The reason I'm willing.

 ¹ Who has believed what we have heard?
    And who has the arm of the L ORD been revealed to? 

    
² He grew up before Him like a young plant
    and like a root out of dry ground.
    He had no form or splendor that we should look at Him,
    no appearance that we should desire Him.

    
³ He was despised and rejected by men,
    a man of suffering who knew what sickness was.
    He was like one people turned away from;
    He was despised, and we didn't value Him.

    
⁴ Yet He Himself bore our sicknesses,
    and He carried our pains;
    but we in turn regarded Him stricken,
    struck down by God, and afflicted.

    
⁵ But He was pierced because of our transgressions,
    crushed because of our iniquities;
    punishment for our peace was on Him,
    and we are healed by His wounds.

    
⁶ We all went astray like sheep;
    we all have turned to our own way;
    and the LORD has punished Him
    for the iniquity of us all.

    
⁷ He was oppressed and afflicted,
    yet He did not open His mouth.
    Like a lamb led to the slaughter
    and like a sheep silent before her shearers,
    He did not open His mouth.

    
⁸ He was taken away because of oppression and judgment;
    and who considered His fate?
    For He was cut off from the land of the living;
    He was struck because of My people's rebellion.

    
⁹ They made His grave with the wicked,
    and with a rich man at His death,
    although He had done no violence
    and had not spoken deceitfully.

    
¹⁰ Yet the LORD was pleased to crush Him,
    and He made Him sick.
    When You make Him a restitution offering,
    He will see [His] seed, He will prolong His days,
    and the will of the LORD will succeed by His hand.

    
¹¹ He will see [it] out of His anguish,
    and He will be satisfied with His knowledge.
    My righteous servant will justify many,
    and He will carry their iniquities.

    
¹² Therefore I will give Him the many as a portion,
    and He will receive the mighty as spoil,
    because He submitted Himself to death,
    and was counted among the rebels;
    yet He bore the sin of many
    and interceded for the rebels.

-Isaiah 53

in His name,

brad

Willing.

I just wanted to share an amazing story I read in an amazing book the other day.  I will tell it in my own words, as I don't have the book in front of me.

Setup:  A man had been convicted of murder, and sentenced to death.

The time comes, and he is led out of his cell, to walk the long, dark corridor to the execution chamber.  Leading him, and following him, are guards and prison officials.  The one out of place man, it seems, is a priest.  He is reading from a book in a monotone, ritualistic manner.

The prisoner, being led to death, asks the priest, "What are you reading to me?" to which the priest answers, "These are your last rights.  I'm reading to you about heaven, salvation, and eternity...Heaven and Hell."

The prisoner was enraged, because this "man of God" seemed so uncaring about what he was reading, and was claiming he knew the way to heaven, even for a man such as him.

The rest of the way to the execution chamber, this man, this murderer....preached.  Here is what he said, "How can you speak in piety, and know the truth, and not be passionate about it?  I'm going to hell, and you know a God who loves me so much, that He would still save me?!........and yet you speak with no unction....no passion....no conviction?  If I knew the way by which men like me could be saved, I would crawl on my hands and knees across fields of broken glass and nails, shouting the message all the while. And yet, you speak as a man who is reading a novel, not the Gospel!  God have mercy on your soul priest."

Wow.  So, I end with  questions church.  Do you know the gospel of Christ Jesus?  If you do, are you willing to go through pain and blood and persecution to share it?

Is the gospel of Christ Jesus worth losing your job, and being unable to support your family?

Is the gospel of Christ Jesus worth losing your family?

Is the gospel of Christ Jesus worth being despised by those you love?

Is the gospel of Christ Jesus worth being hated, even in the  church, because you're so radical that you hate sin in the body as God hates it, and love the body, as God loves it, so  much that you can't let it live in an unhealthy manner?  Because a man doesn't despise his own body, but nourishes it, and makes sure that it's taken care of.

Are you willing for all of these things, if it means you are a workman approved by God for the bringing of Good News?

Here's a closing thought:  We honor every drop of blood that Augustine, Paul, Luther, Edwards, etc... spilled for the cause of reforming the church to Christ.  They were hated in their day, the following generations were the one's that honored them.  They only sought God's will.....no matter the cost.

Are you willing?  Am I?

in His love alone, I love you all.

brad

Question.

How come when the church walks away from Christ by teaching lies that "bend" the need for Christ........we call it progressive?

I am challenged to love.  I am challenged in that love to be intolerant.  I don't know what that looks like yet.  But I don't believe that Christ died because it's okay to believe whatever we want.

I think "tolerance" in my life has been nothing more than an excuse not to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

We (followers of Christ) are called to make disciples.  Not just pastors.  Not just clergy.  Believers.  Today, love with the expectation of rejection.  Love with the expectation that someone will change because of the Spirit in you.  Love like you only care about One opinion of you.  Let love and mercy outshine judgement.

Be intolerant to lies in your heart.  Be intolerant to the lie that "what's right for them, is right for them".

What do you believe?  Who do you say that Christ is?

I love you all.

in His love,
brad

Just remembered this one. I enjoyed making this, and need to push myself creatively again. I feel like I'm in a bit of a slump. I hope you enjoy this, and also, I hope you create whatever it is that you're supposed to create today. Let the art God has put inside of you out, and don't let it be confined to our definition of art.

I love you all,

brad

Defense.

Man, I said something this morning that I've been thinking about all day so far, and probably will continue to wrestle with.  Unfortunately, it's not some profound truth that will change your world.  Hopefully what God is leading me in will challenge you as it challenges me though.  I was in a great conversation about reformation, and this whole "Rob Bell" thing, which I try to keep my nose out of things like that.  I promise I won't post a long article about why I disagree with him.  Why I disagree with Him won't lead you to Christ.  Me dying to myself and Christ alive in me......that will lead you to Christ.

You ready for my quote?  It's killing me.

I said to my brother in Christ, "I can defend Christ all day long".

My intentions were great.  But here's the reality of what's going on...

I don't need to defend Christ.  He didn't die for me to defend Him.  He died for me to die.  He rose again, so that I could rise again.  He defended me on the cross.

A cross that, I believe, if  you add or subtract anything from, you say that Christ isn't needed, and died for naught.

My reality is this:  I am made to die at the foot of the cross, be filled by the Holy Spirit of the living God, and live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.

It's not my job to limit or widen God's plan.  Can He do what He pleases?  You answer that for yourself, as I have to for myself.

BUT PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE, don't be distracted from knowing Christ by any man.  Because, no matter how famous or influential they are, they're men, and they will stand before the King of Kings and give account.

Let me clear this as well:  I don't believe that we should allow lies to exist in the church.  As Paul did to Galatia, we, as BROTHERS AND SISTERS, have a responsibility to restore to the Spirit in which we walk.  But..........are you ready...........this is what's painful to me today.........let us expel the lies and religion from ourselves and our church FIRST, so that we may be blameless in the gospel that we preach for salvation.

It saddens me that we're fighting to go backwards and live the things Luther and Edwards were reforming the church to.  We should know Christ more intimately than they ever did.

They died before the church was completely reformed to Christ.  And I don't believe that they wanted it to stay where they left it.

Brothers and sisters, we have access to Truth.  We have access to the gospel of Jesus Christ.  We have access to great teachings from followers of Christ, both past and present.  Measure those teaching against Christ, not opinion.

WE HAVE AN OBLIGATION TO KNOW THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST, because it is the power by which we are saved.

Again, I promise to not attack Bell, or try and prove myself more intelligent than him.  All I seek is to know Christ, and to know Him crucified.  So that is all I can preach.

I want to challenge you to wrestle with these things.  Please don't allow the devil to side track the church of Christ with lies.  Reform the church with the Truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ.  Work out your salvation with fear and trembling.

I love you all,
brad

Genius!

Hey everyone,

Please check this out, and support these guys by sharing it!  This is my brother-in-law Greg out in L.A., and the improv group he is in, Rigor Tortoise.  Search for them on YouTube, and watch their other videos. They are very, very stinking talented!  Just thought I would share their art with you.

God doesn't do that anymore....

because culture has changed.  because He doesn't need to.  because it's not needed anymore.

I just had a waking up moment while I was driving.  I'm not driving right now, don't worry.

I make a lot of excuses for not praying and hoping for the things God freely used to pour out on His people.  Why?  Because I've never experienced them, so I don't know if I really believe He's capable.  I'm challenged right now, and want to pass that challenge on.  It's not super thought out, so I'm inviting you to think about with me.

I believe that God created everything, including time...... Genesis 1.  John 1.

This is hard to say......By the way I live and pray and hope, I also believe that time changes God.  I don't want to believe that anymore.

I really, really, really don't want to keep God in my boxes anymore. Isaiah 29:16

I know without a doubt in my mind that my King wants to turn this world upside down.  I also know that in our power, He won't.  In our power, the church has become the most hypocritical, sinful, hateful, hated institution.

There's hope....

In His power, the church is a beautiful, healed, loving, loved..........body.  Romans 12.

Let God out.  He's not a pet.  He's God.  Job 38-40.

And guess what, it's okay to be scared.  I am.  I have no idea what God is going to do.......but I guess that's what makes Him God, and me man.  Psalm 119:105-112.

Ponder these thoughts.  And please church, don't try to have a god in your image, be brave enough to be made in His image.

in His love,
brad

In my ears.

ouch.


in His love,
brad

Relentless.

I am discovering that the King I serve is relentlessly in pursuit of my heart.  I must look up at my Creator, and be thankful for what I'm being made to be.  Whether I'm for noble use, or unimpressive in the eyes of men.

Our calling is to be faithful, to know Christ intimately.  We need to stop focusing on "what" we're called to do with our hands, and start focusing on what we KNOW we're called to do with our hearts.

Brothers and sisters, submit to Christ, and the world will be turned upside down.  God is in pursuit of your heart.  Please focus on that.

He will not relent until our righteousness shines.

His love is relentless.

Please church, submit.  Stop treating the symptoms of sin.  Start following the One who crushed sin with reckless abandonment.  This is my plea to you, personally.  This is my personal agenda this year:  To relentlessly pursue the God who pursued me to death.

Jesus Christ bled and died for you to breath life.  No matter how unlovable you feel.  You are beautiful, and loved beyond our definition.  You are loved.

in His love alone,
brad o'hara