"The Final Lesson" - The Complete Works - Book 6

The Holiness Project - Lenten Season 2021-2024

Sometimes you think that you covered everything and your conclusions are just a rehash of what you've already said but just a bit more generalized. It's important to have the big picture but it is also important to say everything that needs to be said.

A lot of what I write about Confession, Repentance, Forgiveness and Reconciliation is tested in real life situations, especially now that I have Stage 3 Colon Cancer. People seem to want to talk to me a bit more and the topic always comes around to life and death and there is often an opportunity for the ministry of reconciliation to take place.

This is what I call turning your suffering into ministry which brings great joy and makes your prayers much more powerful and effective. But I have discovered that the process is not always a straight line. It can get bumpy and go off on a tangent and it takes work to keep the conversation going and fight for a good resolution and spiritual unity. That is where the anointing is found.

The Complete Works - "The Final Lesson" - Book 6

This is really the conclusion to the entire completed works and so it would be helpful first of all to say a few words about each of the books that I have written and how they all come together to form a complete whole.

Book 1 - The Spirit of Holiness

Starting with a vision of what it means to be holy in the first place is always a good idea. Holiness is relational and there is great joy in a life of holiness. It is the foundation of the temple that God has built within us to house the Holy Spirit. But that doesn't mean that there isn't spiritual effort and the danger of spiritual drift.

We call it walking in the Spirit or grieving the Spirit within. But what does it mean to walk in the Spirit? Is it just about morality? Or is it a relationship that can fulfill you in every way if you make the relationship itself the focus and goal of your life. And how do you do that? By becoming a living sacrifice willing to be used by God in the ministry of reconciliation.

Everything is spiritual in this relationship, even sin but without the perspective of heaven on who you are and how God sees you, you will not be able to stand firm much less be useful in the furtherance of the Kingdom of God. And just to get the point across that holiness is relational and not merely about morality, I add a story to give a bit of flair at the end.

After all, relationships can create morality but morality never creates relationships. That is the Spirit of Holiness.

Book 2 - The Religious Spirit

Now that we know that Holiness is relational, we can address the real problem in the church which is the religious spirit. It is so prevelant and covers absolutely every church to one extent or the other, that it is a serious disease that must be identified and erradicated. But you can't get rid of something you don't recognize and there is an amazing amount of spiritual blindness and deafness in most leaders and churches when it comes to the religious spirit.

Just like the pharisees, who were convinced of their righteousness and missed the point entirely of what Jesus was trying to do. It is quite humiliating to God, this religious spirit and we need to start there. This is his church after all. So I attempt to break it down by looking at spiritual leaders and spiritual churches, at toxic faith and spiritual abuse. There is also the dangers of communion and the dark side of church discipline to think about.

But at the end of the day we have created a culture of judgment and shame instead of a culture of grace,. We have a very unattractive church in the eyes of God even though it may seem very attractive in the eyes of the world or even the leaders of the church. The religious spirit places politics above relationships and the will and approval of the people above the will of God.

Instead of an attitude of "all for one and one for all," people are regularly sacrificed for the greater good. Dangerous and misguided at the least but also one of the Devil's best tactics for keeping the church from gaining the anointing of spiritual unity and having an effective ministry.

Book 3 - Spiritual Leadership

Obviously, what we need are spiritual leaders who can recognize the religious spirit and fight for the spiritual, relational unity that is at the heart of true holiness as a church not just as individuals. We start with the leadership paradox because it is true that those who most desire to be in power in the church (or outside of the church) are the least able to manage that power in the appropriate way.

Ego and arrogance are rampant in leadership circles everywhere you look and the church is no different, even when the pastor smiles and has charisma and knows how to manage the politics of the church. On the one hand, we are all a work in process and we are all educated beyond our obedience but on the other hand, we have to be clear that church politics is a curse and nothing less. I try to outline four types of authority, personal, relational, spiritual and positional. Obviously spiritual authority is the goal.

When pastors and leaders rely mostly on their positional authority, the religious spirit, ego and arrogance will be the result. I also outline a Spiritual Prayer Map that I use to keep my focus on the Way of the Cross and the things that matter in my ministry. There are twelve prayers that are key to spiritual leadership and I share the ones that I use. But perhaps most of all, true spiritual leadership needs to have a burden of glory and a desire for glory as they suffer for the gospel together with Christ. That takes humility and that is one of the great signs of true spiritual leadership.

Book 4 - Spiritual Power

Spiritual Leadership is one thing but spiritual power is quite another. One cannot just assume that if they are walking in the Spirit and fighting the religious spirit within themselves and their church that they will be successful. This is spiritual warfare and there is a particular way that God fights these battles for us and through us. It would be well to learn his ways and it starts with revealing the glory within via the way of the cross.

Without a clear understanding of what the glory of God is, we can hardly be expected to reveal it to the world around us. We reveal the glory of God when we preach Christ and him crucified. We reveal the glory of God in our lives and in our churches when we have an anointed ministry.

Psalm 133 tells us where brothers and sisters dwell together in unity there God puts his blessing like the anointing oil on Aaron's head, beard, collar, robe in abundance. That spiritual unity only comes with a focus on the cross, on confession, repentance, forgiveness and reconciliation.

This is how we imitate God. I get very personal in this series of posts in the context of my struggle with cancer and I can only hope that my stories will inspire you to follow this way of the cross and fight for spiritual unity in your marriages, family and church, especially the church.

It is here that I must add a final lesson that I just learned recently and I will share it at the end of this post.

Book 5 - The 7 Laws of Spiritual Success

We probably could have ended our discussion on the Holliness Project with the discussion on Spiritual Power but I wanted to add a personal point of view on all of this as well. It is one thing to talk to spiritual leaders and pastors but, really, everyone in the church can benefit from learning what true discipleship is and how to achieve spiritual success. I discuss the 7 laws in detail but they start with the fact that all of life is ministry. You can't avoid it. If you don't believe that, you haven't even started down the road of discipleship yet.

And everything is spiritual as well, at least that is true for those of us who have the Holy Spirit. There is no getting away from the fact that even our sin and arrogance are spiritual because it grieves the spirit within. And, yes, ambition is expected. There are goals to achieve. God is up to something and he has given us the gift of significance to be involved in his great rescue attempt that requires our personal testimony of transformation. And discipline will be essential. Not only because we have to keep a check on the sin within but because there are things to learn and jobs to perform to fulfill God's purpose for our lives.

And if you think it will be easy, then think again. Discipleship is spiritual warfare and stewardship means that we are accountable to others as well as to God. You may shy away from all of this and say that you are not a leader and that this isn't for you. Too bad. This is what it means to be a disciple of the Lord. That doesn't mean that we are all going to be Pastors or Evangelists but it does mean that we will all have an influence on those around us for good or for evil and that is a leadership role whether we like it or not. Better to embrace it than to ignore it.

Besides that is the missing link in our goal of becoming more like Christ. It isn't just about morality and kindness but about hungering and thirsting to do God's will, to become spiritually successful in God's eyes. We cannot become like Christ if we do not share in his ministry with all our hearts. That is a truth we cannot ignore. It is the missing link in our Christian walk and it is what brings great effective ministry to those who pursue the way of the cross. In other words, Christ's character (which is his glory) is built in us and grows in us as we commit ourselves to his service and ministry.

The Final Lesson

And now it is time for the final lesson. In order to build the context a bit more clearly, this really comes at the end of Book 4 on Spiritual Power when I share my own experiences with Confession, Repentance, Forgiveness and Reconciliation. If you remember, we said that Forgiveness and Reconciliation come first before Confession and Repentance. That is a bit of a shock for many people in the church. Not true for salvation. There it is confession and repentance that comes first although it is in the context of knowing that forgiveness and reconciliation are being offered. But in the case of sanctification, or walking in the spirit in spiritual unity with others in the church, Forgiveness and Reconciliation comes first.

God asks us whether we will forgive our brother or sister based on the blood of Christ and nothing else. God also asks us whether we will treat our brother as they are in Christ and not as they are in the flesh. The first is the basis for forgiveness and the second is the basis for reconciliation and both are based on the cross. This is how we imitate God. God does the same for each of us. But what then do we say about sin and confession and repentance. Those are elements of our discipleship but they are lived in the context of grace not shame and guilt. We are already forgiven but for the sake of our walk in the Spirit, we still need to confess our sins and repent of them on an ongoing basis.

But let's go back to reconciliation for a moment. We have said that reconciliation is when we can pray, talk and work in the ministry together with open hearts. That requires love and grace. The problem is that many people don't have a lot of love and grace even for the people that they claim they have forgiven. They claim that they aren't sure that they can still trust them or work with them because they may do the same thing again. And that's true. That's the risk. But reconciliation requires love and grace and creates spiritual unity. It is based on the cross and the promise of Jesus to be at work in their lives and present them without spot or blemish on the final day. Like God, we can treat them today the way they will be in the future because Jesus says so and his word is his bond.

What I have now realized is that even reconciliation is a work in progress. Think of it in terms of four boxes. On the X axis is LOVE and it can be either weak or strong and on the Y axis is UNITY which can be real or full. If you remember, I claimed that one person can forgive the other before God and determine to reconcile with them and live with them in peace so far as they are able. I called that REAL reconciliation but not FULL reconciliation. That only happens when both sides reconcile.

So now you have REAL and FULL reconciliation in box 3 and 4 and you have WEAK and STRONG love in box 1 and 2. The goal is to get to FULL reconciliation with STRONG love. That is what creates spiritual unity. Not always so easy.

This all became evident to me when I had an initial conversation with my Pastor and I confessed everything I could think of and asked forgiveness, which he granted. He also asked for forgiveness and I granted it to him. I assumed that we were reconciled. It wasn't long before a situation arose that my Pastor demonstrated that reconciliation on his side wasn't there. He jumped to conclusions and became my accuser, judge and executer all within a couple of minutes. All without talking to me. Apparently, he still saw me as a sinner and not as an anointed and beloved child of God. He simply didn't like me very much and was quick to condemn in the most ridiculous of circumstances. That's when I realized that I had jumped the gun.

We never worked through the confession and repentance part of the process. That is also important. Normally it would happen in the context of grace that comes from forgiveness and reconciliation and maybe over a long period of time and the road may even be a bit rocky. But I think it needs to be done. The Bible tells us to confess our sins one to the other and there is a very good reason for it. Without accusations and in the context of grace rather than shame and judgement, we need to be able to talk about our sins and weaknesses and find strategies and ways to correct them. Always with prayer and always with the grace of God but as part of our discipleship and accountability as we go along together in our walk in the spirit.

The interesting thing is that if two people share that journey together, confessing their sins one to another and helping each other to repent and holding each other accountable, it takes great humiliation and creates a true picture of the other person as having the Holy Spirit within and struggling together to follow the Lord in the context of ministry.

Theological differences will melt away. Vision and strategy won't matter much. Denominational allegiances won't come into it. Just two people walking the Way of the Cross together and learning to love one another in the meantime.

Perhaps we need to me more like the Pastors of old who would make someone whom they disliked in their church their best friend, spend time with them in humble confession and learn to love them. That takes spiritual maturity and makes spiritual unity worth fighting for. If it is true that the anointing comes when brothers and sisters dwell together in unity, it is worth every effort to make that blessing happen.

In the process of confession and repentance, reconciliation will also become stronger, love will grow from weak to strong and reconciliation won't be onesided but full and powerful as both sides see each other as brother's in Christ. Now the anointing can come. Now you can talk about vision, plans and strategies. Now you can talk about what gifts the Lord has given each one and what place they should play in the ministry of the local church. That is the final lesson.

Don't ignore the confession and repentance steps of the Way of the Cross but deal with them in the context of grace that comes from a forgiveness and reconciliation based on the work and ministry of Christ on the cross. Perhaps that is the greatest lesson of them all since that is what the Holiness Project is all about.

*****

The Desert Warrior

The Holiness Project - Book 6: The Complete Works

A five-book series (and an optional bundle) coming soon to Amazon. Available for free on this website (for now).

The Holiness Project is an ambitious project both in terms of living it out and writing it down. There is no better place to start than with the Spirit of Holiness. Until we know what the genuine article looks like, it's hard to tell when it is fake. That is the second step, defining the Religious Spirit. We all suffer from that cancer and it is best to get it diagnosed and treated as quickly as possible.

Then comes the question of Spiritual Leadership and the related issue of Spiritual Power. They go together and, yes, we are all called to leadership in one form or another.

But then, finally, we need to talk about the 7 Laws of Spiritual Success. It may suprise you that this will take every effort and require ambition, discipline and even suffering in order to lead a life pleasing to God.

In any event, these thoughts are meant to inspire and encourage you in your own Holiness Project as you walk your own road of holiness.

Book 1: The Spirit of Holiness

I have heard that the Secret Service is responsible for dealing with counterfiet money. They train their new recruits by spending most of their time on what "real" money looks like, feels like and even smells like. The same is true for us.

By recognizing what true holiness looks like, feels like and even smells like (well, maybe not "smells" exactly), we will have a much better chance of promoting it in ourselves and others.

Relational holiness is a specific thing that is based on the Way of the Cross and how we follow it. There is spiritual joy and peace in the process. There is spiritual effort and sacrifice as well. But in the end, there is one element that cannot be faked.

Introduction

Chapter One – Relational Holiness

Chapter Two – Christian Hedonism

Chapter Three – The Foundations of the Temple

Chapter Four – Spiritual Effort

Chapter Five - Adrift on the Sea of Crystal

Chapter Six – Getting What You Really Want

Chapter Seven – The Sacrifice That Just Won't Die

Chapter Eight – Spiritual Sin

Chapter Nine – The Perspective from Above

Chapter Ten – The Holy Spirit is a Fake (Story)

Conclusion

Book 2: The Religious Spirit

What a sad commentary to realize that the Religious Spirit is just as prevelant today as it was in the time of Christ.

There are Pharisees in our churches who don't understand the gospel of grace. When they get into power, they can lock the church into a cycle of powerlessness by focusing on the form rather than the essence of the gospel. There are Saduccees who love the politics and crave influence. When they get into power, manipulation, personal interest and agenda are the norm.

There are the Essenes who just want to separate themselves from the pollution of the world and do their devotions and prayers in peace. And then, of course, there are the zealots, focused on their cause (and there are a lot of worthy causes out there).

But, in the end, the question is whether there are any real disciples, willing to follow the Way of the Cross, to help lead the church.

Introduction

Chapter One - The Humiliation of God

Chapter Two - The Parable of the Religious Slave

Chapter Three - The Religious Leader

Chapter Four - The Religious Church

Chapter Five - Toxic Faith in the Religious Church

Chapter Six - Spiritual Abuse by Religious Leaders

Chapter Seven - The Dangers of Communion

Chapter Eight - The Dark Side of Church Discipline

Chapter Nine - The Unattractive Church

Chapter Ten - Hell is a Joke (Story)

Conclusion

Book 3: Spiritual Leadership

There is a fundamental problem with leadership that even the secular world recognizes. Those who seek power are the most unfit to wield it. We call that the Leadership Paradox.

In the church it is supposed to be different but politics and strife seem to be at every turn. How do we find anointed leaders who can make a real difference in the ministry of the church.

First, we have to acknowledge the problem and why it exists even in the church. Secondly, we need to understand the four authorities and recognize and prioritize spiritual authority. Third, there has to be a real burden of glory in the life of the anointed leader.

After all, isn't it the anointing of God that makes someone fit for leadership in the first place?

Introduction

Chapter One - The Leadership Paradox

Chapter Two - Educated Beyond My Obedience

Chapter Three - The Curse of Church Politics

Chapter Four - Hard Questions for Elders

Chapter Five - The Four Authorities

Chapter Six - The Spiritual Prayer Map

Chapter Seven - The Twelve Prayers (Part 1)

Chapter Eight - The Twelve Prayers (Part 2)

Chapter Nine - The Burden of Glory

Chapter Ten - Heaven is a Myth (Story)

Conclusion

Book 4: Spiritual Power

Spiritual Power is relational. Nothing more. Nothing less. And the relationship is with God (of course). We aren't talking about your devotions and your prayers first of all but rather your "cross" life.

Unless you learn the Way of the Cross via Confession, Repentance, Forgiveness and Reconciliation, you will have no spiritual power. It isn't about personal integrity or morality first of all. It isn't about your position in society or in the church. It isn't even about your influence and relationship with certain people.

The issue is first and foremost whether you relate to God the way He wants you to, via the cross. That is the only way to reveal the glory within and influence people for the gospel without.

Introduction

Chapter One - Revealing the Glory

Chapter Two - The Three Truths of Holiness

Chapter Three - Spiritual Conversations

Chapter Four - Anointed Ministry

Chapter Five - Confession is Brokenness

Chapter Six - Repentance is Discipleship

Chapter Seven - Forgiveness is Divine

Chapter Eight - Reconciliation is Worship

Chapter Nine - In the Heat of Battle

Chapter Ten - Be Imitators of God (Story)

Conclusion

Book 5: The 7 Laws of Spiritual Success

The 7 Laws of Spiritual Success is not what you would normally expect. It isn't about secular success but about "spiritual" success (which, for Christians, includes what people generally mean by "secular" success but within the context of discipleship).

In other words, your entire life is already a ministry and everything, for Christians, is spiritual. The question is how effective are you at your Life Ministry.

Ambition is expected. Discipline is Essential. This is not a game. After all, discipleship is warfare according to Jesus and Stewardship is accountability and Leadership is Influence.

But the key to everything is the missing link. When you understand that, you will be well on your way to spiritual success.

Introduction

Chapter One - The 7 Laws of Spiritual Success

Chapter Two - Life Is Ministry

Chapter Three - Everything Is Spiritual

Chapter Four - Ambition Is Expected

Chapter Five - Discipline Is Essential

Chapter Six - Discipleship Is Warfare

Chapter Seven - Stewardship Is Accountability

Chapter Eight - Leadership Is Influence

Chapter Nine - The Missing Link

Chapter Ten - 7 Hrs of Glory (Story)