Jesus And Joe Cocker

God doesn't stand outside world culture, refusing to interact with it. To the contrary, He is very much involved in the details of culture and can use cultural elements to make Himself known to those who have eyes to see. Have you ever seen God revealing Himself to you in the nonreligious aspects of culture? Are there things you enjoy that nobody would call religious, but you know you have experienced an awareness of your Father through those things? What are a few of the nonreligious ways you have encountered God in your life?

Consider some of the more common cultural elements of our society as a medium through which the Lord can reveal himself to you. To suggest that God can speak to you through aspects of modern culture doesn't minimize the place of the Bible. God will never speak in a way that contracts His Word, but He certainly speaks in ways apart from the Bible.

God has often spoken to people through things directly created by Him. He can make Himself known through thunder (1 Samuel 7:10); through lightning (Isaiah 29:6); through fire (Exodus 13:21); through a bush (Exodus 3:2); through the skies and land (Psalm 19:1); even through a talking donkey (Numbers 22:28). The list could go on and on.

In addition to those things created directly by Him, He speaks to us through the creativity of others too. The word “creativity” finds its root in the word “create,” which means “to bring into existence something out of nothing.” The ability to create always finds its ultimate source in God, for He alone is the Creator of all things.

Created things (such as human beings) can’t create, unless they are endowed with creative ability. Like everything else vested in man from the beginning, our ability to create has been contaminated by sin, but the ability is, nonetheless, of divine origin. Any talent to create you or I have been given isn’t something that we can boast in. Our creative abilities are imperfect reflections of His perfect creativity. Our Father's creative ability can be seen through human creativity and in many of the things we create. Sometimes He shows up the most unexpected places, secretly smiling at those who have eyes to see Him through the elements of our culture.

Shortly after I was married, my parents and younger sister moved out of the country for five years because of my dad’s work responsibilities. I only saw them once during that five-year period. I was nineteen when they left and I deeply missed my family. I looked forward to seeing them more than words could express.

When the time drew near for their return to the states, my dad arrived a few days ahead of my mom and sister, unbeknownst to me. I had been out to lunch and as I pulled into the parking lot of the church where I was serving as pastor, I saw my dad sitting in his car. But because I wasn’t expecting to see him, I didn’t recognize him. In fact, I didn’t really pay him any attention. I casually glanced at him and parked my car.

When I began to walk toward the building, my dad spoke. “Hey there, young man,” he said. Instantly, I recognized his voice. I whirled around and ran toward him. It was one of the great thrills in my life and I’m sure that my dad enjoyed the pleasure of suddenly surprising me with his presence.

That’s how Jesus Christ acts toward you. In some ways, there are times when he wears the icons of our culture like a disguise. He hides Himself from the world – from those who don’t want to see Him—but at unexpected moments He suddenly pulls down the mask and gives those He loves a clear glimpse of His face. At those moments, those who love Him squeal with excitement, “Jesus, it’s you! I see you in that!” I have no doubt that when this happens, He laughs with delight.

Are you open to having the Holy Spirit expand your understanding of how to see your Father in the ordinary, everyday icons of life? You will be thrilled when He enables you to look beyond the superficial and see the supernatural. Jesus is waiting to surprise you with His presence. Open your eyes to see Him in the everyday icons of culture.

What are these cultural icons? They are the common expressions of human creativity seen in our society. As an example, let’s consider the medium of music. No medium on earth has the capacity to affect a person’s emotions like music. Music has been used throughout history to move people into action. It has motivated men to charge forward into battle. It has often been a prerequisite to making love. Music has caused some to sit in reflective silence and caused others to get up and dance. It has soothed fussy babies until they drifted off into a peaceful sleep. It has been used at weddings to celebrate a new life together and years later at funerals to grieve the end of that shared life. Music has been a comforting companion to prisoners and slaves. It has given expression to a celebration of victory. Certain music has even been proven to increase the amount of milk a cow gives! Music – it can make us laugh or cry. It can give us feelings of nostalgia, joy, hope, sadness and even anger. Its power is nothing short of miraculous.


Certain songs move me deeply, causing me to experience a sense of intimacy with my Father in awesome ways. I seldom hear or sing The Love of God, Great Is Thy Faithfulness, or A Mighty Fortress Is Our God without choking up. The great hymns of the faith can often teach us theology far better than any sermon and at the same time touch us in the deep places of our heart.

Don’t make the mistake of thinking that you can only hear your Father's voice within the context of religious music. Remember, He can make Himself known to you in unlimited ways. He isn’t about to surrender everything outside the church doors to the world. Music written apart from His life is pirated material and our God can reclaim it anytime He wants.

I was speaking on this subject at a conference one day when I asked the group, “Are you able to hear God speak to you if there is no religious tone to what you hear?” The audience waited for me to continue. “Close your eyes and listen to the song I’m about to play, “ I encouraged them. “Perhaps you have heard the song before, but this time, listen for the voice of the Divine Lover in it.”

Then, at a spiritual retreat, in a room filled with Christians, I played a recording of an old song by the famous classic rock singer, Joe Cocker. The words he passionately sang are, “You are so beautiful to me. You are so beautiful to me. Can’t you see? You’re everything I hoped for. You’re everything I need. You are so beautiful to me!”

As the song played, grown men and women began to cry. For the first time, many were hearing the voice of the Divine Lover from a source they had never thought to consider before now. For every person there, this song would never again be the same. God’s love had redeemed it and brought it into the kingdom as a gift for those who listened.

Does this concept seem uncomfortable to you? If so, consider this question: Why should Jesus Christ be restricted to only communicating to you in religious ways? He is Lord over all the earth and can use anything He chooses to express love to those who are His! One unmarried lady I know says that she listens to a radio station that plays nothing but romantic love songs and that she often hears the Lord sing to her through those songs. Who would tell her she is wrong?

I have experienced a sense of transcendent joy that couldn’t possibly find its origin in fallen man at times when I have heard certain non-religious music. I was enthralled as I watched a live performance of the musical The Phantom of the Opera. On another occasion, tears filled my eyes as I attended a concert by the great Italian singer, Andrae Boccelli, despite the fact that not one word was being sung in English. I could almost imagine Jesus saying, “Isn’t this great? Steve, I love seeing how you enjoy this concert. I can’t wait until you get Home. I have even better ones waiting for you here.”

Don’t misunderstand me. I’m not suggesting that every time we have a positive feeling, it’s God manifesting Himself to us. I recognize that our emotions can be manipulated by various influences. However, I also believe that Christians are sometimes guilty of dismissing the pervasive presence of Christ in this world by insisting that experiences that aren’t directly religious are non-spiritual or even evil.

Keep your eyes opened wide as you go through your day and you may be surprised where your Father shows up, just to tell you that He loves you.

(This article is an excerpt from my book Journey Into Intimacy. Click here for more information)

An Excerpt From Next Week's "Sunday Preaching"

From the sermon series called, "The Root & Fruit of Religion: How Having A Religious Mindset Hurts Us All." This is an "advance excerpt" of the next week's message:

The Scripture is filled with ambiguous statements that can be understood in very different ways, even in opposing ways by people who are equally committed to the integrity of Scripture and who are equally as committed to a high level of intellectual honesty when studying it. To blatantly judge somebody as being “wrong” or of not believing the “plain teaching of the Bible” just because their view is different from ours is to live from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. When were we appointed Judge of what is perfectly sound doctrine? We were never called to sit in judgment over others as to the rightness and wrongness of their interpretation of Scripture. It's okay to say we believe differently, but our own attitudes sometimes overshadow what we contend is our orthodoxy. We may differ in our understanding without condemning others who have come to a different viewpoint. There are certainly absolutes that can be known, but when we know somebody else seeks truth just as we do and that their view is the result of sincere study, we need to give wide berth to differing opinions, knowing that we all must hold onto our understandings in humility. At best, none of us can see more than just through a glass darkly.”

Do We Become Progressively Righteous?

The Bible teaches that we are righteous people but many of us struggle with that reality. There are also many common misunderstandings about this concept. Those who fail to understand that righteousness is received entirely as a gift (see Romans 5:17) often wrongly think that it can be achieved through various things we do.

If you think that you can become righteous by your own efforts, I remind you that self-effort produces only one kind of righteousness — self-righteousness. The righteousness which is of God comes by faith and it is a gift to us in the person of Jesus Christ. Self righteousness will prevent us from ever experiencing the grace walk.

The biggest misunderstanding about our righteousness is that it's a progressive growth into righteousness Some people believe that we become more and more righteous as we walk with the Lord. But, it’s not by what we do that we become righteous. The Scripture tells us in 1 Corinthians 1:30 that Jesus is your righteousness. “But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, so that, just as it is written, ‘Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.'" So, how righteous are you? Look at it this way: on a scale of 1 to 100, how righteous is Jesus Christ? One hundred.

Now, using that same scale, what was the level of righteousness possessed by the Apostle Paul? How about you? How righteous would you say you are? The answer is 100%. You are as righteous as Jesus Christ because Jesus Christ is our righteousness. We may not always act righteous, but that fact doesn’t change the reality of who we are. Don’t allow your feelings to dictate what you believe about this matter. Let what God has said have the final say about it. That is our ultimate authority, right?

Let me illustrate the point this way: Imagine if I found a ring at church and brought the ring in and showed it to everybody and asked whose it was, but no one claimed it. Someone might say, “You found the ring. No one has claimed it, so it’s yours to keep.” I look at the ring and it looks like about a one carat diamond. Immediately I think, “I wonder what that’s worth.”

So I take it to a friend and I ask him what he thinks the diamond is worth and he tells me it’s worth about six or seven thousand dollars. Then I take it to another friend and he says, “No, that’s not a real diamond. That is cubic zirconia. I think it is only worth about three hundred dollars.” I then take it to yet another friend who looks at it and says, “That came out of a toy machine. That’s just plastic. Why, that’s not worth more than about three dollars.”

At this point I have opinions that range from three dollars to seven thousand dollars. How do I know the value of the ring? I take the ring to an appraiser and he would set a value on it based on the price that someone was willing to pay for it. So if someone was willing to pay five thousand dollars for the ring, then the value of the ring is five thousand dollars. I could look at the ring and say, “This ring equals five thousand dollars.” The ring and the five thousand dollars have the same value.
When you and I came into the world, we were born with a big question mark over our heads. The question was, “What is my value? What am I worth?” Unless you know your identity in Christ, you are always asking one way or another, “What is my value? What am I worth?” We try to establish in our own minds what our value is based on what other people tell us (We will probably get varying appraisals, depending on whether we ask our mother or our employer).

But there is a way that you can know your value. Bring yourself before the expert. Come to God and say, “Can you tell me my value?” God will answer, “Yes, I can.” He will determine your value the same way the appraiser determines the value of the ring. It hinges on what price is someone willing to pay for you.

God could say, “You have been bought with a price. And I am the One who bought you. What I paid for you is Jesus.” Isn’t that response biblical? Then would it be accurate to say that to God, you are of equal value to Jesus. It almost sounds blasphemous, doesn’t it? But I want to assure you that your heavenly Father treasures you like He treasures His own Son because Christ is your life. You are now one with Him. You are 100% righteous because He is 100% righteous.

In fact, you will be no more righteous in heaven than you are right now. I’m not talking about your behavior. I’m talking about your nature. I’m talking about who you are. Righteousness by progression is a legalistic lie that implies you make your own way toward greater righteousness by doing the right things.

Living By Religious Rules

One glaring problem with trying to live by religious rules is deciding whose set of rules you intend to follow. The Baptists? The Pentecostals or Charismatics? The Methodists? Presbyterians? Catholics? Which denomination or group will you fall in line with in deciding what you're going to do and not do? There are many varying opinions in the modern church concerning what constitutes godly living. What is acceptable to one group of Christians is completely offensive to another. Again, if you are going to try to build your lifestyle around religious rules, whose rules are you going to follow? “I will live by what the Bible says,” one may smugly answer. However, it should be acknowledged that all who seek to live by legalistic standards claim the Bible as their source of authority.

I was speaking on the dangers of legalism in a church when someone approached me and said, “Steve, I want to give you something. This is what every new member receives at the church where I regularly attend. I think you’ll find it interesting.” I looked at the brochure she handed me and read the title: “Truth About Standards: Biblical Standards For Christians”. The contents of this brochure list fifty-one rules the Christian is to live by in order to “keep our banner of victory waving high.” Below are the last nine of the fifty-one standards this group believes are important to godly living:

43. Biblical reason not to participate in worldly amusements, such as ball games, rodeos, circuses, racetracks, bowling alleys, skating rinks, theaters, video game rooms, etc.
44. Biblical reason not to go dancing, mixed bathing, etc.
45. Biblical reason for men to cut their hair short.
46. Biblical reason for women not to cut their hair but to let it grow long.
47. Biblical reason not to dye your hair.
48. Biblical reason not to wear clothing that pertaineth to the opposite sex.
49. Biblical reason to wear decent, modest clothes with modest styles; moderate prices and colors; decent dress lengths, sleeve lengths, and neck lines.
50. Biblical reason not to wear jewelry.
51. Biblical reason not to wear makeup.

Most evangelical Christians would consider this kind of list to be absurd — the idea that God is against ball games and rodeos? That He cares what color a lady’s dress may be? It is important to realize that this list of religious rules isn’t absurd to those who embrace it. They list numerous verses to prove the validity of each of their points.

Having seen this particular group’s blueprint for living, I ask you this question: What is yours? “Oh,” one may say, “I would never build my life around such a foolish list of rules. I simply try to do what the Bible clearly says.” That is exactly what these people would say if questioned about their rules. The truth of the matter is that in the eyes of God, the legalism in our lives looks just as absurd to God as theirs for one simple reason. Our lifestyle is not to be built on rules! Life is not about finding and keeping the right set of rules. Our life exists in our union with Jesus Christ. Out of that, everything is to flow.

Jesus didn’t come to help us keep religious rules. He came to deliver us from that system altogether. The old man who was married to law was put to death with Him at the cross so that we have no relationship to it anymore. The law is alive, but the “old you” who was married to it is not. “You also were made to die to the Law through the body of Christ, that you might be joined to another, to him who was raised from the dead, that we might bear fruit for God” (Romans 7:4). Because of our co-crucifixion with Jesus Christ, we have absolutely no relationship to the law at all. None (See Romans 3:28; 6:14; 7:6; 8:3-4; 10:4; Galatians 3:21; 3:13,21; 5:18; 1 Timothy 1:9). Our commitment is to Christ alone.

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Check Out This Week's Sunday Preaching Broadcast

Part 2 in a series entitled, "The Root & Fruit of Religion: Discovering How Religious Mindsets Hurt Us All"

This week's topic is "Religion's Greatest Lies" Check it out at this link: www.gracewalk.org

In Memory of my Mother

My mother went to heaven in October, 2004. If she were with us today, this would be her 80th birthday. I find myself feeling bitter-sweet as I reminisce about her life today. I feel nostalgic and sad about her absence but feel a sweet comfort in thinking of her and the person she was.

It's interesting to note the things that remain foremost in our minds after a person has left this world. I remember my Mom's sincere love for Christ. She regularly assured me of the fact that our Father is in control and encouraged my faith toward him all my life.

I learned how to show affection from my Mom. I never grew too old that when I sat down beside her she would reach out to hold my hand. She hugged and patted those she loved. I remember as a small child that she sang songs to me, the first I remember being, "Catch a Falling Star" by Perry Como. She would reach out and pretend to be catching the star and then pretend to put it in my pocket. My mother was a whistler. I remember her whistling tunes as she cleaned house when I was a small child.

She was a Sunday School teacher when she was younger and able to attend church, something she couldn't do anymore as the years passed and her health continued to deteriorate. She taught the young married couples at church and loved it.

I remember her reading the Bible and praying when my Dad as in Viet-nam. She never learned to drive so it was quite a challenge for her to have him across the world while she was back home with two young children.

I think of the many discussions I had with her about grace. She struggled with what I teach because of the influence of her own church background during the time she grew up. I still have negative feelings toward that denomination because of what I saw it did to my mother's sense of confidence over the Father's unconditional acceptance of her, independent of what she had done or not done in life.

One of the funniest moments I remember happened shortly before she died. She said to me, "The lady who cleans my house was over this past week. She's having such a hard time." My mother then began to tell me about the lady's troubles and about what she (my mother) had told the house cleaner to encourage her.

"I told her what you wrote in your book about . . ." My mother proceeded to explain to me how she had shared unconditional acceptance and pure grace with the woman. Then she paused, looked at me and said, "And I don't even believe that stuff!" I started laughing.

"Then why did you tell her all that, Mom?" I asked.
"I don't know," she said as she laughed too.
"I'll tell you why you told her that, Mom," I said. "It's because you do believe it! In your heart you know it's true, but you just can't get your (church denominational background) head around it!"
"You think so?" she said.
"I know so!" I answered.

My Mom went to heaven with confidence that she was a Christian but with hopes that there wouldn't be answering to do about her shortcomings. I like to imagine what it must have been like when her Father embraced her and never mentioned anything about shortcomings in this life.

I miss my mother today, but live in the confident assurance that one day I'll again sit by her side and she will pat me on the leg, then hold my hand, and maybe even sing a Perry Como song to me.

What's The Big Deal About Sin?

What’s the big deal with sin? To be more precise, exactly what is it about our sins that would warrant the kind of attention that the church world gives to the subject? Some who don’t understand the message of grace think that those of us who teach it believe that sin doesn’t matter. Nothing could be further from the truth. I hate sin. I hate it when I see it in my own life and I hate it when I see it in the lives of those I love. The wages of sin is still death. That hasn’t changed. Sin has a withering effect on a person that will relentlessly and progressively strip one of the best things life has to offer and leave nothing but emptiness and meaninglessness in its place.

The question that needs to be readdressed in the modern church world is, “Why do we hate sin?” It’s my viewpoint that our reason for opposing sin is most often totally different than our God’s reason for being against it. The religious reason for hating sin looks so noble at first glance, but misses the point altogether.

What is the reason most Christians believe sin is to be hated? Because it is wrong. To many of us, the core issue of sin is a moral one. Sin is evil and thus should be avoided. In regard to sin, we judge others and ourselves on the basis of the moral implications of our behavior. The consequence is that we tend to view the whole mater in the judicial sense of innocence versus guilty.

I don’t believe our Father in heaven sees sins through the lens of morality. To Him, it’s not a judicial matter calling for a Judge. It’s an organic matter crying out for a Great Physician. God isn’t squeamish about sin because it nauseates Him to see it. He doesn’t recoil from sin the way Superman would avoid kryptonite. Our God has already conquered sin. He has vanquished it by the finished work of the cross. He isn’t intimidated by it in the least.

The idea that our God has a moral purity that causes Him to shy away from the sinfulness of humanity is wrong – dead wrong. Some have argued that God “can’t look upon sin,” but that view is the result of taking scripture out of context.

When Habakkuk the prophet saw the sins of his day, he cried out to God, “You are too holy to look upon evil!” (See Habakkuk 1:13) Then he immediately asked in the same verse, “So why do you?” God saw the sins of the people then. He sees the sins of people today. He doesn’t run and hide in the closet when sin is around. To the contrary, He runs toward those trapped in sin to deliver them from it!

The reason God hates sin isn’t because of what it does to Him because it does nothing to Him. The issue of sin revolves around what it does to us! Your Father isn’t angry when you sin. He loves you and wants to see you free from that kind of self-destructive behavior. He wants us to walk in victory over sin – not because He wants to be sure we live morally, but because He doesn’t want to see us hurt ourselves!

When we understand that this is our Father’s mind and heart toward those who sin, it will change the way we see others who sin too. It will stimulate compassion within us, not judgment against them. We will want to love them back to spiritual health and see them free from the downward spiral of self-destruction, as opposed to judging them on the basis of moral wrongdoing.

Is sin a big deal? Yes, it is, but not because there’s a Divine Scorekeeper who is agitated that we’ve stepped out of bounds. It’s a big deal because when we sin we hurt ourselves and the One who loves us more than we could ever imagine wants nothing less than complete health and peace for those He loves.