Hardening of the "Oughteries" [Part 2]

Pastor author and Bible teacher Alan Wright even in the best and most spirit infused places you can experience the interiors that Pastor Alan another message of good news that will help you see yourself in a whole new light. By being excited for you to hear the teaching today. In the series. Free yourself from yourself where program I want to make sure you know how to get our special resource right now could be yours for your donation this month to Helen Wright ministries as you listen to today's message go deeper as we send you today's special offer. Contact us at pastoralan.org or call 877-544-4860 that's 877-544-4860. More on that later in the program. Now let's get started with today's teaching here Alan Wright for a period of time during seminary.

I had the great great privilege of working at First Christian Church in Atlanta, and this is a pretty high church with the liturgy and oh pastor I worked with. What a wonderful spiritual man of God. It was just this eviction.

Some of the most beautiful people got I've ever met at that church, but my first time preaching in that church is a very young man is a seminarian and I focus so much on the message and I delivered the message and I felt like a mess. It was great I just hadn't stopped to think at all about what was supposed come next in the service like I finished my message and I just did not set as a my wife still laughs at me about this. I first time a preaching in that grand pulpit. I got to the end and I said amen and asked looked down the rope around to find the bulletin and realize were supposed to sing a song and so I stumbled out the word.

Let's all gather together and seeing him number such and such a wife later said to gather what would you what you must do) a little closer than we were something that I just didn't know what to say next and I was part of would like it all in which we do this right. One time in first rotation check is the way the service would start with 11 chimes at the 11 o'clock service 11, the organist would chime doom 11 chimes and then they 11.

At that we were trained at the ninth chime all the pastors we all stand up at the ninth chime in that we cue everybody else to stand up and then we start singing the doxology is not how the service would start with the doxology.

Well, one time the pastor was gone and so we were less disciplined and so the other pastors and all out in the hallway and recounted try to get her act together and get ready to go in and also incisive when it is in their timing, our organist was seated when he couldn't tell whether the pastor was in there are not as though he'd been chiming the hour and we were just running in an hour had already been chiming the people just went ahead and stood up.

Start seeing the doxology without a so that worked out just fine.

So I just realized that for some people that have been in the really formal charge that sometimes my knees need to say you know it's not about doing it right. Sometimes it's messy sometimes spirituality is not eloquent and it's okay because the Lord looks on the heart. I was also in a conservative Bible church growing up so priceless to me that what we all really came to a personal relationship with Christ that somebody invited us to his fantastic evangelical church of the great evangelical preacher in that shaped my life is much as anything is ever shape my life. I also got involved in parachurch ministries that really emphasize quiet times with God devotional life.

Spiritual disciplines witnessing and really help cultivate a personal relationship with Jesus is very thankful for that and I was very thankful.

Also called to be involved in parachurch ministry and the Bible church that again emphasize the importance of God's word.

Emphasize the importance of personal relationship with Jesus emphasize the importance of having quiet devotional times of prayer and Bible study and emphasized evangelism so I was very thankful for. For the churches, and in those ministries that I was involved in and met some of the most wonderful people and everybody said you know that it was important that you spend time with God, which is absolutely important to spend time with God. But this is just again through the shame filter. Here's what I began to hear was where is in the formal church. I felt like I got to do it right in the in the more, conservative Bible church I started in the idea that the whole thing is about making sure that I never miss a quiet time you we had accountability with what I would would say to each other you know in our Bibles, they would say listen, if you have your quiet times with the Lord every morning and in the first place wasn't really a morning person you know and it always seem like it was more holy to you spend time with the Lord early in the morning and you know like the real signs are up to like 4 AM and I start thinking out doggone it, so I'm up so late. I can actually count this as being for tomorrow be more spiritual than the really holy people but anyway I would remind each other save and have your quiet time. I remember one time in a Bible study and and and one of the real you with all spiritually mature said I gotta confess I had had a quiet time in a month. We like you like you just announce that you know you robbed a bank or something and I and I start get this idea that you know if I have a quiet time in the morning than that they would go well but I didn't have my quiet time, the God probably is going to like this on my get hit by a bus, and course. How silly. All that is and have come to understand now course, is that yes all the spiritual disciplines are really important reading my Bible. I love the Bible and a love prayer. But it's all about cultivating and being with Jesus and every time over the word of God. It's about being filled with the gospel about being filled with good news, so it's not something that I do is nearly as much as a duty, as I do is is a loving something is just very very natural because if you take this to a shame filter. It can start becoming like the people that read their Bible a lot and pray a lot and witness a lot in evangelism that these are the really that's what it's all about and you can end up substituting a real relationship with Jesus for all the things that Christians are supposed to do. So if you ever have been in a moralistic or legalistic or behavior oriented church. Then I need to just say to you, you are accepted, not because of your behaviors but you are accepted because of the behavior of Jesus Christ and what you have received by faith through grace is a free and utter gift from God and is not earned even by reading your Bible a lot or by witnessing to others is important is all of that is I had a sense of revelation about this. I heard somebody teach some years ago about the way in which Jesus discipled people because we tend to say to people in the more moralistic settings of Christianity, we tend to say if you will behave all the right ways to leave all the right things that you could really belong to you know get your get your get your beliefs down. Get your behaviors down and you can really belong.

But if you go back and you look at Jesus's ministry definitely way did it. He just called to himself a tax collector. Some bumbling fishermen. He called himself some impetuous disciples even called one who would ultimately betray him. What he said was calm and be with me, belong with me, be with me and then over time, your beliefs will change as your beliefs change your behaviors will change with Jesus. It was belong, then believe them behave that's instructive to us. I think in the body of Christ. I've also been in the liberal mainline church. It turned out that I went into a denominational church as my first job doing youth ministry and I decided to stay in that denomination for that period of time and so I went to the denominational seminary and while is it that denominational seminary, met some of those wonderful people in the world. I had some professors who were some of were spectacular and I and I loved all of the people, even the ones that were were far more liberal in their orientation by liberal I mean, much more liberal in their understanding of the Scriptures less likely to believe the Scriptures to be literal or to be the word of God less likely also to believe in the importance of a personal relationship with Jesus and and and were much more prone to just say let's be accepting of all people, all lifestyles and all behaviors and so I was a bit of a fish out of water. There is an evangelical and in the in the liberal environment and and I want to say that as many things that are beautiful about that environment and that is that the people want to be accepting and open-minded and that is a good thing is a good thing to be accepting of others is a good thing to not become so narrow and and so exclusive and are thinking that we start we start bringing against other people are a shame that accompanies an intolerance, but when I found in this environment was that that they they wanted to be accepting of others, except sometimes me and Alan Wright will have more teaching moment from today's important series accepted perfectly free to be yourself with no fear of injection rolled her eyes. The last no more anxious feeling that you feel like the pressure is always on longing for your life with no show in paradise before sin came into the world's relationship notion since the fall has been around. You can't be too soon. Condescend to be perfect in order to meet others to decide to measure them as well. Right now the road ahead is pleasing shame and there is only the grace of God in Jesus Christ.

We cleaned books for yourself yourself exposes the lousy machine he leads you into a revolution of God's love that heals your so discomfort freedom joy as you show performance-based living. Shame and fear for good life-changing full-length book from Alan Wright for yourself. The gospel is shared when you get Alan Wright Ministries. This broadcast is only possible because of listener financial support. When you get today. We will send you a special offer. We are happy to send this to you as I banks from Alan Wright Ministries, seven 877-544-4860 877-544-4861 come to our website pastor and.work days teaching. Now you once again is different like I remember one time of taking a doctorate level course in marriage, family therapy and counseling and one of the assignments was to take a biblical image that describes marriage and so I chose the image of covenant and I wrote some about the biblical notion of covenant and that I wrote about marriage as a company and as part of that.

I said. Therefore, I remain married to my wife, not primarily because the ups and downs of my emotions but I remain married to her because we are in a covenant relationship we have made vows to one another and we have covenanted our law so love is not a feeling. Love is a decision of saying things like that. The image of covenant why got done presenting my paper and there was a woman in the class who had previously shared about three different marriages that are gone bad for her three different marriages, of which she experienced divorce and she shared some but the pain about that and and we had compassion for that. But when I got to that point I was stunned because she got medicine. She said well it sounds like to me that you're just not willing to admit that your marriage is failing to cite really like now I gotta be ashamed that my marriage is working like it's just like what what are we so what are we saying here. I remember having this distinct feeling.

Also write about this that this is not because I was rich is not because I do have is is is a white American male.

I've had so many advantages and and on and I realize that right and and a and I'm unaware of that but they were sometimes the environment where I felt like that that what was being said was you to feel ashamed of yourself because you have too much you will feel shame yourself because you have too many advantages you feel shame yourself because you're too blessed yet is life been too easy for you to feel shame like you know whatever you do don't let anybody know that you know you got a good marriage, I'm always talking about and and so, although all of the many many different friends and I've had in that liberal that that that can become its own form of shame can and then then amongst my my friends all all the different fellowships in the charismatic church.

I really like were charismatic because I don't there is such a thing as a non-charismatic Christian because charismatic comes from the word Congress, which is grace, and it comes from the word grace, that we get the word gifts of the spirit. The Kara's motto so that's will get the word charismatic and so it's really word it doesn't have much meaning carries a lot of baggage with it now, but I'm a Christian.

I just want all of God and that God has gifts for us. I want those gifts you know and I and I began to experience some of this, and I remember the first time that I went to a charismatic meeting I was in college and my Bible study that was more the evangelical Bible church model of things we all decided we would go because there was a healing evangelist that was on campus and we will all go experience this and the healing evangelist talk to him and and people worship in ways I never seen worship and and they were there was some dance and then some carrying on and and all our Bibles or sit on the school row together like this, like deer in headlights, but he got to this closing prayer and and he said every head bowed and right in on. He asked me to give invitation for salvation. And then he said and how many people would really like to be filled with the spirit auditing really knows. I can what that meant but I just thought you know yeah I do and so on.

Every head bowed around because I put my hand up like this and then also the vendors got a sit there a whole row of them right there together everybody my Bible study and raise their head and want to refill dispirited know what is it come down here. We were the only ones in the whole room.

Evidently that work filled with the spirit and so we went down there and all of a sudden people start gather me about five people got around me start pushing on my stomach and tell me that out of me would flow rivers of living water, and I was like brother. If you don't stop pushing on my stomach. Some else will flow out of me in a minute and an outside this I just got to get out of this note meeting and it was so funny. My wife, who later became a wife and was actually in that Bible study. We all went out to Bill after like booth that was terrible what she was usual quiet was it did something happen to you and she actually had a wonderful encounter with God in those in those meetings is that kind of experience makes you start feeling like that. I am ashamed that I don't have whatever gift or manifestation you have. This is the thing about all my friends and care of my church is so you know when you experience something of God you want other people to experience it as you want them to have it. And so you want to try to help them to have an end.

If this is what this happens were charismatic. I had a missionary friend and he was he was in a missionary in Brazil and he one time this actually he's very sane person is very he would never lie about this, there was a move of God that was taking place amongst this people, and when the presence of the Lord would come in strong in their meetings there would be a literal glow. It would come over like a radiance when some people must've been something like what was happening with Moses back in the Old Testament. I don't have nursing this don't wish it was like there was a glow that would happen and so they were all marveling at this and in our missionary friend know they were amongst among several I saw the light. Years later he went back in the church had split and you could guess it glows in the know close my wife and I we always joke about whatever you start see that they appear like know your problem is you had had this manifestation. The glows in the know glows the fact of the matter is that in the, liberal mainline church. I felt sort ashamed that I'd I had too much, but some fellowships you can feel like you don't have enough you don't have enough manifestations of blessings and prosperity in your life or you don't have enough spiritual gifts or you don't have a particular spiritual gift or you don't. You don't you don't raise your hands enough, or you don't sing or you don't shout enough or you don't. Whatever enough you can start getting that that sense. So even in the best and most spirit infused places you can experience thought to use it can be in any environment Canada ought to be more accepting ought to be less tolerant to be reading my Bible more audibly evangelize in more to give more to serve more to pray more to get up earlier view of God ought to have more gifts to have more manifestations.

The spirit is enough to give you the hardening of the arteries. The Gospels much sweeter and freer and more beautiful than all of that because Jesus came. The Bible said, full of grace and truth.

He wasn't hundred percent raise 50% gray 50% truth you the hundred percent gracious hundred percent truthful and was something about Jesus that the sinners love they wanted to be around him. They flocked to be around him.

Why, because he was the very expression of the love of God and the power of God, and he never hesitated to speak the truth.

But what he would never do is shame people.

So the very ones that were afraid of the religious leaders of the day, they all came to Jesus I think is just an invitation for the body of Christ to be the body of Jesus Christ, full of grace and full of truth. Instead of loading up people with the hardening of the arteries.

Let us announce the gospel, which is a celebration of what Jesus has accomplished for us and I thing where that sort of body roll, running Alan Wright you're listening to today's good news message hardening of the ought to reuse it is from the series for yourself. Be yourself, and I trust we can all find healing in this today are good news closing parting thought with Pastor Alan is coming up encourage you to stay with us except in perfectly free to be yourself with no fear for Jackson rolled her eyes in front of you. I love you last no more anxious feeling that you feel like the pressure is always on your life with no show in paradise before sending the world's relationship notion since the fall of the human heart has been camped into the temple seem condescending so tightly perfect in order to meet them as lover now rolled the heart is pleasing fashion.

And there's only grace of God in Jesus Christ kind look for yourself yourself exposes the shame he leads you into a revolution of God's love that heals your so discover freedom joy as you shall performance-based living. Shame and fear for good life-changing full-length book from Alan Wright for yourself. The gospel is shared when you get Alan Wright Ministries.

This broadcast is only possible because of listener financial support.

When you get today we listen, G special offer.

We are happy to send this to you as I banks from Alan Wright Ministries, seven 877-544-4860 877-544-4861 come to our website. Pastor our and.work with Pastor at closing. Good news thought for the day. In some ways this thing right now and they just need a little something to hold on to the next couple of days and all of the all of the different churches I'm talking about that I've been part of it have anything that's good, can get infected with shame, and so were not advocating for one particular tradition over another, which is saying that what we need is a gospel that's pure not 1% law hundred percent grace now want to just say take this with you grace alone, by faith alone is all that you need is never Jesus plus your own performance. It's all in Jesus and that's the liberating force of hope and that is the gospel we have in the past. Daniel aired messages on the radio that were from the original series that I preach. Originally called shame off you, but much more recently we put this into a conference format and just a setting that I love where we have maybe 30 people and that are learning and growing through all these messages about healing from shame and a we just thought this would be fantastic teaching to error on the radio and share with all of our listeners is if you were in the room with us though the group with 30 or so people. What I would say is the most liberating truths I've ever discovered today. Visit us online@pastor.org or call 877-544-4860 that's 877-544-4860 if you only caught part of today's teaching. Not only can you listen again online but also get a daily email devotional that matches today's teaching delivered right to your email inbox free. Find out more about these and other resources@pastor.org that's pastoralan.org.

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