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Trust Fall

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When I was a youth minister I used many exercises to develop team spirit and leadership. Inevitably we would use the trust fall. A trust fall is a team building exercise where one person falls backwards while others catch them, trusting that they will be caught. The exercise is intended to build trust between participants by having them rely on each other for safety and success. Once, while making a point about the reliability of even the weakest members of our group I decided to be the example. To make it even more impressive I stood on a wall and decided the point would be more powerful if I fell face first. After arranging the participants to form two lines – shoulder to shoulder, and face to face, I gave my encouraging pep talk. Taking my place on the wall I had them count to three and yell, “Fall!” And I did – believing, in theory, that the girls I had selected to catch me could do the job. Unfortunately for me some of the girls had not been adequately “pepped” causing them to scream and run away as I plummeted trustingly to the gym floor. Fortunately for me and the panicked girls I had some training in how to fall correctly breaking my fall through my extended fingers and feet. Nothing was broken, and nothing was bruised – but trust.

There are two passages in the Bible that have intrigued me for years when positioned side by side: John 2:24 But Jesus [for His part] did not trust Himself to them, because He knew all [men];…AMPC and 1 Corinthians 13:7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. NIV

1 Corinthians 13 describes the Agape Love of God as ALWAYS trusting. While John 2:24 seems to contradict this statement. Is Jesus’ love different from the Father’s or is there a deeper truth the Spirit wants to convey? Both passages use the same Greek word but how they are used shines light on the difference. The word can be used to convey a variety of meanings: to think to be true, to be persuaded of, to credit, place confidence in. Which helps us understand that Jesus was not putting His confidence in man’s nature because He knew all men. Which raises the question, Can you love someone without putting your confidence in them? Some may say an emphatic, “No!” But ask a father or mother this question regarding their toddling child, or hormonally charged teen ager. Can either parent love that child as God loves them and yet not trust their ability to do this or that? Absolutely! Can a marriage partner be unfaithful to a husband or wife through having an adulterous affair or looking at porn and still be loved by the faithful husband or wife? Some say, “No!” Yet, by the Grace and the Power of the Spirit, what seems to be humanly impossible becomes possible. Will the offended spouse trust them or have confidence in their fidelity? Probably not. But can that trust be rebuilt over time and through the Power of the Spirit? People may react strongly to this saying, Its impossible! It is – if you use soul power. But if you have become a new creation in Jesus you now have the Godhead living and expressing themselves through you and now you can do ALL things through Christ Jesus. You may quote the verse and display it proudly on your living room wall – but is it true – for you? Can you really do ALL things – loving those you don’t trust – through Jesus? If a parent can practice this – we all can. It simply comes down to a choice. Will I choose to be Jesus to this or that person? A person I don’t trust but I am commanded to love?

Confession & Declaration 37

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Colossians 3:3 For [as far as this world is concerned] you have died, and your [new, real] life is hidden with Christ in God.

The context of this passage places an emphasis on who you really are to be. That who you are really going to be is hidden in Jesus. But the good news is that you are also hidden in Christ – in the sense of your guilt, sin and shame. All of that has been hidden in Jesus.

Zephaniah 2:3 Seek the Lord [inquire for Him, inquire of Him, and require Him as the foremost necessity of your life], all you humble of the land who have acted in compliance with His revealed will and have kept His commandments; seek righteousness, seek humility [inquire for them, require them as vital]. It may be you will be hidden in the day of the Lord’s anger.

The prophet writes: It may be you will be hidden in the day of the Lord’s anger. The Good News is that through the Blood of Jesus there’s not a question of whether or not you will be hidden. Your sins have been buried deep in the Cleansing Stream of the Blood of the Lamb.

I may have shared this with you before but the illustration is worth repeating. If you were to take a sheet of paper and attempt writing all of your sins on it – front, and back. Then take another sheet of paper and write the word JESUS on it. Fold both sheets of paper in half then insert the paper with your sins on it into the folded paper with Jesus’ Name on it. The illustration concludes with the question, Now Who do you see? The answer? Jesus. Just Jesus.

This is powerfully illustrated the night before Israel was to depart Egypt. We know from Scripture that the Israelites were commanded to take a year old lamb, sacrifice it, and take its blood and paint the top of the door frame and its sides. When the angel of death passed over and saw the blood – he would not visit the house with the judgment of God. When the angel passed over he wasn’t measuring how good the people were. He wasn’t looking at how well they brushed the door posts in the blood. He wasn’t looking at the type of house, or what kind of door they had. He was only looking for one thing: had the people trusted God, obeyed His Word, and applied the blood to their door frame. That’s pretty powerful for it illustrates our responsibility: trust, obey, and apply.

You are hidden in Jesus – but you still have a responsibility to trust His Word, obey and apply it to the door posts of your life. You overcome the accuser of the brothers when you learn how to paint the door frames of your mind, heart, will, emotions, and personality in the Blood of Jesus. When you apply Jesus’ Blood to the door frames of the “gates” of your soul it causes the enemy to passover. Why? Because he can’t go through the Blood. That’s true in the spiritual realm and the physical. What’s really interesting is that you can apply His Blood to your physical and spiritual house. Through His Blood you really are hidden from the assaults of the enemy. As the old hymn goes, Would you be free from the burden of sin? There’s power in the blood, power in the blood. Would you o’er evil a victory win? There’s wonderful power in the blood. There is power, power, wonder-working power in the blood of the Lamb. There is power, power, wonder-working power in the precious blood of the Lamb. Would you be free from your passion and pride there’s power in the blood, power in the blood. Come for a cleansing to Calvary’s tide there’s wonderful power in the blood.