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I have been in church most of my life.  I’ve heard so many great things about our beyond words amazing God.  I have learned how to live in response to His Great Love for us.  There are, however a few things I have had to unlearn.  There are some doctrines taught from the pulpit which elicit emotional responses, however they do not line up with New Testament Grace.

I’ve spoken with so many people who were concerned for their salvation because they made a mistake, or they have an addiction they wrestle with.  The idea that God is perfect, therefore He won’t be with you in your sin until you confess the sin and get it “under the blood” seems to have reached the far corners of the Christian world.  Let me stop you right here if you think I condone sin.  Sin has consequences.  Sin brings death.  I won’t go into detail here, just read my other blog posts or my upcoming book, “The Grace Life”  where I go into depth on Biblical Christian living.

I lived in so much fear when I was younger whenever I made mistakes or struggled with those reoccurring sins.  I was afraid I would be on my way home and die in a car wreck with unconfessed sin and go to Hell because I hadn’t asked for forgiveness yet.  I loved God.  I accepted the sacrifice Jesus made.  I believed the Bible.  Yet, I was afraid because I believed my salvation depended on my strength to hold on to Jesus.  I believed my requests for forgiveness of each and every sin was how they were forgiven.

I was preaching the Love of God, yet I was afraid that Love was not enough.  I’m so thankful we were introduced to God’s Grace!  I want to encourage you with the following scripture from Hebrews 13:5 (Amplified).  The first part of it is talking about finances which are important.  However, the rest of it has helped me through the toughest times and helped me to realize no matter what, HE HAS ME.

 ^“Let your character [your moral essence, your inner nature] be free from the love of money [shun greed—be financially ethical], being content with what you have; for He has said, “I will never [under any circumstances] desert you [nor give you up nor leave you without support, nor will I in any degree leave you helpless], nor will I forsake or let you down or relax My hold on you [assuredly not]!”

Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. – Ephesians 6:11

I have read this verse more times than I can count.  I have preached it and heard it preached about as many times.  A few of weeks ago we were discussing this in our Bible study.  Something new, at least to me, was brought up about this verse.

The Greek word translated as “put on” is endyō (pronounced en-dü’-ō) which means to “Sink IN.” What is even more exciting is the etymology of endyo.  It comes from the following two Greek words “en” and “dynō.” En is a fixed position.  Dyno is to go under, be plunged into, sink in.  The same Endyo is translated as “having on” in verse 14; “and having on the breastplate of righteousness.”

Most of my life, I believed the Armor of God was something I had to put on.  When I sinned, I had obviously taken the armor off.  I believed it was up to me to keep putting on the Breastplate of Righteousness.  I had to be righteous to put it on, right?  Let’s explore this question for a moment.

To be righteous is to be in right standing with God.  How do we get in right standing?  We accept His Son (1 Corinthians 15:1-4, John 14:6).  Our faith in what Jesus completed is our part.  Jesus lived without sin and fulfilled the Law.  No one else has ever done this and no one else will.  Jesus alone is worthy.  You and I cannot perform to this level despite our best efforts.  Our righteousness, according to Isaiah 64:6, is “as filthy rags.”

This should go without saying, but, I do not advocate sin.  We could spend a lot of time pouring through scriptures in the New Testament that tell us to abstain from sin, flee from sin, etc.  Some may assume because I am a Grace teacher, I would tell you to live however you want since God loves you.  I will tell you your sins aren’t being held against you if you have put your faith in Christ (Romans 5:13).  My wife loves me more than I deserve.  Does that make me want to go out and fool around with other women?  NO!  It makes me want to hold her closer and get to know her even more.

Once you put your faith in Christ, you are righteous.  You are not working to be righteous.  You are not confessing sin to become righteous.  You simply ARE righteous.  You are in a fixed position in Christ!

“Put on the breastplate of Righteousness.” This simple sentence, if properly understood, will set you free.  Ready?  Sink into the Righteousness of Christ which does not hold sin against you and will NEVER let you go.

Let that sink in.

 

On the night of my high school graduation, we had an event called “Project Graduation.” If you aren’t familiar with Project Graduation, it is a night full of activities designed to give a safe celebration for the graduating class.  That night, we had events such as Sumo Wrestling, a Gyroscope, and the Bungee Run.

The Bungee Run is an inflatable track where the players strap into a harness attached to a bungee rope.  The object of the game is to run as far down the track as possible and place a baton on the dividing wall.  Whoever gets the farthest wins.  This is so simple in theory, especially for a big guy like myself.  I remember my first run.  I took off as fast as I could.  It was easy until the bungee began to stretch.  I pushed as hard as I could because I wanted to win.  I gave it my best effort.  Then it happened… I found myself flying through the air backward, tumbling all the way to the starting line.  The bungee rope won.

I like to think of Salvation as coming into God’s home.  Salvation is the doorway where we are saved by Grace through Faith. (Eph. 2:8) When we get inside, we get the proper attire, the armor of God.  We put on the breastplate of righteousness, however somehow, we let someone attach a bungee rope of religion to that breastplate.  We begin to walk through this marvelous home.  However, as we take in the beauty, we feel a pull at our backs.  Rather than ask the Father for help, we think this is part of it, so we begin to strive.  We try harder.  We give it all we have.

Does this sound familiar?  You are not alone.  Paul wrote this to the Galatian church: “O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you?  This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?  Are ye so foolish?  having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?” (Galatians 3:1 – 3)

I know it sounds tempting to follow a set of rules in order to get closer to God.  However, the Law was designed to let us know we cannot make it on our own; no matter how hard we strive.  We eventually come to the end of ourselves.

I encourage new believers to walk into Daddy’s House and rest in the finished works of Christ.  If anyone tries to put that bungee rope on your back, slap their hand away.  Trust me, it’s no fun getting pulled back and landing on your head.

Those who have been around a while, who have pulled against the bungee rope of religion, I encourage you to rest in what Christ did for us.  Disconnect the bungee.  Explore all God has for you without fear.  Relax.  It was never about your efforts in the fist place.

Most boys have had the age-old debate with their friends, “My Dad can beat up your Dad.”  I heard this debate many times during my childhood.  I was never part of this debate though.  Why?  Because my friends knew my Dad and didn’t want to step into the arena knowing who I would be defending.  Instead, we would debate Chuck Norris, Bruce Lee, and Arnold Schwarzenegger.

My Dad was tough in every sense of the word.  When he was a boy, he was given the responsibilities of taking care of the family farm before and after school.  He was the oldest of six and shouldered the responsibility of taking care of his younger siblings.  As a teenager and young man, he led a wild life.  He had plenty of stories to keep us entertained and in awe that one man could live so much.

As I grew up, I watched Dad protect and provide for his family.  We may have done without luxury.  However, we always had a roof over our heads, food on the table, and a safe loving home.  Dad simply did not miss work.  There was a time when he was bleeding internally and the doctors couldn’t diagnose the cause.  What did Dad do?  He took a job at a convenience store working overnights because he was too sick to continue as an auto mechanic.  He did not quit.

We had many ups and downs.  However, his family was always loved.  When we didn’t have the money for a second car, Dad rode his motorcycle.  We got to be cool.  Getting dropped off at school on a motorcycle got everyone’s attention.  It wasn’t until years later that I realized he had to ride it in the ice and snow. (I know he enjoyed riding it, but that couldn’t have been fun.)

Dad made sure our needs were met so Mom could be home with my brother, sister, and I.  We knew someone was there when we came home from school.  Our home was where other kids felt safe and loved.  Our friends were always welcome.  My sister, Candy, talks about the “sea of boys” in the living room floor when she would wake up to watch Saturday morning cartoons.  Our home was a safe place for all of us.

Dad was one of those guys you instinctively knew not to cross.  He had this look that struck fear into its recipient.  The look said, “You have crossed a line and you better step back.” Intimidating?  You better believe it.   As I reflect though, the only times I saw this look were times where there were threats to the safety and well-being of his family.

Those of us who had the privilege of being in Dan Turner Sr’s inner circle of friends and family know we are blessed.  Those who were outside of that circle really missed out on something special.  The man loved his family fearlessly, intensely, and openly.  He gave us stories laced with wisdom and humor.  He challenged us to be the best version of ourselves.  He loved us; and it showed.

We said, “good bye” to him two years ago today.  He fought all the way until the end.  He fought disease until he knew his grand kids knew him and would remember him.  He fought to make sure Mom was taken care of.  Once he knew his family was safe and cared for, he encouraged us in the Lord because he knew he had won the fight and he had finished his race.

My given name is Danny.  So, family and those who have been friends long enough to be family, still call me that even though I have gone by Dan since the sixth grade.  One old friend said, “I just think of your Dad when I hear Dan.” I answered, “Yeah, me too.”

Warning!  This may step on the toes of the worship leader.  It may also make you mad at me for ruining your favorite worship song.  If you don’t want either of these to happen, stop reading now.

Let’s start with the fact I am not a singer.  I enjoy several styles of music and like to sing along… when I’m by myself, in my car with the windows rolled up so no one can hear me.  I enjoy leading small groups, men’s groups, youth, even preaching.  If you want your church to shrink, ask me to lead worship.

Since gaining a revelation of God’s amazing Grace toward us, worship service has become increasingly difficult for me to participate in.  It’s not because of the music, it’s because of the lyrics.

In my study of Grace, I’ve received revelation on some amazing facts.  God will NEVER leave us nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5).  The Holy Spirit lives inside us and surrounds us, so it would be impossible for Him to leave us (Romans 8:9-11, 1 John 4::13).  If we are in Christ, we are the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21).  There are many others.  However, I want to keep this brief.

God will NEVER leave you.  This includes when you or I sin, make mistakes, or forget to read our Bibles.  Why do we sing songs that beg God to stay or come back to us?  He’s already here!  We may turn from Him, but He will NEVER turn from us (just read about the Corinthian church).

Some of my favorite songs before I “discovered” Grace were asking the Holy Spirit to let us into His presence.  These are beautiful songs that inspire a deep emotional reaction.  The only issue I have is were already in Him and He’s in us.  We can’t get any closer.  We are surrounded and permeated by the Holy Spirit much like a sponge in water.  All we have to do is be aware of His everlasting presence.

Her’s a pet peeve of mine; stop calling yourself a sinner in your worship songs!  We are made the righteousness of God in Christ.  We are made new.  We are born again.  The old things have passed away.  Why do we continue to call ourselves sinners when God calls us Saints?

“I’m just an old sinner saved by grace.  Which one are you?” – Michael T. Smith

If this upsets or confuses you, please continue to read.

I’ve never been one to simply complain.  I like to propose solutions to problems, not just the problems themselves.  There are many beautiful songs, both classic and contemporary.  They have wonderful melodies and lyrics.  Some of these, though, have one or two lines which go against everything we learn about Grace.

As a worship leader, you have the freedom to rewrite a lyric the same way you can rearrange the accompanying music .  For instance, “I want more of you, Jesus I want more of you…” could easily be changed  to “I have all of you, Jesus I have all of you…”  Do you see the doctrinal difference?  Do you see how this actually lines up with New Testament scripture?

Worship is a wonderful time, not only during church, but throughout life.  My hope is that the lyrics we sing will begin to line up with the message we here when we learn about God’s amazing Grace.  If we have a song in our hearts about how we are in Christ, fully forgiven and loved by God, we can be more aware of all He has done for us.  We would then be more aware of His presence with us.  If the Church is walking around with these thoughts, we would be an unstoppable force for His Kingdom.

“Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us.” – Romans 8:37

I recently heard Pastor Gregory Dickow talk about this verse.  I had to share this with you.  What does it mean to be more than a conqueror?  A conqueror is one who fights and overcomes an enemy.  To be more than a conqueror, one gets to enjoy the spoils of the victory the Conqueror won.  In other words, we get to rest in the victory Jesus has prepared for us!

If you don’t believe this, back up to verses 34 and 35.  “Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.  Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?  Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?” Jesus died and rose again.  He is at God’s right hand intervening on our behalf.  Nothing can separate us from His love for us.

He has won the victory.  He conquered Death, Hell, and the Grave.  In the moment He seemed weakest, He triumphed above all of the weapons the enemy had.  Once He had the victory, He turned right around and offered the spoils of this victory to you and me!  Why?  Because of His great love toward us!

We are victorious in all things.  Sometimes it doesn’t seem that way.  Sometimes, we look defeated.  However, these times are just a section of our lives.  My Pastor says this hard time is a sentence in a paragraph on a page in a chapter in a section in the book of our lives.  Keep reading!

If you are going through something, rest in the fact that you are more than a conqueror in Christ.  Rest in His finished work.  He conquered everything and has invited you and me to enjoy the spoils of victory.  Join him and rest.

I have been thinking about my Dad more than usual these past few weeks.  Stories I had forgotten about have been flooding my memories.  Some funny, some as life lessons.  All of them were out of his love for his family.  As I move forward in life with decisions on the horizon, I have been asking myself, “what would Dad do here?” Dad and I were close enough that I can almost hear his advise while I’m driving down the road or working on my truck.  His voice is there as a guide even though he has been gone for nearly two years.  I was blessed to call Dan Turner Sr. “Dad.”

I have heard many people speak lately about their home-life while they were growing up.  Some have happy memories where they learned lessons, laughed, and felt loved.  Others tell of nightmarish situations of abuse, neglect, and fear.  Whatever your story is, it can affect your view of the Father.

” Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee:” (Gen. 12:1) Why did God tell Abram (later Abraham) to leave his father’s house?  God had something special for Abram.  He wanted to create a nation and He wanted to begin with this man.  In order to do so, Abram could not continue in the ways of his father.  He had to start fresh.  He had to learn from the Father how to become the father of the Hebrew Nation.  He could not do this continuing in the traditions of his father, a worshiper of the sun.

For you who survived your childhood, I want you to know you have a Father who loves you more than you can imagine.  People made decisions you had to live with as a child.  I wish we didn’t live in a fallen world where people abuse the powerless.  I wish there was no physical, sexual, and emotional abuse of any kind.  This is a terrible side effect of the choice two people made in a garden and is against the love and wisdom of the Father.  You are a survivor.  Your Heavenly Father desires more for His children than survival:  He wants you to thrive.

If you are a survivor of your childhood, you may have a difficult time viewing a Father as a good thing.  You may have fear or anger well up when you imagine a father.  This is a tactic the enemy has used for generations.  If you feared or hated your father growing up, you will not naturally walk into the arms of our Heavenly Father and accept all the good He has for you.  The enemy wants us to run from the Father in order to keep us bound in one of two things:  sin or religion.  Both keep us from thriving and living out the blessings God has for us.

Imagine an embrace of pure love and joy.  What does it feel like?  Safe, secure, accepting, forgiving, comforting, joyful, loving.  John ponders the Father’s love, “Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.” (1 John 3:1) We are His children by His Grace through a simple belief.  His love for us is greater than our minds can comprehend.

Paul wrote, “Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.  For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:37 – 39) He also prayed for the Ephesian Church and all who would come to Christ (that’s us) in Ephesians, chapter three, “That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,  may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.”

Whether we had a loving home or survived a nightmare, our Father in Heaven loves us more than we can imagine.  He desires only the best for you.  His embrace is waiting.  As a product of a loving home, this is an easy concept for me to grasp.  I understand though, that there are so many who have survived and have a difficult time reaching out to the Father.  For you, I pray you can leave your father’s house and accept the prayer in Ephesians 3:14 – 21.

Many of us have a bad habit of comparing ourselves to others.  I’m not talking about fair comparisons here.  I’m talking about comparing the worst part of our lives with the best of other people’s lives.  We compare our worn out furniture with the new sofa a friend shares on Facebook.  Even worse, we compare our past with the good we know of someone else.  Then we ask ourselves, “How could God possibly love a sinner like me?”

Last night, in The Grace Life Bible Study, we read two scriptures that I believe will help so many people if they can grasp what happened here.  “Wherefore he saith, when he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive and gave gifts unto men.” (Ephesians 4:8)  “… He led captivity captive” is a quote from Psalm 68:18, which states, “Thou hast ascended on high, thou hast led captivity captive:  thou hast received gifts for men; yea, for the rebellious also, that the  LORD God might dwell among them.” (Bold added by me for emphasis.)

This is speaking of the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ.  When Jesus died on the cross, He descended into Hell in order to do two things:  Show Satan Who’s the Boss, and give the biggest salvation message in history.  Before Jesus’ sacrifice, there was no hope for anything more than “Abraham’s Bosom:” a holding place away from the torment of Hell until the Messiah completed His mission.  Jesus led all who were held captive by the devil out of there.  There are a few scriptures which allude to what happened.  This leaves some of the story a mystery.

One thing jumped out to me: “… for the rebellious also, that the LORD God might dwell among them.” Who benefited the most from this?  My thought is Adam.  You may ask, why?  Well, I’m glad you asked.  Yes, Adam’s sin seems simple and minor compared to what occurred in  Greek, Roman, and modern times. However, Adam’s rebellion against God’s Word was the domino which began a cascade taking man from God’s image and likeness to sinners in need of a Savior.  Adam chose to disobey God.  Eating the fruit was not the sin, it was rebellion against His Word.

Adam rebelled.  His firstborn son murdered his second son.  Mankind quickly spiraled out of control.  Read the commandments God gave Israel.  Not just the Big Ten, but all of the 613 Laws.  There is a reason for each of them:  people were committing these acts.  It all started with Adam’s choice to rebel.

When Jesus asked, “Who wants to come with me?” I believe Adam was the first in line.  I believe his torment was going from the Garden to the outside world while watching mankind murder, rape, and pillage for his 930 years.  Then, in Sheol,  he was reminded of what he had started for what I’m sure felt like an eternity.  I’m sure, he missed his daily walks with God in the cool of the day.

Jesus offered to take the rebellious also, that He might dwell among them.  Wow!  We can’t sit around and compare our worst moments to someone else’s best (or vise versa).  All any of us can do is say, “Thank You Jesus!” Thank You for Your unconditional, unmerited, undeserved, unlimited Grace, Love, and Forgiveness.  His sacrifice was enough for ALL sin:  Past, Present, and Future.  He emptied out Hell on day one.  What makes you think He doesn’t love you enough to forgive your sins?

As a proponent of the Gospel of the Grace of God, there are times where I have been accused of being flippant about sin.  This type of accusation only comes from someone who does not know me.  While far from perfect, I live a moral life and I encourage this in others as well.  However, when the pure Gospel of Grace is preached, it does raise some questions in the hearers of this Word.  Paul answered these questions many times.

“What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?  God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?  Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?  Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.” (Romans 6:1 – 4 KJV)

“God forbid.” This is the equivalent of asking, “How could you even think that?” Paul let the Romans know they were dead to sin.  If we are dead to something, how can we live in it?  Like Paul, I do not advocate living in sin.  In fact, I advise people to abstain from sin.  I don’t give this advice because they could loose their salvation, or make God angry.  I advise people who have put their faith in Christ to turn away from sin because it is harmful for them and everyone who loves them.

From the outside, my life looks much like a very religious person’s life.  I don’t “cuss, drink, or chew…” I have been faithful to my wife, Crystal, for nearly 20 years.  I am an honest and trustworthy employee.  I read my Bible and pray often.  I was also like this when I was entrenched in religion.  What’s the difference?

Motivation.  That’s the difference.  When I was a child, I made a decision to follow Christ and did so out of a love and gratitude.  When I was a teenager, I went through a time of rebellion where I was motivated by selfishness.  I also hid it pretty well from most people.  One day, my heart changed and I fell in love with Christ all over again.  It took several years, but something happened.  I fell into religion.  My motivation went from love for Christ to a fear of making a mistake and losing my salvation.

I thank God that I was introduced to my first Love.  I heard the unfiltered Gospel of the Grace of God.  My motivation changed from fear to love and thankfulness.  I died to that lifestyle of sin.  Crystal and I watch TV and see people living in sin and look at each other and wonder what people see in that lifestyle.  It doesn’t even compute with us.

I mention all of this to give context to the statement that grabbed me in Romans 6:4, “we also should walk in newness of life.” I have tried rebellion (selfishness), religion (self preservation), and Grace (God’s unmerited favor).  I choose Grace.  I choose walking in newness of life.  I choose to walk in love.  I choose to let God’s love motivate me in every aspect of life.

“Walk in newness of life” does not sound anything like “live in fear of God’s wrath.”  It also sounds nothing like, “do whatever you want.”  In the context of the verses around it, we are free to walk in this newness of life because we are dead to sin.  How can a dead man sin?  How can we walk in sin, which is death, when we are raised up into life in Christ?

I love how the Message translation puts Titus 3:3 – 5a in perspective: “It wasn’t so long ago that we ourselves were stupid and stubborn, dupes of sin, ordered every which way by our glands, going around with a chip on our shoulder, hated and hating back. But when God, our kind and loving Savior God, stepped in, he saved us from all that. It was all his doing; we had nothing to do with it.” I encourage you today to walk in this newness of life.  Experience God’s Grace.  Be motivated by love.

A few days ago, we celebrated my son, Eli’s tenth birthday.  We have a tradition in our family where the birthday boy or girl gets to chose where we go for dinner.  Crystal and I were ready for a good meal at a “sit down” restaurant.  What did he choose?  Arby’s.  I have nothing against the Arby’s restaurants.  I have many fond childhood memories with my family while drizzling Arby sauce on my sandwich.  This just isn’t what I think of today as a celebration restaurant.

This made me think of when I was a teenager.  I was talking with some people from out of town.  They asked where a good steak house was in Joplin.  I remember feeling dumb because I didn’t know where to send them.  In my family, it was a rare occasion for us to get steak.  When we did, it was grilled up at home.  I don’t recall going out to eat steak.  I blurted out the first thing that came to mind.  Steak-and-Shake.  (I hope the couple found the actual steak house that was located next to Steak-and-Shake.)

As we grow, our tastes change.  Whether it’s where we celebrate birthdays, or what restaurants we recommend to someone from out of town.  We tend to mature and find finer and more meaningful things to fill our lives.

Paul said, “When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.” (1 Cor. 13:11) When I was young, I was fine with fast food and cheap toys.  Now, I prefer a nice meal with family and friends either at home or in a nice restaurant.  I have matured to a place where I prefer meaningful over cheap and quick.

The same thing applies in my faith.  When I was younger, I gravitated to emotional experiences.  If I didn’t feel goosebumps or if I didn’t cry, it wasn’t a good service.  Now, I sit down with friends and discuss the Word of God for hours on end.  We walk away full.  We have topics to search out and consider throughout the week.  We have a fellowship which I look forward to all week.  There have been times where tears were shed.  Many more times when there was great laughter.

There has been a dramatic growth in my life since coming to the realization of God’s Grace.  My Pastor introduced me to the Truth of God’s Grace.  Since moving back to Joplin, my friends and I continue to discuss the Grace of God and how to apply it to our lives.  Grace is not a cheap fast food meal.  Grace is finer than any five star celebrity chef’s restaurant where you have to know someone to get a reservation.  I encourage you to pull up a seat.  Take a deep dive into God’s Grace and savor the goodness that is beyond compare.