Freedom!!!
Well, that should be a very familiar word around here. And it is. The question I have been pondering is: “Has freedom become a cliché?” Have we become so familiar with the word that we have lost the essence of it and what we are seeking to be as a church?
Galatians 5:13 states: “For you, brethren, have been called to liberty …”
If you have ever wondered at what you are called to as a believer, this is part of your calling. We are all called to liberty. It is part of our witness and testimony in the earth that we should live in freedom. We are freed from the bondage of living according to rules and regulations that are dead in religion. As Paul writes elsewhere, we have been made “… sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.” (2 Cor. 3:6) We have been called into a freedom empowered by the Spirit of the Living God. Not only have we been called into this freedom but also we are to be ministers who bring others into this same freedom. It is an ever-increasing freedom that is supposed to one day be such a revelation of Christ that creation moves into the liberty of the sons of God. (Rom. 8:21) It’s a freedom that moves from our “new creation” spirits through our souls to our bodies and the natural world. It is as it is in heaven, so being on the earth. (Matt. 6:10)
As you may have noticed, I only gave part of that verse from Galatians. The rest of the verse goes: “… only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.” (Gal. 5:13) The freedom that is at work in us is for the expression of God’s love. I will not quote the rest of Galatians 5 here, but I would encourage you to read it and glean what is freedom and what is not. Paul wrote that he was constrained by the love of God. (2 Cor. 5:14) Paul also wrote, “All things are lawful for me, but all things are not helpful.” (1 Cor. 6:12) So, the absolute freedom we gain in Christ comes with boundaries. Boundaries founded on the love of God and concern for others.
We, therefore, have this challenge before us: to become completely free to the point where we have the ability to give up our freedoms for the sake of others. We are pressing into such freedom that it impacts everything around us.
So, then, this is once again our battle cry and our surrender … FREEDOM!!!
Journeying with you,
Pastor Merril
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