Nu-Wine Ministries

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  • What is a streak?

    So, what is a streak. I would say it is:

    Consecutive accomplishments with a never ending expectation of it ever ceasing.

    For me, this epitomizes and could be considered the fundamental core of legalistic, fire and brimstone, anecdotal, Pavlovian teaching in the western church. For about three years, I attended a 12-step program that was Christ-centered. In the end, I was not better for it until I left the “program”. The program or teaching mixed the bible with 12-steps to sobriety. The steps are awesome, but what ended up happening for me is it became an ultra-level of legalism. You would get a physical award for days, months or years of sobriety. Biblically, our rewards are spiritual. The physical reward was a chip denoted the duration of sobriety. From the outside looking in it appears normal or right. I think for some this type of program is needed. My experience could be considered a spiritual stunt in growth and or a regression.

    The principle of it all is to not break that streak. Stay sober. Understood. Makes sense. Forgiveness, mercy and love are there waiting also if you regressed. Seems okay once again, but what the subtle dynamic in it is the streak. You see people walk up and get a five year chip and you’re on day one. As I’ve said so many times 2 Peter 3:18,

    Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ..

    In Christ, I am already dead to the “streak”. Paul told the Galatians if you keep one part of the law you must keep all of it. Romans 6 & 7 say we are dead to the law by the body of Christ. This means we are to not keep the law. We are under a new covenant put into effect by the blood of Christ. So, do not keep the law. Instead, live by revelation based on the primer of sound doctrine. The zōe life of revelation diffuses into your being. Hebrews 11:3, says,

    “Through faith we understand…”

    This spiritual understanding permeates your being even your soul. It regenerates it perpetually with an inherent dynamo power with is the resurrecting power of God. With this power, we are new, unprecedented, extraordinary, uncommon, novel creations in Christ.

    Hopefully, with that brief share I was able to convey a contrast between a religious streak to be kept versus a new unparalleled spiritual life.

    Another way of saying it possibly could be the effect of a streak is:

    An unseen exponential pressure employed by a compound list of accomplishments.

    The pressure increases exponentially each time unless grace is there then no streak should matter. There is a rest that Hebrews promises us. If I am at rest then I quit trying. I am at rest then I am that I am by the grace of God. I am at rest because I am not trying to be the new creature. A new creature in Christ is unaware of the streak, but more aware of Phil. 3:14,

    I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

    Reading this now in context of what I have shared should sound much different. He presses on not keeping a streak. The goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. All in all, he is saying what he told Peter in 2 Pet. 3:18 with the active action in present tense of “pressing on”. A doer compelled by grace regardless of natural circumstance.

  • Chief witness

    The following blog has changed my walk with the Lord and it has never been and will never be the same. It has taken me into Him where my life and identity is hid.

    Romans 2:15, “For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves: Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and [their] thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;)”

    The word conscience means:

    Literally, a “knowing with”, a co-knowledge with oneself or a being of one’s own witness in the sense that one’s own conscience “takes the stand” as the chief witness, testifying either to one’s innocence or guilt.

    As a Gentile, or non-Jew, prior to salvation, my conscience was the chief witness of my works (or what I did good/bad), thoughts, and life.

    Prior to salvation, my conscience would communicate to me, “Good job!”, or “Way to go!”, or “You are pathetic”, or “You failed.”

    These standards of what I did were based on a law written on my heart of what I thought was right and wrong. According to the letter to the Romans, the Apostle Paul said, “Every non-Jew has a law written on their hearts.”

    This law in my heart along with my conscience either brought self-justification, self-righteousness, condemnation, and or self-pity.

    According to the law written on my heart and the witness of my conscience, I was separated from the Life of Christ, His forgiveness, His redemption and all the eternal inheritance He died for me to have in Him. My conscience was constantly witnessing my short comings, my falls, my sin, and my success. All I did, right or wrong, was based on my self-strength, personal morals and religious opinions, but not absolute, unchanging truth.

    My separation from Christ was due to the state of my conscience. It was not purged, sanctified or made whole.

    When the light of the knowledge of truth of Christ’s forgiveness entered my heart, I received His gift of forgiveness freely by grace.

    This revelation tells my conscience I am no longer judged by any law anymore ever again. I am justified and made righteous by His grace and faith in me.

    This is why the cross and calvary are crucial and monumental. It is more than that. My sinful flesh that was condemned by sin was nailed to the cross to die with Jesus whose body was like sinful flesh. The unblemished Lamb of God. Dying on the cross abolished the judgment of the law written in my heart witnessed by my conscience that I was under. Prior to death in Him, I was under the judgment of the law. Jesus Christ then resurrected from the dead because death never had dominion or authority over Him. I resurrected from the dead with Him into newness of Life in Him. When I received His forgiveness, truth, and power I repented for my sins because I was no longer who I used to be. I became born…again unto a new creature.

    Now, in Christ, according to Hebrews, my conscience is sanctified and made whole.

    My conscience is no longer conscious or aware of the judgment of the law.

    I was crucified with Christ.

    The life I now life is by His faith in me, Gal. 2:20.