X-Changing Life Magizine (Fall 2014) by Dr. Stephen R. Phinney

FALL 2014

Seasons In Christ X-Changing Life Magazine

Battle for the Round Tower By Preston Gillham Preston Gillham takes us again into the true world of spiritual life via this novel. Returning to Gnarled Wood after two years away, Hank Henderson discovers that the risks have risen. He encounters a dark, spiritual world of subterfuge, black operations, and intrigue. Powerful beyond what he realizes, Hank wrestles with distrust and doubt to become the man of his destiny.

Through the characters he creates, Preston shows us a powerful people called Believers and Christfollowers.

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Transformational Biblical Worldview & Exchanged Life Development

NOTE FROM THE PRESIDENT

DICTIONARY OF TERMS

Dr. Stephen Phinney: [Senior Editor, KS ] Kathy Hill: [Managing Editor, CO] Jessica Phinney: [Production Assistant, KS] Elizabeth Jones: [Associate Editor, CO ] Jane Phinney: [Associate Editor, KS] Shannon Bartlett [Executive Reader, KS] Keith Holloway: [Executive Reader, CA]

FLESH IS NOT OUR FRIEND

Lester Wehyee [Adviser, Liberia] Bruce Carter, [Adviser, GA] Dan Camp, [Adviser, GA] Ken Weas [Adviser, FL] John Lynch: [Adviser, AZ] Rob Cornelius: [Adviser, FL] Wendell Smock: [Adviser, AZ] JJ Bukowski: [Adviser, AZ] Jeff Brugman: [Adviser, AZ] Rick Kratz, CPA: [Adviser, AZ] James Bootsma: [Adviser, IA]

Jeremy White God’s Grace & Forgiveness

The X-CHANGING LIFE

Is a mini-mag newsletter provided by IOM AMERICA to assist in uniting Exchanged Life workers throughout the world with the message of the Cross-”Not I, but Christ.” Volume 14, Number 1, Fall 2014 Readers: 30,000+

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Dr. Stephen Phinney What We Believe

IOM Resources

Tom Price Focusing On The Wrong Thing

THE GOSPEL UNCUT

SOUL REST

IDENTIFICATION IN CHRIST

Send questions/comments to: IOM AMERICA Attention: Editor P.O. Box 71 Sterling, KS 67579

WHEN GOD ISN’T SPEAKING

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Printed in the United States of America The X-Changing Life is published four times a year by IOM (Institute of Ministry), Dr. Stephen Phinney, Founder© 2013 For subscriptions, bulk orders, or subscription address changes, email: jessphinney@IOMAmerica.org or call 602-292-2985 or write to the above address. There is no cost for this magazine. Contributions are welcome in order to reduce the cost of publication. Make donations to IOM America: P.O. Box 71, Sterling, KS 67579. Past issues can be found at www.IOMAmerica.org for your free downloadable copy. Online readers: Click Here Advertisement Disclaimer: This magazine may include promotions for some products and services not affiliated with IOM America. The inclusion of these promotions DO constitute an endorsement of the products or services of our ministry. All organizations and/or products are supported by IOM. We endeavor to promote Christ-centered growth and development. IOM America believes that the Bible is the absolute authoritive Words of God. We believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and the Holy Spirit is the spirit of the Living God. A statement of faith can be reviewed at www.IOMAmerica.org. Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the King James Version (public domain), the New King James Version (© 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.), or the New American Standard Bible (© 1995 by The Lockman Foundation), or the Holman Christian Standard Bible ® (© 2003 by Holman Christian Publishers). All used by permission. Comments or Concerns: Click Here

Dr. James Fowler

Dr. Stephen R. Phinney

Larry Bennett The Testing Of Our Faith

Dave Geisler Sin Taught Me Grace

Bobby Allen You Will Know Them By Their Love

Peston Gillham Spiritual Battle Of The Hearts

Dan Camp If I Can’t—He Can

LEGACY OF LITTLE THINGS Jane Phinney Little Is The Foundation for the Big

Other: Two new books by Dr. Phinney, IFEL Membership, What Ebola Review Latest Pew Research, Gay Bible Translation, Book Recommendations, Presidential ISIS Report, Farwell to Bob Warren and much more… Cover: Dr. & Mrs. Phinney, sister Mary Ver Steeg, Quintin Eason and their grandchildren in the Ozarks. X-Changing Life Magazine

The Bible窶認act or Fiction

Transformational Biblical Worldview & Exchanged Life Development

Defining terms used within the Grace community: As with most things, understanding the terms and definitions of proper communication is essential. The following is an extensive list of the most common used terms in communicating the message of the Cross - the Exchanged Life. This "mini-dictionary" is an excerpt from the "Identity Matters: The Workbook," which is available online: www.iomamerica.org Exchanged Life This term was originally used by Hudson Taylor to define the exchange that takes place upon Salvation – we exchange our life for His. Many teachers of the Cross also use this term to explain an indwelt believer appropriating their co-death, burial, and resurrection with Christ. One of the most common Scriptures used in this exchange is Galatians 2:20, “not I, but Christ.” All believers in Christ receive the exchanged life upon the moment of their Salvation. Godship: A simple term to describe what the Word defines as the number one problem in life—man attempting to function as their own god in the lives of self, others, and even God. You might suffer with divorce, suicide, eating problems, depression, or any other common problem with the self-life. Most of the time, it falls under the category of Godship—finding ways to fix the fix that God has fixed on you to stop fixing life through selfeffort. Our ministry has learned that the act of “playing God” helps us to identify the real problem in each of the lives to whom we reach out. We have also learned that the most common consequence of Godship is “rejection” (Gen. 3:5). Rejection is withholding love from self, others, and God. There are two types of rejection: overt and covert. Overt rejection is “obvious or known” rejection—for example, I hate you! Covert rejection is “subtle or unknown” rejection—for example, smiling on the outside while judging on the inside. Both of these forms of rejection are consequences of Godship applied, either by self or from others. Without question, we believe that rejec-

tion leads to individuals attempting to find life externally” (Rom. 15:7). External/Internal is an individual attempting to gain love, acceptance, and significance from external resources—idolatry. Since Godship sets up “self-rule,” the individual works to turn negative externals into positive ones, by making use of self-effort. Problems are direct consequences of self-life efforts. God then uses these problems to bring the believer to the end of their own resources, or self-life, in order to create a dependence on Christ’s Life from within. We believe that suffering is the key component to learning obedience to Christ Jesus, who actually lives in the bornagain believer. It is these problems that reveal the person’s flesh (Heb. 5:8). My Flesh exhibits patterns, reactions, and/or sinful actions that reveal the individual’s self-life—trash left behind by the old nature. These fleshly reactions lead the believer to Life (Christ) or death (flesh) decisions. If the believer continues to choose self-life decisions, we believe God will bring this person to the end of himself through consequences formed by their own flesh. This, without question, leads the person to repentance (Luke 9:23). Repentance is the process of confessing one’s sins, turning away from the self-life, and returning to a dynamic relationship with Jesus Christ from the inside out. This cannot be done effectively unless the Holy Spirit brings revelation to specific areas of the flesh that rise up against Jesus Christ. Once true repentance has occurred, the indwelt Christian can begin to apply their identity in Christ to all of life’s situations and circumstances (Psalm 119:59). Identity Matters is an experiential embrace and understanding of the believer’s identification with Christ in His death, burial, resurrection, and ascension—in daily living. This is what we call the Exchanged Life. When an individual has a born-again experience by faith, it means the Life of Christ comes and indwells the believer through the personhood of the Holy Spirit (the Spirit of Christ Jesus). The reality of this transformation allows Continued on page 6

X-Changing Life Magazine

Continued...

for a true exchange of our old nature, or Adamic history, for that of the Nature of God through Christ. In knowing this, we become partakers of all that is true about Christ through His death, burial, resurrection, and ascension. Now the believer is in a position to appropriate their true identity in Christ and begin to live out that he is literally the righteousness of Christ (Galatians 2:20).

to reveal the two primary commandments Christ spoke: love the Lord with your whole heart and secondly, love your neighbor as yourself. The result is when we obey, we have no condemnation. When we have no condemnation, we have confidence toward God. Then, whatever we ask through Christ, we receive (1 John 3:21-22).

Righteousness is an indwelt believer’s expression, function, and lifestyle of releasing the Life of Christ from within. Once a born-again believer begins to appropriate their position in Christ, their condition is soon to change, simply by watching the evidence of His Life being manifested through their mind, will, and emotions. This means that when life’s circumstances are put before him, he can choose to release the Life of Christ to do the doing through him. This is a perfect setup for learning how to extend forgiveness to others (2 Corinthians 5:21).

Other Terms Used in Sharing the Exchanged Life

Extending Forgiveness before God, in prayer, is forgiving anyone who has hurt you. Once an indwelt believer gets to this point, he is usually quick to release all anger and pain before God, extending forgiveness to those who initially hurt him, and in many cases, is ready to seek forgiveness from others whom he has hurt (Matt. 5:22-24). Seeking Forgiveness is the process of going to an individual whom you have offended by action or reaction, seeking their forgiveness, and restoring the relationship when possible. Once the believer has extended forgiveness before God on how he was hurt, he usually is released to go and seek the forgiveness for his part in the offense. It is in this process that we explain to the indwelt believer how to do this in detail. We find that when a believer reaches this stage of discipleship, he begins to rest, abide, and walk in the Spirit in the truest sense. Resting, Abiding, and Walking are the result of appropriating true forgiveness in all areas of life. It is living in the present, releasing the Life of Christ in you to be obedient to the Father through your mind, will, and emotions. When an indwelt believer gets to this point in growth, he is able to confront the self-centered view of life and to embrace the challenge of releasing the mind of Christ from within. Resting in Christ is a perfect place to be in showing the Love Life of Jesus (Matt. 11:28).

Abiding Life An indwelt Christian resting, trusting, and continually yielding to the Life of Christ living inside (Romans 6:13). Abundant Living A lifestyle of walking after the indwelling Spirit of Christ through a consistent yielding process within the mind, will, and emotions. Acceptance in Christ Complete and unmerited favor offered to those who are in Christ through the forgiveness of sins – past, present, and future. Acceptance is the fluid act of Grace demonstrated by Jesus Christ in relationship and position, as Bridal members of Christ (Ephesians 1:13). Adamic Nature (Old Man, Old Nature, Sin Nature, Unregenerate Nature, Old Self) This is the condition of Adam after he chose to sin and eat from the tree that God commanded him not to eat from or touch. Before his “fall,” his nature/spirit was in complete harmony to his Father’s – God. After his “fall,” Adam’s spirit became separated from that of God’s, resulting in spiritual death and being replaced by old man, old nature, sin nature, unregenerate nature, old self, or Adamic nature. Read more A-Z terms and definitions at: www.IOMAmerica.org >> Beliefs >>Exchanged Life Dictionary or Click Here

Love Life is the pinnacle of the Christian Life. Once appropriating the above steps, the indwelt believer begins

Transformational Biblical Worldview & Exchanged Life Development

Romans: The Foundational Truths of Romans 1-8 For centuries the truths of Romans 1-8 have been used of the Lord to transform lives. In my own experience, no section of Scripture has touched my life like these eight chapters. In teaching these truths over the years, I have been amazed at the life changing power of God’s grace. This course takes you verse-by-verse through Romans 1-8 and is one of the first things we teach those involved in this ministry. If you have been introduced to this course at a previous date, you will note that revisions have been made throughout this text. In addition, the course contains about 40% more content than the previous Romans 1-8 course. (Romans Excerpt) Also available on Amazon! $19.95 Romans 1- 8 Audio Series:Includes approximately 14 hours of teaching on CD if you are interested in digging deeper. God’s Heart Commentary Four Part Series: God’s sovereignty and the free will of man, depravity, election, limited or unlimited atonement (which is it), as well as other related topics, are being covered in as much detail as possible. Each of four books are being edited, and made available individually as completed. Book One: God’s Heart as it Relates to Foreknowledge -Predestination

>>> To Order Bob Warren’s Materials: www.lifeonthehill.or g |

Click Her e

Discipleship Course: This course covers the following topics: How Moses discipled Joshua, how Jesus discipled the twelve, and how Paul discipled Timothy. In here we find that discipleship is much more than imparting information to the student. It is getting dirty and allowing the student to get dirty with you. It is interesting that most consider themselves ill equipped to disciple other believers because of a misconception of what true discipleship is. I know that the truths taught in this course work, for God has used them for more than thirty years to help develop this ministry and countless other ministries throughout the world. I am grateful that a man loved me enough to demonstrate these same principles to me when I first found Christ.

Our Exchanged Life friend from the Hill will be missed—thank you for your investment, Bob!

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QUEEN JAMES BIBLE/TRANSLATION Homosexuality Accepted in The Bible—NOT! Here is what their Ad says: “Homosexuality was first mentioned in the Bible in 1946 in the Revised Standard Version. There is no mention of or reference to homosexuality in any Bible prior to this – only interpretations have been made. Anti-LGBT Bible interpretations commonly cite only eight verses in the Bible that they interpret to mean homosexuality is a sin; Eight verses in a book of thousands! The Queen James Bible seeks to resolve interpretive ambiguity in the Bible as it pertains to homosexuality: We edited those eight verses in a way that makes homophobic interpretations impossible. Who is Queen James?

The King James Bible is the most popular Bible of all time, and arguably the most important English language document of all time. The brainchild and namesake of King James I, who wanted an English language Bible that all could own and read, it has been in print for over 400 years and has brought more people to Christ than any other Bible translation. Commonly known to biographers but often surprising to most Christians, King James I was a well-known bisexual. Though he did marry a woman, his many gay relationships were so well-known that amongst some of his friends and court, he was known as “Queen James.” It is in his great debt and honor that we name The Queen James Bible so. The QJB is a big, fabulous Bible. It is printed and bound in the United States on thick, high-quality paper in a beautiful, readable typeface. It is the perfect Bible for ceremony, study, sermon, gift-giving, or simply to put on display in the home or Church.” Wait folks, hang tight—there is more.. NIV continues to negotiate with PETA to come up with that “animal friendly” version of NIV. Will there ever be an end to this sickness? Source: http://queenjamesbible.com/ Used by permission for non-profit educational purposes.

“Most of our readers known my deep respect for AFA and their work in promoting the Biblical ethic of decency in America—with the emphasis on moral issues that impact the families. Not long ago, I discovered their new “apps” for smartphones. I cannot tell you how helpful these apps are in keeping me as an international ministry leader up to date on the issues affecting my job. I highly recommend that you download these apps and stay informed.” - Dr. Stephen Phinney

Transformational Biblical Worldview & Exchanged Life Development

IDENTITY MATTERS MATERIALS These audio/video messages go hand-inhand with the teachings presented in the IDENTITY MATTERS CONFERENCE WORKBOOK & DISCIPLESHIP MANUAL. It is for the strict purpose of providing teaching tools for those who are led to communicate these profound messages to others—through sermons, small groups, conferences, or private study. Teaching topics include: Basics of Discipleship; Godship; Rejection; External/Internal; Problems, My Flesh; Repentance; Identity Matters; Accepting Your Righteousness; Extending Forgiveness; Seeking Forgiveness; Rest, Abide, & Walk; and Love Life.

Listen Now: Fr ee Download / Online Listening

<<< New 5 Min. Video “Snapshot” of Each Message! <<< Living Life / Identity Matters Discipleship Manual contains over 80 diagrams with “cheat sheets” explaining each diagram, with an application section for the individual being discipled. Preview | Purchase

<<< Workbook & Conference Guide is a 13week course designed for a combination of individual, small group, & conference study guide. It is a course in the personal discovery of a believer’s co-death, burial, resurrection, & ascension in Christ Jesus – the Exchanged Life. Preview | Purchase

X-Changing Life Magazine

Flesh Is Not Our Friend By Tom Price, IOM Contributing Writer

"But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please" (Galatians 5:16-17). A friend of mine recently said to me, "Even though God has proved His faithfulness over and over, I still worry! I don't understand why?!" His quandary is common to all Christians. Because that question is even in our minds, is proof of our new nature in Christ. If you wonder why you do something or think something that is contrary to what you know goes against the character of God, instead, ask this question, "Why do I wonder, why?" My friend's question is a subtle attack on whom God says He is. The enemy has us focused on the wrong thing. He uses shame, guilt, and doubt as weapons to attack our identity. If Satan can keep you and me from understanding our identity, he can keep us in a state of mental and emotional defeat. If I doubt the validity of my relationship with Christ and it produces anxiety, that's a good thing! Anxiety is an appropriate emotion when there is a fear of losing something. When I was twenty-one, for the first time in my Christian life, doubt about my salvation hit me like a ton of bricks. It wasn't subtle, it was debilitating! As soon as the doubt seized my mind, I was overwhelmed with fear. I feared eternal death. For the first time in my life, I wasn't sure what would happen to me if I died. Satan had me right where he wanted me. My focus from that point forward was on me, not on God. When Paul uses the word "flesh," he is referring to a coping mechanism or an operating system. Flesh is anything we do to get our needs met apart from God. The system of flesh puts the focus on self. The flesh system is the enemy of expressing Christ's life through my life. In other words, when I want to behave in a manner that pleases God, the flesh system will often raise its ugly head and subvert my ultimate intention. That is the answer to my friend's quandary. He wants to completely trust God with everything that he is, but his flesh produces worry. Worry takes the focus off of Christ's life in him, placing it on himself and what he can do apart from Christ. This battle takes place in our minds. God speaks His Truth into our minds and the enemy speaks His lies into our minds. Now we have a choice. Our spirit is one with God (1 Cor. 6:17). In our spirits, we are in total agreement with God. However, our flesh is not Spirit friendly. Satan will use our flesh to subvert God's Truth. If we buy into the lie, we are sunk! This is why Paul said, "...so that you may not do the things that you please" (Galatians 5:17, emphasis added). Flesh is what keeps us from living out of Christ's Life; it's not you (the â&#x20AC;&#x153;real you in Christâ&#x20AC;?). Most Christians read this passage and assume that what they please is contrary to what God pleases. That misunderstanding is a direct assault from Satan on your very identity in Christ! We are not to trust our flesh. We are to trust Christ within. He is constantly leading us into life and peace, every moment we walk here on this earth. When Satan accuses, causing us to doubt our true identity, we are to believe whom God says we are - His beloved! (Bible verses from NASB)

Transformational Biblical Worldview & Exchanged Life Development

THE GOSPEL [un]CUT I met Jeremy at a Grace Life World Summit this past year and I gotta tell ya—this young man has been given a special gift in communicating the freeing Truths of who a believer is in Christ, particularly to a post-modern generation. Please take the time to get to know his ministry and his new book “The GOSPEL [un]CUT.” -Dr. Stephen Phinney When it comes to God's grace and forgiveness, do you sometimes feel like church folks speak out of both sides of their mouths? Religion says: Earn your way, prove yourself, atone for your sins, feel guilty, be weary, hope that God will accept you, keep striving, do your best, behave properly, act happy, meet God halfway, try harder, produce good works, keep the rules, don't rock the boat, don't ask questions, promise to do better. Jesus says: It is finished! Rest in me and your life will be fruitful. In this provocative book, Pastor Jeremy White explains why God's grace and truth do not balance" each other out. Instead, you will discover that grace is radically imbalanced in your favor!

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Learn to let go of that religious checklist of "do's and don'ts" in exchange for the unconditional grace of God offered to you in Christ. Whether you've hit a wall in your spiritual life, are disappointed in your performance as a believer, or have allowed churchy, religious ideas to snuff out the joy-giving power of the Jesus you originally fell in love with, it's time to relax! Discover The Gospel Uncut-with no edits, add-ons, or scraps left scattered on the cutting-room floor! What if everything you've ever dreamed of in your relationship with God is already yours to enjoy? What if you just don't realize how good you've got it? That's the radical message in The Gospel Uncut by Jeremy White, a pastor who is not afraid to proclaim the gospel of grace, plainly and without compromise. Read this book to see you are clean and close to your God. Read this book to relax and enjoy your Jesus. Also consider reading bestselling author of "The Naked Gospel" and host of "Andrew Farley LIVE" on Sirius XM. Everyone looks for that just-right book, the one that will quickly illuminate and invigorate, and which will resolve odd questions that have plagued for years. This is that book. I'm not kidding.

Preview or Order Book Here

X-Changing Life Magazine

HRIST IN YOU MINISTRIES

Christ, he is none of His" (Rom. 8:9), i.e. he is not a Christian. On the other hand, "He who is joined to the Lord (Jesus Christ) is one spirit with Him" (I Cor. 6:17). As Christians, redeemed and restored to right relationship with our Creator, we have the same choice Adam and Eve had prior to the fall - the choice to allow for the divine outworking of the divine indwelling life of Jesus. Spirit and Soul

Spirit Union Allows for Soul Rest James A. Fowler, IOM Contributing Writer

By spiritual union with the living Lord Jesus, every Christian has the provision to be at "rest" - avoiding the striving performance to achieve or overcome thoughts in the mind, feelings in the emotions, difficulties in decision-making, and urgings in one's desires. In the midst of temptations and the trials of life, Christians can experience the "rest for their souls" (Matt. 11:29) that Jesus promised. INTRODUCTION The world around us is restless hurrying and scurrying to accomplish something meaningful. They are seeking "rest" - but they are looking in all the wrong places. True "rest" can only be found in "union with Christ." "Union with Christ" is the essence of Christianity. Christianity is not a belief-system or a morality code, but is the union presence and function of the living Lord Jesus within Christians. In a previous study1, we charted out the "union of being" and the "union of doing" of Christ and the Christian. We are, for all practical purposes, extending that previous study in a sequel to consider how the theological theorem becomes psychological practicum. We want to explore the psychological and behavioral implications of "union with Christ." In other words, we will be considering "the divine outworking of the divine indwelling." That is, I believe, the choice that Adam and Eve faced at the "tree of life" as recorded in Genesis 2 - a choice to allow for the divine outworking of the divinely inbreathed life of God. God had breathed into them the breath/ spirit of divine life (2:7), and the "tree of life" (same Hebrew word for "life" in 2:7 and 2:9) represented the opportunity to choose the divine outworking of the divinely inbreathed life of God. We know that they chose the other tree, "the tree of the knowledge of good and evil," with disastrous consequences for themselves and the human race. Their choice did not lead to "rest," but to much work and performance - physical, religious, and otherwise. As Christians, we have a similar choice. In spiritual regeneration we have been re-genesized (2:7), and the spirit/breath of the triune God - Father, Son and Holy Spirit, has been breathed our spirit.www.hgmint.org "If any man does not have the Spirit of Check into It Out:

Before we consider how "spirit-union allows for soulrest," we need to note how important it is to distinguish and differentiate between spirit and soul - between spiritual and psychological functions. Christian religion, down through the centuries, has often failed to make the distinction between spiritual and psychological function. What they end up with is a mishmash of psychological spirituality or spiritualized psychology. Considering spirit and soul to be equivalent synonyms of the "inner man," Christian religion ends up with a hodge-podge of ambiguous admonitions to "receive Jesus into your soul/spirit/heart, and all is well," or "believe in Jesus with your soul/spirit/ heart, and work like hell." Is it any wonder that Christians do not understand grace, "the rest of the gospel," and how to allow for godliness in Christian behavior? If soul and spirit are synonymous, then psychological principles should be able to resolve the problems of mankind. Sigmund Freud is our savior God forbid! (or as J.B. Phillips worded it, "what a ghastly thought."2) That is why so much of what is called "Christian counseling" is nothing than a veneer of Christian and biblical terminology laid over the mush of secular psychological principles. Not at all helpful for Christian living. It is imperative that we differentiate between spiritual and psychological function, or we will never understand spiritual realities, and never participate in the practicum of Christian behavior and "rest." Paul wrote to the Thessalonians, saying, "Now may the God of peace sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass" (I Thess. 5:23,24). These are clearly differentiated functions that need to be "set apart" in order to realize God's holy intent in our lives. These verses in I Thessalonians 5 have recently been dismissed as but Paul's "sign-off" of his epistle, which cannot be viewed as having any doctrinal import.3 Apparently, in this view, "all scripture is not inspired, and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness" (II Tim. 3:16). Another New Testament verse to be considered is Heb. 4:12 - "the Word of God" (this is not the Bible, but the living expression and revelation of God, Jesus Christ, the Word of God who was from the beginning and IS God. Cf. Jn.1:1,14), is "living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing as far as the dividing of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart." The Spirit of Christ is able to pierce into our

Transformational Biblical Worldview & Exchanged Life Development

inner being and distinguish, and cause us to discern, between our deepest spiritual intentions and the psychological thoughts that do not always coincide with our spiritual intents. I cannot over-emphasize how important it is for Christians to understand the difference between spiritual function and psychological function. Without this distinction the Christian life will remain ambiguous. When spirit and soul and body are distinguished, this has often been called the trichotomous or tripartite understanding of man's constitution. It is probably best to avoid such terms, for they leave a wrong impression. Trichotomous means, "cut in three," and tripartite means "three parts." A human individual is not cut in three parts, compartments, or partitions. A human being is a functional whole, who functions at three levels: spiritual, psychological, and physiological.4 To differentiate the spiritual and the psychological function of man is not an attempt to cut man into separate parts, but is a necessary distinction for understanding how God has created man to function.

SPIRIT-UNION In order to understand how "spirit-union allows for soul-rest," we must first reiterate the foundation of spiritual union with Christ. We must take the time to review the biblical premises of "spirit-union" with Christ, and carefully define what we do, and do not, mean by "spirit-union." By "spirit-union" I am not referring to the objective union whereby humanity at large was represented in solidarity with the incarnation of Jesus Christ, when as the federal or representative head of the human race, the Son of God became united with mankind to redeem fallen man. The incarnational union of Christology is not the "spirit-union" I am speaking of. "Spirit-union," as I am using the term, is not an objective attribution of "positional" truth of "identification" with the historical Jesus when He was crucified, buried, rose again, and ascended. There is truth indeed in the fact that "when He died, we died," that "when He was buried, we were buried," that "when He was raised, we rose with Him," and that "when He ascended, we ascended," but that objective historical union, often called "positional union" or "identification union," is not what I am referring to by the use of "spirit-union." Nor am I referring to an objective participation in the benefits of Christ's redemptive work, whereby those who assent in faith to Christ's substitutional and vicarious death for their sins are legally and juridically united with Christ in their standing and status before God in heaven. In such an attributed union with Christ, Christians are declared righteous, as Christ's righteous action is imputed to them in forensic justification. Though theologically valid, this objective union is not the "spirit-union" I am referring to in this study.

"spirit-union" I am referring to in this study. It is a personal, relational, and spiritual union that every genuine bornagain believer participates in. If you are a Christian, you have spirit-union with the living Lord Jesus. The internal, subjective "spirit-union" that I am speaking of is not a subjective state or condition that the Christian has to seek to attain or achieve by a litany of spiritual disciplines such as "centering prayer" or "spiritual direction," etc. "Spirit-union" is not an elevated state of consciousness or ecstasy whereby a Christian transcends earthly concerns and becomes "so heavenly-minded, they are of no earthly good." "Spirit-union" is not a metaphysical merging or commingling with God wherein a person is consubstantially and essentially deified in an organic union that constitutes the person as "no longer human." "Spirit-union" is the spiritual condition of every Christian every "Christ-one" who has been united with Christ, having accepted God's grace in His Son, Jesus Christ, by faith. Are you a Christian? Have you received the Spirit of Christ into your spirit? If so, then you have "spirit-union" with the Spirit of Christ, with the Spirit of God, with the Holy Spirit, i.e., with the triune God. This does not mean that you are essentially, inherently, intrinsically Jesus Christ. That would be blasphemy. This is not an essential union of fused coalescence or absorbed equivalence. The "spirit-union" effected at regeneration is a personal, relational union, wherein the distinction of Christ and the Christian is maintained. That is why it has traditionally been referred to as a "personal relationship with Jesus Christ." But the idea of a "personal relationship" with Jesus has often been viewed as but a contractual connection that fails to adequately explain the "spirit-union" of the Christian with the Spirit of God. One of the more important biblical verses that refers to "spirit-union" is I Cor. 6:17, where Paul states, "the one who is joined to the Lord is one spirit (with Him)." The context of the previous verse is a quotation from Genesis 2:24, which refers to God's intent in the marital union as a man and a woman become "one flesh" in marriage. The "one flesh" union of a husband and wife in marriage, and the "one spirit" union of Christ and the Christian are interrelational unions wherein neither party is diminished or denied in the union of the two, but there is a real integrated union. Continued on page 15

By the term "spirit-union," I am referring to the subjective and internal union of the Spirit of Christ with the spirit of a receptive individual in spiritual regeneration. This has been called "regenerative union," "saving union," or "new-creation union." "If any person does not have the Spirit of Christ, he/she is none of His" (Rom. 8:9) - i.e. that person is not a Christian. This is the bottom-line of what constitutes Christianity. For, the one who is joined to the Lord Jesus Christ, receiving Him by faith, is "one spirit" with Him (I Cor. 6:17). That is the

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Spirit Union Allows for Soul Rest Continued: James A. Fowler, IOM Contributing Writer

What is Spiritual? Since the word "spirituality" is such a buzzword in our society today, we should probably consider how this word relates to "spirit-union," as we are using the term. Religiously, "spirituality" refers to everything from conformity to moral standards, amassing doctrinal knowledge, faithful participation in church activities, speaking in tongues, ecstatic flights of mystical fancy, and so on. On the other hand, the world around us views almost anything as "spiritual" today. Enthusiasm is "spiritual," and so is coincidence, the unintelligible, environmentalism, evolution, drugs, music, art, running, sobriety, sensitivity, and myriad other things (even selfishness and sinfulness). What is the biblical understanding of "spiritual"? In I Cor. 2:15, Paul wrote, "He who is spiritual appraises all things." In the context, a "spiritual" person is contrasted to the "natural man" in the previous verse (2:14), who cannot understand the things of the Spirit of God. The "natural man" is the unregenerate person. The "spiritual person" is one who has received the Spirit of Christ and been regenerated. A few verses earlier (2:12) Paul had explained, "we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God." A "spiritual person" is one who has experienced "spirit-union" with the Spirit of Christ in spiritual regeneration. Such a spiritual condition of "spirit-union" is not an end in itself, but the character of the Spirit of God who lives within is to be expressed in psychological and physical behavior. That is why Paul went on to write, "I could not speak to you as to (those acting as) spiritual men, but as to men of flesh, as to babes in Christ" (I Cor. 3:1). And to the Galatians, Paul explained that those "who are spiritual" should restore one who is caught in a trespass with gentleness (6:1). Biblical spirituality involves the presence and function of the Spirit of God, the Spirit of Christ, the Holy Spirit, the triune God in an individual. In other words, what we are calling "spirit-union" and "soul-rest."

Spiritual Exchange Such a spiritual condition of "spirit-union" is predicated on the spiritual exchange that must have transpired in an individual's spirit at regeneration. We did not receive the "spirit of the world," but the "Spirit of God," Paul explained (I Cor. 2:12). To the Romans, Paul explained that "We have not received a spirit of slavery, but a spirit of adoption as sons" (Rom. 8:15). John explained that there is a radical difference between "the spirit of error" and "the spirit of truth" (I Jn. 4:6). In the fallen sons of disobedience there is a "spirit" that is working (Eph. 2:2), but Christians are those who have received into their spirit the Spirit of Christ (Rom. 8:9), in a "spirit-union." A spiritual exchange has taken place. Since we have mentioned a "spiritual exchange," perhaps this would be the proper place to address the correlation of what we are calling "spiritunion" with the familiar designation of "the exchanged life" that is so common in Christian circles today. I think many Christians are befuddled by the terminology of "exchanged life." They are asking questions like, "What is being exchanged for what? Where does this exchange take place? Is it a spiritual reality or a psychological reality? When does such an exchange transpire? Is it a singular point in time, or is it a progressive process? How do I facilitate this exchange? What do I have to do?" Many have discovered that there is much ambiguity in the "exchanged life" teaching. Part of the problem is due to an inadequate distinction of spirit and soul - of spir-

Transformational Biblical Worldview & Exchanged Life Development

TWO SIDES OF EVERY COIN Dialectic Formatting of Christian Thought By Jim Fowler

This book details the primary discussion of this year’s Grace World Summit. I considered the discussion of “Dialectic Formatting” to be of the highest priority of dispelling Universalism in its attack on the true Church of Christ. —Phinney Just as every coin has two sides, every topic within Christian thought also has at least two contrasting perspectives. These contrasts form both/ and dialectics necessitating a balanced tension of complementarity between the two tenets. Western thinkers often have a difficult time accepting two truths to be equally valid though contradictory in light of Aristotle’s rule of logic, “the law of noncontradiction,” indicating that two contradictory truths cannot both be true. It is possible and necessary, however, to recognize that the Theo-logic of God’s revelation supersedes the natural human logic and wisdom of human thought. At the heart of Christian thought is the duo-form dialectic of the Person of Jesus Christ. Unique to the Christian revelation is the declaration that Jesus is both deity and humanity, God and man, simultaneously. By accepted Aristotelian logic such an assertion would be unacceptable and invalid. The Council of Chalcedon, A.D. 451, determined that humanity and deity were conjoined in the hypostatic union of the individual Person of Jesus Christ, and this assertion has been regarded as intrinsic to orthodox Christian faith since that time.

itual function and psychological function. Much of the "exchanged life" teaching focuses on the soulical or psychological, emphasizing the need to "exchange" my selfishness for Christ's action. In the process it often degenerates into another form of "how to" performance religion, encouraging surrender, brokenness, and "more faith" in order to enact this exchanged life behavioral expression. If I were to use "exchanged life" terminology, and I cautiously try to avoid such, I would be referring to the spiritual reality of the spiritual exchange that happens at spiritual regeneration, when an individual exchanges spiritual death for spiritual life. When a person receives Jesus Christ by faith, the spiritual exchange takes place, and the Christian has "spirit-union" with the Lord. The living Lord Jesus explained to Saul on the road to Damascus that he would send him to the Gentiles to convert them "from darkness to light, and from the dominion of Satan to God" (Acts 26:18). Beyond that exchange of spirit, wherein we are no longer "deriving from the being" of the one spirit (Greek exousia), but deriving from the Spirit of God, there is no additional "exchange" required. Henceforth, the Christian participates in the overcoming activity of the Spirit of Christ, as the "positive swallows up the negative," and the grace of God facilitates the behavioral expression of His own character in our behavior.

Spiritual Nature The spiritual exchange that allows for "spirit-union" with the Spirit of Christ is also an exchange of spiritual nature. The humanistic premises of the world's philosophies posit that man has an intrinsic "human nature," and then go on to argue whether that nature is essentially good or evil. Biblical Christian teaching does not allow for such human essentialism, but recognizes that God created man as a derivative creature who derives his nature and character from one spirit or the other, God or Satan. Paul explained to the Ephesians that in their unregenerate state they "were by nature, children of wrath" (Eph. 2:3). The unregenerate "sons of disobedience" derive their evil expressions of selfish sinfulness from the "god of this world" (II Cor. 4:4), for the "whole world lies in the evil one" (I Jn. 5:19). But in the spiritual exchange from "Satan to God" (Acts 26:18), the Christian becomes "a partaker of the divine nature" (II Pet. 1:4), in "spirit-union" with the Trinity. The nature of a man is the nature of the spiritual personage that indwells him/her. Ours is a derived nature. But the humanistic premises of an intrinsic human nature are so pervasive in Western thinking, that evangelical Christian thinkers accept the premise and explain that the Christian has "two natures," a so-called human nature, sin nature, Adam nature, fallen nature, flesh nature, self-nature, or old nature, as well as the divine nature of Christ. These concepts of evangelical humanism explain that the Christian has "two natures," an "old nature" and a "new nature" (both phrases are not biblical), creating a schizophrenic duality that disallows Christians from understanding their "spirit-union" and who they are in Christ. Even some of the most popular versions of the New Testament have interpolated their interpretations of evangelical humanism into the text of scripture, mistranslating the Greek word for "flesh" (sarx) as "old nature" or "old sinful nature," etc. It is tragic how modern evangelicalism has obscured Christian teaching, and denied the realities of "spirit-union." Read Full Article

THE TRIUNE GOD IN CHRISTIAN THOUGHT & EXPERIENCE By Jim Fowler Christian teaching on the Trinity has been both confusing and controversial. This is partially due to early Christian thinkers developing their thought on the basis of Greek philosophy rather than on the revelation of God in Jesus Christ. Learn more: Preview / Order Your Copy

FAITHFUL FATHER & THE BRIDE OF CHRIST

Jim Fowler is a leading contributing writer for IOM America. He is considered the leading theologian for the doctrines of Christ in the believer. He is the founder and director of Christ In You Ministries. Retiring after 40 years of pastoral ministry, Jim now ministers in Christian conferences around the world, and engages in a writing ministryâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;highly recommended by IOM. He has more than twenty titles available on Amanzon.com, including Biblical commentaries, theological volumes, and practical books of Indwelt Christian Living.

By Dr. Stephen R. Phinney The Father makes it clear that He is the beginning and the end. If we were able to find all the spoken and inspired words describing God in the Word of God, we still would not come close to describing the Father of heaven. This book reveals the importance of embracing the Fatherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s identity within Christ the Son. Order Now

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To view video series, go to www.IOMAmerica.org / Online School

Identification for the Spiritual Area of Life By Dr. Stephen R. Phinney Without question, the greatest event in all of history for God and man is the incarnation. God (the infinite Creator and Sustainer) took on human flesh, became a man upon this earth, died for us, crucified our old nature, and placed His very life in the Bride of Christ--the Church. This is a truth so simple, yet made complex through the morbid beliefs of fallen man. “By common confession, great is the mystery of godliness: He who was revealed in the flesh, was vindicated in the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory” (1 Timothy 3:16). This confession and incarnation, this profound mystery that was literally revealed in the flesh by the birth of Jesus Christ, was the greatest act of God for man. What is the significance of this? It means that the incarnation was the pattern by which God would continue to show Himself in human flesh, by means of indwelling selected humans to become the Bride for His Son. All humans, both male and female, become potential receivers of the eternal provision of the eternal woman—the Bride of Christ. That means the whole incarnation purpose and process was for the strict purpose of selecting a Bride for His Son, in order to seal the covenant of promise He made to His Son. Clearly and most certainly, every indwelt believer has been given the very life of Jesus Christ. This fact is not only staggering, but impossible to understand without the Holy Spirit making it Truth to each believer. Jesus said to the Father in the words of the Old Testament prophecy (Psalm 40:6-8): “Therefore, when He comes into the world, He says, ‘SACRIFICE AND OFFERING YOU HAVE NOT DESIRED, BUT A BODY YOU HAVE PREPARED FOR ME; IN WHOLE BURNT OFFERINGS AND sacrifices FOR SIN YOU HAVE TAKEN NO PLEASURE.’ THEN I SAID, ‘BEHOLD, I HAVE COME (IN THE SCROLL OF THE BOOK IT IS WRITTEN OF

Transformational Biblical Worldview & Exchanged Life Development

ME) TO DO YOUR WILL, O GOD' " (Hebrews 10:5-7). Who is this body that God has prepared for His Son? During the incarnation, it was His physical body. After the ascension, it became His temple through the indwelt believers, who are now the literal Body of Christ. God did not do all that He said He would do to rid the world of sin, but to gain a Bride for His beloved Son. This is the purpose of all of creation. Today, the indwelt believer’s body houses His very Life and Nature. This is why our old nature had to be removed from our mortal bodies through co-death and burial. Once the old man was crucified (Gal. 2:20), His nature could come and house itself in the final temple--us. This temple or church today is the vessel He uses to accomplish His work.

“And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all” (Ephesians 1:22-23).

The Life (the Nature), which the body of Christ possesses, is also possessed by each individual member of that body. We, as indwelt believers in Christ, are all partakers of this Divine Nature-- the very Life of Jesus. This is what joins us together as one body and spirit. “For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust” (2 Peter 1:4). Since this is true, then the indwelt life is the Divine Nature expressed in and through human form. This means it is God’s Life expressed in His Son through the Holy Spirit by means of demonstrating His Life through His Son’s Body--the Church. One of the main arguments in the Christian world today is the fight over old and new nature. By buying into the lie that the old nature is still alive and well within the believer, it would dismiss the Divine purpose and function of the Nature of Jesus living in the believer. The Nature of God cannot share a temple with a nature belonging to Satan. This is why it had to be put to death. Those who teach the old nature being alive in the indwelt believer are deceived and know not their identity positioning in Christ. They are literally proclaiming that God will share His temple with Satan--since the old nature is the very nature of Satan. God shares His glory with no one. His Divine Nature is the inward Life of His glory, which IS the reason of putting to death the old man. This is all at the core of leading a believer into the Exchanged Life--Not I, but Christ. People of the false teachings of old nature are suffering a severe case of Godship (playing god). They not only need to be brought to repentance, they also need the Holy Spirit to bring a completed reformation to their entire belief system. They need to appropriate their identity in Christ through the means of brokenness, surrender, and choosing to believe what God and Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit says is already true about them. This is a Truth He sealed on the Cross many years ago. For if they don’t make such a transition, they will be forced to walk “after” their flesh in order to do the works of the Father. Possessing the Divine Nature is diametrically opposed to a fleshly belief of godship. The Christ as Life way of living should be a fresh cup of cold water to all souls who believe such lies. If it doesn’t, there will remain a life that works endlessly to manage the things of God through a mindset of the flesh. Copyright © 2014 IOM America. Permission to reproduce for educational purposes. Please keep author’s name intact.

Bible verses from NASB.

"Since the day of my salvation, I have believed that talent is an outpouring of the gifts of God. Like the Living water, it flows freely to all who are willing to embrace it and there is no better example than “The Piano Guys." -SR Phinney We thank "The Piano Guys" for their contribution to our videos. If you watched one of them - you will hear why. We highly recommend their tunes to all those who appreciate music done by gifted musicians. We, here at IOM America, encourage you to go to their link and get to know them and their music. You will quickly see why we partnered with them: Piano Guys

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When God Is Not Speaking By Larry Bennett, IOM Contributing Writer

"For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison" (2 Cor. 4:17). If you have been a "God-seeker" very long, you have likely experienced the above statement on at least a few occasions. Why does God, who loves us so intensely, seem to close a deaf ear to our prayers, especially in time of great need? There are at least three reasons. First, God wants us to be continually pursuing Him. If you are the typical Christian, then like me, you have a tendency to get spiritually lazy when things are going great. We may have our daily devotions and shoot up a few prayers during the day, but we lack passion in our pursuit of Him. We may not say it, but we sometimes live like it: "God, I am OK now, but I will be sure to get really serious about prayer if I hit a snag I can't fix. You will be the first one I call on." Every committed follower of Jesus is quick to call upon the Lord when things begin to get out of control, as it should be. However, God's higher desire for us is to pursue Him even when times are good. God created us for fellowship with Him. It is the instinctive nature of a child of God to pursue a deeper and richer fellowship with the Father. So when we sense those times when God seems to turn a deaf ear to our prayers, it is a sign that we need to examine our passion of pursuit. Secondly, it is a test of our faith. Do you really believe, even when you can't "feel" His presence? As a faithful follower of Jesus, our faith is continually tested in numerous ways. The deeper our walk, the greater the test. It's like the old story about the man who was chased by a bear. In his attempt to outrun the bear, he ran over the cliff and on the way down, latched onto a limb. While hanging there in midair (hundreds of feet from the valley floor), he called out to God for help. God said, "Do you trust Me? The man quickly declared, "Yes, I believe and fully trust You." WWW.IOMAMERICA.ORG Then God said, "Let go of the limb." Sometimes trusting God when we don't see a logical way out is like the above story. We must trust God and be willing to let go of the limb. We must trust Him because of who He is and because of His proven faithfulness in the past. Each time we come to one of those moments and we trust God even though our emotions are all over the place, our faith is increased. How does our faith increase? Because in the end, God gives us what we really needâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; even though it may not be what we prayed for. Faith must be tested in order to grow and have real value. Now you may better understand what Paul said concerning his weakness and suffering, "I thank God for various temptations" (2 Cor. 12:10 and many more examples in the Pauline epistles). He knew that trouble and suffering produces faith-building endurance. Thirdly, during times of dryness we learn something about ourselves. When I present at conferences, there is a point in my seminar when I ask the audience, "Who is the person that gives you the greatest problem in your life?" A few may answer the "devil," some may say it is their spouse. But the overwhelming majority of people answer, "It's me." When we turn toward pursuing God during times of spiritual dryness, we begin to see ourselves as we really are. We quickly realize how our whole world is revolving around ourselves. We see our unforgiveness, our quickness to set someone straight, our self-protection, and all those things that point to a lack of brokenness. I vividly remember military boot camp as if it were yesterday. The best way to describe it was that they took all my rights away. I couldn't go and come as I pleased. I couldn't talk unless spoken to. I had to go to bed and get up

Transformational Biblical Worldview & Exchanged Life Development

when they said, even when it meant getting up in the middle of the night for a two hour march around the parade field. I had to march in the rain and crawl through the mud with my rifle under barbed wire with machine gunfire buzzing above my head. It wasn't fair; why was I treated so badly and subjected to such dangerous circumstances? If I had known it was going to be like this, I wouldn't have joined. And to top it off, they wouldn't let me do things my way.

COMING SOON!

It wasn't until the end of boot camp that I realized their overall purpose. They were breaking us down so they could make productive soldiers out of us. They were breaking down my self-sufficient, undisciplined will. Their goal was to make me a good soldier, one who followed orders without question and was ready for conflict in a moment's notice. Wow, what a proud moment when our team came together as a unit. We were proud to be soldiers, ready to serve wherever Uncle Sam sent us. In a similar manner, that's what God is doing in our lives. He allows us to experience trouble we can't escape, people we love whom we can't fix, and failures and disappointments we think we don't deserve. In addition to all of that, there are bouts of loneliness and despair…all because He wants to break our stubborn self-will. He wants us to give up on our self-sufficiency and fully cast ourselves on Him and Him alone. Life in the Lord's army is paradoxical. To receive, you must first give. To save your life, you must first lose it. But the rewards are heavenly; there is rest for the soul, inner peace, and daily fellowship with the Creator of the universe. Next time you feel God has withdrawn from you, remember the three reasons: (1) God is testing your faith; (2) He is exposing your self-sufficiency; and (3) it is His cue for you to readjust your priorities and pursue Him like never before. Gaze on Him and be transformed.

WHY THE BOY CRIED WOLF By Dr. Stephen Phinney An autobiography of the life of Dr. Phinney and his journey into the great discovery of the Exchanged Life - "Not I, but Christ." This book not only reveals the details of his struggles and successes, but each story is wrapped in and around the messages of the Identity Matters Conference. Few autobiographies contain life -changing and practical teachings, but this publication is certainly one of them. To reserve a copy: click here

"For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison" (2 Cor. 4:17, NASB).

Read The Story: Click Here

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The day we come to realize that ALL sins (that of anger, gossip, lying, stealing etc.) have alDave Geisler ready been laid upon Christ and covered by His shed blood is a day when we can start to talk IOM Contributing Writer about the very nature of sin. The reason is that if we don’t know we are already free from sin, the penalty and the power, we will become sin obsessed. In this our focus is removed from the Savior and back to the “sinner.” So stop right now and ask yourself - Do you believe God has already dealt with the sin issue and in His provision, has gone further than any of us would; and not only has He paid for them, but He has forgotten them? Does this go for past, present ,and future sins? YES, they were all future from the cross either way. Do we have to ask for forgiveness so that we will be forgiven of specific sins? NO, they are already dealt with at the cross. If you disagree with these answers, then you might want to not go further in the reading of this note, as it may cause greater confusion. We know whom the author of confusion is… Okay, so why are you even going to talk about sin then, since they are all forgiven and forgotten? Sin is a good thing! What? Now I know I gotta run and get the heresy firehouse to teach you a lesson!!! Calm down and let me explain. Sin is a symptom of an area of our life in which we are not “putting on” the new man. Sin points out to us that we are lacking and in need of repentance (a change of mind/understanding), so that we can now meet Jesus in an area of our life that we have sought to keep Him away. So God allows us to see the sins as a symptom of an underlying lie and distrust of His very nature in us. Let me give you an example. Are headaches bad? Absolutely, I hate them. But wait a minute; maybe they aren’t too bad if they point to a deeper problem. Maybe they are a symptom of not trusting God in an area of living. For me, they were a symptom of my poor diet. Let me show you the downward spiral of sin and how it affected my overall health. Chronic headaches and body aches got my attention there was something wrong with me on the inside. My diet was abysmal (chomping down more processed food in a day than a man should have all year) and my exercise was non-existent. A sign of the internal unhealthiness would come to me directly as head and body aches. These symptoms made me ask God the questions of ‘why am I feeling so poorly?’ My eating was an area of my life that He was not involved in. In fact, I didn’t want Him there because I wanted to be the god of what I ate. This stemmed back way into childhood ,as I learned to get pleasure and comfort from food in place of love, in place of knowing God cares and loves me. Food became my idol—35 years I lived in this manner, getting my need met for happiness, comfort, and pleasure APART from God. I sowed to eating independent of God and started to reap what came with that – death, instead of life (“The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” -Rom. 6:23, NASB). This isn’t just a salvation verse, but a principle of God in ALL of our life. So I now saw the problem and wanted God to change this in me…but I wasn’t willing to invite Him into every bite of food I would take because I didn’t trust that His presence would be as good as I could do on my own (I know it sounds stupid, but it is the reality of the conversation between Him and me). Now I could have gone for years trusting in MY provision and unbelief/dis-trust in His provision, or I could repent (which I did - now His Life is beginning to flow through my mortal body). Now my desires are changing continually, as I acknowledge His presence within me in even the most mundane thing like eating. So my point in this is that the sin itself showed me an area of my life that needed His presence to be acknowledged (He was there all along. I just ignored Him and sought to live apart from Him…even many times while talking about Him). So the sin helped me to see a need and an area of my life that needed Him. Just like if you have red bumps on your arms and the doctor was to cut them off, he’d only be dealing with the symptoms of measles instead of the disease, and in turn could make it look like there were no measles, at least for a short time. The symptoms of the sins have more to do with the disease of unbelief and a living of a lie of separation instead of unity. Now as I look at my diet, it is a profound pleasure to enjoy each bite with Him. He gains the victory in me, so that it flushes me with humility and lifts Christ up. The issue isn’t to stop sinning in the first place, but to replace any area of your and my life that we are living independent of God, and thus missing the mark to living in complete dependence and enjoying one another, especially in the mundane things of life.

Transformational Biblical Worldview & Exchanged Life Development

THE FIRST STEP TO KNOWING GOD Dr. Lewis Gregory

Knowing God is the way to life! Do you really know God? Many people think they know God, when actually they only know about Him. There is far more to knowing God than merely having an intellectual knowledge of Him. What is the first step in knowing God? 1. Admit your need — Your faults, failures, bad habits and human conflicts are all indications that your need is critical. Such shortcomings in your life, God calls sin. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). These sins are proof that you are a sinner. A sinner is a person with an evil nature, who is without God, and thus, without hope. Therefore, you need God. 2. Acknowledge God’s solution — God loves you very much! And He proved it by what He did for us. He provided a solution to your problem, and a plan for your life. God’s solution was to send His Son, Jesus Christ, to live the perfect life, and then die the perfect death on the cross for our sins. But God commends His love toward us, in that, “while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). God’s plan is for you to know Him, and experience His quality of life. Jesus Christ explained this when He said, “I came that they might have life, and have it more abundantly“ (John 10:10). 3. Accept God’s provision — God has made ample provision for all your needs through Jesus Christ. As a sinner, you do not deserve this, and there is nothing you can do to earn it. However, Jesus Christ paid the price for you through His death on the cross. Therefore, God offers this great salvation to you as a free gift. “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8). Your part is to accept by faith what God has done for you, and receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and savior. “But as many as received Him, to them gave He the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name” (John 1:12). 4. Act on the truth — “That if you shall confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9). If you have never done this, it is now time for you to come to know God through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. A simple faith transaction is all that is necessary. Just direct your conversation to the one and only, invisible, yet ever-present God. He is eagerly waiting for you. You may tell God something like this: “Dear God, I admit that I am a needy person. Most of all I need you. All my faults and failures are proof that I am a sinner. I accept the death of Jesus Christ on the cross as full payment for my sins. I now ask You to come into my heart, Lord Jesus Christ, and take complete control of my life. I thank You for my forgiveness, and I praise You for living in me. Jesus Christ is now my Lord, my life, and my all! I can do all things through Christ who is my strength. Thank you, God, for the privilege of knowing You. In Jesus’ name, AMEN!”

If you told God this, and it was your heartfelt desire, then you have just become a Christian. Congratulations! You have made an excellent decision. This is the greatest thing that could ever happen to anyone. The Lord Jesus Christ described it as being born of the Spirit (John 3:8). Your new birth results in a new life. It is the Christian life, which is really the life of Christ Himself. And He is now your life! You have been made one with God the Father through your union with Christ! You have just entered a new realm, the kingdom of God. You are now a brand new person, a child of God!

“This is eternal life, that they may know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent” (John 17:3). All Scripture from NASB.

Knowing God is also a way of life!

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YOU WILL KNOW THEM BY THEIR LOVE “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do NOTHING!” (John 15:-5, NASB, emphasis added). Bobby Allen

IOM Contributing Writer

Have you ever tried to sum up in one sentence all that God is really trying to say to every one of us on the planet? I did recently and I came up with this. “My children, love Me and love people!”

Maybe you’re thinking, “Is that it?” Yes! In 66 books, written by 40 different authors in a period of 1600 years, that is it. Love Me and love people! God wants to pour His love (Himself) in us and through us to others! Jesus told us to love the Lord your God with all of your heart, soul, mind, ,and strength and love your neighbor as yourself (Mark 12:30-31). He also said that you will know My children by their Love for one another (John 13:35). Notice that He didn’t say, you will know my children by their giftedness, anointing, passion, deep spiritual truths, miracles, ministry, impact, speaking ability, etc. He said that you will know My kids by their love. Why is this so simple, yet so incredibly difficult to do? Because we can’t love, trusting in our own resources. That's why Jesus said, “….. for apart from Me you can do NOTHING!” God’s nature and character is one of love. We all know John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that He gave….” The world longs to see, and the Church longs to experience, the love of God living through a host of people who intimately know Jesus as their Lord, Savior, and Life! Can you imagine what positive impact it would make on the Church, our society, our country and our world, if we all lived with the understanding that nothing matters more than loving God with all of our hearts, than experiencing His love personally in us and through us to others? God has given us everything we need for life and Godliness to live this life of love, by giving us His Son who now lives inside of us. Learning to live out of our identity and our union in Christ is the key to enjoying this life of love. Imagine exchanging our weakness for His strength, our impatience for His patience, our insufficiency for His sufficiency, so that we can practically experience this life of love and all its relational benefits. No matter how tough the relationships get or how difficult your circumstances are with friends, family, co-workers, or at church, the answer will always be choosing to let Christ love through you. I always say, “When in doubt, love your way out.” Why is living a life of love so important? Because without love, we are nothing. Paul said it this way to the Corinthian believers in 1 Corinthians 13:1-8 (NASB): “If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing.” In other words, Paul is saying that I can have the eloquence of an orator. I can have the knowledge of a genius. I can have the faith of a miracle worker. I can have the generosity of a philanthropist. I can have the dedication of a martyr. But, if I don’t love, it just doesn’t matter. It equals NOTHING! Life minus Christ’s love = 0 So what do you think, my friend? Shall we surrender to Father and allow His Son to live in us and through as the greatest lover the world has ever seen or known?

Transformational Biblical Worldview & Exchanged Life Development

The Untold Christmas Story “Now in those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus, that a census be taken of all the inhabited earth. This was the first census taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. And everyone was on his way to register for the census, each to his own city. Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, in order to register along with May, who was engaged to him, and was with child.” Not far from Bethlehem, bivouacked in the Judean hills with hoards of demons, Satan contemplated Joseph’s journey. In the spiritual battle for the hearts and lives of men and women, this inconsequential couple, pregnant out of wedlock, an embarrassment, were the avenue by which God would initiate His coup de grace of mankind’s redemption. While the world took no notice, Satan knew, God knew, the demons and angels knew—and Joseph knew—Mary was pregnant with the Messiah. With His birth, it would be Christmas. God was not perturbed or anxious. His plan was working just as He had conceived it from before He laid the foundations of the world. Although not visible to Joseph and Mary, an elite corps of angelic, special agents guarded their every move. The hosts of heaven stood ready to trumpet their praise to God with a celebration second only to that planned for the end of time. The archangel, Michael, and the armies of heaven stood at “red alert” should God issue them a command. Christmas must not be deterred. Meanwhile, Satan paced, brooded, spat, and cursed to himself, “There must be a #@!* way.” While Joseph and Mary were in Bethlehem, “the days were completed for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.” With the sound of Mary’s labor, Satan stalked closer to her, determined to destroy and devour the child, the hope of mankind, the light of the world, the Crown Prince of heaven’s kingdom. It was a desperate plan conceived for a desperate moment. In Satan’s war of rebellion, this birth was the harbinger of a heavenly weapon unparalleled in the universe and was without equal in all of hell’s arsenal. Satan screeched to his mob, “The Tyrant upon my throne must not be allowed to deploy the Messiah!” And in the intimate quiet of this Middle Eastern stable, in a stall filled with fresh straw, Mary labored, while all around her the demons lurked and the devil poised for a fatal blow to her helpless child. Christmas was imminent. The ranks of angels in heaven’s army waited in disciplined anticipation for a command from Michael whose eyes were fixed on God. Before them was an earthly

scene not unlike any other birth. But from a spiritual perspective, a great initiative was about to be launched. Awaiting the birth of Jesus was an anxious man, Joseph, and a great, red dragon—Satan—having seven heads and ten horns and a tail that twitched from side to side doing violence throughout the universe as if to destroy the stars in the sky.1 His rage at this young woman was controlled only by his anticipation of her giving birth to the Son of God, the heir to the throne, the throne he wanted for himself. With one final push, the baby was born and the enormous dragon lunged. The heavenly hosts broke into praises to God accompanied by trumpets and cymbals. God nodded. Michael and the armies of heaven leapt at His bidding and there was war in the heavens and upon the earth between Michael and his angels and the great dragon and his demons. It was Christmas morning. As the world slept placidly, Mary cradled her newborn. Joseph methodically tended to his family and freshened the straw in the stable while the cattle chewed their cud. “In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.’” “And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.” On this night, the course of history changed. Earth, hell, and heaven would never again be the same. In a placid Judean town, nestled in the hills, in a simple feeding trough for livestock, a helpless, boy-child with an olive complexion was wrapped in rags and laid to rest on fresh straw by His teenage mother. God had invaded earth, (Continued: Preston Gillham) the seat of the dragon’s bastion. All around the spiritual (world convulsed with the ebb and flow of combat, death, and destruction. The great dragon did signs and wonders, children were murdered, and Joseph and Mary eventually fled to Egypt for

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safety. Michael and the army of heaven carried them as though on eagle’s wings. While the hosts of heaven declared the glories of the Lord and his grace, the dragon dragged the very stars from heaven and flung them angrily about. It was Christmas day. In Bethlehem, a baby was born. In heaven, a spiritual revolution established an earthly beachhead that would forever change the course of history and reclaim the hearts of mankind. Christmas had come. The angels filed the universe with their songs. God had become man. We live in parallel worlds. As Philip Yancey says, “One world consists of hills and lakes and barns and politicians and shepherds watching their flocks by night. The other consists of angels and sinister forces and somewhere out there places called heaven and hell. One night in the cold, in the dark, among the wrinkled hills of Bethlehem, those two worlds came together at a dramatic point of intersection. But the few eyewitnesses on Christmas night saw none of that. They saw an infant struggling to work never-before-used lungs.”

Unflinching in His determination, God continues to execute His plan of reconciliation. It is His all-out, last ditch effort to once again state in words we can not mistake, in words that echo from the lips of an angelic envoy in the Judean hills, down to the pits of hell, up to the ramparts of heaven, and into the hearts of every man, woman, boy and girl: “I love you. Merry Christmas.” The Christmas story narrative from Luke 2:1-20, NASB. 17

Description in Revelation 12:1-

THE BOOK OF REVELATION: The Final Battle By Dr. Stephen R. Phinney

The writing of this book is not for the purpose of reviewing continuous history—it is for the Divine purpose of assisting True Indwelt Believers in understanding the book of Revelation. If the contents appear to be exclusive and biased toward Christianity, it’s because it is! Jesus Christ is the only Christ; any other leader or Christ figure will be and is classified as an antichrist. It is my desire that each reader study the Scriptures with a heart of worship and prayer. God has so much to say to each Believer regarding the book of Revelation. Much of the Old Testament is written to set the stage for the end-times. After seven years of research and study, my love for the original Hebrew language, customs, culture, and manners is deeply imbedded in the works of God’s foretold prophecies. I request your prayers, as I continue my studies for future writings of God’s perfect story!

COMING SOON! Public Release Date: January 1, 2015 To order, visit www.IOMAmerica.org

Transformational Biblical Worldview & Exchanged Life Development

ONLY JESUS CAN Dan Camp

By Dan Camp, IOM Staff Writer and Advisory Board Member I once read somewhere that nothing is discussed more and practiced less than prayer. Most everyone has heard that prayer changes things. One of the first things that God does when we pray is peel away our sense of shame and fear. After Adam and Eve ate from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil (Genesis 3), they hid themselves. They certainly did not feel like praying. The finished work of Christ provides for believers, among many things, a completely safe place with our Father. We are in Him, without condemnation, and unconditional acceptance and love are freely ours because of Jesus’ Grace. As brand new creatures in Christ, we may experience total freedom to boldly and joyfully come to His Throne of Grace to "pray without ceasing." After establishing the fact that we are loved and free to pray without shame or fear, it is extremely important to understand what prayer does not do. For all praying people, I mean no disrespect; but it is Christ Jesus, not prayer, that accomplishes all His glorious, holy will. Prayer changes things? No, only our Yahweh God changes things! Our common misperceptions probably come from the words of James the Apostle, "The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much" (James 5:16b, NKJV). The core of the Greek word for avail, or accomplish, is energoumene (in Greek), which points to energy, divine energy, resurrection Life energy, Jesus' energy. In fact, the entire book of James is based on this presupposition, which all the apostles had personally experienced and taught in the early churches. This is the great common denominator that Jesus is our DO’ER. Faith without works is dead because true faith ALWAYS comes first and ALWAYS results in works that glorify God. Grace comes first, not works, and works do not save (Eph. 2:8-9). After Grace saves us through faith, which is the GIFT OF GOD, Grace then begins to produce through faith, works by His Holy Spirit in us. He is the One Who is doing prayer in us! The fervent prayer of a born-again man, then, is a result of the energy and Life of Christ, which accomplishes God's will. It is not the prayer, nor the man; but is Christ within the man Who avails much. Paul used the same Greek word in his letter to the Galatians in 5:6 where we read, "faith working through love." The Greek actually says, "faith by love working." We know, "God IS Love" (1 John 4:8, emphasis added). Love is a Person. That Person is the One working, as we depend on, believe in, and trust in Him. Paul continues, in Galatians 5, that God uses our faith to provide the power for us and in us to walk by the Spirit (vs. 16), to win the battle against our flesh (vs. 17), to be led by the Spirit and become free from the law (vs. 18), to be free from the works of the flesh (vs. 19-21), and to experience the fruit of the Spirit being produced in and through us (vs. 22-23). Because we belong to Christ and He belongs to us, we surrender to His Cross, die to our self-life, and experience His resurrection Life working for us, in us, and through us (vs. 24). In all these things, we keep step with Jesus by walking in His Spirit, Who lives in us (vs. 25), and by depending on "faith by Love (God) working" in us. Perhaps the most revealing verse in the whole Bible about prayer is the little known Psalm 109:4. “In return for my love they act as my accusers, but I give myself to prayer.” What’s amazing about this verse is there is no verb between “I” (the subject) and “prayer.” Young’s Literal 1 translates the verse, “For my love they oppose me, and I – prayer!” Here we see the person (the believer in Yahweh), inseparable from what he does - prayer. His automatic response in this threatening situation is prayer. He cannot, not pray. I like Joseph Prince’s comedic comment that going into McDonald’s doesn’t make you a Big Mac any more than going to a garage makes you a car.” 2 His point is that sinning – for the believer – is not the norm and does not return Christians to their former identity as sinners. Professor Bill Gillham,3 with the Lord, did the homework on the word “saint,” and found it 59 times in the epistles. I’m not sure where the false teaching came from that “you have to die to be a Continued on page 26

X-Changing Life Magazine

saint.” The Bible teaches just the opposite. In fact, the identity of the believer in Jesus Christ is so radically changed that the very person is a new and different person. A very popular hit song by Rick Ross 4 pleads, “I’m Only Human.” The Apostle Paul, with reference to true Christians, begged to differ. We are no longer mere humans. We are certainly not just “sinners saved by Grace.” We WERE sinners, and we have been saved by Grace, but we are now saints in Christ. The Finished Work of Jesus has impacted every facet of our being, and His Spirit has so invaded us that prayer is who we are now. We don’t “do prayer,” according to the Psalm; we are prayer. The more we assume our true new identity, the more we realize that we have been given a very special place at the table with a voice that is wont to be heard. And even when it is not audible, ours is a vital part of the ongoing conversation within the Holy Trinity. Selah! Wrap your brain around that! There are those who insist that prayer is “a necessary Christian discipline.” I have a question for them. How disciplined was that delicious orange you had for breakfast? Those sweet strawberries must have been the most disciplined berries ever grown! Man, that grapefruit was a disciplined treat! You say I’m making an incorrect and unreasonable comparison? I hope not, because I got it from Jesus’ own lips: “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). My bride and I have just come through, and are still in, some very stressful and troubling times. Our understanding of Grace working in us and for us and through us brings out the prayer, which is part of who we now know we are in Christ. One of our precious parents at school yesterday asked me how I am doing. Before I could check myself, the Spirit put the words in my mouth for that lady: “I am very healthy. I just don’t have enough problems. I need more problems! They cause me to rely on Jesus, Who is living His Life in me” (Gal. 2:20). I don’t know the young airman at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs (Colorado), who has been in the news lately, but Father knows him! And I love our young brother, and pray for him. On the wall outside his dormitory room, there is a white board. Every student has one, and every student has been free to post any message that is civil, helpful, or generally encouraging. He recently wrote out Galatians 2:20 in its entirety. The national uproar that has resulted, accompanied by a major media frenzy, has been glorious! I read today that the secretaries of every branch of the U.S. military are meeting together soon to consider what to do. I have no doubt that somewhere, sometime within the past couple of months, prayer was being offered that our young men and women in college, preparing to serve God and country, might have a chance to be exposed to the heart of the Gospel of Grace. Abba an-

swered. I agree with Dr. Charles Solomon, 5 one of the noble and precious fathers of the Grace revolution in the U.S., that the Grace message of Galatians 2:20 is precisely what the malnourished modern church so desperately needs. Last week we attended and supported one of our Veritas School families in the Home-going of grandfather, father, and husband, Mr. William McGaha, 80, of Thomaston, Georgia. Now with the Lord, he was a godly Christian man who had served in the National Guard for 27 years before starting a career in insurance. At the graveside, the guns blasted skyward, as though they needed to make an opening in Earth’s atmosphere for Bill’s soul and spirit with Christ to enter Heaven. After the closing prayer of benediction, the American flag covering his casket was folded ceremoniously and presented formally to Ms. Gracie. Then the captain of the guard received three of the used gunshells, turned, and knelt in front of her. With his white-gloved hand, he extended the shells to her and said, “Ma’am, these shells represent the birth, death, and resurrection of your loved one. Do you accept?” I heard those spine-chilling words, and immediately puzzled over the young man’s careful wording. He did not ask her, “Do you accept these shells?” No, I believe his intent was quite clear, and that the Hope of the Gospel of Jesus Christ was subtly being presented with the gift. When my own dad went Home a few years ago, I spoke at length with him before his body died. He was absolutely convinced that Jesus, Who had been resident in his “earthsuit” (Gillham)4 with him for some 50 years, was going to eject with him. The resurrection of the body is for real. The Gospel of Grace offers Hope that conquers everything, including physical death, and if death, how much more so DAILY LIFE. Mrs. Judy Echols of Fayetteville, Georgia, another proud Veritas School grandmother went Home earlier this evening. Her believing, Grace-filled children and grandchildren are being literally overwhelmed with the Joy of the Lord in them and the Peace that is Christ in them beyond understanding. Two of her four sons, dear friends to us, have shared with me this evening that their mother has just joined the greatest, pain-free, bluegrass band in history! Surely David is there with his stringed instruments! Perhaps a loved one of yours has recently joined that band, or is close to Home. Do you know the reality, “I, prayer”? Do you know that your Father loves you with such total abandon that you can rest in His love in every circumstance? He does not want you to miss His daily functioning Grace (Heb. 12:15a). He wants you to enter His Rest, which He entered after working for six days on Creation (Heb. 4:7-11). His Rest is not Heaven, beloved. His Rest is available, and it is right now. And right now. And right now…

Transformational Biblical Worldview & Exchanged Life Development

www.e-sword.net I was privileged to be raised close to a beautiful lake in Tennessee. During the summer months we swam together almost every day. One of my favorite memories is of my daddy calling to me, “Come on in! The water’s fine!” Dear one, whatever your present situation, Jesus is saying to you, “I’ve got you, and I’ve got this.” Let prayer flow, let it flow, let it overflow. You need not try to pray. You are prayer. Assume your identity. The Grace of the Lord Jesus is all over you, filling you, flowing out of you like streams of refreshing water. Relax in Him. Don’t tread, float. Abide and rest. He will hold you up. He will never let you down. He will cause you to bear much fruit. These priceless truths about Grace offer incredible liberty and inspiration for prayer. It is such a gift. It is a privilege. It is a partnership. It is a relief. It is a joy. It’s a total God-thing. It is not a duty, not a burden, not one more thing on my “to do” list, not a requirement. But it is always an invitation: “Call on Me, abide in Me, ask of Me, and see what I will do for you and through you.” Identity is your starting place. You are in Christ, Christ is in you. You may say with Him, “I, prayer.”

Dan Camp (Georgia, USA) is a contributing writer, editor, and member of the Board of Directors/Advisory Board for IOM America - Transformational Biblical Worldview & Exchange Life Development. He is a Colson Center CENTURION; a Grace lay-counselor; and business manager and chaplain of the Veritas Classical Schools in south-metro Atlanta. All Scriptures, unless otherwise stated, are taken from the New American Standard Bible, © Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. Scripture quotations marked NKJV are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Dan Camp: IOM Staff Wr iter , IOM Advisory Board, Content Editor, and Ministry Host to E-Encourager Write Him At: eEncourager@aol.com

Young’s Literal Translation (YLT) is an extremely literal translation that attempts to preserve the tense and word usage found in the original Greek and Hebrew writings. The original 1898 edition, by Robert Young, was published by Baker Book House, Grand Rapids, MI. http://www.biblegateway.com/versions/YoungsLiteral-Translation-YLT-Bible/ 2

Joseph Prince. Destined to Reign. Tulsa, OK: Harrison House Publishers, 2007. www.josephprince.org 3

Dr. Bill Gillham founded Lifetime Guarantee Ministries to encourage people to experience the reality of Christ as life. His transparent, humorous, down-to-earth style and sense of humor made him one of the most effective teachers of his time. He communicated with great clarity the full extent of what God accomplished in Christ and what that means for the Christian identity. Although Bill passed away in June 2011, his messages are timeless and will continue to impact generations to come. http://www.lifetime.org/2005/01/graduation-daydying-to-live-2/ 4

“I’m Only Human” is from the second studio album “Trills” by Miami rapper, Rick Ross. Released March 2008, through Def Jam Recordings, Slip-n-Slide Records. and Poe Boy Entertainment. Wikipedia contributors, "Trilla," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php? title=Trilla&oldid=598702259 5

Dr. Charles R. Solomon is founder and president emeritus of Grace Fellowship International, Pigeon Forge, TN, USA.

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Samaritan's Purse believes the reported death toll from the Ebola crisis in western Africa may be extremely conservative, so the ministry is trying to educate the public on the virus. The World Health Organization tally shows over 5,800 infections and 2,800 deaths. Now, the Centers for Disease Control believes infections will rise to 21,000 by the end of this month and 1.4 million by January 20th. "1.4 million is â&#x20AC;Ś unimaginable, but I keep thinking, 'In December, what if there were 100,000 cases? In December there won't be 100,000 beds in all of these systems,'" Ken Isaacs, vice president of Samaritan's Purse, poses. "So something has to happen to interrupt the transmission rate of the disease." The ministry believes that every person infected with the virus infects another three to five people. "There was a report, I think it was in one of the national newspapers, that the World Health Organization is saying they believe that the reporting, the numbers of infected and dead, may only be 20 percent of what it actually is," Isaacs cites.

The United States has military on the ground to help, and the World Health Organization is setting up mini-clinics to try to save those infected by Ebola. Meanwhile, Samaritan's Purse has launched a massive education project to teach people how to protect themselves and care for family members. That effort has reached nearly 950,000 people so far. Source: www.onenewsnow.com

Transformational Biblical Worldview & Exchanged Life Development

Ron Browning Ron Browning is the founder of and a Biblical Strategist for NewHeart Expressions, a sovereign graced, Exchanged Life ministry. He was born August 29, 1966; and grew up in the loving home of a Reformed Baptist preacher, enjoying gospel music, voice, and piano. Ron went off to Jacksonville Baptist College in 1984 to study music, moving to Edmond Oklahoma the following year where he spent some time at Central State University. He served as the worship leader of a local church, where he married. His wife brought two sons into their marriage and together they had another. A Dark Secret Exposed

set free to learn how to live free from the hauntings of same sex attraction and homosexual behavior. The Journey From November of 94 through November of 2002, Holy Spirit transformed Ron from a lying thief into a man of integrity; putting grace in place, as he came to know Jesus as Lord, Life, and Liberator overcoming homosexuality, free to live faithful and pure. As consequence for many fraudulent crimes and sexual exploitations, prison consumed four-and-a-half-years of his life from 1994-2001. While in prison, Ron devoured the Scriptures in a discipleship correspondence program, for prison residents, provided through Mount Zion Bible Institute. He encountered an everdeepening relationship of knowing and experiencing Jesus as Life. Soon after his release from prison, Ron was privileged to meet and be mentored by Drs. Charles Solomon and John Woodward of Grace Fellowship International (GFI). From a chastened heart, Ron has surrendered himself unto the Lord. He has accepted God’s call to make disciples of men. GFI’s Dr. John Woodward witnessed and confirmed Ron’s calling and gifting into a discipleship ministry. He helped Ron establish NewHeart Expressions, as an outreach platform, for introducing the sexually broken to Jesus Christ as the perfect Lover.

Though life appeared good to anyone looking on, Ron harbored a secret. Homosexuality had haunted his life, from the early age of six. Same sexed attractions erupted into every thought, choice, and emotion during his preteen and teen years. Homosexuality screamed and consumed him; even marriage didn’t challenge that passion. Lying, stealing, and a hidden predatory gay life destroyed family, friends, and him. But our loving Jesus Christ –Sovereign and Savior—intervened and saved Ron from Satan’s grip of sin and his own rebellion.

This mentoring relationship between Ron and Grace Fellowship has provided training and certification in Spirituotherapy, an Exchanged Life discipleship counseling model. Since that time, Ron has been accepted as a member of the Association of Exchanged Life Ministries (March 2010), now known as Network 220; and was commissioned as a minister into the Gospel Ministry, April 1, 2012. He is also a member of IOM’s International Fellowship of Exchanged Life.

October 31, 1994 the Lord Jesus captured Ron with the grace of the gospel. After twenty-two years of refusing to repent of homosexuality –in thought, choice, and feeling— the Lord sovereignly intervened. It was a divine rescue from an eternal death in hell. Ron was

The Grace Life Continues

Ron’s Hope Jesus’ Life has rescued Ron with a living hope. From selfish rebellion to a humbled compassion the Lord has brought Ron out of many deceptions into the marvelous grace and truth of knowing Jesus as Life. What an exchange! What great HOPE! God celebrates over Ron, with dancing and song; telling a story of grace that reaches down into the lowest depths to raise a dead man to Life! One song in this wonderful Life is the lovely Susan Hope Day, who accepted his proposal of marriage. They wed January 17, 2009. And as the Scriptures promise –Hope never disappoints!

Ron continues to be excited about discipleship. He is thrilled about NewHeart Expressions’ rebrand as an online course and blog website, at FindTrueIdentity.com. He is looking forward to writing and blogging on God and sexuality, to see captives set free by the Gospel.

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Transformational Biblical Worldview & Exchanged Life Development

The Legacy of Little Things Jane M. Phinney Recently I finished reading & studying CHOOSING GRATITUDE. Any Biblicallybased book can affect and inspire you to some degree. But, any change forthcoming can only be had, supernaturally, through the life of Christ within. At the end of this particular book, the author (Nancy Leigh DeMoss) shares a 30 day devotional guide to navigate the reader through possible obstacles blocking the expression of thankfulness. These days held many treasures for me when, as usual, the Lord lead me to other scriptures which gave new applications of the “Day”--- designed to minister to my need at that moment. Truth be known, I started this book in July. It was God’s perfect timing given my personal year & season of life. My daughter, Jessi, gave it to me for Christmas 2 years ago but it was for “such a time as this.” Here was Nancy, reading my mail, so to speak, in 2014. Only God orchestrates something like that. In day 26, entitled A Call to Gratitude, the scripture referenced was from Ezra 3. The foundation of the temple had just been rebuilt and a very specific account was given of the people’s response to that moment. Everything stopped. Everyone stopped……to praise God and give thanks. The priests were attired in temple tradition playing trumpets, the Levities played cymbals, the people shouted & ALL sang praises and thanks. The folks who’d seen the first temple wept with a loud voice. The Word notes that you couldn’t distinguish the weeping from the joy. Can’t you just picture it? In acknowledging God as the source of the foundation, the people responded with gratitude, repentance, and intercession. Oh to live like that! One of the cross-references to these verses is Zech 4:10a. “For who has despised the day of small things?” This brought to mind a cross-stitch I made for Steve’s office years ago. It simply stated, “Take time for the little things.” In my day 26 gratitude journal entry I wrote: “Little things make up the foundation and hold it together. When the little things are neglected the foundation gets cracked, weakens, and is vulnerable to the storms of life. And little things take TIME (as an investment). The words of an old hymn flooded my soul….”praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of Creation! Oh my soul praise Him for He is my help and salvation!” At this point, God lead me to list out the “little things” that made/ built my foundation….the legacy left to me from my Dad and Mom. † † † † † † † † †

Reverence for God Honor for His written Word Bible reading and prayer at mealtimes Love for music Value and comfort of hymns Importance of practical stewardship Parents who kept their word Integrity in life—when no one but God sees Serve others to show value and love

† † † † † †

Never give up trusting and believing God Teachable—always things to learn Affectionate Sacrifice in relationships for another’s good Gift of time—fellowship around the table with a good cup of coffee Security, in spite of difficult circumstances. Consistent parenting in meeting my needs.

I was blessed to see that I wrote this list naturally and easily. I was also blessed that many of these “little things” were multi-generational. Meaning that I also saw them in my grandparents as I experienced life with them. So I THANKED GOD for the legacy given to me. It is what will last for eternity. It wasn’t money. It wasn’t in the preserved stuff. It wasn’t what they had. Rather, it was WHO THEY WERE that built the foundation of my life. Family life, lived out in dailies before God, laid the bricks to a safe and secure foundation for living. Praise God! Dad and Mom weren’t distracted by things that wouldn’t last, in the end. What a blessing! I wish I could kiss them now. Many days Steve and I yearn to just talk with them again, around the table. What wealth from the Lord! It’s in the fiery trials, in the persevering, that our proven character gives way to hope…because God’s love is shed in our hearts. (Rom 5) They showed me that. Because they were available. And because they embraced their trials….some for the long haul. Their individual expressions were different but they worked together for the good of our family. In his sermon a couple of weeks ago, Steve summed up my dad’s influence in his life. With arms outstretched he emphatically stated, “I am here today because of Carl Ver Steeg. He is still affecting me. He is alive!” “The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places; indeed my heritage is beautiful to me.” (Ps 16:6) Yes, this verse is talking about the Lord as our inheritance. But I am blessed to reflect that it was true in my life experience. “Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness, who seek the Lord; look to the rock from which you were hewn, and to the quarry from which you were dug.” (Isaiah 51:1) Again, a reference to the Lord but, evidenced also in my earthly “quarry.” All of our lives were built on a foundation of “little things” that laid the groundwork for who we have become, or are becoming, today. If you have a godly (no such thing as perfect) heritage, I am reminding you to remember, and to rejoice in taking the necessary time to preserve, and pass on, what you’ve been given. Conversely, if you don’t consider yourself as having grown up with bricks that gave you secure footing, I am encouraging you also, to remember, and to trust God as He repairs the vulnerable cracks in the foundation of your heart. Nothing is beyond His transforming power in a life surrendered to Him. In either case, humility has a good memory! Oh how we need Him…. “for in Him we live and move and exist..” (Acts 18:28) Our ONLY resource is the indwelling life of Christ through the Holy Spirit. And like the people celebrating the completion of the temple foundation, what God IS doing in our lives IS worthy of our gratitude, repentance, and intercession. Carry it on! Our story for HIS glory!

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