LifeTrac with Chuck Swindoll is a presentation of Insight for Living Canada.
i'm going to tell you candidly as i was growing
up i cannot remember a preacher ever warning me about this ever
and i remember being in one legalistic church after another
where lists are given from the pulpit not from the bible but this is what you're supposed to do and
this is how you're supposed to live and these are the things you are allowed to be allowed to do in
entertainment and this is the way you're to live your private life and these are the things that
are to be in your refrigerator but not this and you're supposed to do this but you can't go here
and you know all the lists that you've been have been laid on you the whole point is beware
of being enslaved let me say this very very uh directly uh people like that are not to be ignored
they are not to be obeyed they are not to be tolerated legalism has no place in the
church of jesus christ but the church is shot through with legalism you will find it in many
missionary organizations you will find it in some christian schools and seminaries
you will find legalism running rampant in bible study groups where small gatherings are together
i had a lady stop me after the second service today and she said to me chuck please pray for
my son he is in one of those groups and he's now separating from us he no longer believes in the
established church theirs is the way to think theirs is the way to live it's legalism be careful
about that which isolates you from the body of christ be careful about listening to just one
teacher or just one preacher the body of christ is a cafeteria there are many places to find good
food don't just listen to one set of tapes or pay attention to just one quote-unquote authority
i will tell you one of the great things about beginning our church a little less than seven
years ago we could determine from the get-go it would not be a legalistic place to be
it would not be a place where you would ever get from me my private list
i have a list they are my convictions after studying and living in the scriptures as i have
over the years i've come up with things that i'm not comfortable doing but that's not your comfort
zone i have no right to voice that upon you and you have some you have no right to foist upon me
so let's honor that let's treat each other with dignity it's called grace
eugene peterson writes there are people who do not want us to be free
they don't want us to be free before god accepted just as we are by his grace
they don't want us to be free to express our faith originally and creatively they want to control us
they want to use us for their own purposes they themselves refuse to live arguably and openly
in faith but huddle together with a few others and try to get a sense of approval by insisting that
we all look alike and talk alike and act like thus validating one another's worth they try to
enlarge their numbers only on the condition that new members act and talk and behave the way they
do these people infiltrate communities of faith to spy out our freedom which we have in christ jesus
and not infrequently find ways to control and restrict and reduce the lives of free christians
all right here we have it christian life is a life of walking by faith not by sight it's
a life of growing up in christ not just getting older it's a life of cultivating an attitude of
gratitude not just existing in negativism it's a life of resisting those who would
bring you into bondage and finally it's a life of focusing fully on christ
the quote chuck used from eugene peterson's book traveling light modern meditations on
saint paul's letter of freedom defines legalists perfectly they do not want anyone to be free
but jesus introduced a revolutionary and different way of life he taught grace and truth and freedom.
This is Steve Johnson of Insight for Living Canada. Listen to more of Chuck Swindoll's
LifeTrac messages at lifetrac.ca. LifeTrac where life and truth meet. The preceding LifeTrac
presentation was brought to you by Insight for Living Canada. The original message, "How Can I
Begin the Christian Life" was copyrighted in 2005 and this LifeTrac sound recording
was copyrighted in 2013 by Charles R. Swindoll incorporated all rights are reserved worldwide