The Good Of The Father (The Jesus Cult) # 2070

 

And I hear another voice out of heaven, saying, "Come out of her, My people, lest you should be joint participants in her sins, and less you should be getting of her calamities 

The Revelation of Jesus Christ 18: 4, Concordant New Testament 

I asked an important question to a friend the other day.  The question was, when did Jesus advocate that we follow any organized religion?  I believe that this is an important question if we are to come to really know Jesus and our life in Him.  Well, his first response is a passage many believers point to when it comes to advocating that we MUST find a bible believing church and that we must become members and worship in that church.  This passage is found in Hebrews, and it implores the reader "Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves" {To the Hebrews 10:25}.  This seems like a clear directive from the author (This may be Paul, or another of the apostles) that we should not neglect to gather in the worship of the Lord.  This is all fine and good, but I believe that some context is in order here.  When this scripture was written, the lands of the Middle East were dominated and ruled by the Roman empire.  These Romans were not very agreeable to the public worship of the followers of Jesus.  Truth be told, the Jews of Israel were not that fond of them either.  Remember, it was the Jewish authorities who persecuted and killed Jesus for the blasphemous words they felt He spoke.  So it was that the early followers of Jesus were persecuted if they were found worshipping in public.  Therefore, many chose to meet in secret, or not at all, to avoid this persecution and torture at the hands of the Romans.  Therefore, the writer of Hebrews is encouraging the early church to not forsake their gathering together in His name.  The last time I checked, we here in the United States are not being persecuted for attending a church.  So, again I ask, when did Jesus advocate for organized religion to those who followed Him?  Where did He advocate for Sunday morning praise music?  Where did He advocate for an offering in His name?  To my knowledge, Jesus had but one request for those who would follow Him...Follow Me.  We find His request not only in the calling of His disciples, but in those who would follow Him as well.  

When I first read the critical words which Jesus spoke to the Jewish Pharisees and authorities I was a bit disheartened.  Here was Jesus being critical of that church structure that I had been raised to respect.  Growing up in the church, it was expected that Sunday was church day.  It was rare that we were not sitting in a pew on a Sunday morning.  I was taught that this was the command of the Lord, to worship Him.  Now, I have nothing against worshipping and gathering in his name, I'm all for it.  But where is it that Jesus commands that we assemble in a brick and mortar church building in His name?  What Jesus DOES do is speak to the Samaritan woman He meets at the well that "God is spirit, and those who are worshipping Him must be worshipping in spirit and truth" {Johns Account 4:23-24}.  He does not mention a specific place or even a synagogue, only that she worship in spirit and truth.  In the very words of Jesus, "For the Father is also seeking such to be worshipping Him" {Johns Account 4:23}.  Jesus does not mention a Sunday sermon nor an offering to the woman at the well, only that she worship in spirit and truth.  I believe that the same holds true for all who desire to come to know Jesus.  For all who feel burdened by the practices and traditions of the mainstream church.  The truth we find is that Jesus is not found in a brick and mortar church, but inside of us.  It is Jesus who has spoken to our union with He and the Father {Johns Account 14:20}.  Our life is in Him.

"But coming is the hour, and now is, when the true worshippers will be worshipping the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is also seeking such to be worshipping Him.  God is spirit, and those who are worshipping Him must be worshipping in spirit and truth"

Johns Account 4: 23-24, Concordant New Testament 

~Scott~ 

The Good Of The Father (God All In All) # 2069

 

Seeing that out of Him and through Him and for Him is all: to Him be the glory for the eons! Amen! 

Paul to the Romans 11: 36, Concordant New Testament 

I look at the morning headlines today and I see God.  Now, some might ask how God can be seen in such a fallen world.  Have you forgotten who created this place we call home?  Sure, He reorganized it with a flood during the days of Noah, but He never has undone that which He has created.  Knowing that God indeed created all which we see, is it therefore possible that we can see God truly as all in all?  Some well meaning believers might have a tough time accepting this truth of God.  I know that I did growing up in the church.  Growing up there was good and there was wickedness.  God loved one and despised the other.  The good would be rewarded and the wicked punished.  Unfortunately, we see this theology continue to play out in the modern church as well.  But has God ever actually hated that which He has created?  Many in the church will say that God has reached that point where He has regretted creating mankind {Genesis 6:6}.  They point to this passage as proof that we remain sinful.  But how is it that God can be sinful?  The apostle Paul speaks to the idea of the Father being all in all in Romans {Paul to the Romans 11:36}.  So, if God is all in all, as I believe He is, then He is a intimate part of all which surrounds us.  If we accept that God created all we will ever know, it isn't too difficult to believe that He is within all of His creation.  I was first introduced to this truth during a local hike with a good friend.  His question was simple, can we see God in the trees that surround us?  Remember, that in the beginning He created the heavens and the earth {Genesis 1:1}.  Personally, I don't believe that it's at all possible for that which has been created to not have the imprint of its creator upon it.  That is why I have such difficulty accepting the church mantra that our sin has separated us from God.  How can we who have been created in the very likeness of God ever be without Him?  Despite our former sin nature, were we ever separated from our creator?  I would say no to that all day long.  

And now for something that just might knock the socks off of some Christians and cause others to accuse me of a false message and heresy.  Hs God always been an intimate part of His creation?  If we agree to this then we must also agree that He has been within the bad as well as the good.  That God was in wicked men such as Adolf Hitler and Josef Stalin.  Is God in the tragedies of our life as well?  Was God in the illness which took my mothers life?  I would answer yes to all of these.  For if we see God as all in all, which he is, then we must also see Him in the negative as well as the positive.  For all are part of His creation.  Did God create men such as Hitler and Stalin as wicked?  Or, as I believe, did those men make choices that ignored who they truly were in the Lord?  Keep in mind, that Satan was never created to be wicked, but his own choices led him down that road {Isaiah 14:12}.  Indeed, Lucifer was created by the Lord as one of the most beautiful of the angels, yet he chose wickedness over righteousness.  He chose his own pride over the Father who created him.  Lucifer was not created as wicked, but he made that choice on his own.  Knowing this, again I ask, did God create men to be wicked?  Or, as with Lucifer, have certain men chosen the path of wickedness on their own?  If we understand God as all in all, we know that He has created all and has declared it as good {Genesis 1:31}.  Even as God has created all to be good, that does not mean that He is not in that which we see as bad.  Remember that His ways have never been our ways {Isaiah 55:8-9}.  At the time I did not understand why God allowed my mother to be taken from this world.  That does not mean that He was not in my grief for her.  He has been in all we will ever experience in this world. 

He who is not loving knew not God, for God is love

First Epistle of John 4: 8, Concordant New Testament 

~Scott~ 

The Good Of The Father (Born Of God) # 2068

 

For in Him we are living and moving and are, as some poets of yours have also declared, 'For of that race also are we' 

Acts of the Apostles 17: 28, Concordant New Testament 

Popular Christian theology speaks to the fact that Christ Jesus was born of God.  Yet those within the church also speak to the lie that although man has been created in the likeness of God, that he shares no connection with Him.  That through his own sin, he has been separated from God who created him.  The truth is that we have also been born of the Father {Acts of the Apostles 17:28}.  More than being created in His likeness is the fact that we were created THROUGH Him {Paul to the Ephesians 4:6}.  This truth is important to describing our life as we now know it.  For we do not live separated from God, but in union with Him {Johns Account 14:20}.  Those in the church will ask, how is this even possible for sinful man?  The answer to that question centers around Christ Jesus.  For if we understand and believe that Jesus came, born of man, to forgive that sin debt of mankind, then we must also understand that man no longer lives toiling in the bondages of sin {Paul to the Romans 6:6}.  Indeed, Jesus has taken that sin debt upon Himself at the cross {Paul to the Corinthians (2) 5:21}.  So, tell me, what sin remains that Jesus has not covered already?  It is through the finished work of Christ on the cross that man has been reconciled to the Father once again {Paul to the Romans 5:10}.  Make no mistake, you will never hear this truth being spoken from the pulpits of the mainstream church.  But just because someone does not speak the truth in no way negates that truth.  It simply means that there will be many who ignore the truth of our life in the Father.  One comment which I have often made to a good friend of mine is the fight we have against centuries of church based separation theology.  It is spoken each and every Sunday in thousands of churches worldwide.  But, as I have said, this in no way negates the truth of our life within God.  Jesus Himself has declared our life in He and the Father {Johns Account 14:20}.  This is the life I live in Him.

My own realization of my life in God has often not been an easy pill swallow.  Growing up in the church, I was fed the sermons and Sunday school lessons spoken by the church from an early age.  I came to believe what I had been taught.  I came to see God as an impersonal being.  God to me was simply someone I went to when I was in trouble or in need.  He was also the one who looked down on me judging every aspect of my life.  There is NO room in this view of God for any kind of relationship with Him.  Yet this is the desire of the Lord, that His children would come to know Him in that intimate way {Johns Account 17:3}.  Indeed, the truth of our life in God and that spoken by the church are in direct contrast with one another.  On one side is the love and forgiveness of a life within the Father while on the other is a life continually burdened by sin.  Sin which Christ Jesus has already given Himself for {Paul to the Romans 6:10}.  I propose that we cannot truly know Jesus if we adhere to the separation theology of the church.  As I sat in the pews of the church, I did not know Him on that personal level.  That all changed when I stepped away from the church and its teachings.  Through the conversations with a dear friend, my eyes were opened to something I never knew I had, a relationship with God.  God is no longer impersonal to me.  My goal through these writings has always been to bring others into the understanding of the Father which has been revealed to me through Him.  That I am indeed born of God. 

Now it is the eonian life that they may know thee, the only true God, and Him Whom Thou dost commission, Christ Jesus

Johns Account 17: 3, Concordant New Testament 

~Scott~ 

The Good Of The Father (A Life In Jesus) # 2067

 

In that day you shall know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you 

Johns Account 14: 20, Concordant New Testament 

Mention your "Life" to the ordinary Christian and you'd more than likely a pretty sticky response.  For many believers, their life here in this world revolves around the misguided belief that they are somehow separated from God.  Even those who claim to enjoy a "Christ" centered life suffer from this delusion.  Growing up in the mainstream church, this idea was pounded into me each and every Sunday.  From sermons to Sunday school lessons, the separation theology of the church was all too apparent.  But why is it that I refer to this as living a delusion?  Well, first off, I suggest that we as Gods creation could never have been separated from He who created us.  Indeed, we're told that we have been created in the very likeness of God {Genesis 1:27}.  And not only that, the scriptures tell us that upon creating man in His own image, that He breathed into him the breath of life, that the man would become a living soul {Genesis 2:7}.  He has formed us in His image AND imparted Himself into His creation.  From the beginning, the Father has been an intimate part of who we are.  Our life has never truly been our own.  Yet many apologists and those within the church continue to cite the scripture from the book of Isaiah in which the prophet claims that "Your iniquities have separated you from your God" {Isaiah 59:2}.  To this I ask the question, what about Jesus?  Has Jesus not given Himself for the forgiveness of those iniquities {Paul to the Corinthians (2) 5:21}?  Despite this truth, those within the church continue to preach to the fact the our sins have distanced us from the Father.  They have seemingly ignored the forgiveness given unto us through the work of Christ Jesus on the cross.  They cling to the words of Paul who speaks to the fact that all have sinned {Paul to the Romans 3:23}.  Yet Paul, in the following passage, Paul speaks to the fact that we have been "Justified gratuitously in His grace, through the deliverance which is in Christ Jesus" {Paul to the Romans 3:24}.  Yes, Paul admits that all have sinned, but then asks the same question as I have, what about Jesus?  For it is Christ Jesus who has laid waste to the lie of the deceiver which falsely claims that we have been separated from God. 

Contrary to what has been spoken from the pulpits of the mainstream church, I have come to know the truth of my life in Christ Jesus.  That is, my life WITHIN Him and not of my own volition.  Jesus speaks to this union in the book of John {Johns Account 14:20, Johns Account 17:21}.  Therefore, I can confidently say that this life is not of my own, but is lived in the love and grace of the Father.  God is not just an overseer looking down upon us from heaven, but has always been an intimate part of our life.  Remember, we have been created in His very likeness.  He has breathed into us the breath of life.  This is our life in Jesus and the Father.  Unfortunately, the theology of the church constantly speaks of our "Coming nearer" to God.  Modern Christian music speaks to a seemingly distant savior as we invite Him to "Come Lord Jesus."  The truth of the matter is that we have always been intimately connected to the Father.  We need not ask Him to draw near to us.  He is already there.  What existence would we have apart from him?  A life in Christ is based on the truth that our life has never been independently our own.  Yet it seems that those within the church feel the need to keep the sin issue alive that they can continue to keep their pews filled with those seeking the Lords forgiveness.  But Paul has spoken to the truth that Christ Jesus has died to sin "Once for all time" {Paul to the Romans 6:10}.  I am no longer a church declared sinner, but confident in my life in Him. 

There is no independent, self-operating self in the universe, except the One who calls Himself the I AM {Exodus 3:14} and says, "I am the Lord and there is none else, there is no God beside Me" {Isaiah 45:5}.

No Independent Self by Norman Grubb 

~Scott~ 

The Good Of The Father (What You Were Never Told About Sin) # 2066

 

There is no independent, self-operating self in the universe, except the One who calls Himself the I AM {Exodus 3:14} and says, "I am the Lord, and there is none else, there is no God beside Me" {Isaiah 45:5}

No Independent Self by Norman Grubb 

Growing up in the church, I was fed the idea that our original sin consisted of Adam and Eve disobeying the command of the Lord and taking of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.  This has become known among Christian circles as "The fall."  That moment when man resisted the instructions of the Lord and veered off onto his own path.  Therefore, sin has been constituted as turning from God.  Not only that, but we're constantly remined that we are all guilty of it as a result of the actions of Adam and Eve {Paul to the Romans 3:23}.  But, is this an accurate definition of sin, or is there something more at play here?  Because the church will continue to bang that drum that sin remains a large part of our lives.  Not only that, but that our sin has separated us from the Father.  So, was it the really the bite of the apple which led to the downfall of mankind?  I would say that it wasn't so much the actions of Adam and Eve which led to their sin, but their intent.  See, Eve has been deceived by the lie spoken by Satan in the garden.  A lie so appealing, that she was ultimately convinced that she could, be like God.  Believing in the lie of the deceiver, she then took of the fruit and offered it to Adam as well.  The rest, as they say, is history.  But what was the intent of Eve as she took of that forbidden fruit?  What was the lie which was so convincing that it would lead her to disobey God?  Well, it was the same lie which Satan himself had used to deceive himself into believing that he would be greater that God {Isaiah 14:14}.  That he would make himself like the most high.  It was this belief which eventually found him cast out from the Lords presence {Ezekiel 28:17}.  It is this lie which Satan then uses against the Lords creation that we would disobey God.  That by taking of the forbidden fruit, Satan convinced Eve that "You will not surely die.  For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil" {Genesis 3:5 NKJV}.  Eve had been convinced that she could indeed "Be like God."  Therefore, the false belief in the independent self was conceived within us.  A belief which persists to this day. 

Walk into any respectable church and you will surely never hear of the truth of our original sin.  The truth that speaks to our independent nature apart from the Father.  Indeed, most sermons we will hear speak to our "Coming near" to God.  But, because of our sin, we can never actually realize the truth of the love of the Lord.  The truth which speaks to the fact that our lives are now lived IN Him {Johns Account 14:20}.  For it is through Christ Jesus that we have been declared innocent of our sin of believing in the lie of the deceiver {Paul to the Ephesians 1:7}.  The truth we will not hear from the pulpits of the mainstream church is that we have never been separated from God.  How is it that we can be separated from He who created us in His likeness {Genesis 1:27}?  Can we ever be separated from our connection to our earthly family?  No!  We might do everything we can to distance ourselves from them, but we are forever linked with them through heredity.  They are eternally a part of who we are.  The same can be said of the truth of our life within the Father.  He not only created us, but has always been a part of who we are in Him.  At its base, this makes the lie spoken by the deceiver just that, a lie not to be believed.  For our sin is no longer before us.  Our sin has been put to death by the work of Christ Jesus.  The lie of the deceiver has been exposed for what it is.  

For I shall be propitious to their injustices, And of their sins and their lawlessnesses should I under no circumstances still be reminded

To The Hebrews 8: 12, Concordant New Testament 

~Scott~ 

The Good Of The Father (Speaking The Lie) # 2065

 

Religion has actually convinced people that there is a invisible man living in the sky watching everything you do, every minute of every day.  And the invisible mas has a special list of ten things he doesn't want you to do.  And if you do any of these ten things, he has a special place full of fire and smoke and burning and torture and anguish, where he will send you to live and suffer and burn and choke and scream and cry forever and ever until the end of time.  But he loves you.  He loves you and he needs money.  He always needs money.  He's all-powerful, all-perfect, all-knowing and all-wise, somehow he just can't handle money

~George Carlin~ 

Growing up in the mainstream church, I was always taught of a certain view of God.  It didn't matter the life situation, this false view of God was the word spoken not only from the pulpit, but from many Christians as well.  That being, that man is a sinner and that God hates sin.  Now, I have referred to this theology of the church as one of the lies which the church told me about God.  The other day a friend asked me if anyone else was having issues with a gym friend I have dubbed as being judgmental.  The answer to this question will always be yes.  For as long as there are people who adhere to the false image of God spoken by the church, there will also always be those who will speak to the lie.  In my time in the church, I was told that this was the correct righteous view of the Father.  Yes, God loves you, but He also hates the sin which continues to define you.  Therefore, I was told that I needed to continually be in prayer to God seeking His forgiveness.  This is the attitude which I see in my gym friend.  I have taken to referring to him as judgmental for a very good reason, for if this is how I see his demeanor, I am certain that other non Christians will see him in that way as well.  But what does it mean to be a judgmental believer?  Well, you start by seeing the scriptures through the lens of the false church theology.  That the righteous will be rewarded and that the wicked will be punished with an eternity in hell.  You speak to the belief that only those who have accepted Christ Jesus into their hearts will find favor with God and be granted salvation {Paul to the Romans 10:9}.  Yet as judgmental believers, we are also placing that authority of sending someone to heaven or hell squarely on our shoulders.  This is something we were never created to do.  It was never the Lords intent that His creation would decide ones fate between heaven or hell.  This is through His authority alone.  To choose to condemn others to eternal punishment is to engage in speaking the lie of the church.

In my years in the church, I heard all of the voices who accused many Christians as being judgmental.  I simply believed that these were people in need of saving before God condemned them to hell for unbelief.  After all, this is exactly what had been taught.  Well, it turns out that I was wrong.  Not only was I wrong about judging others, but I had been wrong about my own image of God as well.  God has never been that overseer sitting in heaven just waiting for someone to mess up.  What He is, what He has always been, is love {First Epistle of John 4:8}.  It is through love that I was created in His likeness {Genesis 1:27}.  It is through love by which, after the misguided choice of man in the garden, He has provided for our redemption by appointing His Son to die in our place {Paul to the Corinthians (2) 5:21}.  God has never taken joy from condemning one of His own to death outside of His presence, which if there indeed is a hell, that is what it is like.  What the Father DOES take joy in is having all of His children come to know Him {Paul to the Colossians 1:20}.  I see the false theology of the church as looking upon God not through the perspective of His love, but our own perspective.  We see someone doing wrong, we assume that God will punish them for their sin.  Likewise, if we see someone who we see as righteous, we assume that God will reward them with eternity in heaven.  But rarely do we look upon these situations through the love perspective of the Father.  One of the most important questions I ever asked myself was, how is it that God sees me?  Does He see me as simply a sinner, as the church continues to preach?  Or, through His one true love nature, does God see me as His loved child {First Epistle of John 3:1}.  I prefer to see myself through the love of the Father. 

Perceive what manner of love the Father has given us, that we may be called children of God!  And we are!  Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him

~Scott~ 

The Good Of The Father (God In A Box) # 2064

 

We are of God.  He who knows God is hearing us.  He who is not of God is not hearing us.  By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of deception

First Epistle of John 4: 6, Concordant New Testament 

I had a conversation the other day with a friend who claimed, "I've never been into organized religion."  Now, I know this man to be a faithful, God fearing person.  Yet, he also correctly has realized that God does not solely exist within the box of organized religion.  Growing up in the mainstream church, I was taught that God centered around the church itself.  That He lived within the confines of the church.  Therefore, I came to believe that to know God was to know and understand the theology spoken by those within the church.  For it was these "Men of God" who were seemingly ordained to speak His truth to the masses.  That's what we were told anyway.  But how close to the truth is this belief?  Is God simply confined to the box of the church?  I would answer no to that.  For if God were confined to the church and those within it, how does that explain those outside of the confines of organized Christianity who have come to the Lord?  The late reverend Billy Graham made it his life purpose to gather those who had never known God into coming to know of Him.  I say "Know of Him" because knowing God and having that personal relationship with Him are definitely two different things.  But, that's a post for another time.  For now I'll focus on the misguided belief that to know of God is to know the mainstream church.  This is putting God in a box, someplace He was never meant to be.  If organized Christianity has taught us anything, it has been a false idea of the Father.  The theology that God continues to look upon the sin in our life with disapproval.  To that I would say, what sin is that?  What sin is there which God has suddenly condemned us?  But the church preachers have proclaimed this so it must be true, right?  Wrong!  This is exactly why the apostle John has called upon us to "Test the spirits to see if they are of God" {First Epistle of John 4:1}.  You might think that pastor of yours is speaking the word when all he is doing is repeating the centuries old church theology of God in a box.  That if you want to know God, you need to be in church.  He is much bigger than that. 

After my mother passed away, I spent a good deal of time away from the organized church.  Had I grown tired of God?  No, just the way that He was being portrayed by those within the church.  The final straw came one Easter Sunday morning when the pastor, after preaching that Jesus had died on the cross for the forgiveness of sin, invited anyone who had unconfessed sin in their lives to come forward for prayer.  So, you're telling me that Jesus gave Himself for our sakes yet we continue to have sin?  How does that work?  I decided that this was not the version of God I wanted to know.  After I left the church, you may have thought that I had committed some high form of heresy by the way my Christian friends spoke to me.  Are you turning your back on God?  What sin are you dealing with?  The misconception was that because I was no longer attending the church that I was somehow lost.  That I had abandoned my faith.  In reality, I had not abandoned my faith, but was searching for it.  Fortunately, through the companionship of a dear friend, I was introduced to a new, radical way of seeing God.  Well, radical in the eyes of the church.  I was introduced to a Father Who did not live in the box of the confines of the church.  I was introduced to a loving Father who did not condemn me for unconfessed sin.  I began to recognize the truth of the Father I had grown up only hearing about.  That I was not a sinner, as I had so often been told by those within the church.  For it is Christ Jesus who has died to sin "Once for all time" {Paul to the Romans 6:10}.  That I have never been separated from Him, but have been created by Him in His likeness {Genesis 1:27}.  To me, this sounded more like a loving Father than the God spoken of by the church.  

He who is not loving knew not God, for God is love 

First Epistle of John 4: 8, Concordant New Testament 

~Scott~ 

The Good Of The Father (The Hardest Word) # 2063

 Then, approaching, Peter said to Him, "Lord, how many times shall my brother be sinning against me and I shall be pardoning him?  Till seven times?"  Jesus is saying to him, "I am not saying to you 'Till seven times,' but 'till seventy times and seven.' 

Matthews Account 18: 21-22, Concordant New Testament 

When I'm reminded of that most difficult of words, I think of a few scenes from the Chosen series.  How difficult it must have been for Simon to reconcile with his brother Matthew the former tax collector.  We witness the struggle as the two inch closer to what might be a final confrontation.  Yet, in an effort to better understand his brother, Simon one evening seeks the council of Jesus for his situation.  Although Jesus is well aware of the angst which his disciple carries for his brother, He listens to him nonetheless.  Then, Jesus presents Simon with something even more difficult in his eyes.  When he asks his teacher how many times must he forgive his brother, Jesus answers him, "I am not saying to you till seven times, but till seventy times seven" {Matthews Account 18:21-22}.  To Simon, the answer to his question seemed insurmountable, was Jesus actually asking him to forgive Matthew of all of his trespasses against him?  Their conversation ends with Simon walking away pondering these words of Jesus.  However, later in the series we are witness to that moment of reconciliation between Simon and Matthew.  I was reminded of this the other day in a conversation with one of my gym rat friends.  Not being privy to his situation, I could tell that he was obviously carrying a grudge against someone he knew.  When I broached the topic of the hardest word, he responded that he "Might" be able to forgive the other persons actions, but that he could never trust them again.  I get it.  I get it because I myself have been in that same situation more times than I can count.  In those moments, I too would have found the words of Jesus a hard pill to swallow.  Yet as I listened to the words of my friend, I knew what he needed to do to rectify his situation with his brother.  This is exactly why the word forgiveness is all too often one of the most difficult words we will ever speak to another person. 

I can recall being upset with another Christian brother to the point that I even considered forsaking attending church simply in order that I would not have to face him.  In my mind, my own pride told me that I was right and that my brother needed to recognize that.  But forgiveness isn't about pride at all, but about forsaking pride for the love and mercy which the Father has already given to us freely.  Indeed, while we were yet sinners, it is Christ Jesus who gave Himself for us {Paul to the Romans 5:8}.  Is it any wonder, then, that Jesus would speak to us about the act of forgiveness?  Even in the midst of His suffering, Jesus implored the Father "Father, forgive them, for they are not aware what they are doing" {Lukes Account 23:34}.  What do we do in the midst of our suffering at the hands of another?  Do we follow the lead of Jesus, seeking the Fathers forgiveness for them?  Or, as I have often done, do we allow our pride to take over and make it that more difficult to proclaim that most difficult of words?  How much pride can we see in Simon as he struggles with his forgiveness of Matthew?  He called his anger justified against this former tax collector who had wronged him.  As Jesus calls Matthew to follow Him, Simon pulls him aside and asks angrily, "Do you know what this man has done?"  Of course, Jesus knows all too well what we've done in the past.  He also knows that He Himself has suffered that our sin debt would be paid in full {Paul to the Corinthians (2) 5:21}.  Even as He perished on that cross, Jesus uttered that most difficult of words for our sake.  

Yet become kind to one another, tenderly compassionate, dealing graciously among yourselves, according as God also, in Christ, deals with you 

Paul to the Ephesians 4: 32, Concordant New Testament 

~Scott~ 

The Good Of The Father (Looking For Jesus) # 2062

 

Now if Christ is in you, the body, indeed, is dead because of sin, yet the spirit if life because of righteousness 

Paul to the Romans 8: 10, Concordant New Testament 

I listened to an old broadcast from the late Billy Graham the other day in which the old preacher was speaking of "Coming to Christ."  Now, this was nothing new coming from Billy Graham, as he spent the majority of his life encouraging others to come to Jesus.  However, this is also the same message I recall hearing while growing up in the church.  That one needs to "Come to Jesus" in order to be receive the Lords salvation.  This seems logical, for Jesus has spoken that He and He alone is the path to the Father {Johns Account 14:6}.  But, what does it really mean to come to Jesus?  I have come to believe that coming to Jesus is less of a search for Him than a realization of who we are in Him.  Indeed, after years in the mainstream church, I was blessed with the revelation of Christ in me.  I had not "Come to Jesus," but realized the truth of my life in Him.  Almost all the pastors I have known have spoken of the church theology which speaks to our physically coming to know Christ, as if this requires effort on our behalf.  I am reminded of the words of the apostle Paul who speaks that our salvation is based on the love of the Father alone {Paul to the Ephesians 2:8-9}.  Indeed it is by grace that we have been saved, "And this is not out of you."  There is nothing we will ever do physically which will ever ensure our own salvation.  For if we could guarantee our own future in the Lord, imagine the pride and boasting which would ensue!  Paul knew this to be true, which is why he spoke to salvation coming directly from the Father.  When I listen to the reverend Graham speak to coming to Jesus, I immediately think he is inviting us to actively look for Him.  But where would someone even begin to search for Jesus?  Is He in the scriptures?  Is He in the church itself?  Once again the words spoken by Paul can help us here.  For Paul has spoken in Galatians to the truth of Christ Jesus in us.  That "Living in me is Christ" {Paul to the Galatians 2:20}.  Paul understood that as the body is dead because of sin, that the spirit within us is life due to the righteousness of Christ Jesus who remains in us {Paul to the Romans 8:10}.  

If Billy Graham would have spoken to the truth of seeking the Lord who is in you, then I could be on board with his proclamation.  Unfortunately, it is Graham who so often encouraged others to come to repentance and to speak "The prayer" of our acceptance of Christ Jesus into our lives.  Many Christians have come to see this as "Inviting" Jesus into our life.  My question is this, if Christ is in us, why is it that we need to invite Him into our life?  Indeed, He is already here!  My suggestion for anyone who is seeking to adhere to the words of the reverend Graham and come to Jesus is to begin by knowing who they are in Christ.  That, contrary to the false theology spoken by those within the church, we have never been separated from the Father Who created us.  For we have been created in His likeness {Genesis 1:27}.  Not only that, but Paul has spoken to the truth that "Your life is hidden with Christ in God" {Paul to the Colossians 3:3}.  We do not need to come to Jesus, we need to see Jesus for who He is!  It is Jesus Who is the foundation for our life.  It is in Him that we live {Johns Account 14:20}.  We are all one in Christ Jesus {Paul to the Galatians 3:28}.  There is therefore no coming to Jesus.  There is only knowing that our life is through Him and Him alone.  Unfortunately, I never heard this truth spoken by Billy Graham. 

In this was manifested the love of God among us, that God has dispatched His only-begotten Son into the world that we should be living through Him 

First Epistle of John 4: 9. Concordant New Testament 

~Scott~ 

The Good Of The Father (The Life We Live) # 2061

 

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 loves me, and gives Himself up for me 

Paul to the Galatians 2: 20, Concordant New Testament 

I listened to a local radio minister the other night speak to the goal of our lives, which, in his words, was to "Seek the Father and His kingdom."  Instead of turning off the radio, I listened to his theory that this was the most important aspect of any believers life.  To look for God.  I started thinking, what do we do when we find Him?  Will we ever find Him?  Where do we look for Him?  The theology of the church has always been that we should be seeking God.  We go to church as a way of looking to connect with Him.  This mindset speaks to the error in church theology which speaks to the idea that we are somehow separated from the Father who created us.  As I've said so many times, nothing could be further from the truth.  This is the reason that I take issue with any pastor who speaks to the idea that we need to be seeking the Father and His kingdom, as if this is all God will ever be.  To put this in a bit of perspective, if you are interested in knowing someone, do you simply ask where they live and call it good?  Or, as many do, do you seek to know them more intimately?  The same can be said of our search for knowing the Father.  A good friend the other day spoke to how he was taught to know God externally, but never internally.  To seek His kingdom, "The realm of God's rule and the full operation of His laws."  As he and I were taught in the church, to live in the realm of God was good enough.  But, as my friend correctly noticed, we were never taught to know God, and Jesus for that matter, as a person.  Many believers will step back when I mention this truth, God is a person?  God is alive?  Keep in mind that Christ Jesus came as the Father in the flesh {Johns Account 1:14}.  The truth very few congregations ever know is that to know God is to know Him on a personal level.  To know Him as intimately as we would a friend or family member.  

The apostle Paul has spoken to the truth of Christ Jesus in us.  That we are not alive outside of the Father, but that it is Christ Jesus Who lives within us {Paul to the Galatians 2:20}.  For anyone seeking to know the Father, THIS is where we should begin our search.  In other words, do not seek God in the external, but internally.  Indeed, Jesus has spoken that we now live in union with He and the Father {Johns Account 14:20}.  If we indeed live life in the Father, as I believe that we do, we can also know Him intimately as a person.  This is the truth which my friend was reminding me of.  God is not known personally in the kingdom, nor is He known in the brick and mortar church.  Where we WILL find God is within ourselves, for that is where He resides.  The life which we live is not lived outside of God, but within Him {Johns Account 17:21}.  We know that we have been created in His likeness {Genesis 1:27}.  That He has breathed into His creation the very breath of life {Genesis 2:7}.  He has always been an intimate part of us.  The voices that speak that we have somehow been separated from Him come from within the mainstream church.  That it is our sin which has caused God to turn His back on us.  Again, nothing could be further from the truth.  The lie spoken by the separation theology of the church is proven false through the innocent sacrifice of Christ Jesus on the cross {Paul to the Corinthians (2) 5:21}.  Jesus has died and paid that sin penalty for us.  The debt has been paid!  As Paul has spoken to us, to live is Christ {Paul to the Philippians 1:21}.  

To whom God wills to make known what are the glorious riches of this secret among the nations, which is: Christ among you, the expectation of glory 

Paul to the Colossians 1: 27, Concordant New Testament 

~Scott~ 

The Good Of The Father (What Tomorrow Brings) # 2060

 "Now if the grass of the field, which is today, and tomorrow is cast into the stove, God thus is garbing; not much rather you, scant of faith?  You, then, should not be worrying, saying, 'What may we be eating?' or 'What may we be drinking?' or, 'What may we be clothed?'  For all these the nations are seeking.  For aware is your heavenly Father that you need all of these.  Yet seek first the kingdom and it's righteousness, and all these shall be added to you.  You should not, then, be worrying about the morrow, for the morrow will be worrying of itself.  Sufficient for the day is its own evil."  

Matthews Account 6: 30-34, Concordant New Testament 

This is the time of year where so many people stop not only stop to take stock of what has been, but in what will be.  This is the time for those New Years resolutions.  Where we seemingly predict where it is that we will make life changes.  Interestingly enough, our gym rat community has noticed a different take on such resolutions over the years.  It seems that there are those out there who make it a point each year to resolve to go to the gym more often and to live a more healthy life.  This is all fine and admirable, if one intends to stick it out for the long haul.  The trouble is, after the first month or so, all of that New Years resolution crowd seems to fade away.  What happened?  Are the resolutions still good?  Were they truly committed to what they were doing?  In the end, did they believe that they could succeed?  I have found that many of the resolutions which we make this time of year simply get pushed aside as time goes on.  I've even had that happen in my own life.  What sounds good in the moment takes a back seat to other things as time goes by.  I was thinking the other day about how it is that the Father feels about our resolutions.  After all, He is the one we should be taking direction from, especially for matters of the future.  Jesus Himself has spoken to this very subject.  In His sermon on the Mount, Jesus declares that we should not be worrying about material needs, "For aware is your heavenly Father that you need all of these" {Matthews Account 6:32}.  Think about it, what is it that we can ever ask for that God does not know that we already need?  Of course, then we get into that conversation of what is a want and what is it that we might need.  Either way, it is God who intimately knows what we will always need in our life.  

For this year, I have resolved to know more about that which I write upon these pages.  In other words, to know and understand the Father more.  THAT I know that I can work at.  Of course, the Lord knows I need this as well.  But what about the material needs which I might have?  Well, I am also aware that the Father always knows what it is that I will ever need.  What is it that I could ever ask Him for that He already knows that I need?  I would also say that there is nothing in my life which God is not intimately involved in.  My life, is in Him.  Jesus speaks to this truth in the pages of the book of John {Johns Account 14:20, 17:21}.  Contrary to the traditional church doctrine, I have not been separated from God due to my own sin.  The sin which Jesus has given Himself as the sacrifice for us {Paul to the Corinthians (2) 5:21}.  The apostle Paul has gone as far as to proclaim that Jesus has died to sin "Once for all time" {Paul to the Romans 6:10}.  I am no longer that guy I was before.  I now live my life in union with Jesus and the Father.  My life is His alone.  Knowing this truth puts the entire New Years resolution thing into perspective.  Are we seeking something which He already knows that we need?  Or, do we seek that which He desires us to?  Believe me, there is a difference between the two.  Jesus tells us, "Seek first the kingdom and its righteousness, and all these shall be added to you" {Matthews Account 6:33}.  Are we looking for what we feel that we need, or are we listening to the Father and what He KNOWS is right for us?  

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, that 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 

~Scott~