Freedom In Christ, Tulsa and the Middle East

April 8, 2021 An Appeal for Justice We are living in the days the Bible said would come, where evil is called good and good is called evil. In the midst of this, some of our state governors and legislatures are taking action. They are not just acting in defense either, but are getting ahead of the corruption by putting laws in place to stop or minimize some federal actions. ...Continue reading

Wake Up Christians!

SPIRITUAL AND UNSPIRITUAL LEADERS 03 March 2021 The Lord knows how to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment, and especially those who indulge the flesh in its corrupt desires and despise authority (2 Peter 2:9,10).... The apostle Peter reveals two ways by which we can identify false prophets and false teachers who operate within the church. First, they will be involved in immorality of some kind, indulging "the flesh in its corrupt desires." They may be discovered in illicit activities involving sex and/or money. They may be antinomian, claiming that God is all love and grace so we don't need to abide by any law. Their immorality may not be easy to spot, but it will eventually surface in their lives (2 Corinthians 11:15). Second, false prophets and teachers "despise authority" and are "daring, self-willed." These people have an independent spirit. They do their own thing and won't answer to anybody. They either won't submit to the authority of a denomination or board or they will pick their own board that will simply rubber-stamp anything they want to do. There are historic leadership roles in Scripture: prophet (preaching and teaching), priest (pastoring and shepherding), and king (administration). Only Jesus in His perfection is capable of occupying all three roles simultaneously. I believe we need the checks and balances of a plurality of elders in the church, distributing the three critical roles to more than one person. No one can survive his own unchallenged authority. Every true, committed Christian in a leadership role needs to submit himself and his ideas to other mature believers who will hold him accountable. We need spiritual leaders like those described by Peter: "Shepherd the flock of God among you, not under compulsion, but voluntarily, according to the will of God; and not for sordid gain, but with eagerness; nor yet as lording it over those allotted to your charge, but proving to be examples to the flock" (1Peter 5:2,3). Are you praying for your spiritual leaders to be conformed to God's standard of leadership or yours? Great Shepherd, protect me from irresponsible spiritual leaders, mere "hired hands" who run away in times of crisis, instead of shepherds. Give my pastor a true shepherd's heart. Neil Anderson

THE TRUE CHAIN OF COMMAND 02 March 2021 Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name (Luke 10:17).... It was an eye-opening experience for the disciples to discover that the demons were subject to them in Jesus' name. Subject (hupotasso) is a military term meaning 'to arrange under'. It pictures a group of soldiers snapping to attention and following precisely the orders of their commanding officer. Perhaps the disciples suffered under the same misconception that blinds many Christians today. We see God and His kingdom on one side and Satan and his kingdom on the other side. Both kingdoms seem to be very powerful, and here we are, stuck in the middle between the two, like the rope in a tug of war. On some days God seems to be winning and on other days the devil appears to have the upper hand. And we don't seem to have anything to say about who wins the battle. But the disciples came back from their mission with a new perspective, a true perspective. Spiritual authority is not a tug of war on a horizontal plane; it is a vertical chain of command. Jesus Christ has all authority in heaven and on earth (Matthew 28:18); He's at the top. He has given His authority and power to His servants to be exercised in His name (Luke 10:17); we're underneath Him. And Satan and his demons? They're at the bottom, subject to the authority Christ has invested in us. Why, then, does the kingdom of darkness exert such negative influence in the world and in the lives of Christians? In a word, the lie. Satan is not an equal power with God; he is a vanquished foe. But if he can deceive you into believing that he has more power and authority than you do, you will live as if he does! You have been given authority over the kingdom of darkness, but if you don't believe it and exercise it, it's as if you didn't have it. Authority is the right to rule based on position. You have the authority to do the will of God because of your position in Christ. It's an authority you could never have independent of God, so you need to remain dependent on Him to live victoriously. I praise You, Lord, for the inexhaustible supply of power to defeat the enemy, which You have provided for me in Your Son, Jesus Christ. Neil Anderson