Chip Brogden CHURCH WITHOUT WALLS

Hi Elaine,
 
A couple of weeks ago I shared with you my thoughts on "The Deeper Work of the Cross."
 
In a nutshell, I admitted that (all good intentions aside) the way we teach this and try to apply this to our lives often leaves us more frustrated than fulfilled.
 
"Death to Self" is really impossible, since "self" never really dies.
 
"Crucifying the Flesh" is also impossible in the present-tense, since Scripture views this as having already happened. :-)
 
"Dying Daily" sounds impressive, but I don't know if anyone has ever successfully done this; and if I successfully died today, why do I have to do it daily?
 
Yes, I'm challenging some of the language we have used regarding the Cross and what it means to follow Jesus.
 
And I'm suggesting the way we have taught and practice this often sets us up for failure, frustration, and a legalistic, morbid view - a celebration of death, rather than a celebration of LIFE.
 
God's goal, rather than "death to self," is TRANSFORMATION of self; specifically, PERFECTION IN LOVE.
 
And we have only just begin exploring this!
 
So I want to follow up that first teaching with part two...

THE DEEPER WORK OF THE CROSS (Part 2)
Thursday, February 13, 2020
7:00 p.m. Eastern Time (New York)
 
Go here to register:
http://chipbrogden.com/bible
 
Thank you for supporting Christ-centered teaching.
 
I am your brother,

Chip Brogden
http://ChipBrogden.com
 

PO Box 282
Bunn NC 27508
USA

Hi Elaine,
 
Our online Bible study starts soon...
 
THE DEEPER WORK OF THE CROSS
Thursday, January 30, 2020
7:00 p.m. Eastern Time (New York)
 
Go here to register (if you haven't already):
http://chipbrogden.com/bible
 
If you can't make it but want to hear the replay, register anyway so you will automatically receive the replay link about 24 hours after.
 
Thank you for supporting Christ-centered teaching!
I am your brother,
Chip Brogden
http://ChipBrogden.com
 

PO Box 282
Bunn NC 27508
USA

Hi Elaine,
 
As I mentioned in my last email...
 
"Truth, according to Jesus, should make us free - not bring us into bondage."
 
Interesting that the language is not that the truth will "set" you free (as is commonly misquoted); but rather, the truth will "make" you free.
 
We would all like to be "set" free because this sounds instantaneous - someone else is doing something for us, and we passively receive the benefit of it.
 
But if the truth will "make" us free then this implies (1) a process (so it's not instant) and (2) something we participate in on a deeper level.
 
That's what we'll talk about in this week's Bible study.
 
And, as I have said, I feel it is time to bring some adjustment to this teaching on "death to self" and "crucifying the flesh."
 
Partly, because people leave out HOW you do that, exactly.
 
Partly, because people often implement this "death to self" in a legalistic way and bring themselves (and others) into bondage.
 
That's the opposite of the truth making us free; that's the truth (even the truth of the Cross) bringing us into bondage.
 
I think we're missing something (I think I have missed something) and I want to add this "something" to the message of the Cross so we can use it to liberate people, not tie them up with a spiritual burden they aren't meant to bear.
 
To register for this very important online class taking place next week, click the link below:

THE DEEPER WORK OF THE CROSS
Thursday, January 30, 2020
7:00 p.m. Eastern Time (New York)
 
Go here to register:
http://chipbrogden.com/bible
 
Thank you for supporting Christ-centered teaching.
I am your brother,

Chip Brogden
http://ChipBrogden.com
 
PO Box 282
Bunn NC 27508
USA

Hi Elaine,
 
By this time I have usually planned an online Bible study for this week and announced it, but this week I'm still preparing my heart and mind for what I think is a much-needed and long-overdue adjustment in our understanding of the Cross.
 
I use that word "adjustment" quite a bit (as in Prayer: Adjustment to the Eternal Purpose and Adjustment to the Government of the Holy Spirit).  The Oxford Dictionary says the word means "a small alteration or movement made to achieve a desired fit, appearance, or result."
 
That's a decent definition, but I would say "to achieve a more perfect fit." It reminds me of Acts 18:26, where Aquila and Priscilla heard Apollos boldly proclaiming the baptism of John - nothing wrong with that, but it was incomplete. So "they took him aside and explained the way of God to him more perfectly." 
 
That's adjustment.
 
And if you heard last week's message, you know I believe adjustment is an ongoing process of spiritual growth - unless we think we know everything already. If we are growing then we are changing.
 
Adjustment doesn't mean repudiating or overturning what you thought before (that's revolution); it just means we need to take something that is accurate in and of itself but add another layer to it so that we understand it more perfectly.
 
So in that sense, having taught and written for two decades on the cross, death to self, self-denial, etc., including the book Embrace the Cross, I perceive that there needs to be an adjustment in our understanding of the Cross.
 
In fact, I've been praying and pondering this for some time - and I'm still praying and pondering it.
 
For that reason, I'm going to continue preparing this week, so that next week I will be ready to "explain the way of God more perfectly."
 
Truth, according to Jesus, should make us free - not bring us into bondage.
 
To register for this very important online class taking place next week, click the link below:

THE DEEPER WORK OF THE CROSS
Thursday, January 30, 2020
7:00 p.m. Eastern Time (New York)
 
Go here to register:
http://chipbrogden.com/bible
 
Thank you for supporting Christ-centered teaching.

I am your brother,

Chip Brogden
http://ChipBrogden.com

I Know Whom I Have Believed
by Chip Brogden
“For this reason I also suffer these things; nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day” (2 Tim. 1:12).
 
An exciting thing begins to happen in the spiritual life of the Christian who desires to grow and mature. It is hoped that after some progress in spiritual things, once the new Christian has experienced a few defeats or disappointments, that he or she will ask, “Is there more to the Christian life than what I am experiencing?”
 
Oh, blessed question! How God has worked long and hard to bring the Christian to this point! And the Answer which God so desires to give us is, “Yes! There is more to this Life! You have but scratched the surface!” The Question often comes to us in the middle of a church service, when everyone else seems to be worshiping the Lord and having a good time. We try to join in but the Question continues to bother us week after week until we resolve to do something about it...
READ THIS ARTICLE
https://www.chipbrogden.com/i-know-whom-i-have-believed/
 
PO Box 282
Bunn NC 27508
USA

Hi Elaine,
 
If you haven't registered for tonight's online Bible study, we still have room and there's still time...
 
IN THE WILDERNESS, PREPARE
Thursday, January 16, 2020
7:00 p.m. Eastern Time (New York)
 
Go here to register:
--> http://chipbrogden.com/bible
 
Hope to "see" you there!
 

I am your brother,

Chip Brogden
http://ChipBrogden.com

Hi Elaine,
 
When I really began studying the Gospels in depth, I found it intriguing that most of Jesus' ministry took place in the countryside, in the desert, in the wilderness, along the Lake of Galilee, in the hills of Nazareth, by the River Jordan...
 
But NOT in Jerusalem.
 
Which is interesting, since Jerusalem was the center of all political, religious, and social activity in Israel.
 
Of course, Jesus would go up to Jerusalem to observe the feasts.
 
But most of His teaching, healing, delivering, and miracles took place "outside the camp" and away from the great city.
 
Even in that final week, He spent His nights outside the city, on the Mount of Olives.
 
And the longest He ever stayed was a week; that is the week that ended in His crucifixion.
 
All these things are significant, I think.
 
Particularly as we consider the role of "the wilderness" in the Christian life.
 
Far too many Christians are camped out in their version of "Jerusalem," trying to get Jesus to come visit them there; and if by some miracle He shows up, they fail to recognize Him and seek to crucify Him.
 
Sound familiar?
 
Scripture gives us indications that the true worshippers are neither "in Jerusalem" nor "in this mountain" but are anywhere, and everywhere; they worship God in Spirit and in Truth.
 
In addition, we see that the wilderness (not the religious structure) is the place where these worshippers were directed to "prepare the way of the Lord."
 
That is to say, they were not trying to redeem Jerusalem, reform it, refine it, or revive it.
 
What does this mean to you and to me, as we follow Jesus "outside the camp" of Organized Religion?
 
Join us for this week's online Bible study as we consider what these things mean...
 
IN THE WILDERNESS, PREPARE
Thursday, January 16, 2020
7:00 p.m. Eastern Time (New York)
 
Go here to register:
--> http://chipbrogden.com/bible
 
These classes are free, but donations are welcome as the Lord leads.
 
Thank you for supporting Christ-centered teaching!
 

I am your brother,

Chip Brogden
http://ChipBrogden.com

Why I Don't Go to Church Anymore
by Chip Brogden
I knew all those Scriptures… I had read them hundreds of times… I had taught these things for years…
 
But on that day, the written Word became the Living Word.

I saw Him.

I saw myself in Him – just one of the crucified, dead, buried, resurrected, ascended, and seated Branches of a crucified, dead, buried, resurrected, ascended, and seated Vine.
I saw it backwards and forwards, upside down and rightside up, from every possible angle and from every possible color.

I did not realize it at the time, but that day, and the revelation that came to me that day, would mark the beginning of the end of my career as a preacher for Organized Religion...
READ THIS ARTICLE https://www.chipbrogden.com/why-i-dont-go-to-church-anymore/

Happy New Year Elaine!
 
I pray 2020 will find you increasing in the knowledge of God and that your spirit, soul, and body will prosper and be in health.
 
I am excited to resume our weekly online Bible study with a look at...
 
THE DAY OF THE LORD
Thursday, January 9, 2020
7:00 p.m. Eastern Time (New York)
 
Go here to register:
--> http://chipbrogden.com/bible
 
I remember 20 years ago that everyone was in a panic over the Y2K bug.
 
Do you remember that?
 
At the time, experts thought all the computers would crash and civilization would collapse.
 
That didn't happen... but that didn't stop Christians from speculating that Jesus would return about that time to save us from destruction.
 
That didn't happen either.
 
But this comes up all the time.
 
What does the Bible say about the return of Christ?
 
Can anyone accurately predict when Jesus will return?
 
What can we do to prepare?
 
Join us for this week's online Bible study as we answer these questions!
 
Here is the registration link again:
--> http://chipbrogden.com/bible
 
Thank you for supporting Christ-centered teaching.

I am your brother,

Chip Brogden
http://ChipBrogden.com

PO Box 282
Bunn NC 27508
USA

Today's Prophetic Mandate
by Chip Brogden
In Old Testament times, the watchman on the city wall had a mandate to warn of any dangers that approached. This was his only duty. To carry it out, staying awake and alert was mandatory. If the watchman fell asleep and failed to warn the people, their blood would be on his hands.
 
Similarly, the Lord has provided a prophetic mandate to those men and women who are called to the prophetic ministry in our time. This age is unique in the sense that it is considered “the dispensation of the fullness of the times,” or, “the last days.” The prophetic mandate today is not to keep watch over a city, but to keep watch over the Ekklesia (a “heavenly city” if you will) to ensure that the Eternal Purpose of God in Christ is fulfilled...
READ THIS ARTICLE
 https://www.chipbrogden.com/todays-prophetic-mandate/

PO Box 282
Bunn NC 27508
USA

God's Entire Plan: in 5 Simple Verses
by Chip Brogden
Pretend for a moment that you know nothing about Jesus Christ, and have heard nothing, and have read nothing from any Christian church or ministry. You overhear me talking about Jesus, and you ask, “Who is Jesus?”
 
Without saying a word, I hand you a piece of paper containing five verses of Scripture. In the same way that John 3:30 conveys so much in seven simple words, these five verses condense some very big ideas and spiritual truths into a very compact but all-encompassing Gift of Truth – a priceless treasure for us to unwrap, explore, and value more than all the wealth in the world...
READ THIS ARTICLE https://www.chipbrogden.com/gods-entire-plan-in-5-simple-verses/
 

PO Box 282
Bunn NC 27508
USA

Hi Elaine,
 
If you haven't registered for tonight's online Bible study, we'd love to have you!
 
BY FAITH, ACCORDING TO GRACE
Thursday, December 19, 2019
7:00 p.m. Eastern Time (New York)
 
Go here to register:
--> http://chipbrogden.com/bible
 
We'll revisit some basic principles of faith and grace so you can overcome the spirit of religion that likes to creep in and lead us astray from the simplicity of Christ.
 
Hope to "see" you there!
 

I am your brother,

Chip Brogden
http://ChipBrogden.com
 
PO Box 282
Bunn NC 27508
USA

Hi Elaine,
 
Are you still trying to live up to an impossible standard for holiness?
 
Are you walking in love, or legalism?
 
Can you tell the difference?
 
(Maybe I should ask those who know you best!)
 
In this week's online Bible study we'll revisit some basic principles of faith and grace so you can overcome the spirit of religion that likes to creep in and lead us astray from the simplicity of Christ.
 
BY FAITH, ACCORDING TO GRACE
Thursday, December 19, 2019
7:00 p.m. Eastern Time (New York)
 
Go here to register:
--> http://chipbrogden.com/bible
 
Thank you for supporting Christ-centered teaching.
 

I am your brother,

Chip Brogden
http://ChipBrogden.com
 

PO Box 282
Bunn NC 27508
USA

Hi Elaine,
 
We still have room for you at tonight's online Bible study!
 
Pretty special, because it is the last chapter to complete Luke AND to complete our chapter-by-chapter teaching through the entire New Testament.
 
THE LORD IS RISEN INDEED
Thursday, December 12, 2019
7:00 p.m. Eastern Time (New York)
 
Go here to register:
--> http://chipbrogden.com/bible
 
Hope to "see" you there!
 

I am your brother,

Chip Brogden
http://ChipBrogden.com
 

PO Box 282
Bunn NC 27508
USA

Hi Elaine,
 
This week we conclude our study of the Gospel of Luke with the grand finale:
 
"The Lord is risen indeed!"
 
We can hardly comprehend the significance of the Cross, much less the significance of the Resurrection.
 
But the Resurrection demonstrates that maybe "comprehending" and understanding everything is not really that important anyway.
 
What matters is that Jesus was raised from the dead - how it happened, why it happened, is less important than THAT it happened.
 
I invite you to this week's online Bible study as we consider the most important, most fascinating feature of the Christ-centered faith: That we have been raised TOGETHER with Him!
 
THE LORD IS RISEN INDEED
Thursday, December 12, 2019
7:00 p.m. Eastern Time (New York)
 
Go here to register:
--> http://chipbrogden.com/bible
 
Thank you for supporting Christ-centered teaching.
 

I am your brother,

Chip Brogden
http://ChipBrogden.com

PO Box 282
Bunn NC 27508
USA

The Joy of Unconditional Surrender
by Chip Brogden
The principle in John 3:30 is that I must decrease. As surely as Christ must increase, so I must decrease. It must be so; therefore it will be so. We cannot have one without the other.
 
And, since everything God has done, is doing, and will do is somehow connected to the increase of Christ, it certainly follows that all of it is working to decrease everything else. This is a process at work within every man, woman, boy and girl: to bring each of them to the end of themselves so they will embrace Christ and be willing to lay down the tattered, filthy garments of self-centered living in exchange for the righteous robes of the Christ-centered life.
 
It is a process that was working in you long before you ever gave your life to the Lord. You do not have to understand the process to benefit from it, but the process will go a lot more smoothly if you do understand it so you can cooperate with it...
READ THIS ARTICLE
 https://www.chipbrogden.com/the-joy-of-unconditional-surrender/

PO Box 282
Bunn NC 27508
USA

Hi Elaine,
 
If you haven't registered yet, we still have room for you at tonight's online Bible study:
 
FATHER, FORGIVE THEM
Thursday, December 5, 2019
7:00 p.m. Eastern Time (New York)
 
Go here to register:
--> http://chipbrogden.com/bible
 
Hope to "see" you there!

I am your brother,

Chip Brogden
http://ChipBrogden.com
 
PO Box 282
Bunn NC 27508
USA

Hi Elaine,
 
Usually you think of forgiveness as a two-sided transaction.
 
One person asks for forgiveness, and the other person gives forgiveness.
 
But forgiving people who ask for forgiveness isn't really the ultimate test (although for some people that's difficult enough).
 
What about repeat offenders?
 
Peter wondered how many times he should forgive someone who sinned against him repeatedly - up to seven times?
 
Jesus said, not seven times, but seventy times seven.
 
That;s 490 times!
 
And really, that was His way of saying there is no limit; even repeat offenders must be forgiven.
 
(Because all of us are "repeat offenders" before God.)
 
Ah, but what about those jerks who don't even ask for forgiveness?
 
Jesus gave us an example to follow there, too.
 
From the cross, in the midst of indescribable suffering, He prayed:
 
"Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do."
 
That is the Divine Mystery of Forgiveness.
 
If you're waiting for someone to come crawling on their hands and knees begging for forgiveness before you forgive them, I have to say that moment probably will never come.
 
It's not about "them" but about you.
 
Jesus offered love to His enemies, forgiveness to sinners, mercy and grace to His murderers.
 
When we do the same, we break the cycle of evil, vengeance, and wrath.
 
It's not about Judgment triumphing over Sinners; it's about Mercy triumphing over Judgment.
 
Join us as we delve more deeply into this mystery, among other things...
 
FATHER, FORGIVE THEM
Thursday, December 5, 2019
7:00 p.m. Eastern Time (New York)
 
Go here to register:
--> http://chipbrogden.com/bible
 
Thank you for supporting Christ-centered teaching.
 

I am your brother,

Chip Brogden
http://ChipBrogden.com
 
PO Box 282
Bunn NC 27508
USA

Is Jesus Enough?
by Chip Brogden
“After they had eaten, Jesus asked Simon Peter,
‘Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me
more than these other things?'”
John 21:15

If Jesus was all you had, would Jesus be enough for you?


Many precious believers are in love with the things of the Lord, but they are not in love with the Lord Himself. Many Christian workers and ministers are in love with the Lord’s work. Almost without realizing it, the work of the Lord becomes more important than the Lord of the work.


There are prophets and teachers who hold words from God in higher esteem than the God Who speaks the words they attribute as being from Him. People seek these words and teachings. The more they receive, the more they want. Before one word is digested they are craving another. They are seeking “things” – words, prophecies, teachings, visions, dreams – but they are not seeking the Lord Himself.


Is Jesus enough?


When the saints gather together most of the activity is focused on “one another”. This is important, but it is not the most important thing. Fellowship is good: but is Jesus enough? Gatherings are good: but is Jesus enough? Meetings are good: but is Jesus enough? Special speakers and special music are good: but is Jesus enough?


Even with praise and worship it is possible to sing “about” Jesus and not truly worship Jesus. With preaching and teaching it is possible to talk “about” Jesus and not truly meet Jesus in what is shared. In prayer it is possible to talk “about” our needs and never actually commune with Jesus Himself.
 

Among Christians I have discovered something. There is Jesus, and then there are all the things ABOUT Jesus that are NOT Jesus. Jesus Himself occupies only a small portion of what is said and done in Christian circles. Most of what is said and done is merely ABOUT Jesus, but it is NOT Jesus...

 

READ MORE:

http://www.chipbrogden.com/is-jesus-enough

 
I am your brother,
 
Chip Brogden

Hi Elaine,
 
We still have room for you at tonight's online Bible study:
 
NOT MY WILL, BUT YOURS
Thursday, November 21, 2019
7:00 p.m. Eastern Time (New York)
 
Go here to register:
--> http://chipbrogden.com/bible
 
Hope to "see" you there!
 

I am your brother,

Chip Brogden
http://ChipBrogden.com
 


PO Box 282
Bunn NC 27508
USA



Hi Elaine,
 
Jesus was so ONE with His Father's Will that it sometimes looked as if He had no will of His own.
 
But we see an epic struggle in Gethsemane the night before His crucifixion.
 
It's one you may be familiar with...
 
YOUR WILL vs. GOD'S WILL.
 
And Jesus had to endure that struggle, the same as you and me.
 
He became conscious of a part of Him that preferred another way!
 
"Take this cup from Me..."
 
It was a heavy burden, and Jesus might have refused God's Will for being too difficult.
 
But in the same prayer He says, "Nevertheless, not My Will, but Yours, be done."
 
I'm encouraged that Jesus struggled in prayer (like we do) and that He prevailed over Himself (like we often fail to do).
 
In this dramatic scene there is so much for us to learn.
 
How can we know God's Will?
 
How can we surrender to His Will when it's difficult?
 
How can we bounce back after going our own way and rejecting His Will?
 
So many questions.
 
Join us for this week's online Bible study as we apply these lessons to our lives.
 
NOT MY WILL, BUT YOURS
Thursday, November 21, 2019
7:00 p.m. Eastern Time (New York)
 
Go here to register:
--> http://chipbrogden.com/bible
 
Thank you for supporting Christ-centered teaching.
 

I am your brother,

Chip Brogden
http://ChipBrogden.com
 

PO Box 282
Bunn NC 27508
USA

The Persistent Purpose of God
by Chip Brogden
Once God has determined to do something, is there anything, or anyone, that can resist Him? Is man more powerful than God, or does it only seem that way sometimes?
 
Some may ask, is not Jesus Lord of all? Is He not already preeminent over all things? In one sense of course this is correct. Jesus is Lord of All (Acts 10:36). However, it is apparent that not all things acknowledge, submit to, cooperate with, or recognize His sovereignty. God desires for Christ to have an actual preeminence, a manifest preeminence – a sovereignty that is observable, tangible, and able to be experienced.

Obviously this desire of God, this Ultimate Purpose, remains unfulfilled. If Jesus were acknowledged as Lord of All, by everyone everywhere, then the world would certainly be a different place. As it is, it seems most of humanity fails to recognize the Lordship of Jesus and refuses to submit to Him. Thus, in a very practical sense, He does not have preeminence in them. That disparity between what God wants and what actually is needs to be resolved...
READ THIS ARTICLE
 https://www.chipbrogden.com/the-persistent-purpose-of-god/

PO Box 282
Bunn NC 27508
USA

Hi Elaine,

Love is known as the "greatest commandment."

But if love must be freely given, how can you "command" love?

In this podcast episode of Outside the Camp, we consider what the Law of Love is all about, why it is impossible for us to obey it, and how God empowers us to fulfill it in spite of our weakness.

Listen now:

THE LAW OF LOVE (PART 2)
https://chipbrogden.com/otc


I am your brother,


Chip Brogden
http://ChipBrogden.com

PO Box 282
Bunn NC 27508
USA

Hi Elaine,

All kinds of spiritual and prophetic symbols are portrayed in the Lord's Supper.

We'll discuss that (and much more) tonight:

IN REMEMBRANCE OF ME
Thursday, November 14, 2019
7:00 p.m. Eastern Time (New York)

Go here to register:
--> http://chipbrogden.com/bible

Hope to "see" you there!

I am your brother,

Chip Brogden
http://ChipBrogden.com

PO Box 282
Bunn NC 27508
USA

Hi Elaine,

All kinds of spiritual and prophetic symbols are portrayed in the Lord's Supper.

We'll discuss that (and much more) tonight:

IN REMEMBRANCE OF ME
Thursday, November 14, 2019
7:00 p.m. Eastern Time (New York)

Go here to register:
--> http://chipbrogden.com/bible

Hope to "see" you there!

I am your brother,

Chip Brogden
http://ChipBrogden.com

PO Box 282
Bunn NC 27508
USA