Gerry Gutierrez' Update

This is truly Great News my friends.

“Now... there is no condemnation.”

Someone said, “Do not kick a dead horse, that is over killing.” If someone is dead, no amount of words of complement or rebuke will be of any use.

When I hear preachers whack their audiences trying to “convince” them of how sinful they are; I believe they will succeed in their efforts and generate a subdued congregation timid to take any bold action as witnesses of Jesus.

When you say to a little boy who is trying hard to be a “Good little boy, “You are bad.” “You are Bad.” “You are bad.” What you are doing is reinforcing the negative and “Convincing” him to say to himself “Maybe I am really bad.”

Once that harm in a child is consummated in the inner being of their soul you have a broken spirit, a wounded soul and a poor self-image. 

A word of caution; there is a tremendous difference between “Convincing” someone and “convicting” someone. There is an aspect of the word Convince that has to do with “winning” a discussion. Convincing can be the result of manipulation by one who has an informational advantage that runs circles around another “open or simple-minded person” about the things of God.

On the other hand, “Convicting” is the work of the Holy Spirit where by a listener is persuaded gently to the point of agreement with the speaker and then by grace “Adopts” or “Buys” in full trust the truth he has heard to the point of willingness to die for it.

It would be a good practice for preachers to sit and hear their own sermons and find out whether they are “persuading to conviction” their congregations or are they “terrorizing to convincement.” I long to hear sermons that reflect the persuasive love of Jesus such as the following verse.

“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,” Romans 8:1.

This powerful verse tells me that I have been freed from the guilt of Sin because of the Cross of Jesus, therefore, “Now there is no condemnation for me.”

As the saying goes, “You can catch more flies with honey than vinegar.”

It is the love of God that should constrain us into love and obedience to the point of death. It was the love and prayers of Jesus while on the cross for my forgiveness that conquered my heart toward love and service. It is the love of God that won’t let me go and now perseveringly sustains me day by day.

I love Jesus, yes, but only because he first loved me. We have already passed the gates of hell in Jesus. We are no longer dead men walking. Our names have been removed from the death row list.

NOW THE IS NO CONDEMNATION FOR US WHO ARE IN CHRIST JESUS.

This was a gentle reminder to all the little boys and little girls that in Jesus we are “Good little ones of Jesus.”

No condemnation.

No condemnation.

No condemnation.

No condemnation indeed because he is risen and risen for us.

Gerry Gutierrez.

PS. "Los tres Amigos"