Meditation Chip Brogden

April 15
Only One Thing is Needed

“Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.”
LUKE 10:41,42

This One Thing relates to Christ filling all things as the Preeminent One. If we see that God is working all things together according to this Purpose of summing up everything into Christ, towards the One Thing, then we will naturally seek those things which are conducive to this, and we will naturally shun those things which are not.
Later we see Martha continues serving, but everything is all right – there is no complaining about Mary, and everything seems to go on as it should. It is not that service, fellowship, or preparing meals is a bad thing: it simply has to be in the right order. It is not that we cannot perform many good works and spiritual duties, but the work of the Lord must never have preeminence over the Lord of the work.
Source: Lord of All by Chip Brogden
http://theschoolofchrist.org/books/lord-of-all.html
©1997-2013 TheSchoolOfChrist.Org. Permission is granted for non-commercial (free) distribution provided this notice appears. Share this message with your friends!

April 14
How to Get Revelation

"When it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace, to reveal His Son in me."
GALATIANS 1:15,16

People sometimes ask me what they have to do to obtain this great revelation of Christ. They think it is God’s way of rewarding us for a lot of hard work. Nothing could be further from the truth.
To have one’s eyes opened is simply an act of grace, and God alone can do it, and will do it, if we will only ask Him. At the risk of making it sound “too easy,” I dare not make it any more difficult than that!
Source: Lord of All by Chip Brogden
http://theschoolofchrist.org/books/lord-of-all.html

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

April 13
Whose Agenda?

“Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”
MATTHEW 6:10

The chief objective of prayer is to bring us into cooperation with the Father so that we are harmonious with Him – with respect to our love relationship as well as our working relationship. Much time and effort in prayer is spent trying to get God involved with OUR agenda, with OUR plans, with OUR goals, with OUR cause, with OUR needs, real or imagined. But after all, who is the Master? Who is the servant? Whose will are we seeking anyway: ours, or His?
If our agenda is not harmonious with His then our agenda has to go. Most of our prayers are simply too small, too narrow-minded, and too constricted. We do not see anything beyond our present surroundings. We have not seen the big picture. We do not have a heavenly perspective. So to begin with we must empty ourselves of all preconceived ideas and seek the Lord’s Will and the Lord’s Kingdom when we pray, for this truly honors the Father.
Source: The Irresistible Kingdom by Chip Brogden
http://theschoolofchrist.org/books/the-irresistible-kingdom.html

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

April 12
All in All
“That in all things He may have the preeminence.”
COLOSSIANS 1:18

The unavoidable, inevitable conclusion is that Christ will have the preeminence – not just in some things, but in all things. To achieve this, He works one-on-one with His disciples. He then gathers all His disciples together into a spiritual family where they grow and learn together. This spiritual family then invites the rest of the world to join them in giving Christ the preeminence in all things, so that “God may be all in all” (1 Corinthians 15:28).
At the risk of over-simplifying the process, that is the essence of this great movement of God. The point must be reiterated that Jesus is the atoning sacrifice for all sins: “not for ours only but also for the whole world” (1 John 2:2) and He has sent His representatives into “all the world” to “preach the Gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15).
Source: The Irresistible Kingdom by Chip Brogden
http://theschoolofchrist.org/books/the-irresistible-kingdom.html.

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

April 10
Two Immutable Spiritual Laws

"The Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the Law of Sin and Death."
ROMANS 8:2

Two laws are mentioned in this passage of Scripture: the Law of Life, and the Law of Sin and Death. We who are in Christ Jesus have been delivered from the Law of Sin and Death and are under a new law, which is the Law of Life. The difference between a theoretical walk with Christ and a practical walk with Christ hinges upon being able to differentiate between the Law of Life and the Law of Death. In the Garden the choice was between the Knowledge of Good and Evil (Law of Death) or the Tree of Life (Law of Life).
We must make the same choice today. Christians are much exercised in trying to discern between good and evil, right and wrong, Spirit and flesh. It seems the more we try to figure this out the more frustrated we become. Instead, God would have us come to the Tree of Life. This Life will instruct us in all things, including what is right and what is wrong, yet it is deeper than mere knowledge.
Source: Lord of All 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!

April 11
Giving and Receiving
"Not My will, but Yours, be done.”
LUKE 22:42
The Cross demonstrates that we do not gain by trying to get, but by losing in order to gain. We cannot really receive from God until we have learned to give up to God. It is the spirit which cries, “Not my will, but Yours be done” and “Father, into Your Hands I commit my spirit.”
These words are easily uttered, but we cannot appreciate them or really experience them until we have been through our Gethsemane experiences and our Golgotha experiences. Until that time we are merely reciting some words, but we do not truly know what it means to give ourselves up to God, to be completely consecrated and submitted to Him. The Cross prepares us to receive by first forcing us to give up. Therefore, the Cross is gaining through losing.
Source: Embrace the Cross by Chip Brogden
http://theschoolofchrist.org/books/embrace-the-cross.html
©1997-2013 TheSchoolOfChrist.Org. Permission is granted for non-commercial (free) distribution provided this notice appears. Share this message with your friends!

April 9
Clothed With Christ
“He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light.”
MATTHEW 17:2

To be clothed with the Lord Jesus is to be transfigured. For too long we who claim a heavenly calling, a heavenly citizenship, and a heavenly birth have lived as earthly men. What light we have is hidden beneath a bushel; there is no glory that surrounds us. We are not talking about an outward display, or something fleshly, but a Light and a Life which demonstrates the presence of Christ. “In Him was Life – and the Life was the Light of men” (John 1:4).
Source: Lord of All 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!

April 8
A Simple Discernment Test
“It is the truth concerning Jesus that inspires all prophecy.”
REVELATION 19:10 (Knox)

The prophetic word is given to point us to Jesus. Everything the Holy Spirit would speak, reveal, teach, and show us is towards this same end, which is CHRIST.
We do not need to mull over every dream, vision, word, or prophecy, trying to exegete its hidden meaning, struggling to extract some spiritual significance where none exists. If what we see and hear does not point us to Jesus then it is not prophetic and should be discarded. This simple test will keep us from distraction.
Source: The Irresistible Kingdom by Chip Brogden
http://theschoolofchrist.org/books/the-irresistible-kingdom.html
©1997-2013 TheSchoolOfChrist.Org. Permission is granted for non-commercial (free) distribution provided this notice appears. Share this message with your friends!

April 7
God's One Desire
"He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?"
ROMANS 8:32

Everyone who looks does not see. Everyone who hears does not listen. What are we looking for? What is it that we need to see? What would God reveal to us? There is but one desire of God for us, and that is that we may see Christ. God does not reveal one hundred, one thousand, or one million things to us. He is pleased to give us His Son, and He delights for us to look only to Him. Not even to the things He gives, but to Him Who is the Gift. We may pray for revelation into a great many matters, but only one thing is important to God, that is, that we may have revelation into the Son.
If we know the Son, if we possess the Son, if we see the Son, we know and possess and see all that God has and is, for He has deposited all of Himself into His Son, and all of His Son He deposited into us.
Source: Lord of All by Chip Brogden
http://theschoolofchrist.org/books/lord-of-all.html
©1997-2013 TheSchoolOfChrist.Org. Permission is granted for non-commercial (free) distribution provided this notice appears. Share this message with your friends!

April 6
Only in the Beloved

"No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven."
JOHN 3:13

No one has ascended because no one can ascend. Rest assured that if it were possible, someone would have done it! But just as we cannot make ourselves acceptable to God on the basis of anything we have done, so too we cannot ascend and seat ourselves at the right hand of God.
"He has made us accepted in the Beloved" (Eph. 1:6). We are accepted only in the Beloved; we are saved only in the Beloved; and only in the Beloved can we be raised from the dead, ascend and be seated in the heavenlies.
Source: Embrace the Cross by Chip Brogden
http://theschoolofchrist.org/books/embrace-the-cross.html

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

Confused on purpose?
Hey Elaine,
I'm still answering emails from my last "why are you
here" message.
Responses ranged from the clear and simple to the confused and
foggy!
But I'm having a good time reading and replying to them.
I used to think that fulfilling my Purpose was something I had to
achieve.
Then I realized that Purpose isn't tied to accomplishment or
success.
Let me explain.
A young person will train many years to reach the Olympics.
If you ask them their Purpose, they'll say, "To win a gold
medal."
Let's suppose they train hard, compete in the Olympics, and win
that coveted gold medal.
With the achievement of their Purpose complete, you would think
they would be the happiest people in the world.
In fact, just the opposite happens.
They tied their purpose to achieving a goal, and they worked hard
every day to achieve that goal.
But now that they accomplished the goal, they no longer have a
Purpose.
And that leaves them asking, "Is this all there is?"
Goals are great, but Goals are not the same thing as Purpose.
Goals are about "what I want to do, and how."
Purpose is about "who I want to be, and why."
You and I can fall into a trap of False Purpose - thinking of our
Purpose in terms of what we can do, accomplish, achieve, or build.
So when we can't "do" what we think we're
supposed to "do" then we think missed our Purpose.
Sound familiar?
But what if your Purpose has nothing to do with accomplishment or
achievement?
What if your Purpose isn't reaching some Big Goal, but is
simply a state of mind and heart?
What if your Purpose is to "be"?
To be a lover and worshipper of God.
To be a lover of mankind.
To be a helper to others.
To be a voice of encouragement.
To be a disciple and student of Jesus.
What we are called to DO may change, but what we are called to BE
is pretty consistent.
At different times in its life, a tree may grow quickly, or slowly;
it will stand still, or bend with the wind; it will clothe itself
with leaves, or shed its leaves; it will change the color of its
leaves, or produce fruit.
But no matter what the tree DOES, its Purpose is "to be a
tree."
Be like the tree.
Different seasons require different actions.
So be flexible in your doing, but persistent in your being.
Don't tie your Purpose (and fulfillment) down to winning your
version of the "Gold Medal."
Have a "Heart of Gold" instead.
Instead of achieving to be happy, learn to happily achieve.
Because even when you have done all you can do, you will still be
who you are.
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!

April 5
In His Likeness
"If we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection."
ROMANS 6:5

It is impossible for us to take up the Cross and not be resurrected. I am almost afraid to make it so plain lest we fail to appreciate its mystery, but it is all there in the Scriptures. We cannot ascend until we have first descended.
Can we embrace the Cross, and love the hands that nail us to it, and hold nothing against the One Who put us there? Can we commit our spirit into His hands and give up Self, looking beyond the present suffering to see the joy that is set before us? This is the way of the Overcomers.
Source: Embrace the Cross by Chip Brogden
http://theschoolofchrist.org/books/embrace-the-cross.html

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

April 4
Continue in Tribulation

"[Paul and Barnabas] returned...strengthening the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith, and saying, 'We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God.'"
ACTS 14:22

Our idea of overcoming is to avoid tribulation, not pass through it. We certainly do not connect entering the Kingdom with going through tribulation. We think having the victory means eliminating all tribulation. Nothing could be further from the truth.
In order to enter the Kingdom there must be an increase of Christ and a decrease of Self. This is an ongoing process, and by it we judge how far along the Path we have progressed.
But how is Self decreased? The answer is in our circumstances and trials. They are sufficient to decrease us. We need not do anything but wait for them to come, and see them as our opportunity to have Self decreased and Christ increased.
Source: The Irresistible Kingdom by Chip Brogden
http://theschoolofchrist.org/books/the-irresistible-kingdom.html

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

April 3
A Spiritual Symphony

“I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one.”
JOHN 17:23

When a symphony performs, each musician has something different to contribute. The title of each piece of music is the same, but there are many different parts that make up that one piece. A musician may be an extremely talented soloist, but playing in harmony with others requires a great deal of practice, preparation and group rehearsal. It also requires each musician to submit to the direction of the conductor. If that means playing “second fiddle” then so be it. Working together takes time and patience – two things that most people do not have an abundance of.
I trust you can see that even in this simple illustration, pride, egotism, and an unwillingness to work with others disqualifies even the greatest musicians from becoming viable members of a symphony. Christ, the Master Conductor, seeks a spiritual harmony among all His disciples: “that they all may be one… that they also may be one in Us” (John 17:21).
Source: The Irresistible Kingdom by Chip Brogden
http://theschoolofchrist.org/books/the-irresistible-kingdom.html

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

April 2
Why the Meek Are Blessed
"Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth"
MATTHEW 5:5

The idea of the meek inheriting the earth is found throughout the Book of Psalms. When someone is poor in spirit and mourns over his own sins and the sins of others, pride and arrogance are eliminated. A person who knows he is no better than the rest will not be easily lifted up above his brothers and sisters. But this meekness does not imply lack of power, or spineless passivity. It is power, but it is power under the control of love and without the poison of self-interest and self-seeking.
To have power, and to use that power only for the good and well-being of others, is meekness. Jesus perfectly demonstrates how power that operates through meekness cannot be quenched, whereas temporal power and people who play politics always come to a bad end.
Source: The Irresistible Kingdom by Chip Brogden
http://theschoolofchrist.org/books/the-irresistible-kingdom.html
©1997-2013 TheSchoolOfChrist.Org. Permission is granted for non-commercial (free) distribution provided this notice appears. Share this message with your friends!

April 1
Do What God Blesses
"Jesus took the loaves, and when He had given thanks He distributed them to the disciples, and the disciples to those sitting down; and likewise of the fish, as much as they wanted. They...filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves which were left over by those who had eaten."
JOHN 6:11,13

The issue is never what we have or what we are doing, but rather, do we have the Lord’s blessing?
With the Lord’s Blessing we have Infinite Supply. Practically speaking, it means instead of trying to convince the Lord to bless what I want to do or what I think needs to be done, I should find out first what the Lord wants to BLESS and do THAT instead. Remember, “He Himself knew what He would do.” (John 6:6). Thus, we pray, “Not my will, but Your Will be done; not my kingdom, but Your Kingdom come.” And then we enjoy the Lord’s Blessing on our work.
Source: Lord of All by Chip Brogden
http://theschoolofchrist.org/books/lord-of-all.html

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

March 31
An Unavoidable Spiritual Law
"He must increase, but I must decrease."
JOHN 3:30

We must see that everything God has done, everything God is doing, and everything God will do is for the purpose of INCREASING Jesus and DECREASING everything that is not of Him.
This principle is so powerful that it makes no difference if you agree with it, understand it, believe it, or like it. He MUST increase; therefore, He WILL increase and HE IS increasing. At the same time, I MUST decrease, therefore I WILL decrease, and I AM decreasing. This is a spiritual law, and it is working as we speak.
For the Christian who is seeking first the Kingdom of God and His Righteousness this is wonderful news. For selfish, carnal Christians it is a frightening thing, this talk of losing your life and taking up your Cross and denying yourself. That is why you hear so much about spiritual power and so little about spiritual brokenness.
Source: Embrace the Cross by Chip Brogden
http://theschoolofchrist.org/books/embrace-the-cross.html
©1997-2013 TheSchoolOfChrist.Org. Permission is granted for non-commercial (free) distribution provided this notice appears. Share this message with your friends!

March 30
United in Resurrection
"If we have been united with Him in a death like His, we shall certainly be united with Him in a resurrection like His."
ROMANS 6:5 ESV

If we share in His death then we will share in His life. How could it be otherwise? What is true of the Vine is true of the Branches that are part of the Vine. It would be impossible for the Vine to be raised while the Branches that are part of the Vine remain buried. So long as the Vine and the Branches are one, they share in both the suffering and in the glory that is revealed afterwards.
In the same way, when God made us one spirit together with Christ on the Cross, His intention was for us to experience both the Crucifixion and the Resurrection. So Paul says that if we suffer with Him, then we will reign with Him (2 Timothy 2:12). Again, we see the purpose of the Cross. If we refuse to join Him in suffering then we cannot hope to join Him in ruling. If we refuse the Crucified Death then we cannot have the Resurrected Life.
Source: Embrace the Cross by Chip Brogden
http://theschoolofchrist.org/books/embrace-the-cross.html

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

March 28
No Other Way

"Narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to Life."
MATTHEW 7:14

The Narrow Gate refers to salvation. We know that a gate is an opening, or a door that one passes through. It is an entrance into something. Jesus said, “I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved” (John 10:9). Here, Jesus connects the Door, or the Gate, to entering in through Him to be saved. This is the Narrow Gate. Why is it narrow?
The Bible says of Jesus, “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). To insist that there is no salvation apart from One Man is, in the eyes of the world, rather narrow-minded. But we insist upon it because it is true. Jesus says the Gate is narrow. We must go in through Him. God requires all men to enter in through Christ in order to be saved. There is no way to appropriate the Victory of the Cross without entering in by the One Who was crucified for us.
Source: Embrace the Cross by Chip Brogden
http://theschoolofchrist.org/books/embrace-the-cross.html

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

Hey Elaine,
I've been lying in bed awake
since 2:15 a.m. thinking about the
answer to a question I ask myself
regularly:

"Why am I here?"

It helps to regularly touch base
with your purpose.

But while I was thinking about
the answer to that, I thought
about something Paul said in
Galatians 4:19 that sounds a
little strange:

"My little children, of whom I
travail in birth again until
Christ be formed in you."

It sounds strange because they
were already believers in Jesus.

You may ask, "Didn't they already
have the Lord? Why is Paul groaning
in travail for them again?"

We don't understand what he means
because we haven't been told the
truth.

See, Paul knew something that a
lot of people still haven't learned.

It's true that you are a new
creation in Christ.

It's also true that you are a
work in progress.

In Him, you are complete.

But in yourself... well... you're
not complete yet.

And most of the time, we're not
living according to the New Man -
we're still living according to
the Old Man.

That's why Paul was still
"travailing in birth again" until
he saw Christ fully formed in
people who already belonged to Him.

Oh yes!

You must be born-again, again...
and again, and again...

Each time, Christ is more
perfectly formed in you.

He increases.

You decrease.

Christ being formed in a person
isn't just a Gate that's over and
done with; it's a Path of
continual progress.

So don't take the attitude that
"Jesus did it all, so I don't have
to do anything."

Don't be foolish.

Jesus said, "If you continue in
My Word, then you are My true
disciples."

Fake disciples are easy to find -
they can't be bothered with
anything that sounds like effort.

Smooth, easy, effortless, do-
nothing spirituality is for New
Age people, not New Creation people.

True disciples of Jesus are few
and far between.

That's who we're here to help.

Listen...

I know I don't serve you perfectly.

I don't even serve HIM perfectly.

So please don't put me on a
pedestal, and then be surprised
and disappointed when I fail to
live up to all your expectations.

I'm not a pastor - at least not in
the traditional sense.

But I know why I'm here.

MY PURPOSE IS TO SEE CHRIST
FULLY FORMED IN ALL OF US!

To see all of us healed from what
has burned and hurt us in the past...

To see us on a path towards
Christ-centered spiritual
maturity, fully-grown, able to
help others along the Path...

To see us find and fulfill a
purpose in God that's bigger than
"us."

We cannot let our Christ-centered
world become like the self-centered
world we live in.

"My little children, of whom I
travail in birth again until
Christ be formed in you."

That's the answer to my question
of why *I* am here.

Why are *YOU* here?

Do you know?

Reply to this email and let me
know.
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!

March 27
Reigning on Earth
"You were slain, and have redeemed us to God by Your blood out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, and have made us kings and priests to our God;and we shall reign on the earth."
REVELATION 5:9,10

When we think of a king, we usually think of some human authority exerting their will upon their subjects with a haughty air. But true authority is not found in title or position. Jesus, the King of Kings, shows us that true authority is serving, not lording over. In fact, Psalm 72 tells us what a true king is – someone who serves the people, provides for the poor, and defends those who cannot defend themselves.
We are being prepared for a kingdom. But our preparation is not in learning how to wear a crown or how to walk around with a glorious robe and scepter. One brother sings, “He’s brought me low so I could know the way to reach the heights.” In God’s Kingdom, to go higher, we must go lower. That is the Hidden Wisdom.
Source: The Irresistible Kingdom by Chip Brogden
http://theschoolofchrist.org/books/the-irresistible-kingdom.html
©1997-2013 TheSchoolOfChrist.Org. Permission is granted for non-commercial (free) distribution provided this notice appears. Share this message with your friends!

March 26
First Submit, Then Resist
"God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you."
JAMES 4:6,7
So many times we try to resist, but we are defeated. Why? Simply because we attempt to resist the devil before we have first submitted ourselves to God. There is a proper order that must be observed without fail.
First, we must understand the principle of God resisting the proud but giving grace to the humble. This is the foundation of everything we do. Second, the word “therefore” signifies that those who learn this principle will act upon it accordingly. If they understand the truth just stated, they will submit “therefore” to God. Third, as a result of their submitting to God, they will find the devil flees whenever and wherever they offer him resistance.
The word “flee” means “to run away in terror.” How wonderful! How delicious to see the devil running from us in terror, instead of the other way around!
Source: Embrace the Cross by Chip Brogden
http://theschoolofchrist.org/books/embrace-the-cross.html
©1997-2013 TheSchoolOfChrist.Org. Permission is granted for non-commercial (free) distribution provided this notice appears. Share this message with your friends!

March 25
Celebrating Him
"The hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth."
JOHN 4:23,24

The corporate Life of God’s people will only rise as high as the individuals represented. That is to say, if there is no spirit-and-truth worship in our prayer closet at home, we cannot expect spirit-and-truth worship when we gather together.
So often we come to a gathering expecting to “enter in” to a place in God. Instead, the gathering of believers should be the celebration and continuation of Who we have already entered into.
Source: The Church in the Wilderness by Chip Brogden
http://theschoolofchrist.org/books/the-church-in-the-wilderness.html
©1997-2013 TheSchoolOfChrist.Org. Permission is granted for non-commercial (free) distribution provided this notice appears. Share this message with your friends!

March 23
Receive Your Inheritance
"It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of Life freely to him who thirsts. He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son."
REVELATION 21:6,7

As we look at the promises made to those who overcome we should see that God is not establishing some new order or special group which enjoys rights and privileges not accessible to the rest of the saints. This is not the establishing of new promises, but a bringing us back to the same exceeding great and precious promises which are potentially true of everyone who is in Christ. It is not establishing a new foundation, it is calling us back to the Foundation which is already laid.
Source: The Irresistible Kingdom by Chip Brogden
http://theschoolofchrist.org/books/the-irresistible-kingdom.html
©1997-2013 TheSchoolOfChrist.Org. Permission is granted for non-commercial (free) distribution provided this notice appears. Share this message with your friends!

March 24
Singleness of Purpose

“Fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.”
PHILIPPIANS 2:2

God is working towards a goal: that Christ should have the preeminence in all things. We have observed that this work does not start on the level of “all things,” but begins with the individual disciple. From there, God desires a group of people who no longer think and live as mere individuals, only concerned with getting their particular needs met; but are more interested in serving God and meeting the needs of each other.
When this occurs (even in a small group of believers) then they can be said to have entered into true spiritual fellowship: one mind and one accord, perfectly adjusted to God and to one another. That does not mean sameness, for every member contributes something unique; but there is a definite unity and a singleness of purpose.
Source: The Church in the Wilderness by Chip Brogden
http://theschoolofchrist.org/books/the-church-in-the-wilderness.html
©1997-2013 TheSchoolOfChrist.Org. Permission is granted for non-commercial (free) distribution provided this notice appears. Share this message with your friends!


Reduced to Christ
by Chip Brogden

There are two Universal Spiritual Principles found in John 3:30 that express two very fundamental truths. First, that Christ must increase. This is a principle that most Christians can agree with. Are there any Christians who do not desire more of the Lord? Are there any believers who do not long for a greater expression and revelation of Christ – in their personal walk, as well as in the world around them? It is easy to align ourselves with this principle and pray in agreement with God’s Will – that Christ would be increased, and that the knowledge of Him would continue to grow and expand.
What is more difficult to affirm is the decrease of Self. Yet this principle is as powerful and as sure as the first.
To learn more, click below:
http://theschoolofchrist.org/blog/reduced-to-christ.html
I am your brother,

Chip Brogden
http://TheSchoolOfChrist.Org

March 22
Governed by the Spirit
“The Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.”
JOHN 14:26

The Holy Spirit is the vessel – the Person, the instrument, the agency, the method and the means – through Whom God accomplishes His purpose of increasing Christ in all things. Jesus said this Helper, this Counselor, this Comforter, this Teacher will abide with us for– ever and will help us as we walk the Difficult Path towards the full knowledge of Christ.
To the extent that we allow ourselves to come under the government of the Holy Spirit, to that extent will Christ be increased. Since the Holy Spirit is responsible for the increase of Christ, spiritual growth is impossible apart from the Spirit. There will be no measurable advancement, no real apprehension of spiritual things, and no recovery of the Heavenly Order apart from the ministry of the Holy Spirit.
Source: The Irresistible Kingdom by Chip Brogden
http://theschoolofchrist.org/books/the-irresistible-kingdom.html
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March 20
Crucified AS Us
"Those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires."
GALATIANS 5:24

Scripture says that those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified (past tense) the flesh with its passions and desires. No one can commit suicide by crucifixion. Someone else must nail us to the Cross. The flesh cannot crucify itself. Jesus has already done what we could not do. The sooner we stop trying to crucify ourselves, the sooner we can boast in the finished work of the Cross and actually witness the evidence of it in our lives.
Notice that Paul does not merely say that Jesus was crucified for us. That is certainly true in and of itself. But there is more. Not only was Jesus crucified FOR us, He was crucified AS us. God considers us to have been crucified as surely as if we were there receiving the nails in our hands and feet. We have been crucified together with Him because God placed us in Him the moment He was crucified.
Source: Embrace the Cross by Chip Brogden
http://theschoolofchrist.org/books/embrace-the-cross.html

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March 18
Boasting in the Cross

"God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world."
GALATIANS 6:14

Whereas the Holy Spirit is instrumental in the increase of Christ, the Cross is instrumental in the decrease of Self. Remember that the whole trouble with man is his inherent tendency to travel a path that is independent of his Creator. This is why the Cross must do a very deep, thorough work in every disciple of Jesus.
As Self is submitted to Christ, Sin begins to lose its power of attraction, and Satan has no more leverage. The night He was betrayed, Jesus told His disciples, “The ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in Me” (John 14:30). That is to say, there was nothing in the Lord Jesus that the devil could use to get an advantage over Him. This is the condition He desires for each of His disciples, and the Cross is the means through which that condition is arrived at.
Source: Embrace the Cross by Chip Brogden
http://theschoolofchrist.org/books/embrace-the-cross.html
©1997-2013 TheSchoolOfChrist.Org. Permission is granted for non-commercial (free) distribution provided this notice appears. Share this message with your friends!
March 19
Are You Being Cheated?

"Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ."
COLOSSIANS 2:8

How can we be cheated? According to Paul we are cheated “through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles (elements) of the world, and not according to Christ.”
It matters not if the philosophy is good, right, morally excellent, and praiseworthy. It matters not how well intentioned, meaningful, or helpful the tradition is. It matters not how necessary we think the worldly element to be, or how important it is to society in general. If none of these things are “according to Christ,” that is, if they are not of Him, through Him, and unto Him, then they are worthless insofar as God’s Purpose is concerned and must be discarded.
Source: Lord of All by Chip Brogden
http://theschoolofchrist.org/books/lord-of-all.html
©1997-2013 TheSchoolOfChrist.Org. Permission is granted for non-commercial (free) distribution provided this notice appears. Share this message with your friends!

March 17
"I Am Finished!"
"If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me."
LUKE 9:23

When we first come to the Lord we truly think we are giving Him our all, but we cannot fully appreciate just how powerful Self is. It cannot be dealt with in a once-and-for-all manner. It requires many seasons of God’s dealings for us to see the truth about the Lord, and the truth about ourselves.
That is why I say there is more hope for someone who is ready to give up and quit than there is for someone who keeps promising to do better tomorrow. Only after we have tried and failed one hundred, one thousand, or one million times will we at last be able to say, “Lord, I finally understand now that I can originate nothing of my own self, because whenever I do, I meet with nothing but defeat. So I am finished! Henceforth, not my will, but Your Will be done!”
Source: Embrace the Cross by Chip Brogden
http://theschoolofchrist.org/books/embrace-the-cross.html


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

March 16
Lay Down Your Life
"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 5:20

We know we must leave sin because we can appreciate how horrible it is. We do not so quickly leave "our righteousness" because we think somehow it has been "purified."
Mark well, however, that God does not fix the old man, but destroys it. He does not tell us to clean up our life, but to lay down our life. It is not enough to forsake the wrong: we must allow Him to crucify the right. That is, we must learn to hate our thoughts that we may have His mind. We must give up our "spiritual" desires in order to have Christ as All.
Source: Embrace the Cross by Chip Brogden
http://theschoolofchrist.org/books/embrace-the-cross.html
©1997-2013 TheSchoolOfChrist.Org. Permission is granted for non-commercial (free) distribution provided this notice appears. Share this message with your friends!