Christ-Crucified Cultural Impact
by Grant Austin Garcia 1-9-2010
“As soon as you stop exploring, your passion in the relationship beings to die. As soon as passion dwindles you are in survival mode.” - Jason Vallotton.
“Cultural impact” will be ushered in by folks who are enamored with the Passion of Christ-Crucified, NOT by pumping up their own passion.
I’ve seen it time after time. I’ve heard it in many different ways but oddly enough its usually in the same spirit and attitude — “You wanna make a difference in this world, YOU need to be passionate for Jesus!” The emphasis is usually put on YOU and YOUR passion for Jesus. They will always emphasize your own willpower, discipline, & tenancity. But willpower, discipline, & tenancity in & of themselves do not require Grace. If you are trying to muster up your “own” passion for Jesus - you don’t need Mr.Grace. In fact, you don’t need Jesus at all if you want to rely on your own willpower! But keep in mind, thats not a very fun option! [see Gal.2:21; Gal.5:4]
Be encouraged, Beloved. Sustainable, genuine Passion for God cannot be forced by your own will-power or nice inspiring speechs. Real Passion is an EASY byproduct of Union with Christ. You can only be passionate for Christ to the degree that you see His passion for you on the tree! Simply enjoying the Passion of the Crucified Christ! Hey Kids — Don’t let anyone put a guilt trip on your lil’ measure of Passion for Christ. Just rest in His Passion for you demonstrated on the tree. [Romans 5:6]. “Passion for Jesus” will effortlessly will flow from your life when you let Jesus [who is Passion incarnate, i.e.-Mr.Passion] live through you! It really is as simple as letting Mr.Passion use your body. No longer “I.” No longer self. All Christ crucified living in & thru me! You’d be Crazy to focus on anything other than Him. (see Gal.6:14). Passion is just one of the many byproducts and fruits of a believer enjoying their perfect salvation in Christ. Rest! It’s easy.
Radical Weirdos
What I have found is there will always be passionate-believers that will make you feel a little bit uncomfortable with where you are at - no matter where your journey of enjoying God LOL. There will always be someone who sings louder, dances crazier, gives more, etc. There will always be believers in your life that sees more miracles than you. There will be believers that have more crazy mystical encounters with God than you. God will intentionally place these people in your path. God will specifically use them in any way to get your attention set on His goodness and blow your grid for what YOU think is possible for Him to do through you. Be encouraged - don’t get jealous or feel condemned about the level of your passion for God. Receive and take these specific individuals that God puts in your life with Joy! When the intentional goodness of God is experienced and realized through our effortless perfect union with Christ Jesus - we start to experience His goodness in every area of our life. We start looking for what IS good. Its weird actually LOL - we can actually look for whats going right and whats going good! We must see these people in which God puts in our life not as a double-dare physical-challenge to our own spirituality, but we must look at them as an invitation into tasting and seeing more of our inheritance which is already ours in our union with Christ! Everything is a win-win now! We are completely One with Him! We must see life and everything as an opportunity now we live from this place of perfect union in heavenly places in Christ (see Eph.2:6).
So What the Heck Happened to your passion?
Read Gal. 3:1 - Do you Remember? Where did your passion go? Do you remember the joy of your salvation? Do you remember what happened to you?
You crazy Galatians! Did someone put a hex on you? Have you taken leave of your senses? Something crazy has happened, for it’s obvious that you no longer have the crucified Jesus in clear focus in your lives. His sacrifice on the cross was certainly set before you clearly enough. - Galatians 3 (MSG)
“Something crazy has happened, for its obvious that you no longer have the crucified Jesus in clear focus in your lives.” Pauls like…”Something freakin’ crazy happened or something b/c the crucified Christ isn’t your focus.” Heaven has ONE specific focus, do you?
1 Corinthians 2:2 [Amplified]
For I resolved to know nothing (to be acquainted with nothing, to make a display of the knowledge of nothing, and to be conscious of nothing) among you except Jesus Christ (the Messiah) and Him crucified.
Look at the life of Paul. Paul wanted to know nothing expect for Christ & Him crucified. He seemed to be a raging lunitic speaking of nothing else but testifying of the grace of God, with God backing up His message with many mighty signs & wonders confirming the word of His grace (see Acts 14:3)!
Acts 14:3 [Amplified]
So [Paul and Barnabas] stayed on there for a long time, speaking freely and fearlessly and boldly in the Lord, Who continued to bear testimony to the Word of His grace, granting signs and wonders to be performed by their hands.
I want to suggest that Paul never stopped asking God about the Cross. I want to ask - who is the foundation, the rock of salvation, the capstone of your faith? Paul was obsessed with nothing but Christ & Him crucified. Could this heart stance, could this core value of valuing the Worthy Slain Lamb be the source to St.Paul’s miracles, church building, & trances (Mystical-heavenly encounters)? Is Christ the true source of our salvation as was with St.Paul? Paul could have boasted in many of his testimonies - He could have boasted in the churches he was building. He could have boasted in his evangelism outreaches that were turning the whole world upside down (Gentile & Jewish cultures world becoming completely changed).
Talk about cultural transformation. Can anyones outreach, community transformation plans match up to that kind of fruit? LOL He could of boasted in his many “abundance of visions & revelations of Christ Jesus” with trances (Acts 13), angelic encounters (Col.2), spirit travel translations (Col.2:6), heavenly encounters in the heavenly realm!
Paul could have boasted in his strong words of wisdom - he was very intelligent. He could have boasted in many of his revelations & epistles (he has wrote 2/3’s of the written New Testament for crying out loud! lol) But Paul never stopped asking God questions about the cross. He was enamored with nothing but Christ & Him crucified. He seemed to have more mystical-encounters and trances than anyone else in the New Covenant recorded in the bible. I want to suggest to you that is for a specific reason, from a specific stance of St.Paul’s heart. 1 Cor. 2:2 was the lens in which St.Paul viewed the whole world (Gal. 6:14)
Why do we just assume we know everything about the Cross? John Crowder says “Most denominations would give a head nod to the cross but not fully dive in deeper.” Dig deep - explore. Be a Dora-dora-dora the explorer with Christ’s sacrifice. It’s okay to ask questions if they are rooted in the heart of child-like discovery. That is healthy in any real relationship. I feel that the Western church should return to childlike excitement and hunger for the Cross alone, for Christ-Crucified only. I feel the whole church needs to instead of just assuming we know everything about the cross & what happened with the Finished Work of the cross, I would pose the questions:
“Have you asked to see the evidence: have you looked at His hands lately, Have you seen and felt His feet or His side. Have you asked about His sacrifice & what He has accomplished!?” Beloved, please Don’t assume you know everything. I want to encourage you to Be Childlike - which is really someone who’s core values are discovery, exploration, & adventure - a pure definition of “disciple” - one who learns and desires to learn. A true childlike disciple would never devalue the cross or the subject of the cross. A true child-like disciple would want to see the evidence, examine it, and ask Holy Spirit more questions on what the heck happened on the cross!
Unfortunately, out of the abundance of their own hearts, I hear many christians say things like “Oh i learned about the cross in sunday school! That’s for people who just became christians - I want the meat! I want the Meat! My preacher isn’t preaching the meat!” or the other extreme - “My preacher never shares any of his encounters! I can’t believe he doesn’t have angelic encounters or share about them! We are called to travel in the spirit, transport, levitate, make our own galaxies,etc - why don’t they preach about the “more” beyond healings, signs & wonders!”
Do you realize that the Cross is the Center of Civilization? Before the beginning of time, before the dawn of time the Lamb was slain before the foundation of Earth.
Read Gal. 3:1 AMP-
O YOU poor and silly and thoughtless and unreflecting and senseless Galatians! Who has fascinated or bewitched or cast a spell over you, unto whom—right before your very eyes—Jesus Christ (the Messiah) was openly and graphically set forth and portrayed as crucified?
Do you Remember? Don’t have a passion for Jesus? If not, You probably stopped asking questions and exploring the cross. This isn’t just the basics. This isn’t something that has been covered extensively by everyone in ministry these days. This is a fresh adventure, a fresh exploration. Remember Jay’s Quote?
“As soon as you stop exploring, your passion in the relationship beings to die. As soon as passion dwindles you are in survival mode.” - Jason Vallotton.
2 DAYS FRESH
2 PETER 3:8 NIV
But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.
Let me tell you right now: when I read about how heaven is now (the realm of eternity outside of time) - One day is as a thousand years to the Lord, RIGHT? - Well, what if from heaven’s eyes, from all of heaven’s perspective, the sacrifice of Christ is still Fresh and New in the realm of eternity?
It’s only been around two thousand years since Christ’s crucifixion. So just saying that we take 2 Peter 3:8 literally - that would mean that the holes in Christ’s hands, feet and side would still be bloody-fresh! No wonder Heaven’s in AWE and awestruck over this freshly-slain lamb! Wow - can you see how fresh His wounds are? Bloody fresh - soo fresh that Christ-Crucified has ALL of heavens attention and affections!
Galatians 6:14 —”But far be it from me to glory [in anything or anyone] except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah)through Whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world!” - AMP
“May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.” NIV
“But it’s unthinkable that I could ever brag about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. By his cross my relationship to the world and its relationship to me have been crucified.” God’s Word
“But may it never be that I would boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.” NASB
To me, it is divinely logical that when you start boasting and bragging on Christ & Him crucified, the Slain Lamb - you are actually boasting in what ALL of heaven is intentionally & specifically focused on: THE LAMB. You can’t miss this kingdom reality: HEAVEN HAS A FOCUS. Paul knew this - He was taken up in real heavenly encounters all the time (see 2 Corinthians 12): Heaven has a intentional Focus; all of the hosts of heaven, all of the billions of angels, all the cloud of witnesses — all of the above have a very specific, intentional, gaze on the Son of God; They stare and are in wonder of Someone Who has captured all of heaven’s attention with what He has done for all of mankind! This is so huge guys - Please read Revelation 5 about the Lamb who was slain - let me reiterate: HEAVEN HAS A SPECIFIC, INTENTIONAL FOCUS: Christ & Him Crucified! The Slain Lamb!
[What you focus on manifests. What you focus on is what you are thankful for - Thanksgiving is the will of God in Christ Jesus (see 1 Thess 5:18) & always brings increase in this kingdom of Light of being in Union with Christ. Therefore, what you focus on, give attention to, set your affection towards will manifest in our realm; Now, See Col 3:1, Rev.5 for the reality of whats going on in heaven; Got the picture? Did you see that all the elders, angels, creatures, and Father God were fixated on Christ Crucified in the throneroom? Ok, good. Now You wanna bring that heavenly realm manifest here, i.e. - that’s the whole point of praying Matt.6:10]:
It’s all about The Lamb that was slain! It really is all about Jesus, isn’t it? Thats what ALL of myriads & myriads of the most powerful angels & living creatures are steadily & intentionally gazing at: the Lamb who was slain! So when you boast in the Lamb here in this earthly dimension (preaching the Finished Perfect Work of the Cross, boasting in Christ Crucified) = angels can’t help but to show up and do fun stuff with you (i.e. “notable, creative miracles” Acts 19, as a simple byproduct). Then from there and the angels doing God’s work and bidding (Ps.103:20-23) its all God getting all the glory - He backing up HIS message of HIS grace (see Acts 14:3; Mark 16:20)
Joyfully Remember Him
After all, this is a revelation from “THEE” REVELATION of Jesus Christ (part of Holy Scripture & Cannon). Jesus said to Remember Him by taking His Blood + Body. He was essientially inviting us to explore & discover more of His flesh + blood accomplished on the cross. Each meal/communion can be a fresh and new encounter in this New Covenant Relationship with Him. Just as every meal we have with family is new and fresh (Hebrews 10:20). Wouldn’t it be fun to ask questions when you take comunion of What, How, When, Where His blood and body has done for us? Holy Spirit is delighted to tell you about His favorite subject! (see John 15:26)
