We have said that the Holy Spirit chose the slave
metaphor in Scripture because it best describes our personal relationship with
Christ; the best definition of our slavery is that we are owned. Paul commanded
the Corinthian believers to glorify God in their bodies because they have been
bought with a price (1 Cor 6:19-20).
We became slaves of Christ at the point of
redemption and entered into a personal, intimate love relationship with
Jesus Christ. Being a slave of Jesus Christ was unlike any kind of slavery
known to man. Our Master adopted us as sons and gives to you and me all the
rights associated with being a member of His family. He calls us joint-heirs
with Him. One day we will go to heaven to rule and reign with Jesus Christ
forever in unending joy and glory. Who wouldn’t want to have and serve a master
like that?
O, the fetters
of faith
That bind
my soul to thee.
What gain
I count but lost
To find
my soul set free.
Twas in
this shackled state
My
freedom thus was found.
To live
for Christ my Lord
Forever
heaven bound.
Michael Alderman, 7.28.09
Slavery best describes our relationship and being
exclusively owned by God best defines that relationship.
We have been kind of tough on the translators over
the past several weeks when it comes to translating the Greek word doulos as
servant rather than slave because it veils our view to some degree on how we
ought see ourselves in service to God and how we ought to conduct ourselves in
service to God. Though we are sons of God and joint heirs with Christ, we will
forever be slaves of Christ.
We cannot blame the translators for any failure on
our part to conduct ourselves as slaves simply because they chose to
accommodate by using the word servant rather than slave for doulos when
it referred to a personal relationship. The New Testament is replete with slave
language or slave talk, such as the passage we just mentioned in 1 Cor 6, we
are bought; we are owned. We have no excuse not to be thinking and acting like
a slave to God.
After a lengthy conversation with someone this week
about our slavery to Christ, this precious believer understood why the
translators chose the word servant over slave. Slave was too abrasive a word;
and she just like the word servant better. And that’s okay! So let me clarify
something concerning semantics. Whether we refer to ourselves as servants or as
slaves doesn’t really matter as long as we are thinking and acting like slaves
in our personal relationship with Christ! Call yourself what you will, just be
and act like a slave in love with the Master. Disobedience to the Master
means there is a love problem.
We could only wonder why believers prefer to being
referred to as servants rather than slaves. For there exists a great disparity
between the number of service givers and service takers in Christianity; there
are way more takers than givers, way more runaway slaves (or servants!) than
believers hanging or staying around Christ as a slave (it’s called abiding).
So let’s pull this slavery thing all together as
simply as I can make it, and we will get into I2P.
1. We are owned exclusively by the Master.
2. We are to possess a singular devotion to
the Master.
3. We are to be service ready (in attitude and
action) 24/7.
4. We are fully dependent upon the Master.
5. Our service is evaluated by the Master
(reward and discipline).
Remember the transcript from the interview with
Markus, a slave in Greco-Roman times in the first century? If we are owned as
the Bible says we are, then everything we are and all that we possess belongs
to whom, the Master.
• Our body which includes our spirit, soul,
emotions, will, and intellect,
• the clothes we presently are wearing or will
ever wear,
• our house/s, our car/s, all our play things,
• everything pertaining to our house,
• our careers,
• our retirement,
• the present and the future,
• our investments, • our bank accounts,
• our very life, and on and on.
Absolutely nothing pertaining to us belong to
us (Everything under heaven is Mine, Job 41:11b), not even our wife or
children. We are a slave of Christ. There is not one molecule in our life
that that we can call our own that is not subject to our Master’s
will. Our will is to be lost in the will of our Master 24/7. We have no other
devotion to man or things. We must always be ready to accept and obey the Master
at all times. We are dependent upon God for everything. Were it not for Him we
would not have anything. God will bless our obedience and discipline us when we
are disobedient. Everything and everyone that enters our life are on loan. We
came into this world naked; we will leave the same way out. Welcome to Slavery
101 or Servanthood 101.
If you disagree with these statements then you
should have no problem asking God to take away all that He has provided for you
so that you can see what you have accomplished entirely on your own (Not
recommended!).
Slavery settles so many issues. For time’s sake, let me give you an example of a very important issue, money. Jesus said, in Matthew 6:24, No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. This is representative of what singular devotion is all about. There can be only one master. Paul stated in 2 Cor 9:7-8, So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work. It is not about first fruits, .1-giving, love offerings, gross versus net, et cetera. It all belongs to God, ALL! Grace giving is about obeying the Master’s instruction at the time of giving – as we purpose in our hearts.
Think of it like this. We are bankers holding God’s money. We instruct our banker to allocate x-amount of funds for this and that. The banker never gives us a hassle. The banker simply directs the funds to where they are supposed to go. When the Holy Spirit instructs us to take x-amount of funds and do this or that with it, like our banker, we don’t question, we just provide God with good customer service! Suppose one morning God directs you to give 10% to the church and 30% to missions or the other way around? The following week the Holy Spirit tells you to give only 6%; the subsequent week you are prompted to give 24% and so on. That is really how it is supposed to work. Meeting needs where God directs you because it really is all His anyway. Keep this thought in mind about the law of the harvest found in verse 6 of this same passage, But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Okay, enough said on that. You get the point of slavery settling the money issue.
Let’s go to I2P.
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What I2P is not!
1. It is not a new truth.
2. It is not super sainthood, when you think
you are a super saint, you are a super ain’t!
3. It is not sinless perfection.
4. It is not a spiritual utopia.
5. It is not a destination.
6. It is not a positive thinking psychology.
7. It is not an abnormal Christian mindset or
behavior.
Let me show you the passage where the idea of I2P
originated.
Turn to Matthew 19:16-26,
Mat 19:16 Now behold, one came and said to Him,
"Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal
life?"
Mat 19:17 So He said to him, "Why do you call
Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. But if you want to enter into
life, keep the commandments."
Mat 19:18 He said to Him, "Which ones?"
Jesus said, " 'YOU SHALL NOT MURDER,' 'YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY,'
'YOU SHALL NOT STEAL,' 'YOU SHALL NOT BEAR FALSE WITNESS,'
Mat 19:19 'HONOR YOUR FATHER AND YOUR MOTHER,' and,
'YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.' "
Mat 19:20 The young man said to Him, "All these
things I have kept from my youth. What do I still lack?"
Mat 19:21 Jesus said to him, "If you want to be
perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have
treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me."
Mat 19:22 But when the young man heard that saying,
he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.
Mat 19:23 Then Jesus said to His disciples,
"Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the
kingdom of heaven.
Mat 19:24 And again I say to you, it is easier for a
camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the
kingdom of God."
Mat 19:25 When His disciples heard it, they were
greatly astonished, saying, "Who then can be saved?"
Mat 19:26 But Jesus looked at them and said to them,
"With men this is impossible, but with God all
things are possible."
Here is where the concept of I2P is found:
impossible to possible or another way of saying it is I2P, the threshold from
impossible to possible.
Jer 32:17, “Ah, Lord God! Behold, You have made the
heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. There is
nothing too hard for you.”
Rom 4:21, “and being fully convinced that what He
had promise He was also able to perform,”
The reason I belabored on this idea of slavery
because we wrestle with the concept terribly and it is really foreign to our
way of thinking in the 21st century. Also it is one of the two major components
connected with I2P: our slavery and the sovereignty of God.
Think of our slavery and the sovereignty of God as
wings on each side of the fuselage of I2P. Both are what give I2P lift and
makes this concept fly. When they are allied together, we are energized by the
Holy Spirit and I2P takes off toward reality, making possibility transcend
impossibility, similar to the law of aerodynamics overriding the law of
gravity.
True faith always revolves around the will. As a
believer-slave our will is to be lost in the will of the Master 24/7, it is in
the midst of our slavery that we realize a freedom in Christ that allows us to
move beyond barriers that previously prevented us from reaching Christ-like
potential in many areas of our life; areas that demand obedience or compliance
to the Word. It demands absolute surrender, complete capitulation of the will:
no castles of conditions, no bastions of unbelief, no fortresses of fear, no
strongholds of self-will, no citadels of carnality, no ramparts of resistance.
It is faith that crosses the threshold of I2P and opens up unrealized freedom
to become Christ-like in difficult situations.
The key to unlocking this freedom is nestled in our slavery to Christ and our recognition and response to God, the source and object of genuine faith, and His sovereignty. I2P is about expanding our slavery in every area of our life and growing in grace in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
God expects for us to think and live in this
supernatural reality, where extraordinary living is ordinary, pushing our
freedom to obey Him in faith to greater thresholds through the enabling of the
Holy Spirit. We must not limit our thinking to merely 3-D: L x W x H. There are
dimensions beyond our senses.
1. The Bible talks about angels and demons. Ever see any?
2. Remember the story of Elisha and his servant
surrounded by the enemies of God and Elisha prayed for God to open his servant’s
eyes in 2 Kings 6, Ki 6:15 And when the servant of the man of God arose early
and went out, there was an army, surrounding the city with horses and chariots.
And his servant said to him, "Alas, my master! What shall we do?" 2Ki
6:16 So he answered, "Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than
those who are with them." 2Ki 6:17 And Elisha prayed, and said,
"LORD, I pray, open his eyes that he may see." Then the LORD opened
the eyes of the young man, and he saw. And behold, the mountain was full of
horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.
3. Remember after Christ’s resurrection Jesus walked
through a wall then rematerialized before the apostles, and they were able to
touch Him.
Dr. Blackaby stated in his book, Experiencing God, "Our divine enabling always comes as we obey what God tells us to do -- never before our obedience" (Experiencing God, p. 77).
Jesus declared in Jn 15:5, “Without Me you can do
nothing.”
This verse
best defines the impossible for a Christian. Jesus said, I am
the vine, your are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much
fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.” Abiding means to remain or stay
around. Our continual service and obedience to His Word are evidence of a
genuine salvation. Impossible is trying to do God’s will without the Holy
Spirit. We cannot serve our Master and be disobedient to His Word. Abiding in
Him is abiding in the Word. Abiding is staying or remaining in the Word and
obeying the teachings of Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit. If we
could not save ourselves what makes us think that we could ever live for God on
our own, apart from His help? Without faith it is impossible to please God
(Heb. 11:6).
Paul said in Php 4:13, I can do all things through
Christ who strengthens me. Strengthens means to empower, or to pour power into
one. Paul has such strength so long as Jesus keeps on putting power (dunamis)
into him.
Mat 17:14 “And when they had come to the multitude,
a man came to Him, kneeling down to Him and saying,
Mat 17:15 "Lord, have mercy on my son, for he
is an epileptic and suffers severely; for he often falls into the fire and
often into the water.
Mat 17:16 So I brought him to Your disciples, but
they could not cure him."
Mat 17:17 Then Jesus answered and said, "O
faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall
I bear with you? Bring him here to Me."
Mat 17:18 And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came
out of him; and the child was cured from that very hour. Mat 17:19 Then the
disciples came to Jesus privately and said, "Why could we not cast it
out?"
Mat 17:20 So Jesus said to them, "Because of
your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard
seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will
move; and nothing will be impossible for you.
Mat 17:21 However, this kind does not go out except
by prayer and fasting."
Mat 21:19 And seeing a fig tree by the road, He came
to it and found nothing on it but leaves, and said to it, "Let no fruit
grow on you ever again." Immediately the fig tree withered away.
Mat 21:20 And when the disciples saw it, they
marveled, saying, "How did the fig tree wither away so soon?"
Mat 21:21 So Jesus answered and said to them,
"Assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not
only do what was done to the fig tree, but also if you say to this mountain,
'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' it will be done.
Mat 21:22 And whatever things you ask in prayer,
believing, you will receive."
The mountain into the sea was used in a figurative
sense. Jesus was referring to the immeasurable power of God unleashed in the
lives of those with true faith.
1 Jn 5:14, Now this is the confidence that we have
in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.
I2P is expected of us! Where living in the
extraordinary is the ordinary.
• The announcement that Abraham would have a son and
Sarah laugh within her heart. Gen 18:10-14,
Gen 18:10 …Sarah your wife shall have a son."
(Sarah was listening in the tent door which was behind him.)
Gen 18:11 Now Abraham and Sarah were old, well
advanced in age; and Sarah had passed the age of childbearing.
Gen 18:12 Therefore Sarah laughed within herself,
saying, "After I have grown old, shall I have pleasure, my lord being old
also?"
Gen 18:13 And the LORD said to Abraham, "Why
did Sarah laugh, saying, 'Shall I surely bear a child, since I am old?'
Gen 18:14 Is anything too hard for the LORD? At the
appointed time I will return to you, according to the time of life, and Sarah
shall have a son."
• Elizabeth’s miraculous birth of John the Baptist.
Zacharias and Elizabeth were advanced in years and had been praying for decades
for God to remove the social stigma (reproach, humiliation) of barrenness. They
lived in a culture that associated blessings or divine favor with birthrights
and family lineage. But Gabriel silenced Zach for 9 months due to his unbelief.
Luk 1:20 But behold, you will be mute and not able to speak until the day these
things take place, because you did not believe my words which will be fulfilled
in their own time."
• The virgin birth -- For with God nothing shall be
impossible says the angel Gabriel to Mary in Lk 1:37.
O you of little faith examples
Worrying about the basics
Mat 6:30 Now if God so clothes the grass of the
field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much
more clothe you, O you of little faith?
Mat 6:33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His
righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.
Mat 6:34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for
tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own
trouble.
Sea of Galilee Incident
Mat 8:23 Now when He got into a boat, His disciples
followed Him.
Mat 8:24 And suddenly a great tempest arose on the
sea, so that the boat was covered with the waves. But He was asleep.
Mat 8:25 Then His disciples came to Him and awoke
Him, saying, "Lord, save us! We are perishing!"
Mat 8:26 But He said to them, "Why are you
fearful, O you of little faith?" Then He arose and rebuked the winds and
the sea, and there was a great calm.
Mat 8:27 So the men marveled, saying, "Who can
this be, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?"
Peter walking on the water
Mat 14:29 So He said, "Come." And when
Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus.
Mat 14:30 But when he saw that the wind was
boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying,
"Lord, save me!"
Mat 14:31 And immediately Jesus stretched out His
hand and caught him, and said to him, "O you of little faith, why did you
doubt?"
Bread issues
Mat 16:5 Now when His disciples had come to the
other side, they had forgotten to take bread.
Mat 16:6 Then Jesus said to them, "Take heed
and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees."
Mat 16:7 And they reasoned among themselves, saying,
"It is because we have taken no bread."
Mat 16:8 But Jesus, being aware of it, said to them,
"O you of little faith, why do you reason among yourselves because you
have brought no bread?
Mat 16:9 Do you not yet understand, or remember the
five loaves of the five thousand and how many baskets you took up?
Mat 16:10 Nor the seven loaves of the four thousand
and how many large baskets you took up?
Mat 16:11 How is it you do not understand that I did
not speak to you concerning bread?—but to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees
and Sadducees."
Mat 16:12 Then they understood that He did not tell
them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and
Sadducees.
Two incredible examples of I2P: Job and
Jesus
The suffering of Job
Job 1:1 There was a man in the land of Uz, whose
name was Job; and that man was blameless and upright, and one who feared God
and shunned evil.
Job 1:20, Then Job arose, tore his robe, and shaved
his head; and he fell to the ground and worshiped.
Job 1:21 And he said: "Naked I came from my
mother's womb, And naked shall I return there. The LORD gave, and the LORD has
taken away; Blessed be the name of the LORD."
Job 1:22 In all this Job did not sin nor charge God
with wrong.
Jesus on the cross
Luke 23:34, “Father forgive them”
Some other I2P
examples
Noah's faith in the antediluvian civilization
Parting of the Red Sea
Joshua & Caleb spying
The sun standing still for a day (Jos 10:13)
Elijah’s confrontation with the prophets of Baal
David and Goliath (1 Sam 17:50-51)
Dan 3:16-18 The three Hebrew men thrown into the
fire (Dan 3:25 "Look!" he answered, "I see four men loose,
walking in the midst of the fire; and they are not hurt, and the form of the
fourth is like the Son of God.")
Dan 6:10 Now when Daniel knew that the writing was
signed, he went home. And in his upper room, with his windows open toward
Jerusalem, he knelt down on his knees three times that day, and prayed and gave
thanks before his God, as was his custom since early days. The circumstances
did not change his devotion. Into the lions den Daniel went. 6:23 Now the king
was exceedingly glad for him, and commanded that they should take Daniel up out
of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no injury whatever was
found on him, because he believed in his God.
Counting all things lost
Paul and Silas singing in prison
Count it all joy when you fall into various trials
(Jam 1:2)
Rejoice evermore (1 Thess 5:16)
Giving thanks in all things (1 Thess 5:18)
Forgiving ourselves
Stephen – lay not this sin to their charge with Saul
of Tarsus (apostle Paul) looking on
Forgiving an offending brother
Let’s look at it exponentially. Jesus answered the
question how many times do I forgive my brother – 70 x 7 (Mt 18:22). I2P works
like this: 1x1, 1x2, 1x3, 1x4 and so on. We never stop forgiving our brothers
who offend us.
Loving your enemies
Praying for those who despitefully use us
Going the second mile
Losing life to find it
Going down to go up
To gain must let go
In order to be strong we must be weak
Loving the unlovely
Loving neighbor as ourselves
Manifesting the fruit of the Spirit
Filled with the Spirit
Mountain moving faith
To be content
Lk. 14:26-27 "If anyone comes to Me and does
not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes,
and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple.
And whoever does not bear his cross and come after
Me cannot be My disciple.
1 Pet 1:15-16 but as He who called you is holy, you
also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, "BE HOLY, FOR I
AM HOLY."
What general commands of Scripture are we not to
obey? What principles? What admonitions? What exhortations? What prohibitions?
With human slavery in New Testament times, the master could not look within the
hearts of his slaves. He could only control their behavior but not their
attitude. A slave’s will was not his own; it belonged to his or her master.
Whatever the master desired was the will of the slave, in theory anyway. They
were generally considered and treated as possessions, like animals, no rights,
no recourse, and subject to the master’s whims. Some masters were very good to
their slaves and treated them like family while other slave owners were just
the opposite.
With divine slavery (1Cor 6:19-20), it is best as a
believer not to be torn out of the frame by the dreaded and hated s-word!
Believe it or not, it is actually the best metaphor to describe our personal
relationship with the Lord chosen by the Holy Spirit during the inspiration of
Scripture, and "you are not your own" best defines that relationship.
Yes, the trafficking in human slavery is appalling and gets two thumbs down,
but divine slavery is to be given two thumbs up and embraced by every believer.
In Divine slavery the Lord sees what is within our
hearts. There is nothing hidden from His sight (Job 34:21; Jer 17:10; Heb
4:13). His slavery is demanding an obedience that is nothing less than
immediate and complete. This is obedience from the heart that is only
accomplished when our will is lost in the will of the Master. This is a
response of loyalty and love because He truly loves us (Rom 5:8;1 Jn 4:10) and
seeks our highest good (Rom 8:28). We are treated like family because we are
family (Rom 8:15, 17; Eph 1:5) We show our gratitude, fidelity, and love toward
Him by obeying His Word without hassles, without a cafeteria-styled mentality
(Jn 14:15; 15:10).
In human or divine slavery there is only one will
that matters – the master. Unlike human slavery, choice for the believer-slave
is not a matter of the will (Lk 22:42) but an obligation of love (2 Cor
5:14-15). The fear of the Lord plays a major factor in our faithfulness, but
obedience is really driven out of love more than fear. Whenever we disobey the Master with a runaway spirit, it
only reveals a heart problem, a violation of the greatest commandment (Mk
12:30).
The Via Dolorosa (Latin for Way of Grief or
Way of Suffering) is a street within the Old City of Jerusalem. It has been
traditionally held to be the path that Jesus walked, carrying his cross, on the
way to be crucified. It is a place of pilgrimage for many. Our Master’s will is
the way of the cross, the path of suffering. If the Master’s will is our will
then our will is the way of the cross, too, symbolic of the death of our will
(Lk 9:23). Notice that the Lord is not giving us a choice whether to take up
our cross and follow Him or not; it is expected! It is commanded! We are obligated
out of our love for Him to obey wherever He leads us. This is not a blind
obedience but an eyes-wide-opened-obedience driven by love for the Lord Jesus
Christ.
Until our will is lost in the will of the Master, we
are missing out on the blessings proceeding from an intimacy in fellowship with
Christ. Runaway slaves never experience the peace of God and the joy in
the Lord. They may have peace with God, no longer at enmity with God, but never
the peace of God that is only found in being in faithful fellowship with
Him. Until we are weary to the bone in trying to escape from an everywhere,
fully there God, life is without purpose (cf. Jn 6:68); some of us simply have
to run out of steam before we get it. We are so quick to secure the benefits of
sonship and stake our claim but shoot out the hand in the face of God to “talk
to the hand” for we don’t want to hear about this slave talk and suffering!
Here is a tough, tough truth; Jesus told His
disciples, “‘A servant (Gk, doulos or lit., slave) is not greater than
his master (Gk, kurios or Lord).’ If they persecuted Me, they will also
persecute you” (Jn 15:20). “And whoever does not bear his cross and come after
Me cannot be My disciple” (learner) (Lk 14:27). We cannot begin to learn from
Him until we bear our cross every day for the Divine will, dying to self-will.
The way to a fuller freedom, a fuller joy, a fuller life is only found in
realizing and experiencing our slavery in Christ, not in shackles made of iron
but of love. The ultimate freedom experienced on earth is in bondage to the
Lord.
Do we understand the import of all of this slave and
suffering talk? Skin for skin (Job 2:4). Satan was wrong about Job; but Satan
believes that man will do anything to save his own skin. Why do you think broad
is the way that leads to destruction. If you take suffering out of
Christianity, we couldn’t sign up people fast enough. I2P is where the nail
hits the flesh. It is the place of absolute surrender where all the strongholds
that thwarted our complete obedience are overpowered. By crossing over the
threshold of I2P we are empowered by the Holy Spirit to move beyond our
limitations such as to live we have to die; to gain we have to lose; to go up
we must go down, before honor is humility. It is a place where Christ-likeness
dwells; there are no limitations here – Father forgive them for they know not
what they are doing, love becomes paramount, the Word is fully embraced, loving
our enemies, praying for those who despitefully use us, sacrificial giving is
the norm, suffering is viewed in its rightful context, victory over sin in the
daily walk, indescribable joy, fellowship with God and the brethren, trust is
not an issue, fear is conquered, faith sees no mountains, the fruit of the
Spirit is the norm.
These are all impossible limitations in the flesh,
our sinful nature with all of its fleshly impulses and appetites. It is only in
our crosswalk that we move beyond the boundaries of impossibilities in the
flesh to all things are possible in the Spirit. As the world cries out in
criticism, how could a loving God allow…. We think differently. Our voice is
one of prayer to the Father amidst the pain and suffering of our crosswalk,
“Not my will but Yours be done.” These are the words of a slave of Christ…
As we pickup our cross and start down our own Via Dolorosa, the way of suffering, it is a testament that our old life is over; it was nailed to the cross at Calvary. By following in His steps, we work through the limitations of the flesh and discover a freedom to serve our sovereign Lord in complete obedience as a slave by the enabling of His Holy Spirit. Jesus is all about I2P. Is anything too hard for Me?
As we pickup our cross and start down our own Via Dolorosa, the way of suffering, it is a testament that our old life is over; it was nailed to the cross at Calvary. By following in His steps, we work through the limitations of the flesh and discover a freedom to serve our sovereign Lord in complete obedience as a slave by the enabling of His Holy Spirit. Jesus is all about I2P. Is anything too hard for Me?
