for all Creation.
Source: The Irresistible Kingdom by Chip Brogden


©1997-2013 TheSchoolOfChrist.Org. Permission is granted for non-commercial (free) distribution provided this notice appears. Share this message with your friends!