The Good Of The Father (The Spirit Life) # 2032

 

Now we all, with uncovered face, mirroring the Lords glory, are being transformed into the same image, even as from the Lord, the spirit

Paul to the Corinthians (2) 3: 18, Concordant New Testament 

Almost every church that I have belonged to always held a negative view of Halloween each year.  It was the day of negative, wicked spirits so I was often told.  A day when people dressed up in costumes and celebrated by asking for treats from neighbors.  Indeed, I did a lot of that growing up.  But I also spent a lot of time thinking of that "Other" side.  That realm which very few of us can or ever will discern.  Most people live in fear of what has become known as the paranormal, I was more curious than afraid.  So much so that I would devour as many books about ghost stories that I could.  Even today, I will take time to watch the various ghost hunting shows on TV.  While I have never actually seen a spirit from the other realm, I have experienced something akin to that a few times in my life.  Once was just after my mother had passed, a time of grief for me.  As I lay in bed half awake one morning, I discerned a voice saying "She watches and then she returns."  Now, I almost instinctively understood this to mean my late mother as for some reason I began to feel as if she were near me.  Even though I did not see a full fledged ghost, I am convinced that I had experienced a spirit event.  I believe that there is indeed a reason that I have never held the spirit realm in fear.  For I believe that our true identity in the Lord is that of a spirit identity.  It is well known that God is in spirit {Johns Account 4:24}.  Therefore, if we have been created in His very  likeness, are we not in spirit as well {Genesis 1:27}?  I believe this to be the truth of our own identity, of who we are.  Our identity is not based on our flesh bodies, which are but temporary.  No, for our flesh is but a vessel for the spirit which dwells within us.  The apostle Paul speaks to his life as "Living in me is Christ" {Paul to the Galatians 2:20}.  One thing I have learned from the evangel spoken by Paul is that not only is this flesh of ours a temple for His spirit who dwells within us, but that our lives are now lived in Jesus and the Father {Johns Account 14:20}.  

Or are you not aware that your body is a temple of the holy spirit in you, which you have from God, and you are not your own?  For you are bought with a price.  Bu all means glorify God in your body 

Paul to the Corinthians (1): 19-20, Concordant New Testament 

People have been conditioned to refer to themselves as their own beings.  But when you look deeper into this belief you will see that this cannot be possible.  Have we created ourselves?  No, it is the Father who loved us enough to create us in His likeness.  Knowing that we have been created by God, how is it, then, that we have become our own self?  How is it that which has been created can ever be separate from the creator?  Do we believe that Gods creation is His and His alone?  Good, then we must also acknowledge that we are not independent from Him.  Yet this continues to be the lie spoken by those within the mainstream church.  That it is our sin which has separated us from God.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  Those who document paranormal activity often refer to another "Realm" where spirits remain.  A realm often unseen by man.  But what if what they are referring to is but another dimension of our Lords creation?  After all, has not God created all which we will ever see and experience?  What if ghosts and spirits were never meant to be feared?  The scriptures tell of many who experienced visions of spirits.  Joesph was warned by angels of his child's birth and to protect his family.  What are angels but spirits themselves as we are.  What if those who have professed to seeing ghostly images simply had their eyes opened to another dimension?  Cannot God do that for us if it serves His will?  A radical idea would be to not celebrate Halloween as a day of wicked spirits, but a day recognizing our own spirit identity in the Father.  

~Scott~ 

The Good Of The Father (What If?) # 2031

 

Do not worry about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God, and the peace of God, which is superior to every frame of mind, shall be garrisoning your hearts and apprehensions in Christ Jesus

Paul to the Philippians 4: 6-7, Concordant New Testament 

I heard a pastor proclaim the other day, while discussing the words of Jesus in the sermon on the mount, that he does not deal in what ifs.  Indeed, Jesus has spoken about the perils of worrying {Matthews Account 6:25-34}.  I had the opportunity to speak these words to a fellow gym friend the other day who was tangled up in worry over the current political climate in our country.  Now, I'm not going to sit here and bore you with stories that I have never struggled with worries of what might be, because I have.  But I believe that there is indeed a reason that Jesus speaks to the truth that we should not worry.  After all, look at the physical effects which worry takes on us.  In the past, I have suffered from lack of sleep as well as other ailments when I burdened myself with the worries of life.  This was exactly the place that my friend found himself in the other day.  Tired, sick and full of worry.  When he asked me how I would handle his situation I told him simply that I no longer deal in what ifs.  Do I have situations in my life that I could waste my time worrying over?  Absolutely!  But what is the tradeoff when I do submit to worrying over that which has yet happened?  Stress?  Physical illness?  The apostle Paul also spoke to the perils of worry in Philippians {Paul to the Philippians 4:6-7}.  Paul speaks to not bothering with worry, but to "Let your requests be made known to God."  Indeed, I learned a long time ago to deal with worry by submitting the worries in my life to God.  As Jesus has spoken, that we are to "Take my yoke upon you, for My yoke is easy, and My burden is light" {Matthews Account 11:28-30}.  How wonderful it is when we place the worries of this life on the shoulders of Christ!  Once we do this, we understand that those burdens now belong to Him.  What is it that Jesus did when the worries of life surrounded Him?  He would often find solace in retreating somewhere to pray to the Father.  Was Jesus placing His own words into practice?  Was He giving His burden unto the Father as He prayed?  I would think that this would be a practice of His.  Why would He not have us do the very same thing He did when worried?  

"Hither to Me, all who are toiling and laden, and I will be giving you rest.  Lift My yoke upon you and be learning from Me, for meek am I and humble in heart, and you shall be finding rest in your souls, for My yoke is kindly and My load is light" 

Matthews Account 11: 28-30, Concordant New Testament 

As I said, I have known for awhile to lift my burdens of life unto Jesus.  Yet knowing and actually putting this into practice are two different things.  What it comes down to is, do I trust Jesus enough to deal with these worries in my life?  Am I confident in knowing that I now live my life IN HIM?  The truth which you will not hear spoken from any mainstream church pulpit is that my worries are His as well.  For Jesus has spoken to the truth that I now live my life not separated from Him, but IN He and the Father {Johns Account 14:20}.  There is nothing that we will ever encounter which Jesus is not an intimate part of.  In fact, when He instructs us to take His yoke, it is not hard to believe that His is a burden we already share with Him.  Too many well-meaning believers have been taught that they live their lives separate from Jesus and the Father.  I believe that when Jesus invited others to "Lift My yoke upon you," that He was actually inviting them to see Him for who He truly is.  That we can do nothing outside of He and the Father.  The false belief of our separation from God is one continually spoken by those in the church.  How is it possible to take upon us the burden of Jesus if we ourselves are separate from Him?  As usual, this false belief of our own relationship with Jesus has caused us much worry and anxiety.  How much easier would it be if, knowing that we live in Him, that we know that our burdens are also His?  This is exactly why I do not deal in what ifs. 

~Scott~ 

The Good Of The Father (How God Sees Sin) # 2030

 Yet God is commending this love of His for us, that while we are still sinners, Christ died for our sakes

Paul to the Romans 5: 8, Concordant New Testament 

I have a question for all of those die-hard Christians out there.  If God hates sin, why then does He love us?  If God seemingly hates the sinner, as those within the halls of the mainstream church continue to preach, why did He choose to dispatch His Son for our sakes?  The answer to these questions is simple if you realize the truth of the Lord God.  That through His love and grace we have been reconciled once again to Him {Paul to the Colossians 1:20}.  Yet those in the church continue to harp on that one verse which seemingly condemns all of us.  The passage which proclaims us all to be sinners {Paul to the Romans 3:23}.  But often overlooked by the zealous condemn first and forgive later crowd are the words of Paul which we find in the following passage.  That we have "Been justified gratuitously in His grace, which is in Christ Jesus" {Paul to the Romans 3:24}.  A good friend posed the comment to me the other day, that God hates sin {First Epistle of John 1:8}.  So, God hates sin, but while I was yet a sinner He loved me enough to send His Son in my place {Paul to the Romans 5:8}?  How does that work?  This got me thinking, how is it that God sees sin today?  Does He see it the same as He always has?  I would assume so, seeing that God never changes {To the Hebrews 13:8}.  So, it's safe to assume, then, that God still hates sin.  So where does that leave us?  How does God see us, whom the church continues to brand as sinners?  Well, I would assume that He views us now as blameless, seeing as Christ Jesus has been dispatched for our sakes {Paul to the Corinthians (2) 5:21}.  So Jesus, the innocent sacrifice, has been sent to be the propitiation of our sins {Johns Account 3:16-17}.  Is it a safe bet, then, that God no longer sees His children as sinners?  Well, if you were to ask any pastor worth their Pharisee school education, the answer would be a resounding NO!  This is obvious from the separation theology spoken from the pulpits of the church.  That it is indeed our own sin, that sin which Jesus willingly sacrificed Himself for, which continues to separate us from Gods presence.  Again, how does that work?  I have been under the assumption that Jesus died for the forgiveness of sin, yet those in the church continue to speak otherwise.  

In Whom we are having the deliverance through His blood, the forgiveness of offenses in accord with the riches of His grace

Paul to the Ephesians 1: 7, Concordant New Testament 

The other day, my friend who continues to be steeped in the religious traditions of the Eastern Orthodox church lamented to me of how many times each day that he prays for his own forgiveness.  Knowing what I now know about how God sees us, I tried to convince him that God no longer saw him as a condemned sinner.  That Jesus has paid that price for him.  Yet he continued to bring up scriptures which indeed profess the existence of sin in his life.  It is my belief that my friend, as well as so many others, have been brainwashed into believing the false narrative about themselves.  The narrative which speaks to the lie of the deceiver that we have been separated from God.  The lie which speaks to our being our own individual, apart from God Who created us.  This is the lie spoken by the deceiver in the garden {Genesis 3:4-5}.  The mistaken belief is that once Adam and Eve took of the forbidden fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, that they somehow became like God, knowing what is right and wrong.  In essence, the belief that man became something he has never been designed to be.  For their part, those in the church continue to proclaim this lie to the world today.  So it is that far too many believers find it difficult to accept that God could see them as anything less than a condemned sinner.  To this I would ask, what about Jesus?  Is it not Jesus Who has given Himself for the forgiveness of sin?  Not only past sin, mind you, but ALL sin past, present and future {Paul to the Romans 6:10}.  What sin of yours did Jesus miss on the cross?  I believe that were you to approach the throne of the Lord and ask Him to forgive that sin you agonize over, His response will very well be, what sin, My child?  

~Scott~ 

The Good Of The Father (Sin Merchants) # 2029

 

If we should be saying that we have no sin we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us 

First Epistle of John 1: 8, Concordant New Testament  

I have a good friend whom I work with.  This man is a believer and a good family man, but he seems to have one flaw.  That flaw is his dependence upon the words and doctrine of the Eastern Orthodox religion which he follows rather...religiously.  I was once again reminded of his devotion to his religion this week as our discussion once again turned to his daily admission that he was seemingly a bad man due to the sin in his own life.  Now, I do not put the blame on him, for he has been spoon fed the lies of the mainstream church for too many years.  In my travels, I come across too many people who anguish daily over the perceived sin which they believe that they have committed.  Now, do I myself believe that I have sinned, absolutely.  But I also know in my heart that this is not who I am.  That guy is dead and gone, crucified with Christ at the cross {Paul to the Galatians 2:20}.  I also believe that trying to explain to someone who has been immersed in the theology of the mainstream church for so long that they no longer need be in fear of sin is a monumental task.  Indeed, when I counted myself as a loyal church attender, I offered prayers unto the Lord many times each day, for I felt that I was unworthy of the gift which God had given me.  This is what the church had taught me.  I learned of a Jesus who, despite dying for my sake, was quick to condemn me for each and every misdeed I had done.  This is an alternate version of Christ spoken by the sin merchants within the mainstream church.  Yet this is NOT the Jesus who I have now come to know.  The Jesus I now know is not a Lord of condemnation, but reconciliation {Johns Account 3:17}.  His purpose is not to remind me of sin, but of who I am in Him {Johns Account 17:21}.  Not as one separated from Him by my own sin, but as one who lives his life THROUGH Christ.  For as the apostle Paul has declared, if we have died with Christ, we shall be living together with Him also {Paul to the Romans 6:8}.  

Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see if they are of God, for many false prophets have come out into the world 

First Epistle of John 4: 1, Concordant New Testament 

As I've said, I once followed the precepts of the sin merchants as a member of the mainstream church.  I refer to those within the church as sin merchants due to the fact that they expend vast amounts of time and effort attempting to convince others that sin is the main issue in their lives.  I see the anguish that my friend goes through daily and I see that these teachings are doing more harm than good.  My question is this, did God desire for His children to live in fear?  Fear of losing their salvation?  The fear of the God who loves them some day casting them aside because of their sin?  No!  For fear is not perfected in the love of God {First Epistle of John 4:18}.  How is it that the same church who speaks to being free in Christ Jesus also proclaims that it is sin which prevents us from a relationship with Him?  I wondered that same question.  I also wondered why the same church who spoke to Jesus dying on the cross for the forgiveness of my sins would go out of its way to convince me that my sin is still in front of me.  Is this what the Father intended?  No, for this would take away from His one true nature, which is love {First Epistle of John 4:8}.  It is because of His love that we have been created in his likeness {Genesis 1:27}.  It is also because of His love for us that He dispatched His Son to reconcile us once again to Him {Paul to the Corinthians (2) 5:18}.  We know that there is no love in condemnation {Paul to the Romans 8:1}.  I also do not see the love of God in the theology spoken by the church. 

~Scott~ 

The Good Of The Father (So Unlike Jesus) # 2028

 

And Jesus entered into the sanctuary and cast out all those selling and buying in the sanctuary, and the tables of the brokers He overturns, and the seats of those selling doves.  And He is saying to them, "My house a house of prayer shall be called,' yet you are making it a burglars cave."  

Matthews Account 21: 12-13, Concordant New Testament 

One of the reasons that I enjoy The Chosen series is that it gives us a first hand look at what the interaction between Jesus and His chosen disciples must have been like.  I believe that life with Jesus during His ministry was not all prayer and fasting.  There were heart to heart discussions, disagreements and arguments among those chosen to represent Jesus to others.  How could there not be, these men were, after all, human by nature.  Through this series we are privy to what day to day life must have entailed while following in the steps of Jesus.  The frustration Jesus felt as He tried to relate His teachings to these men.  The struggle between Simon and Matthew as each seeks forgiveness from the other.  The pride we see in James and John as they seek to be seated in prominence near Jesus.  This was indeed the every day life of Jesus and His disciples.  Why do I bring this up?  For the simple fact that, as believers, that we may at times act in a way that others might see as so unlike Jesus.  We're sarcastic, we argue and we talk trash to one another.  Is this behavior unlike the Jesus we have come to know through the church theology?  Probably so.  For we're often told by the church that we need to "Be more like Jesus."  That, as sinners, to have a relationship with Him is nearly impossible.  That all we can hope to accomplish is to be "Like" Jesus.  For Jesus was holy, kind and patient.  Or was He?  I can imagine that the patience of Jesus ran thin on more than a few occasions.  He ran out of patience with the policies of the Pharisees of His day.  He also definitely ran out of patience with the money changers in the temple courts.  The church often describes these times as Jesus showing "Righteous anger" in their attempt to whitewash over the fact that Jesus was indeed fully God AND fully man as well {Johns Account 1:14}, Paul to the Philippians 2:7}.  I bring this up because of a conversation I've had with a few friends.  Yes, these men are believers despite what one might ascertain from our human tendencies.  We argue and we disagree just as the followers of Jesus must have done themselves.  Are we unlike Jesus?  

Now, being inherently in the form of God, deems it not pillaging to be equal with God, nevertheless empties Himself, taking the form of a slave, coming to be in the likeness of humanity

Paul to the Philippians 2: 6-7, Concordant New Testament 

I have a gym friend who is pretty bible based in his approach to his life.  He studies the word and, in his words, tries to be the best example of Jesus in this life.  I think to myself every now and then, that must be a boring life.  Keep in mind that, despite being created in the likeness of the Father, that we still hold those attributes of our human flesh {Genesis 1:27}.  Even Jesus is proclaimed to be "Coming in the likeness of humanity" {Paul to the Philippians 2:6-7}.  Fully God, and yet fully man {Paul to the Colossians 2:9}.  Not only that, but Jesus Himself has spoken to the truth that we live our lives WITHIN He and the Father {Johns Account 14:20}.  Despite the fact that we all too often display our human flesh side of our creation, that does not erase the truth that we ourselves live within Christ {Paul to the Galatians 2:20}.  The apostle Paul himself often struggled with that flesh side of his nature as well Paul noticed that it was not the good which he knew was right that he was doing, but "The evil that I am not willing, this I am putting into practice" {Paul to the Romans 7:19}.  Would you call Paul a righteous man?  Indeed he was.  Yet even Paul struggled with his flesh side.  So mush so that he wonders aloud, "A wretched man am I!  Who will rescue me out of this body of death?"  But Paul got it, he understood that it was by grace alone that he would be saved from himself {Paul to the Romans 7:25}.  So it is with us as well.  Those around us may see us as "So unlike Jesus," but through the eyes of the Father grace abounds.  

~Scott~ 

The Good Of The Father (The Porn Fix) # 2027

 

And to put off from you, as regards your former behavior, the old humanity which is corrupted in accord with its seductive desires, yet be rejuvenated in the spirit of your mind, and to put on the new humanity which, in accord with God, is being created in righteousness and benignity of the truth

Paul to the Ephesians 4: 22-24, Concordant New Testament 

At times I hate to bang that old war drum, and this is one of those times.  My scars tell the tale of my own addiction.  Of how I was once enslaved to images of the flesh.  I wasn't proud of my condition, but despite my best efforts and those of the mainstream church, I continued down the dark path of pornography addiction.  That's right, despite their best efforts the church could not help me in my affliction the way the Father eventually raised me from the ashes.  For on that night, as I was about to enter once again into satisfying my urge of the flesh, God chose in that moment to remind me who I was in His eyes.  Contrary to what I had continuously heard spoken from the church, I was not a sinner in Gods eyes, not even close.  Who I am in the eyes of God is His loved and cherished child {First Epistle of John 3:1}.  See, God cuts through the red tape of the rhetoric of the church and gets straight to the point.  I'm no longer a sinner deserving of His grace.  For it is by His love and grace that my sin has been defeated by Christ Jesus on the cross {Paul to the Romans 6:10}.  It is through His love for me that I am no longer a slave to sin {Paul to the Romans 6:6}.  Those within the church will point to the words of Paul in Romans 3:23, that we are ALL sinners in need of saving.  But they seem to always omit the following passage, that we have been "Justified gratuitously in His grace, through the deliverance which is in Christ Jesus" {Paul to the Romans 3:24}.  Allow me to take this moment to call out those within the church.  If I have been justified from sin through Christ Jesus, what sin am I now found guilty of?  Why is it that you continue to refer to me, a child of God, as a sinner?  I was reminded of this once again this week as I looked at a few Facebook videos of self righteous Christians attempting to persuade those caught in the pit of a porn addiction that the church could help them in their struggle...for a price.  That's right, the mainstream church has placed a price upon helping believers out of their sin.  I would remind those within the church that my own revelation of who I truly am in the eyes of the Father came to me free of charge.  

With Christ have I been crucified, yet I am living; no longer I, but living in me is Christ.  Now that which I am now living in flesh, I am living in faith that is of the Son of God, Who loved me, and gives Himself up for me 

Paul to the Galatians 2: 20, Concordant New Testament 

Tell me, what price would you place on knowing the truth of who you are before God?  Is there even a price to be paid?  I would say that were there any price to be paid in our own revelation of how it is that God views us, that it has been paid in full by Christ Jesus on that cross.  For it is Jesus Who gave Himself willingly for us {Paul to the Corinthians (2) 5:21}.  Jesus is the "One not knowing sin" Who has been made the sin offering on our behalf once for all time.  So, again I ask you, what sin has God found me guilty of?  What sin has Jesus somehow found unworthy of cleansing me from?  For at the heart of any addiction of the flesh is the belief which has been spoken to us for generations, that we are sinners!  In the eyes of the church, this is now our identity.  But what about Jesus?  Have they not taken into account His selfless sacrifice made for us?  I believe that this is the very reason why it has been revealed to me how it is that God sees me.  To nullify the lie spoken by those in the church.  After all, it seemed a bit contradictory to me that the same church who proclaims that Christ died for the forgiveness of our sins continues to preach that we are but sinners.  How does that work?  I'll tell you how, when we trust and live in the truth of the Fathers love, we will no longer be influenced by the lie spoken by those within the church.  Jesus Himself has proclaimed that we now live our life within He and the Father {Johns Account 14:20}.  Therefore, we are no longer sinners, but His redeemed children reconciled once again to Him {Paul to the Colossians 1:22}.  All of this is made available free to His creation.  Try getting a deal like that from the church.  

~Scott~ 

The Good Of The Father (Salvation For All) # 2026

 

For this is ideal and welcome in the sight of our Savior, God, Who wills that all mankind be saved and come into the realization of the truth 

Paul to Timothy (1) 1:3-4, Concordant New Testament 

Some of the fiercest resistance that I have received from so called believers in my conversations with them revolves around the idea of universal salvation.  The idea that it is Gods desire and ultimate will that all of His children come to know Him.  The apostle Paul spoke this truth to young Timothy {Paul to Timothy (1) 1:3-4}.  Why is it that Christians have such a difficult time in believing that God would desire all of His children to be saved?  Well, I believe that many of these believers, as I once was, have been instilled with the teachings of the mainstream church.  While good in some ways, there are plenty of these teachings which I believe go against the true will of the Lord.  For instance, I was always taught that those who believe in the Lord would be rewarded with an eternity in heaven while the wicked and unbelieving would be punished with their eternity in hell.  This is part of the theology spoken by the church.  But what if they got it all wrong?  What if the desire of God is that all of His creation will be saved?  I can imagine the outcry coming from the mainstream church were this to be proclaimed.  What about the evil people?  Will sin no longer be punished?  In reality, it has never been our duty to decide who is or is not rewarded with an eternity to heaven or punished with eternity in hell.  Yet we have done just that over the years.  Countless pastors have stood at the pulpit and proclaimed the rewards and punishments of those that they deemed deserving of such.  I have experienced this first hand in my time in the church.  Is there any doubt as to why the majority of the world sees us as being judgmental?  I get it.  In fact, I totally understand why it is that people I talk with have such a difficult time accepting the truth of universal salvation.  They have been taught to believe the black and white criteria spoken by the church that goodness will be rewarded and evil punished.  It's not as if there is no scriptures which speak to the Fathers desire that all be saved.  A simple Google search led me to a page full of verses speaking to this truth.  Yet those in the church have continued to cherry pick scripture to fit their false narrative.  

For even as, in Adam, all are dying, thus also, in Christ, shall all be vivified

Paul to the Corinthians (1) 15: 22, Concordant New Testament  

In the film Come Sunday, the reverend Carlton Pearson is removed from his leadership position within his church for speaking the apparent blasphemy of universal salvation.  That idea that God will provide salvation for all of His children.  Pearson is awakened to this idea when he questions whether those who have never heard of Christ Jesus would indeed be sent to hell for their unbelief.  For this he was removed from his position of prominence within the church.  Is it, then, any wonder why we do not hear the truth of universal salvation spoken from the pulpits of the mainstream church?  Who would dare speak to such obvious blasphemy?  Well, Jesus for one.  For it is Jesus who has spoken to the truth of why He has been dispatched by the Father, not to judge, but that all the world may be saved through Him {Johns Account 3:16-17}.  Too many people proclaim the scripture we find in John 3:16 with joy, that God loved the world enough to dispatch His one and only Son.  Yet they seemingly disregard the accompanying passage, which proclaims that Jesus has not been sent to judge the world, but that ALL the world might be saved through Him.  Does this sound like blasphemy to you?  Well, to many in the church it does indeed.  The narrative spoken by the church remains, the good must be rewarded and the wicked punished.  As if we have propped up ourselves as the final judge of who it is that will be rewarded and/or punished.  One of my favorite quotes from the film Come Sunday comes when Carlton Pearson asks the church leaders who are questioning his beliefs, "If you could save your own father from hell, wouldn't you?"  I would ask that very same question to anyone who desires to place themselves above God and proclaim who is to be rewarded and who is to be punished.  

~Scott~