Identity – BT3:  Understanding who God has made you to BE changes what you DO

 

 

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Our self-image of “WHO we ARE” either keeps us imprisoned or sets us free!  Much of what keeps us in our own prisons of repeating actions that simply don’t work – even though we still try to improve on our own “might and power” to get better results – is that we still see ourselves as the world or as “performance-based” religions do.  Until we really own up to the truth about our completely-different-kind “NEW man” identity within the completely-different-in-kind New Covenant, we will still act out of our old perceptions of ourselves.  The “WHATS of DOing” naturally flow from the “WHO of BEing,” actions from identity, whether for bad or good.

 

The old covenant (97.4 % of the Old Testament – see Logos Word of God – BT5a) says “we are sinners” that must DO works to earn or merit God’s approval, pleasure, and love, so it is all conditional and merit-based!  Many churches and all world religions teach some form of this.

 

However, the completely-different-kind New Covenant says that “we are saints or ‘holy priests’ IN Christ” who are saved by unmerited, undeserved, unearned, unconditional-loving-favor-of-grace and thus unconditionally-loved by the Father solely because of our trusting-relying-faith IN Christ’s perfectly obedient, sacrificial death for us.  If the Father is madly in love unconditionally with His Son Jesus with nothing but “approval and pleasure” directed toward Him, and we really are “INside Christ,” then ALL of that is directed right to us as well!  But do we really believe this?  Do we really see ourselves in this way?

 

Although the entire New Testament repeatedly reminds us of “WHO we ARE” “IN Christ,” most Christians have been conned into believing that at least some of the Old Testament image of us is also somehow true.  This really is schizophrenic, but we hear this preaching all the time!  However, these are but “traditions of men” that simply won’t let go – religion trying to mix with genuine fellowship with God – but this is exactly The Great Wall quenching the Holy Spirit in churches!

 

However, the New Testament says Christians are “absolutely-in-fact-NOT in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you” per Romans 8:9.  However, if we really believe somehow we are still “outside of Christ” trying to reach God through our own flesh’s “might and power,” then we will be acting as if we are still “in the flesh,” which is the approach of all religion.

 

Just knowing the theology of “WHO we ARE” “IN Christ” doesn’t make it a reality for us either!  There is a radical difference in the original languages between gnosis info-knowledge and ginosko experiential, relational knowledge or epignosis genuine, full, experiential, relational knowledge – gnosis is stuck in the head that “only puffs it up with conceit” (a), the other 2 makes it deep into the heart where it can bear fruit (b)!  The ones healed by Jesus are those who “understand with their heart, not just those who physically see with their eyes or physically hear with their ears” (c).  <Notes> a) 1 Corinthians 8:1, 1 Timothy 6:4, b) Luke 8:15, c) Matthew 13:15; John 12:40; Acts 28:27.

 

What is the solution?  Paul proseuchomai conversationally-prays for Christians that the “eyes of their hearts to have already been [with ongoing effects] enlightened/illuminated in-order-that to have already been [with ongoing effects] eido mentally ‘seen’ to perceive/know . . . the immeasurable greatness of His [Spirit’s] enabling-power” (a).  <Notes> a) Ephesians 1:18-19.

 

Now gnosis info-knowledge is acquired through man’s “might and power” reading and study as the Pharisee did of “diligently searching the scripture” (a).  However, the “secrets of the kingdom are kept hidden from these [so-called] sophia wise and/coupled sunesis rational, logical, inductive ‘connect-the-dots’ understanding ones, but-instead revealed to little children by-the-means-of-the Holy Spirit,” especially through conversational-prayer (b).  <Notes> a) John 5:39, b) Matthew 11:25; Luke 10:21; 1 Corinthians 2:10-11; Ephesians 3:5; Colossians 1:9.

 

That’s because “the experientially, relationally yada/ginosko knowing of God” under the completely-different-in-kind New Covenant is “absolutely-in-fact-NO longer through teaching“ of scripture (or the understanding of it) from Moses “from the greatest to the least” down a top-down hierarchal chain of command that finally reaches the little children and uneducated slaves, but available to all of God’s children and NOW instead “by prophetic eido ‘seeing’ to perceive/know God” and NOW “from the least to the greatest” (a). <Notes> a) Jeremiah 31:31-34 cited in Hebrews 8:8-13, 10:16-17; Romans 11:27.

 

Reflections:

 

As Christian musicians, all of us should rightfully have started out with a poor self-image if we honestly saw the amount of sin in our lives!  Only pride would blind you to the truth that you were a sinner in desperate need for a Savior, as Paul states in Romans 3:10-18, “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God.  All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.  Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive.  The venom of asps is under their lips.  Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.  Their feet are swift to shed blood; in their paths are ruin and misery, and the way of peace they have not known.  There is no fear of God before their eyes.”  That’s the ‘Bad News’ of the flesh’s “old man.”  Religion will keep you IN this, always trying to work your way out to get rid of the guilt.

 

But the ‘Great News’ or gospel logos message, is that Christ came to deal with this problem of sin – its guilt and power – and to create us as a completely-different-in-kind “NEW man” under the completely-different-in-kind New Covenant.  Religion and the “accuser of the brethren” Satan will do everything in their power for us to continue to ‘see’ ourselves as “old men” to keep us from the power of ‘seeing’ ourselves as a completely-different-in-kind “NEW man” and being in a trusting-relying-faith relationship with Jesus Christ so that His powerful Holy Spirit can make us holy!

 

It’s not WHAT you know – how much scripture you can read or study – that will make the difference.  The scribes and Pharisees were experts at scripture but they “did not know God or have the love of God within them,” Jesus said in John 5:41, 7:28, 8:55, 15:21.  The difference will come by WHO we relationally know – Jesus said in John 17:3 that “zoe genuine-life only comes by experientially, relationally ginosko knowing the Father and the Son whom He sent.”  And the only way the NT consistently teaches is the WAY to do this is by proserchomai ‘drawing close beside God’ through devoted, patiently-waiting, watching, listening proseuche conversational prayer, which in practice is very close to worship.

 

As Christian musicians, we will either be sharing the “Bad News” or religious ways to deal with it or the “Great News” ways that God has dealt with “the problem” through Jesus Christ.  Which will your music ministry portray?

 

 

 

 

Spiritual Education, Understanding who God has made you to BE changes what you DO, DOing flows from BEing, , Flesh’s Might & Power FOR God verses By God’s Spirit WITH God, Old Covenant & World Religion Works FOR versus New Covenant Relationship WITH God, Schizophrenic Christians from mixing Old & New Covenants, Head knowledge won’t changes us but Heart-Relationship knowledge will, The knowledge of God is NOW not thru teaching or understanding scripture, The knowledge of God is NOW through proseuche relationship conversational-prayer, Bible-expert scribes & Pharisees didn’t know God or have God’s love

 

 

 

 

 

 

Identity – BT2:  WHO do you see yourself to BE?  Some revelations about my identity may help!

 

 

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WHO we see ourselves to BE, our identity, really matters!  As a Christian musician we will be kept from playing anointed, prophetic, and even spontaneous music if we see ourselves as only a music student or a professional musician.  The world is full of them and so we will act out of that worldly identity, “conformed to the pattern of this world” per Romans 12:2, acting very much as they act, even if we say we are NOW doing this “FOR God in His service.”

 

Some of the most ‘worldly’ music rehearsals I’ve had were actually with Christians trying to get ready for Sunday service – so many bruised egos, control issues, bickering over notes and music structure/form navigation, and intense pressure to get ready in time!  Not one of 15 worship-teams started out with proseuche conversational-prayer or adoring worship, most only threw in a 1-minute “help us do this” deesis supplication-prayer as a formality, and one didn’t do anything but launch right into ‘getting down to business of rehearsing!’

 

I’ve played for some churches that were so busy getting ready, they even started the worship service without any kind of prayer!  And what a disaster these sessions and services turned out to be – the devil loves for us to put our trusting-relying-faith in our own flesh’s “might and power” of Zechariah 4:6.  The devil loves religion!  All too many times, I have also got swept up by this fleshly approach to music.  Even though for years I’ve had many supernatural experiences, directly-spoken/heard prophetic rhema words, dreams, and visions about music, I have too often seen myself primarily as a professional musician and teacher, albeit a Christian one.  I think a lot of Christian musicians struggle with their identity!

 

Here’s some of the things God said to me to gradually lead me to accepting WHO He made me to BE, my identity, which is “an anointed musician (not just a profession teacher and drummer) who has played by the Spirit, is playing by the Spirit, and will play by the Spirit, even joining others I have called to play in My courtyards” – see “My Story” in About Us.  Maybe this will encourage you to seek the Lord also and hear from Him who you are called to be.

 

Long ago I had a vison of a butterfly of light that flew into my childhood home’s carport that flitted from drum to drum or cymbals immediately before my hand was compelled to play on that surface, and I drummed like a wild man in a trance.  Another time while “in the zone” playing rudiments on my practice pad in the bathroom, the Lord told me that He was preparing musicians like myself for His courtyards in heaven.  What do you say to that?  I just wept!  Once I had done a massive study on how skill and professionalism wasn’t really needed, but that the Spirit of God was” and posted it on my drumming website.  When I went back to just read it in order to further edit it, I got again filled by the Spirit.

 

 

 

 

 

Then there was the time I was in the backyard just feeling grateful for all the music experiences I’ve had growing up and in my career.  Then I noticed a bunch of birds on my 3 power/cable lines across my backyard and from the angle I was sitting they formed a perfect, slanted staff of music, and the birds were forming a rhythm I immediately recognized as “shave and a hair cut,” so I had to laugh.  Then I noticed that the lines and rhythmic tune were leading right to my drum room!  When I got this revelation, I got massively filled by the Spirit with tears of joy.

 

I remember a dream where I saw people from another country playing on hand-drums and without knowing their language, I joined in and we were all massively filled by the Spirit with joy, and I felt right at home with them like family.  I remember having a dream where I was onstage at a large festival sharing our trusting-relying-faith and music, but afterwards just walking through the Woodstock-like camps in the large parking lots, keeping our hands warm over steel drums with fires burning in them.

 

I can’t forget how many dreams I’ve had about other musicians I know, especially Carl Cherry and John Bujack, where God had spoken to me about His divine plans for them.  I can’t forget how many times I’ve played full of the Spirit in 15 churches but using absolutely no music to guide me, and yet how many times people commented how the drums were doing “powerful things to them,” in many cases at the objection of band leaders who were “in the flesh” and felt “thrown off” or threatened that people weren’t complimenting them as they were me.  Well, there’s so many more amazing things God has shown me, and I am looking forward to many more!  If you have trusting-relying-faith to seek the Lord for them, He will gladly give them to you also!

 

I always told musicians and church members that I “was just going with the flow.”  I’ve even been lectured by some church musicians that “I should have music in front of me, that I should be more professional and take it more serious.”  I just kept my mouth shut, but laughed my head off afterwards – they were clueless that I make my living teaching and playing, and have accordions files of music charts that I have made and use in many secular gigs, and these people were amateurs lecturing me.  Ha!  I’ve played in front of 1000-people audiences night after night, in 200-person symphony orchestras, and for Vegas-quality Elvis Priestley impersonations.  After 37 bands, I’ve been around the block of “might and power” flesh several times over.  Flesh makes a living, but it can’t be compared to playing “by the Spirit,” just as God desires from Zechariah 4:6 and John 4:23.

 

I once saw a teen drummer barely playing chord progressions on a guitar and leading worship in a way I’ve rarely seen – incredibly free-form and beautiful.  My guitarist Herb and I had to grab the pew in front of us to keep from falling over, the wind of God was pushing us back!  Afterwards I asked the teenager how they were doing this.  He said, like so many Christian bands, they tried practicing for hours and most of the time it just dissolved into stressful, bitter “flesh.”  Now they don’t practice at all, but instead proseuchomai conversationally-pray and worship the Lord for about a half-hour or so before they even pick up an instrument, and then they just stay “in this zone” when they do.  Their music “just happens” with no set list, no conductor, and no schedule, directed completely by the Holy Spirit.  That is the meaning of surrendering control!  I was absolutely captivated!

 

What spoiled the whole evening was when the controlling pastor thought I was a “competitor” because I would regularly contact his church and many others about big community drum/percussion/musician circles I would do for Tucson’s community – one group of 25 called “Krakatoa” played for 4 years in town.  He escorted me and my friend out and verbally abused us for 15 minutes, warning that if we ever came back he would kick us out again from “his church.”  I think Herb and I counted “my church” 7 times!  We both agreed the guy was “demon-possessed” and very self-serving.  Ironically, he had a big sign on the side of “his church” saying “Experience God’s Love here!”  Now that was Fake News!

 

Neither of us ever did go back, but the teen’s conversation planted a seed in my spirit that has grown into this website!  The Holy Spirit works around self-serving pastors who want to control Him!  Furthermore, that “incident” taught me a profound lesson – that demons are actually running churches, even if the pastors are USING “things of the Spirit” for their own purposes to become important, big, and rich.  I also notice that most pastors like him just get physically fatter and fatter during their “stay.”  Maybe it’s stress-eating?  I wrote 2 letters to the pastor, the first he ignored and a year later I sent another “to clear the air” and look for reconciliation.  In his short card, he refused to take any responsibility for his actions, acted like nothing ever happened (even though I had detailed it), and said that I was welcome to come back to “his church” anytime.  Are you kidding?  My wife and I just laughed and laughed.

 

There is nothing new about this!  The new believer Simon the magician tried to bribe the apostles for the power to lay hands on people to get the Holy Spirit (a).  In the book of Acts concerning early Church history (b), Paul and Silas were being followed by a slave girl who had a spirit of divination that made here owners rich by her fortune-telling.  She would cry out to the crowds for many days what their intentions were – beating them to the punch line of their gospel logos message of The Truth!  Paul became greatly annoyed and drove the demon out, which infuriated the owners!  Paul said that “some actually preach Christ from envy and rivalry” (c).  “Some men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves” (d).  On Judgment Day, Jesus said “MANY will say to Him:  ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name/authority, and cast out demons in your name/authority, and do many mighty works in your name/authority?’  And then will I declare to them, ‘I never actually, experientially, relationally ginosko knew you; depart from Me.” <Notes> a) Acts 8:18-23, b) Acts 16:16-18, c) Philippians 1:15, d) 2 Corinthians 11:13, e) Matthew 7:22-23.

 

Now back to your Identify:  You are not WHAT you DO, despite all the sayings like Plato’s “The measure of a man is what he does” that is taken out of context, because the quote adds “with power.”  So more fake news!  The Lord had to also show me that “DOING jobs” isn’t what is important to Him – see “My Story” in About Us.  I agree with David Santistevan that “prophetic music doesn’t just flow through your fingers or your voice, but resonates deep within your soul as an expression of WHO you ARE and what you really believe.”  And so it will be for you!  It behooves you to press into God’s presence until He tells you WHO you really ARE.

 

Throughout much of my childhood, even though I could feel intense joy and success in my drumming through so many bands from the time I was in 7^th grade, I didn’t know it was God’s joy and success but claimed it for myself.  You may have done the same!  I received little to no support from family, friends, or peers because the general opinion in the 1970’s that most musicians were drug addicts or poor losers.  Of course, when I had to decide what career to pursue in college, I didn’t even consider music!  Man, I was listening to everybody else’s opinions but God’s, but back then I wasn’t even a Christian, so what do you expect?  All I knew was the natural influences of self-seeking ambition with its emphasis on self-importance, success, and money.  I’m sure I was also being influenced by demons that I didn’t even know anything about.  I was easy prey!  Although I got a music minor during my 2-year degree, I did it primarily to get a music scholarship to help pay for the rest of my schooling to get my 4-year degree.

 

Thank God, that the Lord drew me to Himself and has got me back on course!  He can do the same for you!

 

Reflections:

 

As Christian musicians, have you spent enough time with the Lord asking, seeking, and knocking as to WHO the Lord has made you to BE, so that you can operate out of this Identity instead of your flesh?

 

 

 

 

 

Spiritual Education, Our self-identity controls our actions, DOing comes from BEing, Christians can be conformed to a worldly image of themselves, Christian musicians can play by their flesh’s soul & body instead of Spirit, Zechariah 4:6 Might & Power religious service FOR God verses By God’s Spirit WITH God, Anointed Prophetic Spontaneous music WITH God versus Fleshly music FOR God

 

 

 

 

 

Identity – BT1:  If we view Man in 2 parts, which are you “working” from?

 

 

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In the Introduction we looked at the 3-part Man, but often the bible speaks of a 2-part Man.  The New Testament often speaks of the 1) “decaying outer man/self/being” in reference to the psyche soul of “mind-intellect, heart-emotions, and will-power” and soma body, together called the sarx flesh, versus the 2) “inner man/self/being” in reference to man’s pneuma spirit, which we saw in the introduction “belongs-to or in the possession of” the psyche soul’s mind/heart.  To persecuted Christians, Paul writes:  “We do not despair for even if our outer man (a) is wearing away, our inner man (b) is being renewed day by day” (c).  Be careful!  Some bibles translate sarx “flesh” as soma “body,” which can be very misleading!  Certainly the context sometimes emphasizes the physical soma “body” rather than the psyche “soul,” but I wish bibles wouldn’t make that choice for us but instead let the Holy Spirit do that – see the other problems of translation in Bible Info!  <Notes> a) exo anthropos, b) eso anthropos, c) 2 Corinthians 4:16; cf. Roman 7:22; Ephesians 3:16; 1 Peter 3:4.

 

Now the “inner man/self/being” or “spirit of man” of natural, unredeemed men is called the “old man/self/being,” (a) and it must be crucified with Christ in water-baptism (b) for its sinful-life power to stop influencing and energizing [like an evil Energizer Bunny] the rest of man – the soma body and psyche soul, together called the sarx flesh, as we saw in the 3-parts of man in the introduction – the power cord must be pulled!  It’s the only way to be free us from “the old man’s” dominion or slavery to sin.  And the only way to have our spirit redeemed from slavery to the sin of the psyche soul and soma body (c) and given the completely different-in-kind ‘Newness’ of genuine-life (d) by-the-means-of the Spirit’s enabling-power of holiness is for us to resurrect from the dead with Christ (e) and be given His completely different-in-kind ‘New’ Spirit of the Lord Jesus Christ, to replace our “old man” spirit, which also ALL happens in saving water-baptism (f).

 

<Notes> a) palaios anthropos:  Romans 6:6; Ephesians 4:22; Colossians 3:9, b) Galatians 2:20, 5:24, 6:14; Colossians 2:11, 3:9, c) i.e., purchased/ransomed for freedom from slavery to sin, d) Romans 6:4; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Galatians 6:15; Ephesians 4:24; Colossians 3:10, e) Romans 6:4, 8-11, 8:11; this is our “blessed hope” to be glorified into Christ’s righteous likeness, the redemption of our sinful bodies, at the resurrection of the dead and rapture for those still living at His return:  Romans 8:23-25; Titus 2:13-14; Colossians 1:27, 3:4; Galatians 5:5, Philippians 3:11, 21, f) Romans 6:3-11; Colossians 2:11-15.

 

The early Church never doubted the saving experience of the “old man dying” and “NEW man’s birth” happening in water-baptism, which Jesus’ disciples continued from John the Baptist’s water-baptism also “of repentance for the forgiveness of sins” (a), but NOW performed “in Jesus name/authority” to receive not only “the remission/forgiveness of sins” (b) but also the grace-gift of the Holy Spirit that creates the “NEW man” (c), and the Spirit then in turns gives grace-gifts to the new Christians to build them up and to witness with powerful effectiveness (d). The early Church made water-baptism a standard practice in order to become a saved disciple/follower of Jesus (e), especially since Jesus made this a key part of the “Great Commission” to take into the whole world (f).  It’s a shame so many churches speak so little of water-baptism and Spirit-baptism that occurred together as “One Baptism” (g), especially when the NT speaks so much about them both – see also the Water-Baptism, Spirit-Baptism, and Salvation pages.

 

<Notes> a) Mark 1:4; Luke 1:77, 3:3, b) Matthew 26:28; Hebrews 9:22; Luke 24:47; Acts 2:38, 5:31, 10:43, 13:38, 26:18; Colossians 1:4, c) Luke 11:13; Acts 2:38, 10:45; Hebrews 6:4; the singular grace-gift of Christ from the Father:  Matthew 7:11; Luke 11:13; John 14:16, 26,15:26, 16:7; Ephesians 1:17, 4:7, d) Ephesians 4:8; 1 Corinthians 12:1, 4, 9, 11, 14:1; Hebrews 2:4, e) Mark 16:15; 1 Peter 3:21, f) Matthews 28:19; Mark 16:15-16, g) Ephesians 4:5.

 

Reflections:

 

As Christian musicians, why would we want to produce ANY music only from the “outer man” or sarx “flesh” through its natural soma body and human psyche soul of “mind-intellect, heart-emotions, and will-power,” just as if we were still natural, unredeemed man, even if we justify it NOW as being FOR God?  Is that the “identity” we want to play from?  Isn’t this the essence of all religion, especially the “might and power” of the Jewish old covenant per Zechariah 4:6?

 

Wouldn’t the Spirit of God that dwells in us as our completely-different-in-kind “New man” be jealous, just as James 4:4-5 says:  “You adulterous people!  Do you not know that philia friendship with the world is enmity with God?  Therefore, whoever wishes to be a philos friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.  Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the scripture says, ‘He yearns jealously over the Spirit that He has made to dwell in us’?”  Wouldn’t most Christians want their music to come entirely from the Spirit NOW dwelling within them?

 

Shouldn’t we be “single-minded” or hagnos “pure or unmixed” or hagios holy with our music by fostering the playing of music instead from our “innermost being, spirit, or New man?”  Instead of reading and studying bible gramma writings of God’s torah or nomos instruction that requires the “might and power” external resources and internal abilities of the “outer man or flesh,” shouldn’t we NOW be operating out from the Holy Spirit that dwells with our “inner man, spirit, or New man, that is a ministry “no longer written on stone or with pen and ink but-instead written on tablets of the heart/mind?” per 2 Corinthians 3:3.

 

 

 

 

 

Spiritual Education, Inner Man & Outer Man, Inner Man is our spirit, Outer Man is our Flesh’s soul & body, Psyche Soul is intellect emotions & will-power, Unredeemed man’s spirit is the old man that energizes sin in the Flesh’s soul & body, Water-baptism kills the old man with Christ and a new man resurrects with a New Spirit within them, Playing music from our Spirit or Flesh’s soul & body