You know the message of New Covenant Grace is not a "message" at all. Rather it really is the Gospel, the Good News! Actually it's the Word, Christ himself!

In our church, New Covenant Grace Fellowship of Citrus County, FL (http://www.ncgrace.com), people are really "getting it!" I just about explode when hear our people talk. Wow! You see with us New Covenant Grace is not just the newest fad teaching! I am not just teaching a 6 week series on "Understanding Grace" or something like that. No...rather New Covenant Grace is the very life of our church, it's DNA.

You know the result of all of this over the past couple years is that I am watching people more in love with Jesus than they ever have been. Not every pastor can say that, but I sure can and I love it! Glory!

Grace and peace!

I Don't Think Christians Believe in Miracles Anymore!

As one who loves to read of past moves of God, I'm often overwhelmed by the difference between the Christians of years gone by and by those of today. I'm currently reading a book about the life and ministry of John G. Lake.  Wow!  People of Lake's day would throng to the healing rooms, I suppose because they didn't have doctors on every corner, health insurance, Medicare, Medicaide and yes, even Obamacare! As a result of Lake's ministry, in his day, Spokane, WA was listed as the healthiest city in America!

It seems that today, people, yes even Christians throng to doctors instead of healing meetings.  Even James' admonition of having the sick call for the elders of the church to be anointed with oil isn't even too much of an option these days. 

I believe that Miracles are a vital part of the New Covenant!  I believe that we as Christians are really the true heirs of Abraham.  That means that the Abrahamic Covenant really belongs to you and I! Galatians 3: 29, "And now that you belong to Christ, you are the true children of Abraham.  You are his heirs, and God's promise to Abraham belongs to you."  For the past year or so this verse has really thrilled me!  I am speaking for myself here, but I know that there is something in this for me that I'm not fully walking in yet!  Abraham's life was one of protection, provision and yes, even miracles!  I'm certain that as he was about to thrust the knife into his son's heart, hearing the nearby lamb at that very moment was considered a great miracle by Abe!

New Covenant Christianity is truly supernatureal in its every aspect!  Just the fact that my sins are forgiven is a great miracle!  At least I think so! God gives us His gifts, I Corinthians 12: 1-11 and they are for today!  One of the nine gifts is the working of miracles, "He gives one person power to perform miracles."  So you see, the miracles do not always just come directly from God himself!  He often uses another believer to, "Perform miracles!"

I wonder if Paul learned all of this from his three years in Arabia while Christ himself taught him the glories of the New Covenant?

This coming Sunday, February 3, we are bringing Evangelist Roger Webb (www.rogerwebb.org) into our church.  Roger moves strongly in the gift of miracles!  I really mean it!  I've often said that people get healed by Roger just walking into the room.  Now, I've seen many people healed by my praying for them.  I'm very thankful for that!  I've even seen many miracles in my ministry over the years.  However, I do not operate in the gift of miracles like Roger does! I know that, so as a pastor, knowing that I have some people in my congregation needing healing miracles, I want to bring Roger in for a meeting every so many months. 

Yesterday I told a brother I know from a different church about having Roger in Sunday.  His mother is dying from cancer.  Here is what he told me, "My mother is too sick to come!"  I flat out scratched my bald head and said, "Dah!"  You see, I don't get it!  This brother really doesn't believe in miracles!  If he did he'd hire an ambulance for a one way journey to Sunday mornings meeting!  That's what the Saints did in the old days!  They sure did! 

But they believed in miracles in those days!  I guess they had no choice!

Thank you for enduring some perplexing pondering today! 

Oh...if you are sick or know someone who is, bring them Sunday!  I mean it!  You still have time to buy a plane ticket.  You can fly into Orlando or Tampa and I'll get you directions to the meeting and any other info you may need.  I tell you, people are going to get healed Sunday morning!  It might just as well be you!

Grace and Peace!

Sunday morning I'm gonna share some early church history that will help people understand the concepts of new covenant grace better. You know not knowing the Bible correctly is actually worse than not knowing the Bible at all! The reason is that those who are mistaken in their understanding of the Word often are under deception. They think they have it all together when in fact they are all together wrong!

A person with a lot of knowledge is very difficult to bring enlightenment to. Their minds are closed and all they want to do is argue. I think I read someplace that "knowledge puffs up, but love edifies!" The Word is a sword, a two edged one and when used incorrectly someone will get hurt!

That is why it is imperative that people understand who a verse is written to, take the verse in its proper context and to not make a doctrine out of an isolated, stand alone verse that seems to contradict the majority of the verses on that subject. All Scripture is NOT written to Believers. A good example and I feel the most misunderstood verse in the Bible is I John 1:9, "If you confess your sins he is faithful and just to forgive your sins and to cleanse you from all unrighteousness." This verse is NOT written to Christians! In order to understand what I'm saying one must discover who this is being written to. Read the first 7 verses of chapter 1. Note the pronouns. John is writing to people who are not in fellowship with either God or himself. He is leading people to Christ here! Of course, many do not agree with me here. But to build my case some, read the verses in I John chapter 3 and note that those who still sin are of the devil! Have you ever been taught that before?

We must rightly divide the Word of God!

I can't wait till Sunday morning in Citrus County, FL! I get to meet with the neatest church going! I love my job!

Grace and Peace!

Think About It...Is Your Church Unique?

Probably many of our newer followers do not realize that Corinne and I have spent most of our ministry in church planting.  We had many years, about 12 of them, on the road bringing and sustaining revival in churches around the nation, but even then, we worked a lot with church planting pastors and groups, many of which were house churches.  During those travel years we were very active in planting a new church in Michigan.  In the early formation of that plant I heard a very distinct and direct word from the Lord, "Unless your church is unique it has no right to exist!"  Wow!  As a result of that word we proceeded on planting a church that was unique in relationship with the other churches in that region.  We were diligent in not planting just another "cookie cutter" type of church.  Most of the churches in that region looked similar in their make up and to just plant another just like the norm was not what God wanted, at least for us!

As a result of the church planting call on my life I've spent a lot of time studying what I call, "The art of church planting."  The questions always seem to be, "What causes a new church to prosper and grow?"  It is interesting to note these days that the American Christian public has very different thoughts on what makes a new church successful.  Here are a few things that people look at in picking out a new church:  1. Is the church already large? The thought here is that if it is already a large and successful church they will not have to make too much of a commitment to it.  I would love to have just one dollar for every time someone came to me and said, "We like your church, but we are looking for a church that has a dynamic youth group."  No one has ever come to me and said, "I want to help you build a dynamic youth group!"  See the difference?  2.  Does the church have "awesome worship?"  We in the American Church have forgotten what true worship really is!  In some ways we have begun to worship the worship instead of the Audience of One!  Pastors have made the dynamic worship leader the focal point of the ministry.  If a pastor can hire a recording star, watch out... the numerical growth will be off the charts! 3.  Is the pastor very charismatic and his/her messages inspiring?  I have had a lot of fun over this point over the years.  While we were traveling people would say, "My pastor is the best preacher around!"  I would then ask them, "What did he preach on last Sunday?"  100% of the time the answer would be, "I don't remember, but it was great!"  Lots of laughs!!!!   Then I would get serious and have to realize that the same person wouldn't remember what I preached a few days later!  Ouch!

We are in the midst of a new church plant here in Citrus County, Florida.  We have a solid core group.  The leadership team is off the charts!  We actually love one another and have a lot of fun together!  We all feel strongly that we have a message to share with our region.  Yes, I would have to say that the DNA of New Covenant Grace Fellowship in Citrus County, Florida is indeed very unique!  I know that I'm very excited about it and so are those who worship with us.  Here is our DNA, our Mission Statement, if you will  and what makes us unique in our area....

Our goal, our mission is to teach the wonderful truths of what Christ has done for us through implementing the New Covenant. Through New Covenant truth we desire to see people leave our meetings feeling better about themselves than when they came!

I think people feeling better about themselves when they leave a church meeting is very unique and very important!  I know that there are those who would smell compromise in the above statement.  I hear all of the time, "If you preach a good sermon you have to step on some toes!"  I don't know about you, but having my toes stepped on is not much fun!  The thought goes, if a person isn't living right for the Lord then they need a wake up call, having their toes stepped on, etc.  Well I disagree!  If they are not living right for the Lord all they need to know is more of how God's love was totally expressed for them through the finished works of Christ!  Jesus has done it all, now all we have to do is to believe it.  In so doing we will walk in places with the Lord that we've never walked  before!

That is a little of what we are about here in our part of Florida.  I love it!  I love my job!  I am also so excited I can't stand it!  God placed Corinne and I here for such a time as this!  We are not here by accident!  We are hear because God called us to be here and we are going to have the time of our lives telling people here about the love of God in Christ Jesus!  Yeppers we are planting a very unique church.  Want to join up with us?

Grace and Peace!

Rascal the Budgie, our traveling companion for many years, passed away today. Sunday we noted that he was favoring his left foot and leg. He couldn't climb on his cage, etc., so Monday we placed food and water on the bottom of his cage. This morning he passed. We don't really know what happened to him, maybe he had a stroke. But he will certainly be missed!

Rascal had friends all over the country. Pastors and others would visit us in our motor home and they would so often be fully amused and entertained by Rascal. He love to play with little cat balls. Since we've been in our home here in FL he has had further freedom and has loved pecking at the back of my 12 string guitar. He could see his reflection in the guitar and he'd spend hours pecking at it.

Rascal had a lot of close calls. A cat almost got him one day. The door of the motor home was slightly open as Corinne was talking to a lady standing outside. Instantly a cat jumped in, saw Rascal and immediately dove at him. Rascal was not hurt, but lost a few tail feathers!

I could remember many things about our life on the road with this little guy. One memory, and I'll make this the last, was of our meetings in Midland, TX. We were parked at the back of the church, in the church parking lot. There was an alley right next to us and another church located on the other side of the alley. That church had a daycare in it and every morning the little children would walk out of that church, down the alley next to our motor home and off to the nearby park to play. Rascal would sit on the top of his cage, looking out the window facing that alley. The children got to love him and once they found out his name would walk by saying, "Hello Rascal!" He ate up all of that attention!

Rascal... you will be missed!

I want people leaving our church's meetings feeling better about themselves than when they arrived! I know that statement makes religious people cringe. They think that I preach compromise. If they only knew! I preach a totally no-compromise message of Christ! My message is Christ, actually my life is Christ.

I sometimes get a kick out of preachers who say, "I preach the New Covenant too." Then when I read what they post on Facebook or Twitter I see a mix of law and grace. So many do not understand what true grace and new covenant life really is!

Then there are those who say, "Wow! Larry, I really like what you write about grace and the new covenant!" Then I find out later that they faithfully attend a church where the message is anything but grace and the new covenant! Sometimes I just don't get it! Corinne and I tell our children and grand children..."Don't go to a legalistic, old covenant church!" People say, "But we have to go to church, don't we?" My answer: If it's a bad church then if you go you are really hurting yourself! Again, if you attend a church where you feel worse about yourself than when you arrived...THEN WHY IN THE WORLD DO YOU ATTEND THAT CHURCH????

The question then becomes, "Then what do we do?" Here's the answer... stay home! Worship as a family, get some CD's that contain some grace music. Check out Godfrey Birtil and many others that are coming into the revelation of grace and the new covenant. Study some of Joseph Prince's devotionals or listen to some of his online messages. And...here's the neat thing... invite some of your friends to join you! You might be surprised...you may find yourself planting a new grace, new covenant church. If so..I'd love to help you do it!

Oh well, just some thoughts for a Saturday morning!

Grace and Peace!

p.s. Here's the link to our wonderful church in Citrus County, Florida. http://www.ncgrace.com (you may have to copy and paste it into your browser) If you are local come and give us a visit. I guarantee you that you will leave the meeting feeling great! Especially tomorrow! Why? Because I really plan on raising up Jesus tomorrow! But of course I do every time I preach!

Corinne Healed of Cancer!

The following is a repost of a blog I wrote in March of 2006.  In our church two people have recently been told that they have cancer.  As of today, Jan. 17, 2013 one of the two has been healed!  Praise the Lord!  However, this morning over a 2nd cup of coffee I had the strong sensation that cancer is just plain unacceptable in the midst of the people of our congregation!  Period!  Just unacceptable!  So I felt that by reposting this blog post it might encourage some of you who are facing the dreaded "C word!"  Grace & Peace!  (The pronounced blessing over all who live in the New Covenant!)

By His Stripes... Corinne Healed of Cancer

Isaiah 53: 5 (NLT), "But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins.  He was beaten so we could be whole.  He was whipped so we could be healed."

James 5: 14, 15 (NLT), "Are any of you sick?  You should call for the elders of the church to come and pray over you, anointing you with oil in the name of the Lord.  Such a prayer offered in faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make you well."

Normally I try to get at least one new blog published per week.  Sometimes this is an effort as there is much time and work involved in getting these done.  However, once again this morning, I awoke at 4:00 a.m.  I spent some time in prayer over a few prayer requests that I recalled from yesterday's email, and in so doing began to pray harder for more healing to be released upon the Body of Christ.  During this time the Lord reminded me of Corinne's testimony of healing and I felt the urge to share this with you, as it may help increase your faith.

In 1976 Corinne and I were very new Christians and were in the process of learning of God's healing power.  Corinne, age 27 at the time, felt to schedule a long postponed physical with her doctor and after a few tests were done, suspicious cells were found in her body.  More tests were completed and late on a Friday afternoon, we got the phone call -CANCER!  We were young in the Lord, I was a Bible College student, seeking to fulfill the call of God.  We had 2 young sons, ages 7 and 9, and our baby girl was 1.  We did not have insurance and we were living by faith on a very low income.  The "C Word" really brought a hard, stunning blow to our life of faith. "This can't be happening to us!"

We felt not to share any of this information with anyone right away, as we just needed to process some of it ourselves.  We did try to call our pastor, TW French of Faith Temple Christian Center, Holland, MI, but we were unable to reach him, so we decided to fill him in after church Sunday morning.  Sunday came and we were still in a state of shock.  We entered into worship that day, maybe even more intensely than usual.  About mid-way through Pastor French's sermon, he stopped preaching and said, "I really feel that there is someone here that was just informed that they have cancer, and if they will come forward for prayer we'll have the Elders anoint them with oil and we'll watch God heal them!" 

Wow!  The congregation that morning was several hundred strong.  Corinne looked at me and I at her, and of course no else in the entire building was moving an inch.  The word was for her!  No one knew of the cancer, except for God!  As we anointed Corinne, prayed over her, Pastor French prayed against all fear.  He said, "The Lord is saying that the fear of cancer is actually worse than the cancer itself."  We walked back to our seats totally spent.  We had been in the presence of God and we just knew for certain that God had healed Corinne as God had given her a gift of faith.

The next week Corinne had to consult with a surgeon and was told that she needed an operation to have the cancer removed.  At that time she declined the treatment and said that the Lord had healed her.  The doctor told her that she needed to be continually checked, and Corinne did agree to regular tests, every two weeks, and to our surprise the tests kept coming back positive.  Our family was quite upset.  They did not have the knowledge of the Bible in the area of healing, so we faced a lot of heated discussions over this..."trusting God business!"

By this time a little over two months had passed.  They were very long months, they seemed like an eternity, the cancer was still present.  One morning Corinne was alone with God, thinking of the fact that the cancer was still present, and the Lord began to show her issues of unforgiveness that she had with her father.  Corinne never had been physically abused, but she was very emotionally abused.  The Lord told her that she needed to forgive her dad.   During  this time of prayer, to the best of her ability she did forgive her dad.  It was then that she had complete peace come over her about the cancer.  Something had changed!

It did not come as a surprise that her next scheduled test came back negative!  The doctor was dumb founded.  He said, "It's not gone, we just can't find it today."  Two weeks later there was still no sign of the cancer.  The doctor then said, "We just can't find it, but it will be back!"  (and this was a Christian doctor!)  For three months Corinne went back to the doctor every other week.  Soon the tests were done monthly for another six months, then every three months for another year, and yearly ever since.  The cancer that the doctor said would be back, that Corinne would see it again within five years, has never come her way again!  For thirty years Corinne has been totally free from cancer!

I trust that this testimony will help someone today.  If you are facing a physical affliction, turn to Jesus.  If you have sought His provision of healing for your life, and it has not been manifested yet, let me encourage you... Do not give up! It seems like many of God's Children today are fighting strong physical attacks.  I want to declare over you today the truth of God's word..... Hebrews 13:8, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever!

God loves you today as much as He loves Corinne!  His provision for you today is the same as it was for her thirty years ago. 

One last thing.  If you or someone you know is needing healing for cancer, please let us all know so that Corinne and I and any other blog readers can be holding you up in prayer.  You can do this by writing a short statement in the comment section of this blog.  Just look to the bottom of this article and click on the small, red "comment" button at the bottom and tell us a little about what is going on.  I can assure you that Corinne and I will be holding you up in prayer personally.  And I trust that many others who read this blog will as well.

Father, I pray a total release of your healing virtue to all who read this testimony today.  Lord I pray that many will be healed by just reading these words.  Not just cancer, Lord, but every affliction that the enemy would send to us.  Lord, we proclaim healing to all who read this, right now!  Thank You for making the way possible through the blood and beating of Your Son, Jesus!

Amen!

One Simple Way to Enter Holy of Holies!

Yesterday Corinne was listening to a new worship CD.  Much of the emphasis of the intense worship seemed to be on how to enter the Veil into the Holy of Holies.  So I thought I would blog today on the one simple step that is needed to enter behind the Veil into the Holy of Holies.  Are you ready for this bit of Holy Ghost insight? 

Well the simple step is...You can't enter!  You are already there!

I was thinking this morning that I would love to have just a very slight percentage of all of the money spent by the Body of Christ in attending worship conferences, spiritual warfare conferences, CD's, books, all focused on this subject of how to enter in! 

Again I say....You are already there!  People seem so bent on trying to get closer to God!  If they worship more, fast more, pray more, give more, go to church  more, attend more conferences they will learn the keys on how to enter in.  I feel so sorry for people like this because they have completely missed the rest that Christ has purchased for them on His cross! Friends we have the full presence of God dwelling within us.  We can't get any closer than that!  Look at Paul's words in Ephesians 2: 20-21 (NLT), "Together we are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets.  And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself.  We are carefully joined together in him, becoming a holy temple for the Lord!"  Wow!  I love it! 

Now there is one thing that will frustrate all of this, actually place a veil over us once again.  That is reading the Old Testament!  I know people don't fully understand me when I tell them, "Don't read the Old Testament until you fully understand the New Testament and primarily understand what life in the New Covenant is all about!"  By the way, I'm agreeing with Paul on this one too!  He said in II Corinthians 3:14 (NLT), "But the people's minds were hardened, and to this day whenever the old covenant is being read the same veil covers their minds so they can not understand the truth."

So my Friend.... we already live in the midst of the Holy Holies, or better yet the Holy of Holies lives within us!  We are never separated from God.  Never!

Please prayerfully consider these words and enter into the Rest of God today!

Grace and Peace!

Is Hollywood Understanding Grace?

This afternoon Corinne and I joined Mike and Donna and attended an afternoon matinee showing of Les Miserables.  It is an excellent movie, one I would recommend to every Believer.  I'm not going to write a review on the film as it's way too deep and I'm still chewing on the content.   I have to admit that I was greatly moved by it!   However, this flick made a strong statement about the difference between law and grace.  

Throughout the film the hero was being haunted by his past in the form of a law officer who was very intent on following the letter of the law no matter what.  On the other hand the hero continued to show the love of Jesus in his life. 

Throughout the film I kept thinking of Galatians 5:1, "So Christ has truly set us free.  Now make sure that you stay free, and don't get tied up again in slavery to the law."  Paul continues to warn his readers of the grave consequences of mixing law with grace.  He states in 5:4, "For if you are trying to make yourself right with God by keeping the law, you have been cut off from Christ!  You have fallen away from God's grace." 

Now, I fully understand that most reading this will say, "I don't keep the law!"  Yet...here is a truth that many miss....If you claim that you still sin you are placing yourself back under the law!  Ouch!  To be "fallen away from God's grace" means that one no longer has Christ's power within them making them holy!  These people are on their own, doomed to failure and condemnation. Then their sins become active and they are deemed guilty, no longer having the tremendous advantage of God living in them!  This is serious business!

Friends, all of your sins, past, present and future have been taken care of by Christ.  He poured His blood over the mercy seat and he then sat down.  There is no more sacrifce for sin!  None!  It's been done!

The law will always chase you, try to hunt you down and condemn you.  Christ, on the other hand, lives within you.  His mighty power works in you perfecting you into true holiness.  It's not by your work, but by His!

Check out Les Miserables.  Be forewarned, it is a musical, but the acting is excellent and the message from Hollywood is powerful!  I only wish every church would be preaching the same thing!

Grace and Peace!

I AM a Preacher of Lawlessness!

Again, this week I've been in contact with several on the Internet who feel that the Law is not completely fulfilled by Christ.  The common mistake seems to be that the Law is in two or three parts; the moral Law, the ceremonial Law and the civil law of Israel.  The concept is that Christ fulfilled the ceremonial and civil laws but the moral Laws are still in place.  Is this correct doctrine?  NO! 

Number 1...there is not one bit of biblical evidence that would suggest that the Law is in 3 parts!  Secondly the moral law, most commonly the Ten Commandments, were also fulfilled, actually done away with by Christ's one time sacrifice on the cross.

Friends...I'm certain that what I'm about to say will be taken as heresy by some, those who are allowing their past religious training stand in the way of the truth of God's word,  but the Ten Commandments led to death!  Now I'm not the one saying this!  Paul is!

Let's look at 2 Corinthians 3: 7-18.  I get blasted all the time for using a modern language translation, so let's check out the good ole' King James....(the version that Jesus used!)

 7 But if the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones,  (The NLT here says, "The old way, with laws etched in stone, led to death..." ..Laws etched in stone are the Ten Commandments) was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which glory was to be done away:

⁸ How shall not the ministration of the spirit be rather glorious?

⁹ For if the ministration of condemnation be glory, much more doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory.

¹⁰ For even that which was made glorious had no glory in this respect, by reason of the glory that excelleth.

¹¹ For if that which is done away was glorious, much more that which remaineth is glorious.

¹² Seeing then that we have such hope, we use great plainness of speech:

¹³ And not as Moses, which put a veil over his face, that the children of Israel could not stedfastly look to the end of that which is abolished:

¹⁴ But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same vail untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which vail is done away in Christ.

¹⁵ But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the vail is upon their heart.

¹⁶ Nevertheless when it shall turn to the Lord, the vail shall be taken away.

¹⁷ Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.

¹⁸ But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.

Here is the way the New Covenant works...Hebrews 10: 17, "This is the new covenant I will make with my people on that day, says the Lord:  I will put my laws in their hearts and I will write them on their minds."  We have the Holy Spirit!  We no longer follow the laws written on stone, but the Holy Spirit speaks to each and every Believer in Christ Jesus.  One guy recently stated that those who are following ministries like Joseph Prince and myself, will backslide because they no longer follow the moral law of God.  I've actually been called a "Preacher of Lawlessness" because I say that the Law is no longer to be followed.  Well, here is what I am noticing about those who follow Prince and yes, even my teaching on this subject...they are a million miles from backsliding!  The people I know who are following my teaching are turned on to the Lord, more than ever before in their lives!  I'm watching my church thrive on this teaching! 

So to those who say I'm teaching "lawlessness" I have to agree!  I am!  I'm teaching that Christ ended the Law on the cross, all parts of it!  It is done!  It is finished!  It is completely done away with! 

I am a preacher of lawlessness!  Instead I'm preaching the complete, finished works of Christ.  I say that He died for all of my sins, past, present and future!  I say that the Holy Spirit leads me!  He leads those who are catching this revelation too and they are walking in places with the Lord that they have never walked before!  So there! 

I love Jesus more than ever!  I'm so thrilled at all that he's doing in my life, my wife's live, and in the the lives of neatest people around, those who make up New Covenant Grace Fellowship of Citrus County, FL (www.ncgrace.com)

Glory!!!!! I'm turned on to Jesus!!!!

Grace and Peace!