3 Camps Christians live in

Which is the best camp?

• Camp 1: Doing a lot of good works, avoiding a lot of bad works, but being self-righteous and proud about it?  
• Camp 2: Being a struggling Christian, who really loves God, but gets caught in temptation traps all the time, but cries a bucket full after?
• Camp 3: A Christian who lives a life of obedience and thus abides in Christ and is full of the Holy Spirit?

I’ve been members of all three categories.  Sadly to say, I’ve spent most of my Christian life in camp 1 and 2, but by grace I’m taking more and more ground into camp 3.  

Camp 1 

Camp 1 is the worst place to be.  Why? At this place, there is much knowledge, but little love.  Much talk about God and even much passion for God, but very little presence of God.  God does oppose the proud.  In this category, there is sporadic happiness- happiness only when a person’s done something worthwhile for the Lord.  At other times, the person feels empty- real empty.  He wonders, “I’m so passionate about God, I got saved five years ago, why am I so empty inside?”  The answer: that person forgot grace and has positioned himself outside of zone of God’s presence.  It’s in God’s presence we catch revelation. Revelation is heart knowledge.  Information is head knowledge.  Those in Camp 1 do not grow in revelation, but information.  The knowledge will “puff them up” (1 Cor. 8:1).”A haughty spirit goes before the fall.” (Prov. 16:18) They will go from pride to pride, but will ultimately fall or backslide into Camp 2.  

Camp 2.  

Even though Camp 2 is somewhere that Camp 1 members backslide into, it’s actually a better place. It’s a humiliating place (which sucks), but it’s also a humbling place (which is good- I’ll explain).  The person in Camp 1 is only positioned for humiliation.  The person in Camp 2 is positioned for grace.  ”God gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6)  Those in Camp 2 are far from perfect, and have areas of serious immaturity, but their humility attracts revelation (heart knowledge) from God.  Humility attracts the wisdom of God- and it’s wisdom gained in Camp 2 that will carry them into Camp 3.  ”He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way.” (Psalm 25:9)

In Camp 2, they are finally in the Kingdom of God’s course called Grace 101.  In Camp 1, students got into the Kingdom of God University by passing the grace test (which is putting their faith in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord).  However, students in Camp 1 flunk Grace 101.  In Camp 2, they pass Grace 101, and are ready for higher levels in the school of God’s grace.  By the way, there is a class called Grace 100000001- which is a lower level Kingdom class. 

In Camp 2, self-confidence is being peel off.  A sweet orange is surrounded by a tough crust that is inedible. In Camp 2, that sour, bitter peel of self-confidence comes off, and that is left at the end is a sweet peel of a man who “walks humbly with your God.” (Micah 6:8)

In Camp 2, many tears are shed.  Tears from my own failures, yet tears from God’s faithfulness and unconditional love.  

Those in Camp 2 have a greater sense of God’s presence than those in Camp 1.  

Here’s the danger…

Those in Camp 2, might think that because this is the “better” camp, that this is the “best” camp!  So many Christians camp out in Camp 2 and tragically die there.  They might have an A is Grace 101, but they’ve not gone to a higher level.  They can give a sermon on grace, they can tell of their failures and what they’ve learned, share the wisdom that they gained, but they are living on a low plain! 

If you are in Camp 2, remember Camp 3 is your destiny! Let’s keep moving forward, and refuse to be content and settle in Camp 2.  

Camp 3.  

“Whoever keeps His commandments abides in God, and God in him.”  (1 John 3:24)  In Camp 3, the person lives a life of obedience to the Lord, and abides in the presence of God.  In the presence of God, there is constant revelation.  While revelation is added to a person in Camp 2, revelation is multiplied to a person in Camp 3. 

You do not have to struggle with sin, to grow in the revelation of grace.  Who will have a greater understanding of grace? The person who is struggling with sin and is in Grace 101, or the person who is intimate with the “Spirit of grace” (Heb. 10:29) and is full of the “Spirit of grace” (Eph. 5:18) and constantly walking in the “Spirit of grace” (Gal. 5:25)? 

You don’t have to struggle with sin to have a brokenness in your life!  Our brokenness doesn’t need to come from our failures, but it should come from God’s faithfulness.  I shouldn’t be crying tears over my grossness, but God’s greatness!  

I don’t need to struggle with sin to be humble.  I need to grow more intimate with Jesus who is the most “gentle and humble in heart” (Matt. 11:29).  When I am intimate with Jesus, and abiding in Him, then I will live a life a of obedience.  

This is life in Camp 3: “He who has My commandments and keep them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and disclose myself to him.” (John 14:21)  A life a obedience to Christ because of love for Christ results in a life that is: smothered in the love of God and full of first hand revelation or discloser into the person, presence, and power of Christ!  Is anything better than that? No!  

 

I shouldn’t be spending all my time fighting condemnation as those in Camp 2. I should be spending my time fighting for souls, which is a trademark of Camp 3.  By the way, those in Camp 1 are fighting or competing with other Christians for God’s affections- which is like fighting each other for food in a 5 star buffet.