Meditation Chip Brogden

September 29

Today's Message from Chip Brogden
"Put on the New Man, created in God's own Righteousness and true Holiness" (Ephesians 4:24).

The old man (self) is put off, and the New Man (Christ) is put on - this is Christianity. Christ then becomes my Righteousness and my Holiness. But too many of us take a natural, intellectual approach to Christianity. We think if only we can instruct people concerning the tenets of our faith, or persuade them with a logical argument, or woo them with some emotional plea, then we will have disciples. This is a falsehood. That is not Spirit and Life.

Christianity is not memorizing certain doctrines or disseminating a systematic theology or having people repeat a so-called "Sinner's Prayer". Christianity is becoming one with a God-Man! You can have all the other in its proper place, but for too long that "other" has been offered as Christianity. And so people touch our beliefs, our doctrines, our religion, our theology, our zeal, but they do not touch a Living Christ.
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September 28
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Today's Message from Chip Brogden

"Put on the New Man, created in God's own Righteousness and true Holiness" (Ephesians 4:24).

What is the Christian Life? It is leaving our ground altogether and coming onto the ground of Christ. It is deeper than a changed life - it is an exchanged life. Over time we can accomplish a change, but we can do nothing to exchange our life for His Life. This, from start to finish, is God's work, and it is a work of grace.

What, after all, is Righteousness? What is true Holiness? Christ is not righteous because He does righteous things; He does righteous things because He is Righteousness. Christ is not holy because He does holy things; He does holy things because He is Holiness. His "doing" flows out of His "being" - and OUR "doing" flows out of His "being" as well.

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September 27
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Today's Message from Chip Brogden

"Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we Him no more" (II Corinthians 5:16).

In our relationships it is easy to touch one another in the flesh. But to put on the Lord Jesus is to make no provision for the flesh, even in our relationships. To "know no man after the flesh" is truly a challenge. We "project" a certain something, and either it is ourselves, or it is Christ.

We note the personality differences between Paul, and Peter, and John, and James, and Barnabas; even so, they each have the same clothing, having put on the Lord Jesus. So we can touch them on a deeper level than who they are in themselves. We can still see the man, but we mostly see the Lord of the man. When we put on the Lord Jesus then the outward man becomes consistent with the inward man. This is fruitfulness, and this should be the normal experience of all disciples of the Lord.


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September 26
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Today's Message from Chip Brogden

"For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ" (Galatians 3:27).

What does it mean to be baptized? It is to go down into death and to come back up into life. We were baptized into Christ. The water of baptism does not merely signify the washing away of sins, but the death of the sinner. We go down into the water, and we are brought up out of the water. If we were to stay under the water for long we would surely die. But we are quickly lifted back up out of the "grave". This represents death and resurrection.

The outward sign of water baptism is meant to represent an inward spiritual truth - that I am baptized indeed, not into water only, but into Christ. I died with Him, and I was raised with Him. If I am one with Him then His death is my death; when He is raised, I too am raised. God has placed us in Christ, and since we are joined to the Lord, we are one spirit with Him. The Branches will go the way of the Vine. The Body will go the way of the Head.


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September 25
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Today's Message from Chip Brogden

"For now we see not yet all things put under Him, but we see Jesus... for Whom are all things and by Whom are all things" (Hebrews 2: 8).

Do we see it yet? Not in its fullness, no. We have a little here, and a little there. Where this has already happened, where we actually see and experience Christ having the preeminence, it is called the Kingdom of God. It is not a visible thing, but an invisible thing, for Jesus said the Kingdom is not seen, but is within you. Eventually the Kingdom of God will swallow up the entire Creation and Christ will have the preeminence in all things. Why? Because all things are for Him, and all things were by Him. That is what this verse is saying.

For now, when we abide in Him we are full of His Life individually, and this is a beginning, but it is largely invisible. He fills us and to some extent He is seen in us once we are conformed to His Image. But filling the Church is not the end, but the beginning. The end must include "all things", not just the Church.


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September 24
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Today's Message from Chip Brogden

"Let that which you have heard from the beginning abide in you. If what you have heard from the beginning abides in you, you will also continue in the Son and in the Father; and this is the promise He has promised us: eternal Life" (I John 2:24,25).

There is still much of Him to learn and to experience. There is much growing which must take place. The Path is a process. We are hardly ever as far along as we imagine ourselves to be. But we have not been talking about spiritual maturity, but spiritual satisfaction. If, in abiding continually in the Lord, He becomes our food and our drink, then we will grow.

Growth is not the result of time, it is the natural result of Christ increasing and us decreasing. The Law of Life says that Christ must increase. Now we can do nothing to speed up this process, but we can certainly hinder or quench it.

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September 22
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Today's Message from Chip Brogden

"The anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you" (I John 2:27a).

Now the Scripture says that we do not need any man to teach us, for the Anointing (Christ) Who indwells us will teach us all things. More than anything else I consider myself a teacher, so I pondered this for a long time. What use is there for me to teach anything? For that matter, why do we need teachers at all? Would it not be better for each of us to be taught of God directly, without the interference of a human teacher?

Then I received insight into this Scripture. It cannot be telling us that we do not need teachers, for it was God who gave apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers to His Church, to encourage, edify, and establish all of us deeper into Christ. Can the Holy Spirit in John contradict the Holy Spirit in Paul? By no means.

What then? John was the sole survivor of the first twelve apostles, and now he is very old. Naturally he is concerned with the welfare of the Church after his death. So God comforts John, and then John comforts us, with this truth: even if we do not have access to the apostle, or prophet, or evangelist, or pastor and teacher, we are still instructed inwardly. The Church that Jesus is building is not dependant upon the great men or women of God. We are grateful to the ministry gifts when we have them, but we are not dependent upon them for our Life. The Life is greater than the ministers through which it may be ministered.


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September 23
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Today's Message from Chip Brogden

"For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh" (Philippians 3:3).

We too quickly put our confidence in flesh and blood. It is easier and speedier to have someone tell us, "Yes, you should do this" or "No, you should not do that." The question is not should or should not; the question is, how is the Life instructing you? If we do not know what the Life is telling us, then we should be still and be quiet until we DO know.

But all too often we know well enough what we are to do, and we are looking for a way out of it; or we are trying to get confirmation from this thing or that thing before we will obey. This is why we have a hard time hearing to begin with. How many times does God have to repeat Himself? How many times does He have to confirm something before we will obey? It sounds spiritual and humble to question and wait, but if the Life has already instructed us then any delay on our part is really disobedience.

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September 21
Infinite Supply
Today's Message from Chip Brogden

"The anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you" (I John 2:27a).

Now the Scripture says that we do not need any man to teach us, for the Anointing (Christ) Who indwells us will teach us all things. More than anything else I consider myself a teacher, so I pondered this for a long time. What use is there for me to teach anything? For that matter, why do we need teachers at all? Would it not be better for each of us to be taught of God directly, without the interference of a human teacher?

Then I received insight into this Scripture. It cannot be telling us that we do not need teachers, for it was God who gave apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers to His Church, to encourage, edify, and establish all of us deeper into Christ. Can the Holy Spirit in John contradict the Holy Spirit in Paul? By no means.

What then? John was the sole survivor of the first twelve apostles, and now he is very old. Naturally he is concerned with the welfare of the Church after his death. So God comforts John, and then John comforts us, with this truth: even if we do not have access to the apostle, or prophet, or evangelist, or pastor and teacher, we are still instructed inwardly. The Church that Jesus is building is not dependant upon the great men or women of God. We are grateful to the ministry gifts when we have them, but we are not dependent upon them for our Life. The Life is greater than the ministers through which it may be ministered.

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September 20
Infinite Supply
Today's Message from Chip Brogden

"In Him we live, and move, and have our being" (Acts 17:28a).

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.



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September 18
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Today's Message from Chip Brogden

"I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, Who loved me, and gave Himself for me" (Galatians 2:20).

The Law of Gravity brings objects to the ground. It does not matter to Gravity how large or small the object is. It works the same with acorns as it does with airplanes.

Likewise, I know today that it does not matter if I am called upon to wash dishes, mow the lawn, write an article, preach a message, cast out a demon, love my neighbor, forgive my enemy, or lay down my life. It makes no difference to the Life. It is not I, but Christ, who does these things. The principle is the same, and the Life cannot fail. If I give up my life, if I give up my self-effort, then He begins to do what I cannot do. This is Christianity.


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September 19
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Today's Message from Chip Brogden

"Whereunto I also labour, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily" (Colossians 1:29).

The one who rests in Christ will produce more fruit than the one who strives with self-effort. This is demonstrated in Scripture and in the real-life experience of countless saints.

There is no question that Paul worked, labored, and toiled. But the difference with Paul is he knew that he was laboring according to Christ working in him. Was Paul lazy? By contrast, he was more fruitful than ever. The end result is his statement, "I labored more abundantly than them all," quickly qualified with, "yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me" (I Corinthians 15:10). The "I can do all things" must always be followed with "through Christ who strengthens me." If we trust in the Life we will be anything but passive.
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September 17
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Today's Message from Chip Brogden

"And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst" (John 6:35).

So how do we touch Him directly? "He who comes to Me." Can it really be this easy? A better question is, why should it be difficult? I can come to Him whether I am driving down the street, walking down the sidewalk, or sitting in my chair. I can come to Him whether it is Sunday morning or Tuesday night or Friday afternoon. I can come to Him in a large group, or with two or three, or all by myself. I can come to Him in the desert, in the garden, in the church building, or in the prison camp. I am prevented from doing many things due to circumstance, location, state of mind, or resources. But one thing I cannot be prevented from doing is coming to the Lord.

Must I stand, or bow down, or lay on my face? Am I supposed to whisper, shout, or say nothing at all? Should I sing, or pray, or recite the Scriptures, or be still? What difference does it make? None at all, so long as I come to the Lord. He does not tell us what to do, what to say, or what to expect. He just says, "Come to Me, and you will not be hungry or thirsty." Religion would like to teach us a method and a formula for everything, but Christ is no religion. There are no ceremonies, rituals, rites of initiation or barriers to entry as in the Old Testament. Nor do we have to spend hours and days praying, fasting, or meditating. This is a New Way, and this Way is open. All we have to do is present ourselves to Christ.

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September 16
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Today's Message from Chip Brogden

"And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst" (John 6:35).

The Law of Life says that the presence of Christ within the believer results in spiritual satisfaction. If we have Him then we will never hunger or thirst again, because He is Infinite Supply. Anything less than spiritual satisfaction indicates that there is a problem. I am not saying that one should be content with their progress and present knowledge of Christ so that they stop growing; but I am saying that no matter what stage of progress you may be at presently, Christ should be your satisfaction.


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September 14
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Today's Message from Chip Brogden

"In every thing you are enriched by Him" (I Corinthians 1:5).

We must differentiate between seeking Christ and seeking some feeling in our emotion in the name of an "outpouring" or "move" of God. May I emphatically state that God already poured out everything He has when He gave His Son to us to be our Life! If we are still waiting for God to "move" then I have to believe we do not fully appreciate that God's greatest move was revealing His Son in us. How can we keep looking for anything else when we have everything in Him already?


September 15
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Today's Message from Chip Brogden

"Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28).

As a drug addict is never satisfied, so a religious addict is never satisfied. The drug addict and the religious addict must always search for a bigger and better "high". Without this high they are irritable and bad-tempered. Deny them their "fix" and they will become intolerable. Suggest that they have a problem and they will begin to view YOU as the problem. Some say they are really hungry and thirsty for God, so they are going to go here or there because they want "fresh fire" or "greater anointing" or whatever. What they are really hungry and thirsty for is a fix, a spiritual experience, a feeling of power, a manifestation, the feeling of a gentle breeze blowing on them, someone to wave their hand over them and give them a "new word" and so on. Where is Christ in this kind of an atmosphere? In this orgy of sensation He is nowhere to be found.

We must stop looking for a Jesus "out there" and look for the Christ who is within us. If we would just once come to Christ in simplicity we would immediately meet Him. It would be better for us to lock ourselves alone into a room and just sit there quietly before the Lord for one hour than to travel back and forth to all these meetings, looking for something loud, powerful, and demonstrative. It is the Spirit which gives Life; the flesh profits nothing. I have one question: are you satisfied after all those experiences? If you are, then why do you have to keep running around for more of the same? Do you abide in Christ as Life, or not? And if you are not satisfied, can you not see why?


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September 13
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Today's Message from Chip Brogden

"For 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.

2009 TheSchoolOfChrist.Org.Permission is granted for non-commercial (free) distribution provided this notice appears.

Infinite Supply
Today's Message from Chip Brogden

"Unless you eat My flesh and drink My blood you do not have eternal Life in you [Gate]... Whoever continues to eat My flesh and drink My blood continues to live in union with Me and I in union with him... Whoever keeps on eating Me will live because of Me [Path]" (John 6:53, 56, 57b Williams Translation).
It is amazing to see just how often Christ presents us with a Gate and a Path. I believe by now we all know what the Gate is. My burden is to see disciples brought down the Path, so I see the Path everywhere I look in the Scripture. How does this relate to our study? In this way: the Gate of eternal Life is to receive the Lord as food and drink, but the Path is to continue eating and drinking.
The Lord's words here are not meant to be interpreted literally, for He says, "The words I speak are Spirit and Life, and the flesh profits nothing." But let us look at literal food and drink for a moment. The Lord tells us that He is meat indeed, and drink indeed. Just how often do we eat and drink? Unless we are fasting, our eating and drinking occur daily, several times a day in fact. That is why I selected the Williams Translation of these passages, because it gives us the continuing action of the Greek verb - "keeps on eating" and "keeps on drinking". It is not just a once-and-for-all thing, but a continual thing. It is abiding. It is a Gate and a Path.


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September 9, 2009
Infinite Supply
Today's Message from Chip Brogden

"We have left all, and have 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.

September 10, 2009
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Today's Message from Chip Brogden

"He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it" (Matthew 10:39).
Each time you lose a part of your life, you will find His Life is right there to fill the void. Every single time. This is a spiritual truth, and there are no exceptions to the rule. Think of what it means. The more I give to Him, the more He gives to me. I trade in my life in exchange for His Life. Which would you rather have? Do you want your life, your failures, your mistakes, your frustrations, your sins? Or would you rather give that up in exchange for His Life? You can have either one you want, but you cannot have both.


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September 8, 2009
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Today's Message from Chip Brogden

"But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you" (Romans 8:11).
Some Christians think they have to have the right book or the right man of God or the right formula or the right church or the right this or that before they can be victorious. My friend, you already have all the resources you need to live a victorious Christian life. The same Life which rose Christ up from the dead dwells in you! If the Life can do THAT, what is your excuse? What more could you possibly need than the Life which you already possess?

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Permission is granted for non-commercial (free) distribution provided this notice appears.

September 7, 2009
Infinite Supply
Today's Message from Chip Brogden

"Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus" (Acts 4:13).
When people are in your presence, what do they touch - a system of beliefs, a code of conduct, an ethical standard, or a Person? We may have an abundance of words and teachings, but all of them together are nothing but letters if they are not constantly pointing us to a Living Christ.


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September 6, 2009
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Today's Message from Chip Brogden

"And He turned Him unto His disciples, and said privately, 'Blessed are the eyes which see the things that ye see: for I tell you, that many prophets and kings have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them'" (Luke 10:23,24).
The object of Christianity is not to give people a teaching or to lead them in a prayer, but to introduce them to a Man. I would rather have thirty seconds of seeing than thirty years of preaching. People can listen to me preach all their life and never understand a word, but if the Lord opens their eyes to SEE Who I am preaching about then they will understand everything.

2009 TheSchoolOfChrist.Org.
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September 5, 2009
Infinite Supply
Today's Message from Chip Brogden

"Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter therein" (Luke 18:17).
Make no mistake, if it is the Kingdom you seek, the Kingdom you will find, but you must be changed in order to enter therein. If you seek power from God you will have to accept weakness in yourself. If you want to rule with Him you must suffer with Him. If you want His Life you must give up your life. You can have either one you want, but you cannot have both. There is no increase without decrease, and there is no decrease without increase.

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September 4, 2009
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Today's Message from Chip Brogden

"He must increase, but I must decrease" (John 3:30)
We must see that for every decrease of Self, Christ is increased. Even in our discussions we groan inwardly about having to die daily, having to give up our way and our will. We ought instead to be excited about Christ being increased, and how much He stands to gain in us and through us.
He MUST increase, but you MUST decrease. It is better to relinquish everything now, on a voluntary basis, and lose our lives in order to gain our real Life. It is more glorious to enter the Kingdom out of a desire to give Christ the preeminence than to enter kicking and screaming and crying because we love ourselves too much.

2009 TheSchoolOfChrist.Org.
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September 3, 2009
Infinite Supply
Today's Message from Chip Brogden

"And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net. And when they had this done, they inclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net brake" (Luke 5:5,6).
To you and me this may sound like a coincidence, or luck. Some might call it a miracle, and it is miraculous, but it is more than a miracle, it is a sign. A sign is a miracle which points to some truth. This is a miracle, but the miracle was not done just for the sake of Peter gaining an abundant supply of fish for his business. It was a sign given by Christ in order to reveal Himself to Peter. In Scriptural language, it is "revealing His glory." There is nothing glorious in the Son of Man, but in the Son of God we see glory.
Jesus merely said, "Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch of fish." Nevertheless, Peter perceived that Jesus was no ordinary man. For when he saw what happened, he fell down and sobbed, "Lord, depart from me, for I am a sinful man." The One he called Teacher he now calls Lord, and Peter is immediately made to see the contrast of himself, a sinful man, and Christ, the Holy One of God. Everyone else heard the teaching, but Peter saw the Person.

2009 TheSchoolOfChrist.Org.
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September 2, 2009
Infinite Supply
Today's Message from Chip Brogden

"And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it" (I Corinthians 12:26).
We have emphasized the Church for so long that we have lost sight of the individual disciples of which the Church consists. If one member lacks, the entire Body goes lacking. It is not so much a problem with the Church failing to apprehend its fullness as it is the individual disciples of the Lord failing to count the cost, suffer all as loss, and progress down the narrow way towards Christ as All in All.
As the disciples go, so goes the Church. If Christ does not have the preeminence in the Church, it is because He does not have the preeminence in us as disciples.


2009 TheSchoolOfChrist.Org.
Permission is granted for non-commercial (free) distribution provided this notice appears.

September 1, 2009
Infinite Supply
Today's Message from Chip Brogden

"Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it" (Matthew 7:14, NKJV).
We cannot walk the narrow path until we have entered the narrow gate. But we cannot assume that because we have entered the narrow gate we are now finished. Most people lay stress on the gate, and their goal is to get people just far enough through the gate that they can claim salvation.
That is where most of the Church sits today, just inside the narrow gate, rejoicing in a future salvation, a future heaven, a future return of Christ, and a future reward. But the narrow gate is only the beginning. The narrow gate only opens the door to the narrow way. It is the narrow way which leads to Life, and few find it. Fewer still walk to the end of it.

2009 TheSchoolOfChrist.Org.
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August 30, 2009
Infinite Supply
Today's Message from Chip Brogden

"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.


August 31, 2009
Infinite Supply
Today's Message from Chip Brogden

"And [Jesus] entered a house and wanted no one to know it, but He could not be hidden" (Mark 7:24b).
I don't know how you first came to the Lord. It may have been a very solemn and peaceful event. It may have been a quiet, personal thing. A lot of preachers will say, "With every head bowed and every eye closed, if you want to give your heart to Jesus, quickly slip your hand up and put it right back down. Praise God, I see your hand! Yes! Yes! Way in the back, I see your hand. Anyone else? Let's all pray this prayer out loud together." It may have happened to you like that, and if it did, I am not demeaning or minimizing that at all.
Here is my point: you might have invited Jesus in through the back door of your house while everyone had their eyes closed, and He certainly accepted your invitation to come in. But dear brother, dear sister! He cannot be hidden! He must increase! He is increasing, He is expanding, He is enlarging Himself and stretching you, pushing you, making you more and more uncomfortable. What do I mean? I mean that His Kingdom has established itself within you, and the borders of that Kingdom are ever increasing. He cannot be hidden!


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Permission is granted for non-commercial (free) distribution provided this notice appears.