Meditation Chip Brogden

Hello Elaine!

Have you ever had someone question you about why you believe the way you do (especially about church), and you ended up either at a loss for words, or sucked into a religious argument that ended badly?

You know what you believe, but it's hard to describe.

Well, I've just published a short little book that will help you, and I'd like to give you a digital copy.


It's called "KNOWING HIM: Having a Christ-Centered Faith in a Church-Centered World."

Just go here to request it:
http://www.chipbrogden.com/free

It's short, but it explains some powerful concepts very simply.

You may not win an argument, but at least you won't be stuck trying to explain the unexplainable.

You can just say, "Here you go - read this!"

That is, if you agree with it.

So check it out and let me know what you think:
http://www.chipbrogden.com/free

Enjoy your weekend!


I am your brother,
Chip Brogden


PO Box 1007
Wake Forest NC 27588
USA

Hello Elaine!

When someone "new" lands on my website they can be overwhelmed by all the articles, books, Bible studies, audio programs, and podcasts.

A question I get a lot is: "Where do I begin?!?"

It depends on where you like reading or listening.

But I think there is one audio message that does a decent job of demonstrating the difference between religion and relationship, the Great Purpose of God in Christ, and the Two Universal Spiritual Principles that form the basis of almost everything I write about, teach and practice.

Click below to listen and/or download it (free):

John 3: "Mysteries of the Spirit"
http://www.chipbrogden.com/mp3/the-gospel-of-john

The whole series is good (if you have about 30 hours to kill).

Otherwise, scroll down that page to find and play the message I'm talking about.

I even highlighted it in yellow for you :-)

I think almost anyone can listen to this and quickly decide if I'm speaking their language or not. It either resonates or it doesn't. You either love it or hate it.

And that's the way it should be!

Either way, feel free to listen, download, share with others.

John 3: "Mysteries of the Spirit"
http://www.chipbrogden.com/mp3/the-gospel-of-john


I am your brother,
Chip Brogden
PO Box 1007
Wake Forest NC 27588
USA

It's funny...

Some people say I send out too many emails.

Others say they wish I would send out more!

I guess it all depends on where you are and what you need.

One way to offer "more" (without bugging people who want "less") is to ask if you want to be on my daily list, INFINITE SUPPLY.

If so, then each day I'll send you a short, simple message designed to encourage and challenge you in your daily walk with Christ.

Short, meaning a Scripture and two or three paragraphs at the most.

Like a cup of coffee (or Red Bull) for your spirit.

Want to try it out?

Just go here to subscribe:
http://chipbrogden.com/daily

I am your brother,
Chip Brogden

PO Box 1007
Wake Forest NC 27588
USA

Elaine

It's 6:12 p.m. at my house right now, Karla is telling me to come eat dinner, and I hardly ever send an email at night, but I'm too excited not to reach out to you RIGHT NOW. :-)

You know, for several months now I have had to allow the Lord to strip me down and get me back to basics.

It's been hard but good.

Sometimes you need to hit the reset button.

I'll be sharing more about that in future emails.

But that's one reason why I just re-opened the doors to my free online discipleship course, "Embrace the Cross."


Because I want to help you do what I just did - get back to basics, back to a Christ-centered, Spirit-led, Scripture-based walk with Jesus that is based on a relationship with Him, not a religion about Him!

Or, at least, give you some practical encouragement to help you keep moving forward in that relationship.

This discipleship course has been closed and it's not even linked on the website yet because I wanted to give you a chance to get in first, before we make it public.

So click the link below to go to the hidden page:
http://clicks.aweber.com/y/ct/?l=I7QlA&m=3mQ_FI8MyPAqFNq&b=30u2VcQRayUqE6PLhsb7BQ

"Embrace the Cross" consists of nine video lessons that can be completed at your own pace, either by yourself or with a group.

Students progress through each level by watching, listening, reading, and putting things into practice.

A new level is unlocked for you each week.

We even have a place inside the course for you to leave comments and interact with me and other people taking the course.

Best of all, we offer the course for free. Donations are appreciated, but not required.

Watch the video and sign up here:
http://clicks.aweber.com/y/ct/?l=I7QlA&m=3mQ_FI8MyPAqFNq&b=30u2VcQRayUqE6PLhsb7BQ


I am your brother,
Chip Brogden

P.S. If you're one of those folks looking for a "deep word" then this course probably isn't for you. It's really designed as an introductory course (simple but thorough) to establish solid principles and lay a solid foundation for those "deep words" to come later. In fact, I probably won't let you take any of those "deep" courses anyway until you take this "basic" course first. It's the basis for everything that follows. That being said, most people find the simplicity of Christ to be about as deep as it gets.

Go here and see what you think:
http://clicks.aweber.com/y/ct/?l=I7QlA&m=3mQ_FI8MyPAqFNq&b=30u2VcQRayUqE6PLhsb7BQ

Hi Elaine!

When my older daughter was just a little girl (maybe 7 or 8 years old) she saved her money and bought a clock for her bedroom.

This clock was very unique!

Instead of using numbers, this clock was decorated with different birds that would chirp their distinctive call at the top of the hour.

She was so proud of that clock!

And we were proud that she was able to buy it all by herself using her own hard-earned money.

Quite an accomplishment for a little kid.

That night she hung it on the wall over her bed all by herself and we admired it.

Afterwards we sat down at the table to eat dinner.

Everything was going great!

Everyone was happy!

That’s when we heard it…

C-R-A-S-H!!!!

What was that?!?

My daughter jumped up from the table and ran to her bedroom.

I followed, fearing the worse...

And when I walked into her room what I saw broke my heart...

READ THE REST OF THIS STORY (I promise a happy ending to brighten your day!)
http://www.chipbrogden.com/the-bird-clock-a-lesson-in-grace/

I am your brother,
Chip Brogden

PO Box 1007
Wake Forest NC 27588
USA

Hi Elaine!

I consider it a great privilege to be able to write you today!

We have been without power since Friday due to the big east coast snowstorm that gave us more ice than snow.

So I'm happy to report this morning that we now have lights, heat, and Internet!

Yay!

You tend to appreciate those little things when you don't have them.

That got me thinking about the many blessings we have that we take for granted.

And that go me thinking about this whole thing of what it means to be "blessed."

We all want to be blessed, not cursed.

Nothing wrong with that.

But so many times the prayer for "more" sometimes creates "less."

We seek the "blessing" and get broken instead.

We want a crown and God gives us a cross.

Ever wonder why that is?

Jesus reveals the secret here:
http://www.chipbrogden.com/the-blessing-and-the-breaking/

My advice is to stop fighting it and start embracing it.


I am your brother,
Chip Brogden

PO Box 1007
Wake Forest NC 27588
USA

Hi Elaine ,

Karla and I were having a discussion yesterday and I thought you might benefit from it.

-----

PERSON, PLACE OR THING?

http://www.chipbrogden.com/person-place-or-thing/


Relationship views everything in terms of a “person.” Religion views everything in terms of “place” or “thing.”

For example, people say, “I miss corporate worship.” They are basically saying that they see worship as a “place,” something to attend, a “thing” to be done, certain songs to be sung, certain “things” you have to do.

People who see worship as a “person” worship the Lord wherever they are, in Spirit and in Truth. Worship is deeper than singing songs with other people. When you see worship as a “person” you never express a loss, missing something or needing something you don’t have. You are satisfied with the “person” Who is with you always.

If you are satisfied with the “person” it doesn’t matter if you go to church or not. Going to church will not add to or take away from that “person.” If you are not satisfied with the “person” then you feel compelled to go to the “place” or do the “thing.” That’s what leads people to say, “I’m going to church, and you should go too, because that’s the ‘place’ God wants us to go and that’s the ‘thing’ God wants us to do.” However “places and things” do not lead us to the “person” and they can very often substitute for the “person.”

Even the Jews we so stuck on the “place” (Jerusalem) and the “thing” (the Temple) that they missed the “person” (Jesus). So God took their “place” and their “thing” away in AD 70 to show them (and us) that He wants us to be stripped down to a “person.” Yet here we are, in AD 2016, making the same mistakes. We haven’t learned anything.

If you are really touching the “person” then something like, “I miss the corporate worship” will never come into your mind or come out of your mouth. At its root, religion expresses itself as something lacking in your life when Jesus isn’t enough.


I am your brother,

Chip Brogden
http://ChipBrogden.com

PO Box 1007
Wake Forest NC 27588

USA

HOW THE WORD BECOMES FLESH

by Chip Brogden

http://www.chipbrogden.com/how-the-word-becomes-flesh/


"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God…And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth" (John 1:1,14).

On December 25 each year many people celebrate Christmas, and while there are differences of opinion among Christians as to how or if this holiday should be observed, I take the same view as Paul did on how to celebrate the Sabbath: "One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind" (Rom. 14:5). That's Paul's way of saying it doesn't matter, and God doesn't care, about your rules and customs surrounding days of the week or year. Whatever you do, or don't do, do it as unto the Lord.

But what ought to really excite us whenever we contemplate the birth of Jesus is the fact that "the Word became flesh." This is the most remarkable event in the history of God's dealings with mankind. The implications are staggering. Most interesting is the fact that John declares this significant truth – that God became a man – without even referencing His birth in Bethlehem. Those details are provided by other Gospel writers, but for John, the spiritual import of this momentous occasion transcended the physical, geographic, historical, and political context in which it took place.

That John calls Jesus "the Word" makes it all the more intriguing. This description is uniquely John's. It covers the birth of Jesus as well as His second coming, when John sees Him returning with the armies of heaven and declares His name to be "the Word of God" (Rev. 19:13). Here is One Who so perfectly knows and fulfills the will of His Father that He is synonymous with it. The Word of God is, of course, the Will of God, in all of its expressions – the highest and most perfect expression of all being Christ the Living Word. This Word became flesh and dwelt among us!

I find three notable truths about this extraordinary event...

CLICK BELOW TO READ THE REST:
http://www.chipbrogden.com/how-the-word-becomes-flesh/



I am your brother,

Chip Brogden

PO Box 1007
Wake Forest NC 27588
USA

Hey Elaine

This week, while Christians offered prayers and expressed condolences to victims of yet another terrorist attack, a newspaper mocked them with a headline that read:

GOD ISN'T FIXING THIS

Obviously, this insignificant newspaper hoped to increase its circulation by making a cheap political point that is not only ignorant and disrespectful, but blasphemous.

Usually it is best to ignore the liberal media, or at least recognize the extent to which they are biased against people of faith (especially the Christian faith).

However, it does raise an interesting question.

What good is prayer?

For some people, prayer is a last resort: "I've tried everything, all I can do now is pray!"

For others, prayer is like a fire alarm, only to be used in an emergency.

For too many, prayer is a way to manipulate God into giving them what they want.

And then you have those who say, "God knows what I need before I ask, so why pray at all?"

It seems that now, more than ever, we need clarity on these things.

I have an article that addresses all the above issues:
http://www.chipbrogden.com/when-you-pray/

This will (hopefully) open your heart to the possibility of a higher purpose for prayer and give your faith a boost.

Be bold, be courageous, and be confident that God is listening and answering the prayers of the saints in these last days.

Go here to read this now:
http://www.chipbrogden.com/when-you-pray/

I am your brother,

Chip Brogden


PO Box 1007
Wake Forest NC 27588
USA

THE GLORY OF THE LORD
by Chip Brogden

http://www.chipbrogden.com/the-glory-of-the-lord/


"But as truly as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the LORD." (Num. 14:21)

God makes a very bold declaration and promise. He swears upon Himself: "as I live." This is a powerful oath. Since we know that God is true, and cannot lie, shouldn't we pay attention to this declaration? Because what God swears will surely, certainly come to pass.

What is the promise? That the knowledge of the glory of God will fill the earth as the waters cover the sea. How completely do the waters cover the sea? It's a wonderful way of illustrating total coverage. The sea is entirely made of water; therefore, the waters absolutely and completely cover the sea. There is no part of the sea that isn't covered with water! And so, just as surely as the waters cover the sea (says God), so surely and completely and totally and thoroughly will the earth be filled with the knowledge of the glory of God.

Is this not a profound statement? We are not told how this will be accomplished, or when. But we know what, and we know Who, and we know why: because God has declared it. It shall be so, therefore it will be so...


READ THE REST OF THIS ARTICLE:
http://www.chipbrogden.com/the-glory-of-the-lord/



I am your brother,

Chip Brogden


PO Box 1007
Wake Forest NC 27588
USA

Hi Elaine,

How have you been?

Recently the Lord gave me an encouraging word - and I want to share it with you to encourage you too!

"The LORD will perfect that which concerns me" (Ps. 138:8a)

Different translations say it like this:

"The LORD will work out his plans for my life" (NLT)

"The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me" (ESV)

"The LORD will accomplish what concerns me" (NASB)

Here's why this is such good news...

- The Lord has a Purpose, not just for "all things," but for YOU (and for me).

- The Lord will perfect, work out, fulfill, and accomplish what He began.

- The Lord will do it, and is doing it; we just cooperate with Him.

Does it seems like things don't make any sense?

The Lord will work it out.

Does it seem like you'll never get to where you want to be?

The Lord will perfect everything pertaining to you... every detail... every loose end... every unfinished part.

Isn't that good?

By the way...

A few weeks ago I said I would be re-opening my website.

Well, here it is:
http://ChipBrogden.com

Have a great weekend!

-Chip

PO Box 1007
Wake Forest NC 27588
USA

September 27, 2015


Dear Friends,




This email comes to you through a lot of prayer and seeking the face and direction of the Lord. As many of you know I have been involved in some kind of ministry ever since I began preaching at the age of 13. That means that for the last 31 of my 44 years I have been “in the ministry.”
Since 1997, that ministry has consisted of publishing books, writings, and audio teachings over the Internet, beginning with Watchman.Net, and later with The School of Christ. It also included traveling and speaking at churches, house churches, holding workshops in several states, hosting groups in my home, and weekly webinars.
During this time I have always reminded and warned everyone else that “the Lord of the Work” is more important than “the Work of the Lord”. Unfortunately I have not always followed my own advice, and ministry to “others” very often became an all-consuming thing.
The interesting thing is that we have spent a great deal of time helping those of you who (like us) have been burned, hurt, and confused by religion to the point that we were led to “come out of church.” Well, coming out of church is nothing compared to coming out of ministry!
God has blessed us in no small part I believe due to the Christ-centered message that we have sought to bring, both in spoken and written form.  With His blessing, and with your help, The School of Christ has reached people in more than 135 countries with Christ-centered teaching, and we have touched people in ways that cannot be measured.
But now that season seems to have come to a close, and the Lord is asking me to leave the ministry in the sense that I have mostly practiced it – teaching, preaching, and persuading people.
Instead, I have been directed to return to the ministry that I had before I even preached my first sermon or wrote my first article. It’s a ministry that is TO the Lord, FOR the Lord. It’s a ministry that is primarily concerned with meeting the Lord’s Need as opposed to meeting people’s needs. It is ministering to the Lord as Samuel did, as David did, as Anna did, as the prophets and teachers in Antioch (Acts 13) did.
I’ve discussed ministering to the Lord many times previously, so I won’t repeat the full teaching here. But it is a ministry of prayer, first and foremost. And it is coming forth from the inner court from time to time to share with others as the Lord leads – not sharing as a ministry that is obligated or expected to do so, but sharing as a brother.
As part of re-orienting my spiritual life towards ministering to the Lord through prayer, I feel called to focus more on writing. I suspect that as the Lord strips all the extraneous “stuff” away that the writings will be new, fresh, timeless, anointed, and full of Life.
God’s purpose for me hasn’t changed, only the way He would have me approach it. The goal is still to “teach these things to faithful people who can teach others” (2 Tim. 2:2). But I do not have to have a ministry, or an organization, to accomplish this. I can just be who God has called me to be, write what He tells me to write, and share it when He says to share it.
All of us are “The School of Christ.” Picture yourself as a traveling School of Christ wherever you go, sharing the Life, Light and Love of God with others, focusing on Relationship, not Religion.  That is simple and good enough.
If you’re willing to accept me on this basis – as a brother who writes and occasionally shares – then I’m sure it will be an interesting journey together and I think God has even more in store for us. If not then feel free to unsubscribe at the link below and you’ll not hear from me again.
Karla joins me in thanking you for all the love, support, and encouragement you have shown “us” through The School of Christ over the years. “We” are continuing on this Narrow Path even though the ministry is not, so I hope you will continue to pray for us, read the writings, and spread the Word to others, just as you have always done, and as God moves upon you to do so.
After all, this is the very nature of the Cross, isn’t it? With less of me, there is more of Him. When the grain of wheat stops holding on to its life and is willing to fall to the earth and die, it doesn’t stop producing fruit; instead, it brings forth even more fruit. That is the spiritual principle I have taught for years, and now is just another opportunity to put the principle into practice.
So beginning today, as I have been led, I’m not focusing on the fruit or what I can produce or do for God. I’m focusing on Jesus the Vine. Not “the Work of the Lord,” but “the Lord of the Work.”
The School of Christ website is closed as of today. Over the next 2-3 weeks I’ll be prayerfully reviewing all my books and articles to see what should remain and what should stay buried. Whatever is alive and remaining after this process will be posted under my personal website. If you would like to join us in this “new season” the Lord is leading us into you can keep in contact with us here: ChipBrogden.com.
Thank you again for your encouragement and support over the years. We would not be where we are without all of you! I look forward to what God has in store for each of us next.
 
I am your brother,
 
Chip Brogden
PO Box 1007
Wake Forest NC 27588
USA 

September 23

The Potter's House

“You are our Father; we are the clay, and You are our potter.”
ISAIAH 64:8 ESV

I went to a pottery once and watched the potter form a lump of clay into a jar. He demonstrated the technique and in his skilled hands the jar began to take shape. But there was something about it that was not quite right, something was a little off. I didn’t see anything wrong with it, but the potter did. So he just crushed the whole thing back into a shapeless lump like it was no big deal and started again.
Notice that he did not throw the lump away and say the lump was no good. Nor did he blame the lump for not turning out correctly. Nor did he get angry, frustrated, or upset. It was just easier for him to start over with the lump and work with it until it was perfect.
Well, that was encouraging to me! The lump really couldn’t do anything to help itself get any better, or make itself more worthy. It was just a lump, yielded to the potter’s hands.
Source: Embrace the Cross 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!

September 24

An Exchanged Life

“It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.”
GALATIANS 2:20

Most of us are still trying to attain something and have not yet realized that we have already obtained it. We wear ourselves out in order to be Christ-like. We are hoping that through much effort we will one day reach some standard to which we can finally say we are living like Jesus. But this is not God’s way.
It is not a changed life that God seeks from you, but an exchanged life – that is, your life is to be given up in exchange for His Life. That is the exchanged Life: my life for His Life.
Source: Embrace the Cross 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!

September 25

Who is Your Elder?

“You younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility.”
1 PETER 5:5

If our desire is for maturity, that is, if we desire to come to the full-knowledge of Christ and grow up into Him in all things, we should naturally pay attention to those who are elder in the Lord. My elder brother, or my elder sister, has walked with the Lord longer than I have. The implication is that they are more conformed to the image of Christ than myself; they have experienced a deeper work of the Cross than I have; thus, they have more practical wisdom than I do, they have something to teach me, and I need to hear Christ in them so I, too, can grow.
It should be obvious to you who is, and who is not, your elder in the Lord. And, it should be plain to see that not everyone who is older is necessarily elder. If you say you are a believer but you live no differently from the world, then you can be as old as Methuselah yet you are certainly not an elder.
Source: The Church in the Wilderness 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!

September 26

Making Peace

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.”
MATTHEW 5:9

Peacemakers are simply agents of Grace, showing people the way to the Prince of Peace. Peacemakers are ambassadors sent to represent the King and His Kingdom.
What is the message? It is the message of reconciliation, the message that all is forgiven, the message of hope, and love, and grace, and a thousand other good things (see 2 Corinthians 5:17-21). It is the most awe-inspiring mission a human being could ever have: to represent Heaven in the midst of Hell; Light in the midst of Darkness; Liberty in the midst of Bondage; to proclaim the preeminence and Lordship of Jesus when we do not yet see all things submitted to Him (Hebrews 2:8). And to do all this in a way that does not drive people away or turn them off, but causes them to fall in love with Him and make their peace with Him – not through forced submission, manipulation, or fear – but willingly, gladly.
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!

September 27

A Prisoner of Love

“I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you...”
EPHESIANS 4:1 ESV

To be the prisoner of the Lord means that we accept the sentence of death and are resigned to our fate. We are not the Lord’s prisoner if we are still protesting our innocence. If we do not agree with the Lord that Self is worthy of death then we unnecessarily delay the inevitable.
If we must take up the Cross and be crucified, it is better to submit ourselves to it as Christ did, giving up our spirit into the Father’s hands, and bowing our head in peace. So let us drink the Cup that the Father gives us. If we struggle and protest, like the two thieves, then we only prolong our agony, and the soldiers must come and break our legs. Either way, the Cross means death. The sooner we surrender to it, the sooner we find Resurrection.
Source: Embrace the Cross 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!

September 19

How the Life Flows

“Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.”
JOHN 15:4

It is never a question of how to get the Life to flow, or how to get the Lord to move. To tap into the Infinite Supply it is only a matter of being yielded to the Lord and emptied of ourselves. When this happens then the Life will flow of its own accord.
On the negative side, this Life answers to every assault of the Adversary and stops his harassment against us. On the positive side, this Life supplies us with all the spiritual resources we need to maintain our abiding relationship with the Lord Jesus. With less of me, there will be more of the Lord: this is a spiritual law. Therefore, “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30).
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!


September 20

Less of Everything Else

“We rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.”
PHILIPPIANS 3:3

Can you see that “Self-Esteem” actually takes you further away from Christ-Esteem? Self-esteem increases Self. But Paul said we rejoice in Christ Jesus and have no confidence in the flesh. When I have lost confidence in myself then I can put all my confidence in Christ. He is increased as I am decreased.
Some years ago I was teaching at a men’s retreat. I was met at the airport and we stopped to get something to eat on the way to the retreat area. The brothers were excited and looking forward to the weekend. One of them exclaimed, “I just want more of the Lord! More of the Lord!” I was about to agree when the Holy Spirit gave me a flash of new understanding. I said, “Brother, it is not more of the Lord that we need; we just need less of everything else!” Of course there is nothing wrong with wanting more of the Lord, but there is so much that gets in the way of Him already.
Source: Embrace the Cross 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!

September 17

The Purpose of Your Trial

“His mother said to the servants, ‘Whatever He says to you, do it.’”
JOHN 2:5

If only we would heed this advice from Mary. To be sure she has learned this in years gone by. Through many experiences she has at last learned where to go. Her automatic reflex now is to go to Jesus and lay the problem at His feet: “They have no wine.” That is all. In this relationship she makes no demands, she does not even ask Him outright to do something. He knows what she means. It is an understanding that is borne out of relationship.
This, brothers and sisters, is the whole purpose for the trial you find yourself in. It may be that you have no oil, no bread, no fish, or no wine. Whatever the situation, bring your problem to the Lord of Infinite Supply, and do whatever He says to do. He wishes to reveal His glory in you. He longs to see His Power displayed through your weakness. The very thing you see as a problem is really an opportunity to see Jesus in a depth you cannot otherwise see.
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!

September 18

Responding to Tribulation

“In the world you will have tribulation; but
be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”
JOHN 16:33

Since we cannot avoid having tribulation in this world, we might as well make the best possible use of every circumstance we find ourselves in.
Begin to see all your temptations, tests, and trials as opportunities for growing, maturing, and learning how to live as an Overcomer. Then your problem will become your greatest opportunity for knowing God – for the depth of your revelation is measured by the depth of your suffering.
Source: Embrace the Cross 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!

September 16

Getting Out of God's Way

“Cast out this slave woman with her son, for the son of this slave woman shall not be heir with my son Isaac.”
GENESIS 21:10 ESV

Often the greatest hindrance to the best is the good. The greatest hindrance to Isaac is Ishmael.
There are many good things we can create, many good things we can do. But only one thing is needed (Luke 10:42). We have to discover the “one thing,” and we only discover it when we are seated at the feet of Jesus. When we are only motivated by what JESUS needs, not what MAN needs and not what we think WE need, then we are on the path of continual and perpetual blessing.
Source: The Church in the Wilderness 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!

September 15

The Lies We Believe

“Do not worry about tomorrow.”
MATTHEW 6:34

Most of us, from time to time or nearly all of the time, worry about something – our health, our finances, our loved ones, and so on. Yet the Scriptures say to take no thought for your lives and be anxious for nothing. Why is worry a sin? I know we consider it “only human,” but worry really implies a lack of trust in God. It is believing a lie. Identify the lie and you can quickly discover the Truth. What is the lie? That God is somehow less than sufficient, that perhaps He will not come through for us.
So you see, the enemy gets us to believe a lie, and then gets us to think that we are just being “human.” So then we accept something less than the normal Christian life – overcoming – and think that is just the way it is. Remember: satan has no power apart from our belief in his lie.
Source: The Irresistible Kingdom by Chip Brogden
 
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September 14

The Way of the Cross

“Our old man was crucified with Him.”
ROMANS 6:6

Thank God for the Cross of Jesus Christ! For it is there that my sins are forgiven; it is there that the “old man” died. Yet it is also true that there is something as wicked, if not more wicked, than sin, and that is Self. It is true that every sin is rooted in Self.
As we must initially accept His death for sin, so we must daily accept our death to Self. As we are once crucified with Him for the remission of sins, so we must daily take up the Cross, deny our Self, and follow Him. We walk in the narrow Way just as we entered the narrow Gate – by way of the Cross.
Source: Embrace the Cross by Chip Brogden
 
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September 13

Glimpsing Another World

“Suddenly a great light from heaven shone around me. And I fell
to the ground and heard a voice saying to me,
‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?’” 
ACTS 22:6,7

All it takes is a millisecond of time for the Revelation to strike you down. I recall when I first received the Revelation of Jesus Christ. I had had many religious and spiritual experiences up to that point, more than the average person. I had been a pastor and teacher for many years. I thought I really knew the Lord. But one day God revealed His Son IN me. I was sitting in the backyard reading the Word and without warning, in my heart of hearts, I “saw” (not with my eyes, but inwardly) Jesus seated at God’s right hand, and I saw myself raised and seated with Him in heavenly places (Ephesians 2:6).
That day was like walking out of one room and into another, closing the door behind me. I got a glimpse into another world. I saw the real Jesus and realized He was nothing like flesh and blood had said. Hallelujah!
Source: Lord of All by Chip Brogden

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5 Reasons Why God Isn’t
Allowing You to Find Fellowship​
Here’s a strange concept: God may be closing doors in your life when it comes to fellowship with others.  We seek it, we pray for it, we complain about it, yet God does not give us what we ask for. 

Why not?

1. To break religious addiction.  Often when a person gives up one addiction (like smoking) they end up taking on a new addiction (like overeating).  It is difficult to recognize an addiction and overcome it without finding something else to replace it. 

In the case of religious addiction, some leave the church and immediately go out in search of another addiction to replace it.  “Fellowship” becomes the new drug of choice – it sounds so spiritual! – and people tend to wander around in search of their next fellowship “fix.”  It is a very real psychological and spiritual condition.

God will not reinforce or encourage your religious addiction by giving you more fellowship.  In my experience, He longs to have you all to Himself for a little while.  He seeks intimacy with you that you have probably never experienced before (and will probably never experience) until He can get you alone and apart with Him for a season. 

The stronger the addiction, the more difficult it is to accept these seasons of being alone with God – and the more difficult it is to accept, the more necessary it is for you to learn to be totally and completely satisfied in God; so satisfied that people can take nothing away from it, and people can add nothing to it. 

This is critically important to recognizing true fellowship when God allows it.  He only allows it when He can trust you with it, and knows it will not just be another religious addiction for you to become enslaved to...

Click below to read 4 more reasons why!
http://www.theschoolofchrist.org/articles/why-does-fellowship-elude-us


I am your brother,

Chip Brogden

TheSchoolOfChrist.Org

September 10

The One Who Is Greater

“You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.”
1 JOHN 4:4

John declares that no matter what comes against us, the One within us is Greater. It does not matter what you feel like, what you see, what you hear, what people say, or what the devil does. It does not matter if Lazarus is dead for four days and is beginning to stink. It does not matter if the girl dies before Jesus can get there. It does not matter if the waves are about to capsize the boat. It does not matter if Paul is stoned and left for dead. Lazarus will be raised, the girl will be brought back to life, and the storm will be silenced, and Paul will preach again.
The Greater is always Greater, and the Lesser is always Lesser. We only have a problem when we see everything else as “greater” and see Christ as “lesser.”
Source: The Irresistible Kingdom by Chip Brogden

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September 11

In Christ Alone

“By grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.”
EPHESIANS 2:8,9

When you come to the Lord Jesus for the first time, regardless of the circumstances, it means that on some level you have come to the realization that you cannot save yourself, that salvation is only possible through Him. No one seeks a Savior if they believe they can still save themselves. Only when you realize that you cannot save yourself will you acknowledge your need for Someone Else to do the saving. This is usually not the result of some intellectual argument or emotional plea, but the cold hard reality one faces after having tried unsuccessfully to do everything on their own.
We may fail once, twice, a dozen times, a hundred times. But when we finally surrender to God we are decreased, and He is increased. Practically speaking it simply means a little less confidence and faith in yourself, and a little more confidence and faith in Christ.
Source: Embrace the Cross by Chip Brogden

 
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September 12

Purposed Intention

“He chose us in Him before the foundation
of the world... according to the purpose of His will.”
EPHESIANS 1:4,5 ESV

God is not random. He doesn’t act without a Purpose, without a Plan, without some big Universal Goal. He is not haphazard or accidental. As much as a writer envisions the completed book before he begins to write it, and as much as the artist envisions the portrait in her head before she begins to paint it, God sees what He wants and “all things work together for good... according to His Purpose” (Romans 8:28).
Creation bears witness to a purposeful, intentional Creator and so do we. Just as the days of Creation unfold and we see a progressive revelation of the heart, intention, purpose, mind, and will of God taking shape in Creation, you can rest assured that through successive ages God is bringing about His Will, not just in the physical world, but in the spiritual world.
Source: The Irresistible Kingdom by Chip Brogden
 
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September 9

Destined to Overcome

“The Lamb will overcome them, for He is Lord of lords and King of kings; and those who are with Him are called, chosen, and faithful.”
REVELATION 17:14

The Lord is calling out for Overcomers, those who have the Revelation of Christ and who bear the Testimony of Jesus; those who demonstrate the preeminence of Christ over all things. That is your purpose as a Christian – in fact, it has always been God’s purpose for saving you and leaving you on the earth, whether you have realized it or not. You are NOT on the earth to be constantly disappointed, discouraged, and defeated. You are on the earth to demonstrate the preeminence of Christ; to show the world that “the heavens do rule.”
A defeated Christian is a contradiction: it is not your destiny. Rise up and live according to the truth: that Victory is a Man, and He lives inside of you, and the One Who lives within you is greater than whatever comes against you.
Source: The Irresistible Kingdom by Chip Brogden

 
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September 7

Constantly Satisfied

“You seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but
because you ate of the loaves and were filled.”
JOHN 6:26

The ones who seek bread from the Lord will be temporarily filled, but all who seek the Lord as Bread will be constantly satisfied. What is more, they will have resources from which to feed others.
It is a shame that many Christians only seek to be filled, and still they are never satisfied. They are content with a meager pittance, for a few crumbs from the table (Mark 7:28). They are constantly obsessed with being filled. To such ones we can only say that it is time to seek the Lord, not for what He can give you, but for Himself.
Source: Lord of All by Chip Brogden
 
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September 8

To Love Mercy

“What does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?”
MICAH 6:8

According to Vines Expository Dictionary of Bible Words, “Mercy is the outward manifestation of pity; it assumes need on the part of him who receives it, and resources adequate to meet the need on the part of him who shows it.”
Ideally, forgiveness is based on repentance; but whether or not a person repents and asks for forgiveness, they are still in need of mercy (even if they do not deserve it). If nothing else, we can pray that a merciful God will open their eyes and show them their true condition. The question is not whether or not someone deserves mercy, but whether or not they need mercy, and whether or not my spiritual life is rich enough to extend it to them.
Source: The Irresistible Kingdom by Chip Brogden

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September 6

No Compromise

“Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s delicacies, nor with the wine which he drank.”
DANIEL 1:8

The easiest thing to do is to just go along with things, accept them as they are, and not make any trouble. But thank God for that decision! Daniel purposed in his heart – a flame was kindled, and the longer he thought about it, the hotter the fire burned.
While the others were eating and drinking, Daniel motioned to his three friends, and whispered, “Eat mine if you will have it – but I will not sin against the Lord in this thing!” And the three brothers, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, agreed that they would not eat the meat or drink the wine either. Hallelujah! This is what the Lord is after – a small company of two or three, gathered together under a covenant that they will stand for the Testimony of the Lord, for something Heavenly, regardless of the cost!
Source: The Irresistible Kingdom by Chip Brogden
 
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September 4

He Is Enough

“When John had heard in prison about the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples and said to Him, ‘Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?’”
MATTHEW 11:2,3

Have you discovered Him yet, and is He enough, or do you look for another? We do not proclaim the preeminence of Christ because it is a nice doctrine to believe in; for us, it is a matter of life and death, because everything hinges on whether or not Jesus is preeminent. If He is preeminent then He is Enough, and there is nothing else but Him, and there is nothing worth proclaiming except Him.
To John in prison, and to us wherever we may happen to be, Jesus says, “No, you did not make a mistake. I am the One, but I am more than you can imagine, more than you dare to dream. Blessed are they who are not offended in Me.”
Source: Lord of All by Chip Brogden
 
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September 5

No Argument Necessary

“While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and went with them. But their eyes were kept from recognizing him.”
LUKE 24:15,16 ESV

You see that Christ is revealed or hidden from men as He so desires. So many professed disciples of the Lord Jesus fail to recognize Him.
Even His closest disciples are prone to doubt and unbelief. After the resurrection, Thomas declared, “I will not believe unless I see the scars and put my hand into the wound in His side.” When Jesus therefore appeared to them He did not argue or try to convince Thomas. He simply said, “Look! See My hands and My feet!” When Thomas saw the Lord, he spontaneously cried out, “My Lord, and my God!”
This is revelation. Revelation does not require any arguing or convincing, as if it all depends on how well we can make a defense of the Gospel. I see no argument in the Lord Jesus, I only see Him. Seeing Him, I am convinced, and no argument is necessary.
Source: Lord of All by Chip Brogden

 
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