Radical Adoration

Sat, Feb 28, 2009
Setting Captives Free Theology

Editor's Note: The following article is written by Shon Bruellman, Setting Captives Free Executive Director. It was originally written as a letter to all the mentors who minister at Setting Captives Free:

Dear Mentors,

This letter is to address those situations with students who just aren't 'getting it'. For some it might be three days and for others in may be a month between falls or binges but there is a predictable pattern that repeats itself over and over again. Inevitably the question is raised 'What am I doing wrong? Why do I always turn back to the old water fountains?'

Though we can often point to a lack of amputation or a failure to remain accountable to someone locally or lack of time in the Word as the problem the truth is that the practical application teachings in our courses of Radical Accountability, Amputation and Appropriation are in and of themselves of little lasting value without the fourth and most important one that for now we can call 'Radical Adoration'.

People can read the Bible, repent and be sorrowful for their sins and sever the areas of access to that which trips them up. We could find a local accountabity partner but we cannot rely on our AP's because sooner or later those relationships drift away or we will be unable to get ahold of them in a moment of need. We cannot always rely on our filter because we will inevitably get a new computer that will not come with a filter preinstalled or be somewhere that porn is available for viewing or purchase. We cannot only shop in stores where unattractive people dressed in burlap bags shop, and to my knowledge there are no college campuses, beaches or streets in cities that require full length summer apparel that show no skin. Without falling in love with Jesus Christ and seeking to serve Him daily with all their heart, mind, soul and strength it is only a matter of time before our resolve to stay away from the old idols begins to weaken and down we will go.

In addition; becoming involved in ministry as a mentor will not ensure that you will never fall again. We can become fine upstanding church members who read the Word and memorize great portions of it and still be cold as ice in our heart if we are not seeing Jesus within the pages and asking the Lord to convert our heart and show us Truth. This is no different than a dying person in a dessert taking a sip of cold refreshing water... swishing it around in his mouth and then spitting it back out. They are SO CLOSE to finding true satisfaction and nourishment but they reject it.

The Scriptures point to JESUS as the One who restores life to corpses who are dead in their sins and trespasses.

even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ--by grace you have been saved-- Eph 2:5

The Scriptures point to JESUS who brings us Life.

You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life. John 5:39-40

For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom he will. Joh 5:21

I am...life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. John 14:6

No Jesus.. no life. Period. Like a chicken with its head cut off there is lots of activity going on but there is no life. This is the danger of seeking counsel anywhere than from the Word of God because even IF (and that is a very big 'if') someone finds some help or relief from their struggles and they do not know Jesus and the Life He gives they will burn in hell one day. As Piper says 'Morality without the Gospel is still spiritual suicide'.

The Scriptures point to JESUS who is the Living Water. The Bible is Truth and tells us of Jesus Christ who is the Living Water that we are to drink of deeply.

but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty forever. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." Joh 4:14

The Scriptures point to JESUS who is our life sustaining Bread and Food.

Do not labor for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal." Joh 6:27

It is written in the Prophets, 'And they will all be taught by God.' Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me-- not that anyone has seen the Father except he who is from God; he has seen the Father. Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Joh 6:45-48

So Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on me, he also will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven, not as the fathers ate and died. Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever." John 6:53-58

'My flesh is true food... my Blood is true drink.....whoever feeds on Me and drinks of Me abides in Me...Whoever feeds on Me will live... whoever feeds on Me will live forever'. This is not referring to communion or the Catholic teaching of Transubstantiation because if that was the case then it would be communion that saves us and we know that is not the case. This is talking about placing our complete trust and confidence in the Lord Jesus Christ to save us from our sins and our sinful desires; opening our mouth, mind and heart to drink and eat deeply of Him. We will become ONE with Jesus Christ and we will abide with Jesus Christ and serve Him out of love and not compulsion as we realize that He came to us to save us, feed us, teach us, and give us life. It is at the Cross and looking to Jesus for help that freedom from habitual sin is found, brothers and sisters and without Christ as the goal and the passion of our soul all the efforts in the world to modify behaviour will be fruitless for we'll be building our house on the sand.

And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it." Mat 7:26-27

For those who continue to struggle with habitual sin they need to enroll in the course called: 'The Cross; Finding Life In Jesus's Death' which can be found under "Our Courses" at www.settingcaptivesfree.com. This is where they will learn of the greatness of Jesus Christ and the power that came down to earth through the sacrifice of the Perfect Lamb of the Cross. They will learn to look to the Cross to be delivered from the snakebite of sin. They will hear of how God's wrath and His arrows of hatred rained down upon Calvary and begin to realize that their sin was the reason for this occuring. They will also be reminded of the love of Jesus for them and how He was the Good Samaritan who came to bathe and clean our wounds after satan the robber came to plunder us. And the list goes on and on and on...

I should be closing at this point but I cannot help but to continue on for just a moment longer and ask; do you know Jesus? I mean do you REALLY know who Jesus is? If your response is one of dullness of even irritation for being asked 'such a stupid question..' then I urge you to pause and consider your heart because the Name of Jesus ought to invoke an attitude of thankfulness, humility, awe and reverence.

I recently found an old cassette recording of a men's choir in Illinois that I sang in about 8 years ago and one of the songs on it is called 'Do You Know Jesus?' It is a beautiful hymn rich with truth but when I sang it at the time my heart was dead and cold for I was lost in my sins. They were simply words I was singing and there was no personal experience of the riches of Christ. Eight years later those words brought me to tears as I listened to them in my car and shouted aloud: 'Yes...yes I DO know Jesus!' I again ask... do you?

If you would like to listen to the melody of this song as you read through the words here is the link to it:

http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/j/s/jsonogod.htm

Do you know Jesus, Our Lord, our Savior,
Jesus the Son of God? Have you ever seen Him,
Or shared of His favor? Jesus the Son of God.

O sweet Wonder! O sweet Wonder!
Jesus the Son of God; How I adore Thee!
O how I love Thee! Jesus the Son of God.

God gave Him, a ransom, Our souls to recover;
Jesus the Son of God. His blood made us worthy
His Spirit to hover; Jesus the Son of God.

Refrain

O who would reject Him, Despise or forsake Him,
Jesus the Son of God? O who ever sought Him,
And He would not take Him? Jesus the Son of God.

Refrain

If you will accept Him And trust and believe Him,
Jesus the Son of God, Your soul will exalt Him,
And never will leave Him; Jesus the Son of God.

Refrain

Then some day from heaven, On clouds of bright glory,
Jesus the Son of God Will come for His jewels,
Most precious and holy, Jesus the Son of God.

O sweet Wonder! O sweet Wonder!
Jesus the Son of God; How I adore Thee!
O how I love Thee! Jesus the Son of God.