Chip Brogden CHURCH WITHOUT WALLS

Fear No Man
by Chip Brogden

Many Christians are in bondage to the fear of man. In discussing this very real and widespread problem, let us acknowledge from the beginning that we cannot be God’s spokesperson and be afraid of people. We will find it difficult, if not impossible to faithfully give all the counsel of God when there is a spirit within us that withdraws from people out of fear, timidity, or anxiety.
If there has ever been a time in your life when you bowed down and said, “Lord use me, speak through me, have Your Will through me,” then you can expect that the Lord will immediately begin to deal with you regarding the fear of man. It is a fundamental lesson we must learn in order to be fruitful and faithful with all God commits to us.

Let us get right to the point: we are afraid of others because we love ourselves too much. When you have dealt with self-love, the fear of man will be dealt with at the same time. The fear of man is but a symptom of self-love, and is manifest in three basic areas of our relationships with others. If a servant of God is able to overcome in these three areas, he or she will be free of the fear of man...

READ MORE
https://theschoolofchrist.org/fear-no-man
PO Box 98733
Raleigh NC 27624
USA

Chip Brogden

From:
chip@theschoolofchrist.org

Thu, Mar 7 at 12:29 PM

Hello Elaine,

Rather than set up the impossible standard of sinlessness, we ought rather to think about how to get ourselves back on track as quickly as possible when the inevitable happens - without any drama or self-loathing.


In David we find three principles to help you get back on track when you have fallen sh

Join us tonight to learn more...

DAVID: A PROPHETIC PERSPECTIVE (Part 9)
Thursday, March 7, 2024
7:00 pm Eastern Time (New York)

Register here (if you haven't already):
https://TheSchoolOfChrist.Org/bible

The study is free, but please support it with a donation (of any amount) as the Lord leads.

I hope to "see" you online!

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




-------
Since too many posts were made, this topic has been divided automatically. You can find the rest of this topic here :
https://worldwidechristians.forumotion.com/t7627-chip-brogden-church-without-walls

Hello Elaine,

As I was driving to the landfill one Saturday morning, beating myself up over my lack of perfection, the Lord spoke to me very clearly that "Chip's righteousness" is like the filthy rags of that landfill.

"Our relationship is not based on your perfection, but Mine," He said. "I love you the same, whether you are good or bad, spiritual or selfish, in My Will or out of it. Your own assessments of yourself are not that accurate anyway."

That was eye-opening.

Being a perfectionist, it was a great blow to my pride to discover that I was far from perfect, that I would make mistakes despite my best intentions, and that I would not achieve "sinless perfection" in this lifetime.

But it was also a relief to discover that this is just the way God intends it.

Spiritual Maturity (not Spiritual Perfection) is God's Purpose for us in this present Age.

Rather than set up the impossible standard of sinlessness, we ought rather to think about how to get ourselves back on track as quickly as possible when the inevitable happens - without any drama or self-loathing.

The first step is realizing that our relationship is based on Unfailing Love rather than Sinless Perfection.

A great example of this is David's moral failure regarding Bathsheba
It is a sad and sorry story of adultery and murder that should have never happened.

But the lesson is in how David responded to being called out for his sins, compared to how Saul responded.

There are lessons there for us as well.

Such as:

"God's ability to forgive is greater than your ability to fail."

Join us this week as we discuss this and much more...

DAVID: A PROPHETIC PERSPECTIVE (Part 9)
Thursday, March 7, 2024
7:00 pm Eastern Time (New York)

Register here (if you haven't already):
https://TheSchoolOfChrist.Org/bible
The study is free, but please support it with a donation (of any amount) as the Lord leads.

Thank you for supporting Christ-centered teaching.

I am your brother,

Chip Brogden
https://TheSchoolOfChrist.Org

PO Box 98733
Raleigh NC 27624
USA

The Danger of Familiarity
by Chip Brogden



“You gave me no water for My feet… No kiss of greeting… No oil for My head” (Luke 7:44-46ff).



The presence of Jesus was taken for granted! Was it just a case of forgetfulness on the part of His host, or was it something else? Something deeper?



Perhaps the Pharisee was becoming too familiar with Jesus – just a little bit too casual. From a distance Jesus was pretty amazing. Now that he had Jesus sitting there at his own table, in his own house, he saw that Jesus was a man. Maybe he came to believe that Jesus was someone not too unlike himself. It’s only Jesus, so there’s no need to get all excited. Let Him get His own water and wash His own feet.

That is the danger of familiarity...

READ MORE
https://theschoolofchrist.org/the-danger-of-familiarity

PO Box 98733
Raleigh NC 27624
USA

Hello Elaine,

I know in the age of "Microwave Miracles" we all want and expect instant answers, instant solutions, and instant breakthroughs.

But would you wait 1,000 years for God's promise to come to pass?
David did!
Join us tonight as we take a look at..

DAVID: A PROPHETIC PERSPECTIVE (Part 8)
Thursday, February 29, 2024
7:00 pm Eastern Time (New York)

Register here (if you haven't already):
https://TheSchoolOfChrist.Org/bible

I hope to "see" you tonight!

I am your brother,

Chip Brogden
https://TheSchoolOfChrist.Org

P.S. **We need your help to cover our costs. The study is free, but if you agree with what we are doing, please support it as the Lord leads. Thank you!

https://TheSchoolOfChrist.Org/bible

PO Box 98733
Raleigh NC 27624
USA

Hello Elaine,

I know in the age of "Microwave Miracles" we all want and expect instant answers, instant solutions, and instant breakthroughs.

But would you wait 1,000 years for God's promise to come to pass?
David did!
Join us tonight as we take a look at..

DAVID: A PROPHETIC PERSPECTIVE (Part 8)
Thursday, February 29, 2024
7:00 pm Eastern Time (New York)

Register here (if you haven't already):
https://TheSchoolOfChrist.Org/bible

I hope to "see" you tonight!

I am your brother,

Chip Brogden
https://TheSchoolOfChrist.Org

P.S. **We need your help to cover our costs. The study is free, but if you agree with what we are doing, please support it as the Lord leads. Thank you!

https://TheSchoolOfChrist.Org/bible

PO Box 98733
Raleigh NC 27624
USA

Hello Elaine,
Sometimes it seems as if the promises of God aren't coming true.
Sometimes it seems as if the Word of God isn't certain.
Sometimes it seems as though God is slow to respond, or late to arrive.
In all of these situations our faith is tested

And this is what I consider the root of all temptation.
Every temptation, test, trial, and difficulty comes down to a simple decision.
Either we trust in the Greatness and Goodness of God, or we don't.
Either we believe that God is Who He says He is, or we don't.
Either we believe that God will do what He says He will do, or we don't
Faith is not believing God when God delivers, but when God delays.
Anybody can believe God after the answer, but to believe God while waiting for the answer is the true measure of faith.
And what if we don't get the answer we want, when we want it?
Then we can become angry, bitter, frustrated, sad, or upset.
Or, we can take the attitude of Job: "Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him."
God wasn't the one out to get Job, but Job had no way of knowing that.
Even so, Job says I'm going to trust God no matter what; and nothing, not even death, will cause me keep me from trusting in Him.
You have so much more revelation, wisdom, and discernment than Job.
You, too, can trust God.
Even when the enemy (not God) comes to steal, kill, and destroy.
His power is perfected in our weakness.
His promises are "yes" and "amen" in Christ.
To David, a man after God's own heart, God is about to make the most daring promise of all.
And, even though it looked like the promise could not possibly be fulfilled, God did above and beyond what David asked or imagined.
Join us this week as we take a look at...
DAVID: A PROPHETIC PERSPECTIVE (Part 8)
Thursday, February 29, 2024
7:00 pm Eastern Time (New York)
Register here (if you haven't already):
https://TheSchoolOfChrist.Org/bible

Thank you for supporting Christ-centered teaching.
I am your brother,
Chip Brogden
https://TheSchoolOfChrist.Org

P.S. **We need your help to cover our costs. The study is free, but if you agree with the message, please give as the Lord leads.
https://TheSchoolOfChrist.Org/bible

PO Box 98733
Raleigh NC 27624

Gathering: But Not For the Better
by Chip Brogden

“Now in this that I declare unto you I praise you not, that you come together not for the better, but for the worse” (I Corinthians 11:17).

I am convinced that most churches exist only to give the pastor someplace to preach on Sunday.
The meetings continue but no fruit is produced. They are dead branches still clinging to the vine that need to be hacked off to make way for new growth.

Paul told the Corinthians that when they came together it was not for the better, but for the worse. To be sure, they gathered together. They were faithful to assemble. But their gathering together was not a testimony to their faith, it was a testimony to their division. Actually, they were not assembling together at all, they were assembling separately. “Shall I praise you in this? I do not praise you!”

READ MORE https://theschoolofchrist.org/gathering-but-not-for-the-better

Hello Elaine,
Everything shifts.
Life has new purpose and meaning.
You wake up every morning looking forward to the day.
This is what JOY is all about
How do you get it?
By not seeking it.
Indeed, the fastest path to joy is to get lost in something bigger than yourself!

This is something David discovered when he finally became king.

Join us tonight as we take a look at...

DAVID: A PROPHETIC PERSPECTIVE (Part 7)
Thursday, February 22, 2024
7:00 pm Eastern Time (New York)
Register here (if you haven't already):
https://TheSchoolOfChrist.Org/bible

Please note: The study is FREE - but we need your help to cover the cost. If you agree with the message please support it as the Lord enables

I hope to "see" you online!
I am your brother,
Chip Brogden
https://TheSchoolOfChrist.Org

P.S. If you can't join us for the study, register to receive the audio replay:

https://TheSchoolOfChrist.Org/bible
PO Box 98733
Raleigh NC 27624
USA

Hello Elaine,


God has always prepared His people by first bringing them through great difficulty.



The willingness to go "outside the camp" to be with Jesus, and the subsequent journey through the wilderness, not on reveals the hidden character, but forms and fashions it.



And so it was that after a period of "wandering in the wilderness," being persecuted by Saul, and getting the victory at Ziklag, David finally received the Kingdom for which he was anointed.



Similarly, we who are called "kings and priests" are being prepared in the wilderness "for such a time as this."



Everything is a journey.



There is no settling down and getting comfortable.



If we are not growing then we are dying.



The spiritual life is active and moving forward in alignment with that great movement of God towards the consummation of the ages, when He will "gather together in one all in Christ."



As the prophetic prelude to that, He looks for a Remnant to bear His Testimony and to overcome the Dragon.



We see this being played out as David finally fulfills his destiny and God is able to fulfill His promise.



But there is more to come...



That promise to make David king was only the beginning.



God is about to make an ever greater promise to David, a promise that contains within it the very essence of our Hope of Glory, Christ Himself.



And we are the beneficiaries of this promise made so many centuries ago.



What an exciting time to be alive!



Join us this week as we consider these things...



DAVID: A PROPHETIC PERSPECTIVE (Part 7)
Thursday, February 22, 2024
7:00 pm Eastern Time (New York)



Register here (if you haven't already):

https://TheSchoolOfChrist.Org/bible



Please note: The study is FREE - but we need your help to cover the cost. If you agree with the message please support it as the Lord enables.



Thank you for supporting Christ-centered teaching.



I am your brother,

Chip Brogden
https://TheSchoolOfChrist.Org

P.S. If you can't join us for the study, register to receive the audio replay:

https://TheSchoolOfChrist.Org/bible


PO Box 98733
Raleigh NC 27624
USA

Ziklag: The Test of Kings
by Chip Brogden

Early in my Christian walk I somehow reached the erroneous conclusion that if you love God and do what His Word says then nothing bad will ever happen to you.

This idea was reinforced by teachers and preachers who claimed that people who knew how to exercise their faith and operate under the anointing and walk in the Spirit would never get sick, become depressed, lose money, or come under spiritual attack.

Time and experience are patient teachers, and in their classroom I learned a different view of life.

Consider the life of David, “a man after God’s own heart”, the “sweet psalmist of Israel.” Surely a man after God’s own heart will never have to experience terrible trials, afflictions, misunderstanding, suffering, rejection, pain or misfortune!
But in David we see that even someone who is after God’s own heart, someone who seeks Him early and often, someone who desires Him more than anything else – yes, THAT kind of person, ESPECIALLY that kind of person! – will be called upon to endure some of the most excruciating physical, emotional, and spiritual rigors imaginable...

READ MORE https://theschoolofchrist.org/ziklag-the-test-of-kings

PO Box 98733
Raleigh NC 27624
USA

Hello Elaine,


All of us have (or will) experience times of "great distress" when it seems all hope is gone.

Tonight we will see how David responded to one of the greatest trials of his life, and I'll share three things you can do when you are greatly distressed.

Join us tonight for...

DAVID: A PROPHETIC PERSPECTIVE (Part 6)
Thursday, February 15, 2024
7:00 pm Eastern Time (New York)

Register here (if you haven't already):

https://TheSchoolOfChrist.Org/bible

Of course, the Bible study is free - but anything you can give (large or small) helps cover the cost.

I hope to "see" you online!

I am your brother,

Chip Brogden
https://TheSchoolOfChrist.Org

P.S. If you can't join us for the study, register to receive the audio replay:

https://TheSchoolOfChrist.Org/bible

PO Box 98733
Raleigh NC 27624
USA

Hello Elaine,

You're invited to join us next week for another live Zoom Fellowship!

If you've attended one before you know what a blessing it is to see brothers and sisters from all over the world joining together.

We're going to pray, have a short teaching, and open it up for interactive Q&A

All you need is a webcam and microphone (or a smartphone).

DATE: Saturday, February 24, 2024

TIME: 7:00 pm Eastern Time (New York)

Register here:
https://TheSchoolOfChrist.Org/zoom

It's free to register, but we welcome your support as this helps pay for Zoom and enables us to add more seats.

Speaking on seats... we are limited to 100 right now, so register today and log in early to claim your spot!

Here is the link again:
https://TheSchoolOfChrist.Org/zoom
I hope to see you there!
I am your brother,

Chip Brogden
https://TheSchoolOfChrist.Org

PO Box 98733
Raleigh NC 27624
USA

Hello Elaine,
All of God's people have had to pass through seasons "in the wilderness" where the comfortable and familiar gives way to the uncomfortable and unknown.

When it comes to leaving Organized Religion and following Jesus "outside the camp," the wilderness reveals whether we have a Religion about Jesus or a Relationship with Jesus.
I call it "being reduced to Christ."

Prophetically, the story of Saul and David bear witness to that controversy and conflict between the Spirit of Religion and the Spirit of Jesus.
Both of them were anointed, but Saul was disobedient and unrepentant.
David, a man after God's own heart, has been anointed to replace Saul.
But to preserve his power, Saul persecuted David relentlessly, chasing him all over the Judean wilderness.

And yet Saul's very persecution of David is forging David's character.
Even in "a dry and thirsty land" David is learning how to let the Lord lead him into green pastures and still waters.
You know this conflict can't go on forever.
But before it is concluded, David will face three ultimate tests.
And after that, one supreme test that is the final exam - a "do or die" moment where David will either be destroyed or will rise to the challenge and fulfill his destiny.
It is a Supreme Test that all of us have faced, or will face, at some point.

What will you do when it seems that you are defeated and the battle is lost?

We will look at all these things from the perspective of the Last Days Remnant who have forsaken Organized Religion to follow Jesus "outside the camp" and bear His reproach in the wilderness
Join us this week as we consider...

DAVID: A PROPHETIC PERSPECTIVE (Part 6)
Thursday, February 15, 2024
7:00 pm Eastern Time (New York)
Register here (if you haven't already):

https://TheSchoolOfChrist.Org/bible

Of course, the Bible study is free - but anything you can give (large or small) helps cover the cost.
Thank you for supporting Christ-centered teaching.

 To Him That Overcomes
by Chip Brogden



God’s purpose is for Christ to fill all things, beginning with each disciple, and then with the Ekklesia as the synthesis of all disciples. Only then will He be able to restore the nations of this world and the whole of Creation.



We spend too much time trying to change things outwardly for others before we have truly appreciated what God has done inwardly for us. Every child of God should be a living demonstration of how God will sum up everything beneath the Headship of Christ. The world, the principalities and powers, and creation itself should be able to see in the Ekklesia a foreshadowing of what life will be like when Christ is “All in All” (see Ephesians 3:8-11).



Of course, we know that what we have today is an aberration from God’s purpose. Even though He has put “all things in subjection under [Christ]”, it remains that “we do not yet see all things put under Him” (cf. Hebrews 2:8). That is, looking around outwardly at the Church, the world, and the creation, we do not see the preeminence of Christ. We hardly see it when we examine our own lives. Is Jesus really Lord? Is God truly sovereign? Indeed. He is working “all things after the counsel of His own Will” (Ephesians 1:11b). Obviously this is a progressive thing. He does not suddenly take over the universe, no more than He suddenly takes over each disciple. Children of God are not born fully grown, and Jesus is not building His Ekklesia in one day. Instead, He works slowly, almost imperceptibly, increasing and enlarging, gently leading, gradually revealing Himself in a thousand small ways.


So who is an Overcomer? If the Overcomers are not earthly conquerors or crusaders, what are they?

READ MORE
https://theschoolofchrist.org/to-him-that-overcomes
PO Box 98733
Raleigh NC 27624
USA

Hello Elaine,
Join us tonight as we follow David in the wilderness and apply spiritual and prophetic lessons to our lives...

DAVID: A PROPHETIC PERSPECTIVE (Part 5)
Thursday, February 8, 2024
7:00 pm Eastern Time (New York)

Register here (if you haven't already):

https://TheSchoolOfChrist.Org/bible

By the way... It is free to join us for the Bible study - but anything you can give helps cover the cost.

I hope to "see" you online!

I am your brother,

Chip Brogden
https://TheSchoolOfChrist.Org

P.S. If you can't join us for the study, register to receive the audio replay:

https://TheSchoolOfChrist.Org/bible

PO Box 98733
Raleigh NC 27624
USA

Hello Elaine,


If "church as we know it" isn't helping your spiritual growth and maturity in a Christ-centered faith then it is hindering it.



This is prophetically illustrated for us in Saul's persecution of David.



Prophetically, Saul represents the IC (Institutional Church, or Religion) and David represents the True Ekklesia, the Body of Christ (Relationship).



If that's not plain enough, we can simply make the same observation and conclusion concerning the Organized Religion of Judaism vs. Jesus - a schism that continues to this very day.



Saul and David foreshadow that ongoing conflict and controversy between Religion and Relationship, Judaism and Jesus, Churchianity and the Ekklesia.



My only criticism of David is that he was too slow to leave the palace and make his escape from Saul, giving "the Lord's Anointed" too many benefits of the doubt; but that criticism applies to almost everyone I know who has been in a similar situation (myself included).



We wrongly assume that we can bring this wonderful revelation of Christ and His Body to our church-going brothers and sisters and they, too, will see the light.



Worse, we think we can present this to the religious leadership and that they will fully embrace and support it. Fat chance!



On the contrary, we find the Spirit of Religion rising up to attack, steal, kill, and destroy all threats to the status quo.



Saul KNEW David was anointed, KNEW that the Lord was with David, KNEW that David was next in line for the kingdom - and yet, Saul not only refused to surrender is crown and throne to David, but tried to destroy him on every occasion.



It was necessary for David to make his escape and then to travel around in the wilderness for a bit, "outside the camp."



But why is "the wilderness" necessary for people like you and me?



Why is it essential for us to go "outside the camp" to "be with Jesus" and "bear His reproach"?



Join us this week follow David in the wilderness and apply spiritual and prophetic lessons to our lives...



DAVID: A PROPHETIC PERSPECTIVE (Part 5)
Thursday, February 8, 2024
7:00 pm Eastern Time (New York)



Register here (if you haven't already):

https://TheSchoolOfChrist.Org/bible



By the way... It is free to join us for the Bible study - but anything you can give helps cover the cost.



Thank you for supporting Christ-centered teaching.



I am your brother,

Chip Brogden
https://TheSchoolOfChrist.Org



P.S. If you can't join us for the study, register to receive the audio replay:

https://TheSchoolOfChrist.Org/bible




PO Box 98733
Raleigh NC 27624
USA

Hello Elaine,
If "church as we know it" isn't helping your spiritual growth and maturity in a Christ-centered faith then it is hindering it.
This is prophetically illustrated for us in Saul's persecution of David.
Prophetically, Saul represents the IC (Institutional Church, or Religion) and David represents the True Ekklesia, the Body of Christ (Relationship).
If that's not plain enough, we can simply make the same observation and conclusion concerning the Organized Religion of Judaism vs. Jesus - a schism that continues to this very day.
Saul and David foreshadow that ongoing conflict and controversy between Religion and Relationship, Judaism and Jesus, Churchianity and the Ekklesia.
My only criticism of David is that he was too slow to leave the palace and make his escape from Saul, giving "the Lord's Anointed" too many benefits of the doubt; but that criticism applies to almost everyone I know who has been in a similar situation (myself included).
We wrongly assume that we can bring this wonderful revelation of Christ and His Body to our church-going brothers and sisters and they, too, will see the light.

Worse, we think we can present this to the religious leadership and that they will fully embrace and support it. Fat chance!
On the contrary, we find the Spirit of Religion rising up to attack, steal, kill, and destroy all threats to the status quo.
Saul KNEW David was anointed, KNEW that the Lord was with David, KNEW that David was next in line for the kingdom - and yet, Saul not only refused to surrender is crown and throne to David, but tried to destroy him on every occasion.
It was necessary for David to make his escape and then to travel around in the wilderness for a bit, "outside the camp."
But why is "the wilderness" necessary for people like you and me?
Why is it essential for us to go "outside the camp" to "be with Jesus" and "bear His reproach"?
Join us this week follow David in the wilderness and apply spiritual and prophetic lessons to our lives...
DAVID: A PROPHETIC PERSPECTIVE (Part 5)
Thursday, February 8, 2024
7:00 pm Eastern Time (New York)
Register here (if you haven't already):
https://TheSchoolOfChrist.Org/bible
By the way... It is free to join us for the Bible study - but anything you can give helps cover the cost

Thank you for supporting Christ-centered teaching.
I am your brother,

Chip Brogden
https://TheSchoolOfChrist.Org
P.S. If you can't join us for the study, register to receive the audio replay:

https://TheSchoolOfChrist.Org/bible
PO Box 98733
Raleigh NC 27624
USA

Hello Elaine,
If "church as we know it" isn't helping your spiritual growth and maturity in a Christ-centered faith then it is hindering it.
This is prophetically illustrated for us in Saul's persecution of David.
Prophetically, Saul represents the IC (Institutional Church, or Religion) and David represents the True Ekklesia, the Body of Christ (Relationship).
If that's not plain enough, we can simply make the same observation and conclusion concerning the Organized Religion of Judaism vs. Jesus - a schism that continues to this very day.
Saul and David foreshadow that ongoing conflict and controversy between Religion and Relationship, Judaism and Jesus, Churchianity and the Ekklesia.
My only criticism of David is that he was too slow to leave the palace and make his escape from Saul, giving "the Lord's Anointed" too many benefits of the doubt; but that criticism applies to almost everyone I know who has been in a similar situation (myself included).
We wrongly assume that we can bring this wonderful revelation of Christ and His Body to our church-going brothers and sisters and they, too, will see the light.

Worse, we think we can present this to the religious leadership and that they will fully embrace and support it. Fat chance!
On the contrary, we find the Spirit of Religion rising up to attack, steal, kill, and destroy all threats to the status quo.
Saul KNEW David was anointed, KNEW that the Lord was with David, KNEW that David was next in line for the kingdom - and yet, Saul not only refused to surrender is crown and throne to David, but tried to destroy him on every occasion.
It was necessary for David to make his escape and then to travel around in the wilderness for a bit, "outside the camp."
But why is "the wilderness" necessary for people like you and me?
Why is it essential for us to go "outside the camp" to "be with Jesus" and "bear His reproach"?
Join us this week follow David in the wilderness and apply spiritual and prophetic lessons to our lives...
DAVID: A PROPHETIC PERSPECTIVE (Part 5)
Thursday, February 8, 2024
7:00 pm Eastern Time (New York)
Register here (if you haven't already):
https://TheSchoolOfChrist.Org/bible
By the way... It is free to join us for the Bible study - but anything you can give helps cover the cost

Thank you for supporting Christ-centered teaching.
I am your brother,

Chip Brogden
https://TheSchoolOfChrist.Org
P.S. If you can't join us for the study, register to receive the audio replay:

https://TheSchoolOfChrist.Org/bible
PO Box 98733
Raleigh NC 27624
USA

Pauline Expressions
of "En Christo"
by Chip Brogden

What happened to Paul? Simply this: Paul met the God-Man. Paul stumbled upon a Person. And, once Paul met the Lord Jesus on the road to Damascus, he adopted a completely new set of values, beliefs, teachings, and practices that radically replaced the old ways of the Jewish religion to which he was long accustomed.



In this I depart from James D. G. Dunn, who posits that Paul “thought of his new faith in Jesus Christ not as a departure from that older faith [of Judaism] but as its fulfilment." That Paul saw Christ as the spiritual fulfillment of God’s promises to Israel is essentially correct; but fully embracing that fulfillment, as Paul did, unavoidably triggered a departure from the old ways and forever separated him from orthodox Judaism. It prompted a foundational upset that drastically altered everything in Paul’s world and invited persecution from his fellow Jews. His acceptance of Jesus as the Messiah sparked a revolutionary shift in his views on Temple, Torah, Jerusalem, Israel, old and new covenants, clean and unclean foods, circumcision, justification by faith and not works of law, and even his concept of what constitutes a “real Jew” as evidenced by his subsequent dissolution of Jewish / Gentile distinctions.



It is impossible to view these shifts as anything less than an astounding negation of the old Jewishness. In fact, this God-Man Whom Paul experienced on the way to Damascus so overshadowed his former religiousness that he would consider everything before that meeting with Jesus as “dung” by comparison...

READ MORE
https://theschoolofchrist.org/pauline-expressions-en-christo

PO Box 98733
Raleigh NC 27624
USA

Hello Elaine,

The Institutional Church still carries the banner of the Lord but the Spirit has long ago departed and left behind a distressing and evil Spirit of Religion that is out to kill any Davidic threat to its power.

The story of Saul and David helps us make sense of WHY we experience the things we do in Organized Religion - WHY it is impossible to "work within the system" and "be a light where you are" and "submit to the leadership" and all that other foolishness once our eyes have been opened to SEE the Lord and the Lord's Body.
Join us tonight as we consider these things...
DAVID: A PROPHETIC PERSPECTIVE (Part 4)
Thursday, February 1 2024
7:00 pm Eastern Time (New York)
Register here (if you haven't already):
https://TheSchoolOfChrist.Org/bible

*Please Note: There is never a charge to join us for the Bible study, but anything you can give helps cover the cost.
Thank you for supporting Christ-centered teaching.
I am your brother,

Chip Brogden
https://TheSchoolOfChrist.Org

P.S. If you can't join us for the study, register to receive the audio replay:

https://TheSchoolOfChrist.Org/bible

PO Box 98733
Raleigh NC 27624
USA

Hello Elaine,

Back in the mid-1990s, when God began dealing with me about the Institutional Church (IC), I was greatly helped to understand the prophetic significance of Saul vs. David.

The gist of this insight is that Saul represents the IC (Institutional Church, or Religion) and that David represents the True Ekklesia, the Body of Christ.

(People used to say David represented "House Church" but that misses the point entirely.)

Saul was still large and in charge, but his days were numbered.

David was God's choice, but was hounded and persecuted by Saul.
At some point Saul's kingdom came crashing down and David's kingdom was established.

This makes as much sense to me now as it did then.

The Institutional Church still carries the banner of the Lord but the Spirit has long ago departed and left behind a distressing and evil Spirit of Religion that is out to kill any Davidic threat to its power.

In the meantime, David is trying to survive in the wilderness and avoid Saul as much as possible, biding his time.

What a remarkable picture of where things stand today!

But one phrase that stands out to me now that I overlooked many years ago.

Concerning Saul's attempts to destroy David, it says...

"David behaved himself wisely in all his ways; and the LORD was with him" (1 Sa. 18:14).

That phrase is uttered three times in 1 Samuel 18.

To those of us following Jesus "outside the camp" I ask:

"How can we behave ourselves wisely in all our ways as we repudiate Religion and embrace Relationship?"

Join us this week as we explore this more deeply...

DAVID: A PROPHETIC PERSPECTIVE (Part 4)
Thursday, February 1 2024
7:00 pm Eastern Time (New York)

Register here (if you haven't already):

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*Please Note: There is never a charge to join us for the Bible study, but anything you can give helps cover the cost.

Thank you for supporting Christ-centered teaching.

I am your brother,

Chip Brogden
https://TheSchoolOfChrist.Org

P.S. If you can't join us for the study, register to receive the audio replay:

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PO Box 98733
Raleigh NC 27624
USA

Why I Don't Go to Church Anymore
by Chip Brogden

Being kicked out of church was the best thing that could have happened to us. If I had not been kicked out of church, I would still be there trying to reform it. Trying to fix something that God never intended to be built to begin with.

Occasionally someone says, “Hey Brother Chip, not all churches are bad! What about all the good pastors? What about all the precious people who still go to church? Aren’t you afraid you’re going to offend someone by painting all of them with such a broad brush?”

If the price of saving a few is to offend the many, then no, I’m not afraid of offending the many.

I am more afraid of not doing all I can to help people get delivered from a religion ABOUT Jesus so they can discover a relationship WITH Him...

READ MORE
https://theschoolofchrist.org/why-i-dont-go-to-church-anymore

PO Box 98733
Raleigh NC 27624
USA

Hello Elaine,


What does Goliath represent from a prophetic perspective?



And how do we deal with those "giant problems" in our lives?



Taunting us, ridiculing us, annoying us, wearing us down and wearing us out?



Join us TONIGHT as we look at...



DAVID: A PROPHETIC PERSPECTIVE (Part 3)
Thursday, January 25, 2024
7:00 pm Eastern Time (New York)



Register here (if you haven't already):

https://TheSchoolOfChrist.Org/bible



There is no cost to join, but your gifts make it possible.



I hope to "see" you online!



I am your brother,

Chip Brogden
https://TheSchoolOfChrist.Org



P.S. If you can't join us for the study, register to receive the audio replay:

https://TheSchoolOfChrist.Org/bible




PO Box 98733
Raleigh NC 27624
USA

Hello Elaine,

Don't be offended when I say that David had no spiritual discernment.

He was a man after God's own heart, wholehearted, zealous, prophetic, all of those things.

But he had no spiritual discernment.

It's no reflection on David - NO ONE had spiritual discernment in those days.

Meaning, of course, that no one could appreciate that there is such as thing as principalities, powers, rulers of the darkness of this age, and spiritual wickedness in the celestials.

And, while WE know that we are not fighting flesh and blood but are engaged in a great spiritual warfare, David was fighting human enemies in bloody battles.

In fact, Israel had a "giant problem" - literally!

And the giants were winning.

That is, until David decided it was time to do something about it.

More so than his skill at killing - that David got involved at all is prophetically significant.
And what does Goliath represent from a prophetic perspective?
How do we deal with those "giant problems" in our lives?

Taunting us, ridiculing us, annoying us, wearing us down and wearing us out?

Join us this week as we examine...

DAVID: A PROPHETIC PERSPECTIVE (Part 3)
Thursday, January 25, 2024
7:00 pm Eastern Time (New York)

Register here (if you haven't already):

https://TheSchoolOfChrist.Org/bible

It's free to join, but your gift (of any amount) makes it possible for us to offer these studies freely.

Thank you for supporting Christ-centered teaching.

I am your brother,

Chip Brogden
https://TheSchoolOfChrist.Org

P.S. If you can't join us for the study, register to receive the audio replay:

https://TheSchoolOfChrist.Org/bible

PO Box 98733
Raleigh NC 27624
USA