Or “A” Life? · 2020-01-13 · determine if you are living what Jesus calls an “abundant...

“A” Life? Or

“THE” Life?

Bill Loveless

Christ Is Life Ministries

2

Copyright © 2016 by Bill Loveless All rights reserved. This book may not be copied or reprinted for commercial gain or profit. The use or copying of this material for personal or group study is permitted. Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved. Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996 by Tyndale Charitable Trust. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers. Scripture taken from the New Amercian Standard Bible®, copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. Scripture taken from the New King James Version, copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked (GNT) are from the Good News Translation in Today’s English Version—Second Edition, copyright ©1992 by American Bible Society. Used by permission.

Website: www.christislifeministries.com

Email: [email protected]

30

P.S., Ifyouhaveany thoughtsconcerningwhatyouhaveread thatyouwould like to shareorhaveanyquestionsaboutwhatIhavewritten,pleaseemailmeattheaddressbelow:




(7-15-16)

3

Table of Contents Introduction ...……………………………..…………. 4 Part One – “A” Christian Life…………………....… 5 Part Two – “THE” Christian Life ............................ 13 .

4

Are You Living “A” Christian Life or “THE” Christian Life?

Introduction Iaskthequestion:“Areyouliving ‘A’Christian lifeor‘THE’ Christian life?” because many Christians I haveministered to don't know the difference. It is crucial toknowthedifferencebecausewhichlifeyouarelivingwilldetermineifyouarelivingwhatJesuscallsan“abundantlife”inJohn10:10orifyouarelivingaChristianlifethatis not fulfilling, not meeting your needs, and mostimportantly,nottransformingyourlife.Therefore,wearegoing to lookat thedifferencesandthe consequences of living “A” life versus “THE” life.Belowisashortsummaryofthedifferencesbetween“A”Christianlifeand“THE”Christianlife.“A”ChristianLife“THE”ChristianLifeUsingyourownintellectLivingfromChristastheabilityandwithGod’shelpSourcetolivetheChristiantolivetheChristianlife.Life.TheChristianlifeisaset TheChristianlifeisaOfrulestofollowor Person.ItisChrist“todo”liststocomplete.Himself.Livingandworkingfor TrustingChristtoliveHisGodtogetyourneedsLifeinyoutomeetallyourmetfromHim. needs. TryingtochangeyourselfTrustingChristtotransformwithGod’shelp.thewayyouthink,choose, believe,andbehave,

29

If youwant to learnmore about the truths of livingTHEChristianlifeandhowtotrustGodandallowHimtotransform your life, I encourage you to read mycomprehensivecurriculumcalled,LivingLifeFromANewSource.Init,Icoverthefollowingtopics:

• WhatisGod’spartin

livingTHEChristianlife?

• WhatisyourpartinlivingTHEChristianlife?

• HowtoengageGodtobetransformed.

• Whatdoesatransformedlifelooklike?

This curriculum is available on my website(www.christislifeministries.com). Online, youmay eitherdownload the curriculum for free or purchase awrittencopy of it which will be mailed to you. There are alsovideolessonsonthewebsitethatgowiththisstudythatyoucaneitherwatchforfreeorpurchaseonDVD.Ihopeyouwill takeadvantageof thisstudyandseektheLordforadeeperunderstandingofwhatitmeansthatChrist isTHElife.Myprayerforyouisthatnotonlywillyour life be transformed but that you will share withothershowlivingTHElifehastransformedyourlife.Blessings in Christ, Bill Loveless

28

In addition, the Lord is transforming ourmarriage asmywifeandIincreasinglydependonChristtoproduceaChrist-centeredmarriage.Hecontinuestosetusfreefromthefleshlybehaviorsthatcreatedsomuchconflictearlierin ourmarriage. That is not to say that ourmarriage isconflict-free, but as we grow into Christ-likeness anyremaining conflict continues to decrease while ourintimacy,harmony,andonenessincreases.ConclusionI wanted to conclude by saying that the Lord sotransformedmylifethatIleftmybusinesstogointofull-time ministry to share these transforming truths withChristianswhoareeitherdissatisfiedwiththeirChristianwalkorarewantingmorefromit.In15yearsofministry,I havewitnessedGod transformhundredsof individualsandmarriedcouples’lives.IamfullyconvincedthatlivingTHE Christian life is the only way to a fulfilling,transforming,andabundantlife.WouldYouLikeToKnowMore?Where do you find yourself after reading what I haveshared?Wouldyousaythatyouhavebeenliving“A”lifeor “THE” Life. If, after reading these truths, you’vediscovered that you have been living “A” Christian lifeinsteadof“THE”Christianlife,Istronglyencourageyoutoseek deeper revelation and understanding of what itmeansforChristtoliveTHElifeinandthroughyou. Thisbookletisintendedtogiveyouabriefoverviewofthedifferencebetweenliving“A”Christianlife—inourownstrength—and“THE”Christianlife—bylettingChristliveinandthroughyou.

5

PART ONE

“A” Christian Life Definitionof“A”LifeLetmebeginbydefiningwhatImeanby“A”Christianlife.

“A” Christian Life:

What you need to DO using your intellect, ability,

willpower, and self-discipline, with God’s help, to

try to SUCCESSFULLY live the Christian life.

Anotherwayofsayingthisisthatyouareattemptingtobethesource,withGod’shelp,totrytolivetheChristianlife. Iwas initially taught that “A”Christian lifewashowthe Christian lifewas to be lived.When you look at thedefinitionof“A”Christianlife,wouldyousaythisiswhatyouweretaught? Characteristicsof“A”Christianlife Let me give you some of the characteristics of “A”Christianlife,togiveyouabetterunderstanding. “A”Christianlifeisonewhereyouareusingyourownintellect, ability, willpower, self-discipline, and askingGod’shelp,to:

1. LearnthewordofGodanddowhatitsays.2. KeepGod’srulesandcommands.3. Changeortransformyourself.

6

4. Becomemorerighteous(i.e.,sinless).5. Change your fleshly or sinful behavior to godly

behavior.6. Set yourself free from the sin(s) you are in

bondageto.7. ImitateChristtobeChrist-like.8. AchievevictoryoveryourfleshandSatan.9. Experiencetheabundantlife.

Have you tried to accomplish any of the things listedabove? If so, have you been consistently andprogressivelyexperiencing success indoing these thingsinyourChristianwalk?Ifnot,whydoyoubelievethatisthecase?Isitperhapsbecauseyouneedtotryhardertodothemor is it possible that you were never intended toaccomplish any of these things using your ability,intellect, willpower, and self-discipline? Since I wastaughtandlived“A”Christian,IwouldliketosharewhattheresultswereafterlivingthiskindofChristianlifefor30years.My30YearJourneyofLiving“A”ChristianLifeIbecameaChristianatage18,butIdidnotgetseriousaboutmy Christianwalk until I was 22. At that point, IaskedanotherChristianwhowaspartofaministry thatdiscipledcollegestudents,“TellmewhattodotolivetheChristianlife?”ThereasonIaskedthequestionisthatupto that point everything I did in life was something Ilearned and thenwent out and accomplished. I call thisthe“learnanddo”mentality.Therefore, when it came to living the Christian life, Ifelt that I just needed someone to tellmewhat to do, I

27

If Christ is your life, and His life is ABUNDANT,

then abundant living is allowing Christ to live in

you so that you will experience His promises of

FREEDOM, VICTORY, HEALING,

TRANSFORMATION, and INTIMACY.

Question: If someonewere to ask you today if you arelivinganabundantlife,whatwouldyouranswerbe?How Depending On Christ To Live His Life In Me IsTransformingMyLifeSinceIheardthetruthaboutChristbeingTHELifeonOctober4,1998, IbegananewjourneyofdependingonChrist to live THE life in me. As a result, God began atransformingworkinmylife.Through trusting Christ to live in me, I am being setfree frommy sin strongholdsof inadequacy, fear, anger,rejection, and unworthiness. Christ has replaced thesestrongholdswithHisadequacy,Hiscourage,Hislove,HisacceptanceandHisworth.Remember how I shared with you earlier about myhardened heart towards my dad because of all of hisabuse?Overtime,theLordtransformedmeinsuchawaythat I was able to forgive my dad for his abuse andrejection and, afterwards, the Lordwas able to healmywoundedfeelingsofhatred,bitterness,andunforgivenesstowards my dad that I had struggled with for over 48years.

26

What do you think Jesusmeans by “abundant” life? Idon’t believe that He means an external abundance(wealthandprosperity)becausethatcanbeeasilytakenaway. Is it possible that the abundance that Jesus istalkingaboutisaninternalabundance?Let me use the promises we talked about to give abetter understanding of themeaning of abundant life. Iwilldothisintheformofaquestion. Ifyouwere:

• livinginvictoryoversin,theflesh,theworld,andSatan,

• experiencingfreedomfromyourdefeatingsinpatterns,

• beinghealedofyourpastorpresent

woundedness,

• havingyourneedsmet,

• beingtransformedtothink,feel,choose,andbehavelikeChrist,and

• experiencingapersonal,intimaterelationshipwithGod,

wouldyouconsiderthatabundantliving? I believe that you, like me, would consider thisabundant living. In light of this, think about thisstatement.

7

wouldlearnhowtodoit,andthenIwoulddoit.Doesn’tthissoundlogicaltoyou?Guesswhattheytoldmetodo?Everythinglistedonthepreviouspage.IwastoldthatifIcouldaccomplishthesethings with God’s help, then I would be a “successful”Christian and Iwould experience the abundant life. So Istarteddownthe list trying toaccomplisheverythingonit.I call itmy thirty years of “trying” because I failed atconsistently accomplishing anything on that list.However,beingastrong-willedChristian,Ikepttryingforthe next 30 years. During that time I asked God manytimestohelpbutIneverreallyfeltHewashelping.BythetimeIwas18,Ihadgreatinternalstruggleswithinadequacy, fear, anger, rejection, and unworthiness. Inaddition, I was physically, verbally, and emotionallyabused by my father which created great internalwoundedness. As I read God’s promises of victory,freedom, healing of woundedness and transformation, Iwantedtoexperiencethosepromisesinmylife.Ithoughtthat if IcouldsuccessfullycompletethelistthenIwouldexperiencethesepromises.The problem is that the more I tried, the moreexhaustedIbecame.Notonlythatbutallmytryingneverresulted in the freedom, victory, healing, andtransformation that God promises. As hard as I tried, Iwas never able to setmyself free from the feelings andbeliefs of fear, inadequacy, rejection, and unworthiness.Infact,allofthesefeelingsgotworse.Due to the woundedness from my dad, I harboredanger,bitterness,andunforgivenesstowardshim.Iknew

8

the truth was that I was supposed to forgive him but Icouldn’t do it. In fact, my feelings toward my dad gotworse. I also struggled over those years with fleshlybehaviorssuchasanger,beingcontrolling,beingcritical,andjudgmental.Inaddition,Ibecameveryself-righteousbecauseIhadaccumulatedalotofBibleknowledgeandpeoplearoundme needed to know how much I understood about theBible.Atonepoint,mysistersaidthatIwasthemostself-righteouspersonsheeverknew.Thesadpartisthatshewasright.The last tenyearsofmy30year journeyof living “A”life, I got married. I mistakenly thought that marriagewouldsolvemanyofmyproblems. Itonlycreatedmore.When my wife would not meet my needs andexpectations,my anger and controllingwould get out ofcontrol.Wewould go to Christianmarriage conferencesthattolduswhatwehadtodotohaveaChrist-centeredmarriagebutnoneofthemarriage“todo”listsmadeanydifference. As a result, my wife and I after ten yearsstartedemotionallyseparating.As a Christian, one of my desires was to be a godlybusiness owner. I failed at this aswell because I felt soinadequate. As a result, I believed it was up to myemployees to always perform well enough to make melook good. If I thought theywere failingme in anyway,theywouldgetthefullforceofmyanger. Allthistime,Iwasfaithfullygoingtochurch,readingmyBible,praying,anddoingwhatIwastoldtodotobeasuccessfulChristian.However,themoreItriedliving“A”Christian life, the more I failed. You can imagine thatfailingyear after year, only createda greater frustration

25

So,whatisourpartinlearningtoliveTHELife?

Our part is to DEPEND on Christ to LIVE

and PRODUCE His life in us.

Letme give you an example to explain. If you neededsurgery,whywouldyougotoasurgeon?Fortworeasons.First, you can’t accomplish the surgery on yourself.Second,youhavetototallydependonthesurgeontodothesurgerybecausehe is trainedtodo itandyouaren’tabletodoit.ItisthesamewithlettingChristliveinyou.

You must live in MOMENT by MOMENT dependence

for Christ to live and produce His life in you.

DependingonChristtoliveHislifeinyoumaybeanewconceptforyou.Itwasaradicalconceptforme,especiallyafter trying (and failing) for thirty years to live theChristianlifeonmyown.However,doesn’titmakesensetodependonChristtodowhatonlyHecandoandyoucan’t?Itrustthatyouseethat.NowthatweknowwhatitmeansthatChristisTHELife,let’slookattheresultsofChristlivinginyou.WhatIsTheResultOfChristLivingHisLifeInYou?WeseetheresultinthatsecondpartofJohn10:10:

“…Ihavecomethattheymighthavelifeandhaveitabundantly.”

24

Whatdoes“it”mean?“It”meanseverythingGodpromisestodo.

Either you are going to be the source or God is

going to be the Source but He is NOT going to HELP you be the source.

SinceOnlyChristCanLiveTHELifeThenWhatShouldWeDo?Thinkaboutthisquestion:Howmanypeoplehaveleda perfect Christian life? The answer is, only One: Jesus.ThistruthmaybeasstartlingtoyouasitwastomewhenI firstheard it.However, isn’t it true?Nooneother thanJesushaslivedaperfectChristianlife.Therefore,sinceChristisinyouandHeistheonlyOnewhohasperfectly lived the life, thenwhatshouldwedoaccordingtothefirstpartofGalatians2:20:

“IamcrucifiedwithChrist,andInolongerlive,butChristlivesINme…”

Think about what Paul is saying in this verse. WhenPaulsays,“Inolongerlive,”heis,ineffect,sayingthatheCANNOTbethesourceforlivingtheChristianlife.Thisisamazing considering all of Paul’s credentials, intellect,and capability. He clearly acknowledges that none ofthosethingsqualifieshimtobethesource.Therefore, since he admits that he cannot live theChristianlife,hesays,“Christlivesinme.”Paulrecognizeshis absolute need to depend on Christ to live THEChristianlifeinhim.

9

with my Christian walk because nothing seemed tochangeandmyfleshlyattitudesonlygotworse. On top of the fact that I was not experiencing anychange, I startedcondemningmyselfwhen I failed todowhattheBibletoldmetodo.IkeptthinkingtomyselfthatImustbedoingsomethingwrongorImustnotbetryinghardenough.Inaddition,IfeltthatGodhadletmedownbecause after all of my hard work for Him, He was notcoming through with the victory and freedom Hepromises. Truth be told, towards the end of my thirty yearjourney I began giving up on living “A” Christian life. Ifinally concluded that abundant life must come afterdeathbecauseIcouldn’tattainitnownomatterhowhardItried.Insteadofgettingclosertotheabundantlifeafterall those years, I was becoming depressed and at onepointIhadthoughtsofsuicide. Whyweren’t allmy efforts being rewardedbyGod?WhatwasIdoingwrong?WastheresomekeytruththatIwas missing in my understanding of the Christian life?Now that you have heard my story about living “A”Christianlife,letmeaskyouaquestion:WhereAreYouTodayInYourChristianWalk? Iwant to sharewith you the results of some recentsurveys. The following are three separate surveys bythreedifferentgroups.Hereiswhattheyrevealed:“52% of Christians think there is more to theChristian life than what they have experienced.” -BarnaGroup.

10

“Only 13% of Christians say they are living avictoriousChristianlife.”-Gallupsurvey.“89%ofChristiansfeelthereisadisconnectbetweenwhat God promises versus what they areexperiencing.”-RevealResearch.When you read these surveys, can you identifywhereyou might fit into those statistics? Are you part of the52%who think there is more to the Christian life thanwhatyouhaveexperienced?Ormaybeyouarepartofthe87% that are not living a victorious Christian life?Perhaps you are part of the 89% who feel there is adisconnect between what God promises versus yourexperience?Ifyoucan identifywithanyof thesegroups,whydoyouthinkthatisthecase?Letmeaskyouafewmorequestions:

• Are you struggling with experiencing consistentvictoryinyourChristianwalk?

• Is there some sin pattern(s) that you cannot setyourselffreefrom?

• Istheresomesinfulbehavior(s)orattitude(s)that

youwantchanged,buttheyneverseemtochangenomatterhowhardyoutry?

• Areyouexperiencingsomepastwoundednessthat

youhavenotbeenhealedfromnomatterwhatyouhavetried?

• Doyoubelievethatthereissomethingmissingorsomething more that you want out of yourChristianlife?

23

CanYouBeTheSourceToProduceTHELife?I hopeby this point that youhave concluded that youcan’tbethesourcetoproduceTHELife.However, ifyouneedfurtherprooflookatthelastpartofJohn15:5:

“…apartfromMeyoucandoNOTHING.”John15:5bThis means that apart from Christ being the Source,you cannot produce any truth or any promise in God’sword.Therefore,tryashardandaslongasyouwouldlikebutyouwillneverbeabletoproduceTHEChristianlife.This Is Why God Is NOT Going To Help You Live THEChristianLifeI hear many Christians say, as I did, “God is going tohelp me.” What they are, in reality, saying is: “God isgoingtohelpmebethesourcetosolvemyproblems,changemyself, etc.”Anotherwayofsayingthisis,“Godwillhelpmehelpmyself.”ThisisafalseteachingbecauseGodneverintendedformantobethesourceforlivinglifeorbeingtransformed.Think about this question, “If God is the Source, thenwhywouldHehelpyoubethesource?”Yousee,Godhasitrigged!IfHeisnotyourSourceforlivingtheChristianlife,thenyouarethesourcewiththeresultthattherewillbe more defeat, more bondage, and no transformation.God’s design onlyworks oneway, and that iswith HimbeingyourSource.LookatPsalm37:5tobearthisout:

“CommityourwaytotheLORD,trustalsoinHim,andHewilldoit.”Psalm37:5

WhatthisversedoesnotsayisthatGodisgoingtohelpyou do it. Rather, He is your source and He will do it.

22

“Andwe,whowithunveiledfacesallreflecttheLord’sglory,arebeingtransformedintoHislikenesswithever-increasingglory,whichcomesfromtheLord,

whoistheSpirit.”2Corinthians3:18WhatdoesitmeanforustobeconformedtotheimageofChristandbetransformedintoHislikeness?

To be conformed to the IMAGE of Christ or to be

TRANSFORMED into the LIKENESS of Christ, means

that you will be transformed to THINK, BELIEVE,

CHOOSE and BEHAVE like Christ.

Thinkabout it foramoment.Whatwouldbedifferentaboutyour life ifGod transformedyouso thatyouwerethinking, believing, choosing, and behaving like Christ?How would it change how you see yourself, how yourelatetoothersorchangehowyouwoulddealwithyourcircumstances? Myexperiencehasbeen thatmanyChristians Ihavetalked to are not experiencing ongoing transformationinto Christ-likeness. I fully understand because for thefirstthirtyyearsofmylifeIwasnotexperiencinganyrealtransformation either. The key is thatwithout knowing,believing, and living from the truth ofwhat itmeans tolive THE Christian life, there will be no majortransformation.

11

If you answered “Yes” to one or more of thesequestions,itispossiblethatyou are,likeIwas,living“A”Christianlife.IsItPossibleThatLiving“A”ChristianLifeIsLikeLivingInASquirrelCage? Youmayhave heard “insanity” defined as doing thesame thing over and over again expecting a differentresulteachtime.Iwonderhowthismightapplytoliving“A”Christianlife?Yousee,IwaslivingwhatIcalla“spirituallyinsane”lifebecause Iwas trying todo thesamethings Iwas told todotolivetheChristianlifeoverandoveragainforthirtyyearshopingtoachieveanabundantlife.However,nothingItriedeverproducedavictoriouslifeor a transformed life. As I said previously, nothingchangedandthingsactuallygotworse.Doesn'tthatsoundalittlelikeinsanitytoyou?

Is it possible that TRYING to do the same things

over and over again in your Christian walk and

FAILING can lead to SPIRITUAL insanity?

Nowthatyouknowthecharacteristicsof“A”Christianlifeandhowliving“A”Christianliferesultedinfailureforme, let’s lookatthetruthconcerning living“A”Christianlife. WhatIsTheTruthAboutLiving“A”ChristianLife?Hereisthetruthaboutliving“A”Christianlife:

12

Living “A” Christian life will NEVER produce “THE”

Christian life that God promises, i.e., a life of victory,

freedom, and transformation.

Infact,ifyoucontinuetolive“A”life,itwillresultin:

• Morefrustration• Morefailure• Moredefeat• Morebondage• Moredisillusionment• Moreinnerturmoil• More of the same or worse (i.e., no change or

transformation)Areyouliving“A”Christianlife?Canyouidentifyinanywaywithmystory?Ifso, Iwantyoutoaskyourself thisquestion:

Is this the life God INTENDED for me to live, or is

there ANOTHER life I am to experience?

You see, friend, God never intended for us to live “A”ChristianlifebecauseHisplananddesignforusisforusto live “THE” Christian life. So let’s take a look at themeaningof“THE”ChristianLife.

21

FREEDOM – Christ will set you free from your falsebeliefs,yourdefeatingsinpatterns,andyourongoinginnerstruggles.“SoChristhasreallysetusfree.Nowmakesurethatyoustayfree,anddon’tgettiedupagaininslaverytothelaw.”

Galatians5:1HEALING – Christ will produce healing of your pastandpresentwoundedness.“Hehealsthebrokenheartedandbindsuptheirwounds.”

Psalm147:3INTIMACY – Christ will produce in you a desire forpersonal,intimaterelationshipwithHimself.“HisunchangingplanhasalwaysbeentoadoptusintoHisownfamilybybringingustoHimselfthroughJesusChrist.AndthisgaveHimgreatpleasure.”Ephesians1:5In addition to these examples of Christ being theproducer,thereisonemorekeyareaintheChristianlifethatonlyChristcanproduce.TransformationIntoChrist-LikenessOne of the greatest promises in the Bible is to betransformedintoChrist-likeness.Let’slookattwoversesthat confirm to us that God intends for our lives to betransformed.“ForwhomHeforeknew,HealsopredestinedtobecomeconformedtotheimageofHisSon,thatHemightbethe

first-bornamongmanybrethren.”Romans8:29

20

Using the list on the previous page, note some thingsthat youmayneedbased the current struggles youmaybefacing.ChristAsYourSourceMeansThatHeIsThePRODUCER“ForIamconfidentofthisverything,thatHewhobeganagood work in youwill perfect (accomplish) it until thedayofChristJesus.”Philippians1:6(parenthesesmine)“ButHeanswered them, ‘MyFather isworkinguntil now,andIMyselfamworking.’”John5:17Another definition for the word “source” is “the onewhoproduces.”WhatPhilippians1:6andJohn5:17aboveare saying is that Christ is the producer. What does itmeanthatChrististheproducer?

It means that Christ produces His life in you by

making His life an EXPERIENTIAL reality in your life.

Let me give you some examples of what it means forChristtobetheProducer:VICTORY – Christ will produce in you experientialvictoryoverthepowerofsin,theflesh,theworld,andthepowerofSatan.“….butthanksbetoGod,whogivesusthevictorythrough

ourLordJesusChrist.”1Corinthians15:57

13

PART TWO

“THE” Christian Life After30YearsIDiscovered“THE”ChristianLifeLittle did I know that during those thirty years Godwasintheprocessofbringingmetotheendofmytryingto live the Christian life bymy own efforts. On Sunday,October 4, 1998, I was sitting in my car depressed,wonderingwhyIneededtogotochurchtohearonemoremessagethatwouldmakenodifferenceinmylife. Whilesittingthere,aquestioncamerollingacrossmymind:“Areyoudonetrying,inyourownstrengthandability, tomake the Christian lifework?” Iknew thatthoughtdidnotcomefrommesoitmusthavecomefromtheHolySpirit.Myanswerwas:“Yes,IamdonetryingtolivetheChristianlife.Infact,Iamtotallyexhaustedtryingto live it in my own strength.” This was good newsbecauseIfinallycametotheplaceof“Ican’t.”Theseweresomeofmy“Ican’ts”:

• Ican’tsetmyselffree.• Ican’tattainvictoryovermysinfulbehaviors.• Ican’thealmyselfofmywoundedness.• Ican’ttransformmyfleshlybehaviorsintoChrist-

likebehaviors.• Ican’tproducethejoy,fulfillment,andpeacethatI

wantoutoftheChristianlife.AsIsaidearlier,IalsocametotheconclusionthatGodwasnotgoingtohelpmeaccomplishanyofthesethingsbecause of themany times I had askedHim to helpmeandHeneverdidhelp.AfterIansweredtheHolySpirit’s

14

question,Hebroughtthesethoughtstomymind,“I(God)have been waiting for 30 years for you to come to thisplace of ‘I can’t.’ Today, I am going to speak to youthrough the speaker at your church and I am going tostartyouonanewChristianjourney.”Needless to say, I was getting a little excited. Ourchurchhad invitedamanby thenameof IanThomastoteach a four day conference starting that morning. IanThomaswasthedirectorofaworld-wideministrycalledTorchbearers.At that time, Ihadno ideawhohewasorwhat hisministrywas about. So Iwent into church andwhenhegotuptospeak,thesewerehisfirstwords:

“God NEVER intended for you to live THE LIFE that

ONLY Christ can live in and through you.”

What struck me were two things he said that I hadneverheardbefore.Thefirstwasthatheusedthewords“THELife.”ThesecondwasthatwhateverTHELifewas,Ican’tliveit.OnlyChristcan. Inadditiontothesepowerfulwords,Isawinthismanwhat the scriptures calls “rivers of living water.” (John7:38). I say that because I could tell that he wasexperiencing a joy and peace that I had wanted toexperience for many years. This day marked the mostpivotaldayofmyChristianlife(otherthanthedayIwassaved) because thiswas the day I began a new journeycalled THE Christian life that would radically transformmylife.

19

Question:SinceyoucontainallofChrist’s life inyou,doyou need to look anywhere outside of His life to findunconditionallove,acceptance,value/worth,etc.?Let’stiethistruthtoPhilippians4:19whichsaysthis:

“MyGodshallSUPPLYallyourneeds,…

INCHRISTJesus.”

Thinkaboutthisverseforamoment.Paulistellingusthat Christ Himself is our need-meeter because He ISeverythingweneed.HeISourlove,HeISourstrength,HeISourhope,etc.Whateveryourneed is,Godwill supplythatneedinChrist.Letmegiveyousomeexamples:

• Isyourneedunconditionallove?Christwhoisunconditionallovewillmeetthatneedinyou.

• Isyourneedastrengthgreaterthanyourown?

ChristwhoisstrengthwillBEyourstrength.

• Isyourneedhope?ChristwhoIShopewillsupplyHishopeinyou.Lookatthefollowingversetoconfirmthistruth:

“Paul,anapostleofChristJesusaccordingtothe

commandmentofGodourSavior,andofChristJesus,whoisourhope.”1Timothy1:1

Therefore,let’ssumitupthisway:

Christ as THE life means that Christ is your SUPPLY

to provide you HIS peace, HIS acceptance, HIS joy, etc.

18

1 John 5:12 above tells us that if you have trustedChrist foryoursalvation,thenyouhaveHis(THE)life inyou. Paul says that to live is Christ.What do these twoversesmean?TheymeanthatChristasTHELifeisyour:UnconditionalloveVictory WorthAcceptanceFaith FreedomPatience Strength PeaceForgivenessUnderstandingSecurityFearlessness Wisdom DiscernmentAdequacy Humility Christ-confidenceBoldness RighteousnessSelflessnessRest CompassionCourage Hope Gentleness ControlFaithfulnessPower Joy[Note:Whileweknowwecanascribehumanmeaningstothese words, what we are talking about above aresupernatural, Christ-produced characteristics that canonlybesuppliedbyChrist.]AkeytruthtounderstandatthispointisthatsinceyouarecompleteinChristandChristisinyou,thenyouhaveavailable to you all the above characteristics of Christ’slife.Lookatthefollowingversetoconfirmthistruth:“For in Him (Christ) all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority.” Colossians 2:9,10 (parentheses mine) Think of it. All of Christ’s love, strength, peace,forgiveness,etc.isinyouandavailabletoyourightnow!

15

WhatJesusSaysIs“THE”ChristianLifeJesussays:

“…IAMtheway,thetruth,andTHELIFE…”John14:6

“…IAMtheresurrectionandTHELIFE.”John11:25What is Jesussaying in these twopassages? It isclearthatJesusissayingthatHeHimselfisTHELife.WhatdoesHe mean when He says that He isTHE Life? For manyyears, I read these verses and concluded that they onlymeantthatHewasthesourceformyeternal lifewhenItrusted in Him for salvation. However, what Jesus isclearlytellingusinthesetwopassagesisthis:

“THE” Christian Life is a PERSON.

It is Christ HIMSELF!

Think about the above statement for a moment. IfChristHimselfistheChristianlife,thenTHEChristianlifeisnotabout trying to live theChristian life throughself-effort with God’s help. Rather, THE Christian life is aPerson. Have you heard this before? To further confirmthistruthlet’slookatwhatPaulhadtosay.WhatPaulSaidAboutLiving“THE”ChristianLifePaul took the truth of Christ as “THE” Life to amorepersonallevelwhenhesaidinColossians3:4:

“…ChristwhoisYOURlife…”

16

WhatisPaulsayinginthisverse?HeissayingthatthelifeofChristismorethantheeternallifethatHegaveyouatsalvation.HeissayingthatChristisyour lifetoday,atthis verymoment.At thispoint youmightbe scratchingyour head and asking these questions: “What is Paultalkingabout?WhatdoesitmeanthatChristismylife?Isthe life that Paul is referring to ‘THE’ Christian life?” Ibelieve that the answer to these questions is found inPhilippians1:21whenPaulsays:

“Forme,toliveISCHRIST….”

Paul is saying that life for him is Christ being his life.Thinkaboutthisforamoment.If“THE”ChristianlifeisaPerson,does thatmean “THE”Christian life isnotaboutcompletingachecklist,tryingtokeepasetofrules,tryingtokeepfromsinning,ortryingtodothebestyoucantoliveforGod?Yousee JesusandPaularesayingthesamethingthatIanThomassaidthatdaytome:GodintendedforyoutoliveTHEChristianlife,not“A”Christianlife.Thinkaboutthisfollowingstatement:

All that we can do in our own strength and ability is

live “A” FORM of the Christian life. ONLY Christ can live “THE” Life in and through us.

Question: If you have been living “A” form of theChristian life, how is it working for you personally, inyourmarriage,asaparent,oratyourjob?

17

WhatDoesItMeanForChristToBeYOURLife?To answer this question let’s look at 1 Corinthians1:30: “HeistheSOURCEofyourlifeinChristJesus,…”(RSV)

Godgivesus theanswer in the firstpartof theversewhenHesaysthatHeistheSOURCEofyourlifeinChrist.Theword “source” in this contextmeans a person fromwhomsomethingoriginates. In thisverse, thatperson isJesuswhoistheoriginatorofTHELife.Look at two other verses that reveal that God is yourSourceforlivingtheChristianlife:“InHimweliveandmoveandhaveourbeing.”Acts17:28“ForfromHimandthroughHimandtoHimareall

things….”Romans11:36These are just two of many verses in the Bible thatrevealtousthatChrististobeourSourceforlivingTHEChristian life. You may be wondering what it meanspracticallythatChristisyourSource.Let’slookattwokeywords concerning Christ being the source: SUPPLY andPRODUCE.ChristBeingYourSourceMeansThatHeIsYourSUPPLY“Godhasgivenuseternallife,andthislifeisinHisSon.HewhohastheSonhasTHELIFE….”1John5:12a“FortolivetomeisChrist.”Philippians1:21