CONTRARY | Free (Ep 7)

Today we redefine freedom, moving back to Biblical freedom. Our world, our culture, puts a huge emphasis on “freedom”, whether it’s freedom of speech, or freedom to choose the outcomes of your own life, or financial freedom, and the list goes on. These are not bad things. There are freedoms worth fighting for. However, if we call ourselves Christians, our freedom is actually bondage to Christ. Our freedom allows us to look at this world and realize there is nothing it can take away from us that we have already gained in Christ, which is everything! Our freedom allows for true joy, and true hope, and true peace in this broken world. 

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Scriptures Referenced:

“For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39)

“Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ.” (Philippians 3:8)

“The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me?” (Psalm 118:6)

“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.” (Matthew 6:24)

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Quotes Referenced:

“Then the property owner will probably respond, ‘Do you want my house? Do you want my farm? Well, if you do, then you need to talk to Jesus, because I gave this property to Him.’

The security police will not know what to make of that answer. So they will say, ‘We don’t have any way to get to Jesus, but we can certainly get to you! When we take your property, you and your family will have nowhere to live!’

And the house-church believers will declare, ‘Then we will be free to trust God for shelter as well as for our daily bread.’

‘If you keep this up, we will beat you!’ The persecutors will tell them.

‘Then we will be free to trust Jesus for healing.’ The believers will respond.

‘And then we will put you in prison!’ The police will threaten.

By now the believers’ response is almost predictable: ‘Then we will be free to preach the good news of Jesus to the captives, to set them free. We will be free to plant churches in prison.’

‘If you try to do that we will kill you!’ The frustrated authorities will vow.

And, with utter consistency, the house-church believes will reply, ‘Then we will be free to go to heaven to be with Jesus forever.’”

-The Insanity of God by Nik Ripkin (p. 263)