The Way

1“Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. 2“In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3“And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. 4“And where I go you know, and the way you know.” 5Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?” 6Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. 7“If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him.”
John 14: 1 - 7  NKJV

From what I've heard, heaven is a wonderful place to be.  Our Lords kingdon is indeed one that is reserved for His children and those He chooses to allow into eternity with Him.  Of course, there is no way for us to know if there are those among our Lords elect who are now in His presence who never claimed to be christians.  That, we're told, we will find out by and by.  There have even been countless pulpit pounder sermons on the subject of gaining admittance to our Lords kingdom.  It seems that one week the pastor will praise his flock as being ready for our Lords paradise, but the next we've fallen far too short and we need to be "Closer" to Jesus in order to gain entrance into heaven.  Do the requirements of getting into heaven change every so often?  Are they flexible?  How is it that we can "Punch our ticket" to eternity with our heavenly Father?  Well, it seems that Jesus definately knew the way into heaven.  In His sermon on the Mount of Olives, Jesus laid out perfectly what must be done in order to enter into His Fathers kongdom.  As Christ claimed, "Nobody comes to the Father except through Me."  That's it in a nutshell, if you want to experience the beauty of our heavenly Fathers glory, then you must follow Jesus as He leads you in.  There is no other way.  For Jesus Himself is "The way, the Truth and the Life," and we will not come to the Father but through the Son.  Yet there are those who still try to crash the party and somehow buy or perform their way into our Lords paradise.  I would call such claims utterly ridiculous, but that's just me.

21“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22“Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ 23“And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!"
Matthew 7: 21 - 23 NKJV

Far too many times in the modern institutional church I have heard of our need to perform better in order to gain entrance into our Lords kingdom.  For if we tithe more, perform our service to others and pray more we can expect to punch our salvation ticket.  And so we try in vain to work our way into our Lords favor.  The issue with this approach lies the message and not in reality.  The apostle Paul himself warned us against such thinking.  For it is by our Lords very grace by which we have been saved, and not of our own efforts {Ephesians 2:8}.  Can you imagine the arrogance of one who worked or bought his own way into heaven?  Talk about favoritism!  Fortunately we will never need to suffer the indignity of seeing those with more than influence than ourselves gain our Lords favor while we suffer.  For salvation is a GIFT of our heavenly Father.  Man has been taken out of that equation...thankfully.  That path to heaven leads through the Way, the Truth and the Life of Christ Jesus.  Jesus Himself became sin on our behalf in order to make this possible {2 Corinthians 5:21}.  Jesus has gone before us to prepare a place for us in our Lords kingdom.  For those who follow Him, He will return once again to receive His own unto Him.

 8For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9not of works, lest anyone should boast.
Ephesians 2:8 NKJV

~Scott~

One With Jesus

20“I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; 21“that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. 22“And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: 23“I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me. 24“Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world. 25“O righteous Father! The world has not known You, but I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me. 26“And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.”
John 17: 20 - 26 NKJV

Dennis floated the question this week about the difference between our relationship with Christ Jesus and our union with Him.  Now, to a novice such as myself this might seem like a slam dunk question answered easily.  Somehow I think that Dennis enjoys these brain teasers that he throws out there.  My first thought was that our relationship and our union with Jesus were somehow related, but I've changed my tune.  Yes, we can have a relationship with Jesus, but does this indeed make us "One" with Him?  Jesus' disciples enjoyed some of the closest relationships with Christ that anyone living possibly ever will.  Were these men one with Jesus in their relationship with Him?  I would say that at the time of their relationship with Jesus that they weren't one with Him.  It is through this example that I say that our relationship and union with Christ may just be two different things.  I may indeed have a relationship with Jesus, but am I one with Him?  Well, looking at what the apostle Paul tells us in Galations 2:20, that union with Christ may be closer than we think.  According to Paul, that very sin nature wich we were born under was put to death with Christ on the cross.  Jesus Himself now occupies that place within us.  When we ourselves accept Christ Jesus into our lives, are we then one with Him as Paul states?  This seems to be the case, for from this point forward we live AS JESUS who is in us.  That old Paul was dead and crucified, what remained was...Christ in him.  Of course, the argument can be made that this transformation comes only through relationship with Christ Jesus.  I believe that is where it all begins.


20“I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me."
Galations 2:20 NKJV

As Dennis has so correctly pointed out, relationship is people sharing life together while union is two acting as one.  Can it not  be said that a courtship is but a relationship while marriage is two living as one?  That relationship Jesus' disciples shared with Him was Jesus sharing His life with these men.  Therefore, Jesus did not have union with His disciples.  Indeed, we may share relationship with another, but it is not union with them.  We are not acting as one with that person but simply sharing life with them.  I believe that this is why Pauls revelation in Galations is so important.  It was revealed to Paul that he no longer lived as he had come to know it, but that he now lived IN UNION  with Christ.  Paul was not sharing life with Jesus, but living as one with Him.  Paul was one with Christ.  So it is with us.  When our eyes are opened and we accept what Jesus has to offer us, we cease from sharing our life with Him and start anew living each day as Jesus.  This is the message of Galations 2:20, that each and every day we experience our lives as Christ Jesus who is in us.  The valleys we walk through...we do as He who is in us.  This was the crux of the prayer of Jesus in the garden, that "They also may be one with us."  Jesus has always had a union with the Father, His prayer was that we would enjoy that very same union.

~Scott~

A Well Oiled Machine

"So no, I'm not too big on religion...and not very fond of politics or economics either...and why should I be?  They are the man-created trinity of errors that ravages the earth and destroys those I care about.  What mental turmoil and anxiety does any human face that is not related to one of those three?"
~William Paul Young The Shack~

I noticed this weeks post from Wayne Jacobsen with more than a bit of interest.  In this message, he referred to the christian institutional church system as "The machine."  I can't say that I disagree with his assesment.  I don't think that there are many people out there who have not been run over by that machine at one time or another.  I have heard many complaints over time that the church is impersonal and distant.  I would have to agree with this as I've faced it for myself.  However, it is my opinion that the machine was never meant to bring genuine community and relationships.  For the machine is a organization,a entity and a system.  The church organization is designed more for control over its members than for relationships.  Through traditions and generations old practices, the well oiled machine insists that its members follow its doctrine.  Oh sure, the can talk night and day about the importance of relationship with Christ Jesus, but they always fall short by design.  For from the pulpit each week we are bombarded with messages of being "More like" Jesus.  Will we ever get there?  I've often questioned Dennis as to why the church does not teach more about our relationship with Christ.  The fact is, if the machine were to teach the truth of Jesus which we find in Galations 2:20, then they may just hemorrhage church members like a sieve.  It's no secret that church congregations have been in steady decline for some time.  One of the main reasons people have given for leaving, or falling away from the machine is their distaste for organized religion.  Notice that they did not mention a distaste for relationships, only organized religion.  relationships which are forged within church walls are not the by product of the institutional church, but rather of our need for community.  Sadly, the machine doesn't follow suit.

24“God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands. 25“Nor is He worshiped with men’s hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things. 26“And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, 27“so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; 28“for in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also His offspring.’
Acts 17: 24 - 28 NKJV

I have to damit that whenever the church I was attending would statrt talking about community and relationship that my interest would be peaked.  However, this was usually short lived as the machine once again settled into its centuries old practices and traditions.  It is unlikely in this environment to foster relationship with Christ.  For in a true relationship with Jesus, the traditions of the machine no longer apply.  In its place we will find the love and freedom one would expect to find without constraints of the machine.  For in Jesus there is no obligation to assemble, no obligation to give and above all...no organization to maintain.  There is only Jesus and our relationship with Him.  This is one on one, mano y mano fellowship with our heavenly Father.  For in Jesus we find the image of the invisible God {Colossions 1:15}.  We will not find Jesus in church buildings or traditions, but only as our own eyes are opened to who we truly are.  For when we know the truth of Jesus which Paul relates in Galations 2:20, we realize that He is closer to us than we have ever known.  Not within the walls of the church, but in us.  It is no longer WE, but HE.  How many churches would survive were all Gods children to know this truth?  Not too many I'm afraid.  I have no doubt that Christ Himself is not too big a fan of organized religion but of our relationship with Him.

13And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, 14having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. 15Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.
Colossions 2: 13 - 15 NKJV

~Scott~

Through The Eyes Of Jesus

27“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ 28“But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29“If your right eye causes you to jsin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. 30“And if your right hand causes you to ksin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell."
Matthew 5: 27 - 30 NKJV

I've never had one of my eyes gouged out, but according to Jesus I should have.  I'm talking about my usual reaction to a attractive female, which is rarely focised on how good of a person she may be.  Who's wife or daughter she may be in that moment seems pretty unimportant.  More important seems to be her physical attractiveness and attributes.  This is how men are.  Where women are more centered to emotional and other behavior attributes, men are more often than not drawn to a physical attraction pleasing to the eye.  Men are visually stimulated.  I guess Jesus knew this as He gave His thoughts on the Mount of Olives that day.  He should, He created me in all that I am.  It is Jesus Himself who I live as today {Galations 2:20}.  For some time I had figured that I somehow needed to change who I was in respect to my thoughts towards women.  However, after more than a few heart to heart chats with a few godly men I've come away with a different view.  Yes, Jesus knew exactly the challenges of temptation that we would face.  He Himself also faced the temptations which we face, yet without sin {Hebrews 4:15}.  I can hear the nay sayers already, "yeah, but that was back then and things have changed!"  Really?  Ok, since we already know that men are more drawn to visual attributes of a female by design, what has changed?  Nothing!  How men often see women is the same today as it was in that day of Jesus.  Yes, men in Jesus' day did not have movies, magazines and Al Gores internet, but they still definately struggled with their own temptations when it came to how they viewed women.  Just ask Abraham and our old friend king David.  The temptations of the opposite sex have been around for some time.  For if they hadn't, then maybe Jesus wouldn't have seen the need to bring up such temptations.  However, since we find this teaching of Jesus in Matthew 5, it's my belief that the men of Jesus' day indeed struggled with that very same issue which we do today.

6knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be adone away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. 7For he who has died has been bfreed from sin. 8Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, 9knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him. 10For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. 11Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 6: 6 - 11 NKJV

One of the things that a old friend of mine told me some time ago on the topic of men and their visual lusts towards women was to think of who is sharing our sight...and thoughts.  Indeed, if we live today as Christ Jesus who is within us, then it is Jesus Himself who shares our each and every thought and gaze.  He sees what we see.  We may shudder at the very thought of Jesus watching pornography, but isn't that what is happening for those of us who have that Spirit of Jesus in us yet we choose to engage in the temptations of lust?  Would that give you a new perpsective?  It did for me.  For we live today through the eyes of Jesus, He sees what we see.  That doesn't mean that He will suddenly leave His place within us should we stumble and fall in our temptations.  It does, however, mean that He may be grieved for He knows that He has so much better in store for us.  May we never make that claim that Jesus somehow does not know just what we are going through.  For not only do we live as Christ today, He was intimately involved in our very creation.  Not only did Jesus face the very same temptations which we today face, He did so without sin.  He knows His children, and He knows what is best for us.  When we see through the eyes of Jesus, we always see things as they were meant to be.

~Scott~

The Unteachable Christ

1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2He was in the beginning with God. 3All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. 4In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not acomprehend it.
John 1: 1 - 5 NKJV

There was a comment by Dennis this week which got me thinking.  Well, most all of his comments start me thinking, but this one in particular.  We were discussing the topic of my previous post where I spoke of how pastors try in vain to keep up the interest level of their sermons.  They try everything from gimmicks to the warning of displeasing God in order to keep their pews filled.  Although this is a issue in the modern church, Dennis rightly pointed out that the real issue is just why Christ Jesus is not taught in church.  I will agree with him on this point.  For I have seen many a sermon on our Lords supposed view on various social issues as well as how we should live today, but I have rarely if ever heard a sermon from a pulpit pounder on the truth of Christ Jesus.  What is the truth of Jesus?  Well, as I have written before, the truth of Christ Jesus is that we today who have accepted Him now live AS JESUS.  Indeed, we have that very Spirit of Christ within us.  When we look in that mirror each morning, we see Jesus looking back at us.  THAT is the truth of Christ Jesus today.  So, why is it that so many pastors ignore this truth and continue to draw on the same old preachings pulpit pounders have relied on for ages?  Is Jesus really that unteachable?  Absolutely not!  For as the apostle John tells us in John 1, Christ Jesus was there from the begining.  Not only that, but "All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made."  From the begining was Jesus and until the end is Christ Jesus.  He is, indeed, the same today as He was in the begining {Hebrews 13:8}.

20“I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me."
Galations 2:20 NKJV

So, is Christ that unteachable?  I would say no.  The comment I made to Dennis on this topic is that were the church to teach on the truth of Christ, then perhaps people would be less dependent upon the church for their daily lives and more dependent on Jesus.  This is the freedom which we find in Christ, that we would rely on Him and Him alone as He will never fail us.  In the end, man will fail us but Jesus will always be by our side.  I believe that the church has alot to lose by teaching the truth of Jesus.  For one, fewer people in the pews means fewer dollars in the collection plates, which is what the modern church survives on.  Also, what need would we have for the church were we to know and live the truth of Jesus?  From time to time I've related a gathering of friends that Dennis and I attended one Sunday morning.  To a person, each one in attendance related the freedom which they had found by being seperated from the traditions and requirements of the institutional church.  I question whether the truth of Jesus could even be taught in the environment of the church, as in Jesus we find freedom and not requirements.  In fact, it is Christ Jesus who put to death those requirements which were against us {Colossions 2:14}.  In Jesus there is freedom.  In the modern church we find traditions and that which we are required to do to somehow earn our Lords favor.  Sorry, but I already have that in Christ.

~Scott~

Feel Good Christianity

2Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. 3For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; 4and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. 5But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.
2 Timothy 4: 2 - 5 NKJV

A bad television series rarely brings rave reviews.  Likewise, we all too often find ourselves changing our radio stations continuously until we find that song we like.  So it is with christianity as well.  For many a pulpit pounder will try and try to maintain the intrest level of his congregation while preaching the word of God.  I've witnessed pastors resort to everything from jokes to riding a motorcycle down the center aisle of a church in order to grab the attention of those in attendance.  At what cost?  If a congregation member feels they are not being "fed" at their present church, they will undoubedly find another church that is more to their liking and style.  The very number of churches in our towns and cities testifies to the different styles of christianity among us.  We have everything from lutherns to southern baptists.  Each with their own style and way of doing things.  I've often wondered just how many branches of christianity we need.  Which christianity is the RIGHT christinaity?  Surely God has His favorite line of believers, right?  Yes, if we fall in line with mans standards.  For as the apostle Paul warned young Timothy in 2 Timothy 4, people will ultimately seek out teachings more in tune with their beliefs "according to their own desires, because they have itching ears."  So, due to our own desires to hear what WE  feel our Lords word should be is that standard we use to choose a "Good" church.  Still wondering why it is that we have so many churches around town?  Since when did our Sunday morning worship become more about entertaining the masses than preaching the word of God and our relationship with Christ Jesus.  Is Jesus that boring that we need to spice up our sermons on Him in order to get to people to listen?  I'd say no simply because rarely is our relationship with Christ {Galations 2:20} taught in the modern church, but that's beside the point.  So it is that we immerse ourselves in feel good christianity.

Therefore, the One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you: 24“God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands. 25“Nor is He worshiped with men’s hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things. 26“And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, 27“so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; 28“for in Him we live and move and have our being.'
Acts 17: 23 - 28 NKJV

Don't get me wrong, I've sat through many a boring sermon in my time.  In fact, it is often the standard family practice to eagerly await many a post church activity on Sunday once that "boring" sermon is done.  This is the arena where the modern pastor finds himself.  For it is indeed a fine line to preach Christ Jesus and yet hold the interest of his flock at the same time.  It is my belief that it is not Christ that is boring, but how the truth about Him is presented.  There is a good reason why 28.6% of our population now considers themselves to be unafilliated with any religion.  Indeed, one of the most common complaints heard from those who have left the church is their weariness of "Organized" religion.  Those traditions and practices which we once held so near to our own hearts we've suddenly found to be not important.  For it is not within the buildings or traditions we surround ourselves with where we will find our true relationship with Christ Jesus.  If this were true, then perhaps that 28.6% of people leaving the church may not have done so.  Obviously they were seeking something they were not getting from their local pulpit pounder.  I believe that this true relationship with Jesus comes from within and not from what we are surrounded with.  For when that veil is lifted and we fully realize that we are one with Christ Jesus, we won't need the gimmicks of a motorcycle riding pastor.

~Scott~

The Reluctant Brother

 4You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. 5They are of the world. Therefore they speak as of the world, and the world hears them. 6We are of God. He who knows God hears us; he who is not of God does not hear us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error. 7Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 8He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
1 John 4: 4 - 8 NKJV

Through my time studying alongside Dennis I have certainly learned much about of the inner workings of the modern institutional church.  For in his time as a pastor he has certainly seen the good, bad and the ugly of the modern church structure.  I have certainly come away with a much different view of the church as we know it.  One of the situations which he has shared with us is how a church pastor would shepherd their flock from week to week.  See, if a member of the congregation would miss two Sundays in a row, they could then expect a call from a pastor to check in on the possible lost member of the flock.  Of course, I question whether this was done out of true concern or out of fear of losing another dollar in the collection plate.  Either way, you could not miss too many services without hearing from whichever pastor had drawn shepherding duty for that week.  I've experienced this for myself.  I've often wondered if I needed to schedule my vacations through the church in order to avoid such inquiries.  Of course, this leads me into the subject of the reluctant brother.  We all know them, those few christians among us who for one reason or another prefer to fly under the radar instead of partaking in the traditional christian aspect of community.  Again, I've experienced my own share of these people as well.  I've gotten plenty of flack from Dennis for my choice to recluse myself at times from many of those around me.  Plenty of scripture they will quote from our Lord not wanting us to be alone to the great commision of making disciples of all the nations.  I've heard it all.  Does this make me a unsociable person?  Definately not.  I prefer to think of it as placing a good value on my private time away from it all.  See, I work in a public service occupation and I have often seen the good, bad and extremely ugly of human behavior.  There are times when I just need to get away.  Am I one of those reluctant brothers?  I would say no, but a few nay sayers would surely want to make their opinions known on that point.  I can hear them quoting scriptures already.

35‘for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; 36‘I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’37“Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? 38‘When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? 39‘Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’40“And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’
Matthew 25: 35 - 40 NKJV

I've often mentioned my mother in  my writings on Christ based community, as this was one of her strengths.  My mother was one of those unique people who was drawn to others.  One of her best friends once shared with me as to how she first met my mom.  It seems that she was at church one Sunday and having a pretty low day.  The next thing she knew, my mom was coming up to her and asking this stranger to share lunch with her.  That was my mom.  Now, does this mean that by heredity I would assume her fondness for community with others?  Absolutely not!  For being fearfully and wonderfully made as I am, God has indeed gifted me with my own set of gifts with which to reveal Himself to others through me.  I believe this to be our ultimate destination, that Christ Jesus would be revealed through us for others to see {Galations 2:20}.  So what are we indeed to do with that reluctant brother among us?  Do we follow the lead of the church and check on them every two weeks?  How long would it be before we ourselves wore out our welcome?  Indeed, I have friends who connect with me on a regular basis as well as those who choose not to do so.  This is our human dynamic.  I am glad to hear from my brothers, but if I don't I also realize that I still hold that relationship with them.  the apostle John tells us in 1 John 4 that we are to love one another, for God is love AND He is within we who have accepted Him.  Therefore, others will surely see Him revealed through us, even that reluctant brother among us.

~Scott~