Pigs in the parking Lot

Pigs in the parking LotMy husband and I listened to this message by Carter Conlon a few nights ago. Excellent!When Jesus cast out the demons into the pigs- the people wanted him to leave- they would rather keep the pigs (keep their "stuff", their plans, their lifestyle) rather than have Jesus there to heal them. They want to "hear' all about His workings- but they don't want to give up their "pigs".I listened to Wilkerson's- Counterfeit Spirituality today. Again, the whole point of the sermon- (actually the whole meaning of Christianity) is that people still refuse to "let go" - to give up, to surrender everything they have, their future, their plans, etc...Lack of surrender is rebellion. Why is that even "religious" people, scripture quoting, Bible teaching, doctrinal scholars will not surrender?I don't get it. It's so easy to be caught up in "religious things" and quote every relgious quote and seem very spiritual- yet that is NOTHING to Christ. All He wants is our complete surrender. Not 95% surrender. 100%! He wants to be the King on the throne of our hearts.Humbly staying in surrender mode, Chanin

Chanin:Yes, that is what following Christ is, a total surrender. No longer we that live but Christ that lives in us.You said "why is that even religous people, scripture quoting, bible teaching, doctrinal scholars will not surrender?One thing that I need to remember is that I was once fitting in that catagory. It strange how when the Lord opens our eyes and we do surrender and begin to walk hard after Him that we "don't get it". We don't get why we were once not surrendered and can't understand why others aren't. Lord, help me to surrender daily.Mike

Mike, yes, thank you for reminding me. I was weeping all day long, looking back at how far He has brought me. The work that He has done. I am so grateful- there really are no words. Just grateful.When I look back on how long I rebelled- knowing that I needed to surrender certain areas- I am thankful for His mercy and for His pursuing.Even that i am here at this place of surrender is truly a miracle. I never thought I could get here. I remember when my fingers were so tightly grasped around certain things- I would not, could not let go- I was afraid. I had to learn to trust. Trust that everything would be ok- even after I gave Him complete control.The peace is really "a peace that passes all understanding". I would have never understood it before- until I got here. It's unexplainable.And yet, I know there is more to go. More that He will show me that need's to go.Pressing on, Chanin

Yes, this is a timely message for me also.It starts off with a call to remember when we first came to the Lord Jesus and where He has brought us now.He then goes into the Luke 8 account of the demoniac and proceeds to show that when we shrink back from the call to total surrender, we will fall into a sea of false reasoning. The call of Christ is to surrender all rights and follow Him, to willingly become His bond-servant.In Christ,Ron

Hi Chanin, I notice you are doing a whole series on surrender. This is the same thing as obedience, right?Please correct me if I'm mistaken here, but my understanding is that the Old and New Testaments could also be known as the Old and New Covenants. So here's some of the definations (the ones that refer to Christian living) of Covenant from Websters Unabridged Dictionary: 1:An agreement, usually formal, between two or more persons to do or not do something specified. (2 was a legal definition) 3: (ecclestiasical) A solem agreement between the members of a church to act together in harmony with the percepts of the Gospel. (4 referred to governments) 5: (Bible) A conditional promise made to man by God, as revealed in Scripture.With this in mind, I felt moved by the Holy Spirit to go through the New Testament and identify each command given first by Jesus and then by the Apostles, make a note of what they are and where, then enter them all in my computer word processor in some sensible order for reference. Then I'll know what's expected and what I'm trying to accomplish. Most of this is more easily said then done (let go of anger for instance... :-) , but that's what Grace is for while we practice overcoming. I'm really glad you posted those things. It kind of reaffirms what I am trying to learn. Obedience really does lead to a whole new way of thinking about everything!Still trying too, Meg

Meg, I am so glad that as a new Christian you are seeking to do the will of Jesus in your life.The idea of surrender and obedience is not about being perfect- even though we are told to "press on to perfection"- I don't think we'll ever reach that until we're with the Lord. :-o But we are to do what we know to do and not just leave it up to "grace" to cover it. If we know to do something than we are responsible for doing it. It does take time, though.Anyone can benefit from the surrender series. This should be the first thing that is taught to a new Christian- to learn to surrender and then walk in it. Unfortunately, many christians have not been taught this and have been Christians for many years and never learned that they must surrender over everything in their life to Christ. They have resulted to running many areas of their lives themselves. This is definitely not what the Lord wants from His own people- especially ones who are supposed to be mature.To learn this early on would be a God-send. I wish I would have known more about obedience and surrender as a new Christian and then persued it.As you grow in the Lord, you will meet many Christians who may seem more mature than you. If they are not living a surrendered life- RUN! no, just kidding :-) . But really, don't look to them as examples and don't follow their advice. They are the ones who are making disciples turn out to be worse sinners than themselves. It seems to give the newer Christian the "ok" to follow their flesh. :-( Keep pressing on!!In His perfect love, Chanin