One Piece At A Time

 

Yet not only so, but we may be glorying also in afflictions, having perceived that affliction is producing endurance, yet endurance tenderness, yet testedness expectation.  Now expectation is not mortifying, seeing that the love of God has been poured out in our hearts through the holy spirit which is being given to us. 

Paul to the Romans 5: 3-5, Concordant New Testament 

In recent weeks I have come to the conclusion that I am not a multitasker.  Normally I can give my attention on one task until it's completed.  Anything more than this and I end up in a stressful mess.  I recall the story which my mother used to tell of her youngest son and his hobby of building model airplanes.  There were times when I would come across a model kit that was particularly complex, but it was always my intent that I would finish the job myself.  Many times my mother would offer to help me, but I would always wave her off and continue with my project more determined than ever.  All too often, everything else went out the window until I finished my project.  This included school work, meals and just about anything else that might distract me.  Eventually, when the task had been completed, I began to catch up on all I had missed.  Now, there are those who can take on multiple tasks at once with no problem.  To them I tip my hat.  I'm not that guy.  I was once again reminded of this in the wake of our recent election season.  Time and again, watching political coverage took priority over other things at times.  And again, at the end, I was once again left wondering why I had allowed myself to reach that point.  It is Jesus Himself, in His sermon on the Mount of Olives, Who proclaims that we not worry about such earthly things {Matthews Account 6:25-29}.  At the end of the day, it is the Father who truly knows what is best for His children.  Our hearts should not be centered on what we can see, but on our life in Him {Johns Account 14:20}.  These were the words of a dear friend the other day.  That when our perspective is on our life In the Father, the stress and worry of the world around us seem less of a burden.  

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 terrors that ravages the earth and deceives those I care about.  What mental turmoil and anxiety does any human face that is not related to one of those three? 

~ Willam P. Young The shack ~ 

When I look into the world around me I see a world in turmoil.  There are disappointments, sickness, pain and chaos all around us.  How is it that any of us could make it through this world with a sane mind?  Well, if our intent is to be of the belief that we ourselves are on this journey we definitely won't make it.  It is the Author Norman Grubb who proclaims that the ONLY independent self in the universe is...God.  Yet we humans go about each and every day with the mindset of we're the ones making it happen.  That we are the ones deciding our own destiny.  If that works for you, then you're living the lie.  That being the lie of the deceiver spoken to Adam and Eve in the garden.  The lie which proclaimed that we could "Be like God" if we simply do what He had commanded us not to do {Genesis 3: 1-6}.  The truth of our life in the Father is that we have always been like Him!  We are created in His likeness {Genesis 1:27}.  He has breathed into us His breath of life {Genesis 2:7}.  How much more a part of Him can we be?  We are not simply human organisms tossed about at the whims of fate.  We are His beloved creation alive in Him.  One of my prayers for this election season was that whichever way it went, that His will be done.  In the end, that is the only sure thing.  

~Scott~ 

Through The Storm

 

And, approaching, they rouse Him, saying, "Lord!  Save us! We are perishing!"  And He is saying to them, "Why are you timid, scant of faith?"  Then, being roused, He rebukes the winds and the sea, and there came a great calm.  Now the men marvel, saying, "What manner of man is this, that the winds as well as the sea are obeying Him?" 

Matthews Account 8: 25-27, Concordant New Testament 

It was definitely a difficult time in my life.  My mother had just passed and I was openly wondering if God even was hearing me.  My prayers for some time had been that the Lord would relieve her pain and heal her, but now it seemed as if God was ignoring those requests, or was He?  As my good friend led the memorial service that day, he began to speak of the moment the disciples of Jesus began to fear for their lives in the midst of a storm on the sea of Galilee.  Where was Jesus during this terrifying time?  In the back of the boat asleep.  Imagine the thoughts going through the minds of His disciples, here they were in the middle of the storm and their teacher was sleeping through it all!  Why wasn't He helping them?   So, they did what anyone would have done, they rushed to wake up Jesus.  As His disciples stood before Him in fear and trembling, Jesus inquired of them, "Why are you timid?" {Matthews Account 8:26}.  Jesus truly wondered what His followers were afraid of in the middle of this storm.  Was He not the savior of all mankind?  The living Son of God?  Despite this, the disciples feared for their safety.  And so, Jesus calmed the wind and the waves {Matthews Account 8:26}.  Astonished, His followers wondered amongst themselves, What manner of man is this, that the wind and the seas are obeying Him?" {Matthews Account 8:27}.  Who indeed.  What made this passage appropriate was that I was enduring a situation in my own life where I felt as if Jesus was asleep in the back of that boat.  Little did I know that He wasn't sleeping at all, but I was enduring that storm in Him.  Too many times, traditional church theology teaches us that when times are tough, we should pray to God for His help and guidance.  We're taught that we learn more from the mountains of our lives than we do from the valleys.  But is God limited to the situations we endure?  I would say no.  For when we truly know God, we understand who He is and the depth of our relationship in Him.  Jesus has spoken that we live in union with He and the Father {Johns Account 14:20}.  Knowing this, what storm do we ever face that our Father is not an intimate part of?  

Wherefore also, lest I should be lifted up by the transcendence of the revelations, there was given to me a splinter in the flesh, a messenger of Satan, that he may be buffeting me, lest I may be lifted up.  For this I entreat the Lord thrice, that it should withdraw from me.  And He has protested to me, "Sufficient for you is My grace, for My power in infirmity is being perfected."  With the greatest relish, then, will I rather be glorying in my infirmities, that the power of Christ should be tabernacling over me.  Wherefore I delight in infirmities, in outrages, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake, whenever I may be weak, then I am powerful. 

Paul to the Corinthians (2) 12: 7-10, Concordant New Testament 

The apostle Paul was in torment.  He was going through a difficult time in his life, and so he prayed that the Lord would remove it from him.  Three times we're told Paul entreated God to remove this torment from him {Paul to the Corinthians (2) 12:8}.  What was the Lords response to Paul?  "Sufficient for you is My grace" {Paul to the Corinthians (2) 12:9}.  Paul understood that he did not have a distant relationship with the Lord, but that Christ was an intimate part of his life.  We're told that there is nothing which will ever take us away from the love of the Father {Paul to the Romans 8:39}.  Knowing this, what situation will we ever face that God is not an intimate part of?  Church teachings based on our separation from God will have us believe that the difficult times we will endure are somehow due to Gods anger or disapproval with us.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  We know that the one true nature of God is love {First Epistle of John 4:8}.  We know and understand that it is the desire of the Lord that ALL be saved through Christ Jesus {Johns Account 3:16-17}.  Jesus has never been asleep in the back of that boat.  When we encounter difficult situations, we do so through our life in Him. 

~Scott~ 

The Different Faces Of God

 Jesus Christ, yesterday and today, is the same One for the eons also. 

To the Hebrews 13: 8, Concordant New Testament 

I was reminded once again this week of the varying beliefs among the followers of Jesus within this religious system we call Christianity.  While in conversation with one of my fellow gym goers, I once again learned of the biblical promises of punishment and banishment.  Now, I'm not a stranger to these institutional teachings of the mainstream church.  Growing up, it was all that I knew about God.  What I knew about Him was what I learned from going to church each Sunday.  I learned that Christ Jesus gave Himself for my sins, but I also learned that it was those same sins which were keeping me from a relationship with the Father.  How does that work?  From a young age, I learned that all I could ever hope to do was to "Be like" Jesus.  If I was somehow like Jesus, then my ticket to heaven was punched and I was good to go.  Yet something happened on the way there.  Like the man Saul on that road to Damascus, I was suddenly faced with one of the most important decisions of my spiritual life.  The decision to realize the truth of Christ, or to continue in my beliefs of the man-made religious system.  It was the apostle Paul, who when he came face to face with Jesus, finally became aware of the Christ he had spent his life persecuting.  It was the Father Whom, as Paul proclaims, proceeded "To unveil His Son in me" {Paul to the Galatians 1:16}.  That is, Christ in this man who had spent so much time and effort persecuting Jesus.  Had Jesus somehow changed from the Savior Saul once envisioned?  No, for Jesus has always been the same today as He ever was {To the Hebrews 13:8}.  God is the same as He's always been {Malachi 3:6}.  No, it is not Jesus who changed, but Paul's own realization of who He was.  As for myself, the decision which I was faced with was to recognize the truth of Christ in me, or continue in the teaching of the church system which denied that truth.  In the end, it is the revelation of the Father who brought me into this knowing.  

"Religion has actually convinced people that there is an invisible man living in the sky watching everything you do, every minute of every day.  And the invisible man has a special list of ten things he does not 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~ 

Have you ever noticed just how many different translations of scripture that exist out there?  We have translations for every language, age group and belief system imaginable.  Are we foolish enough to believe that all of these translations of the word have not watered down the words and intent of the scriptures?  A good friend of mine often uses the word "Lens" when talking about the different translations and beliefs within Christianity, and he's right.  All too often , we will view Jesus and Christianity through the lens of what we ourselves believe.  Knowing this, my own views of Jesus and the Father might not mesh with those of my fellow gym friend.  I do not believe in the separation of man and God.  This is simply a result of the lie spoken by the deceiver in the garden {Genesis 3:1-8}.  Satan led Adam and Eve to believe that were they to partake of the fruit which God commanded them not to, that they would "Be like God, knowing good and evil" {Genesis 3:5}.  The issue with this is that Adam and Eve were ALREADY like God.  It was the Father who created them is His own likeness {Genesis 1:27}.  It is the God who breathed into them the breath of life, creating a living soul {Genesis 2:7}.  God has always been a intimate part of who it is that we are.  It is not the Lord who has changed, but our own understanding of who He truly is.  

~Scott~ 

The Politics Of Religion

 

"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 terrors that ravages the earth and deceives those I care about.  What mental turmoil and anxiety does any human face that is not related to one of those three?" 

~William P Young, The Shack~ 

There is an old saying which says that one should never argue about politics or religion.  Taking either side will come out on the losing end.  I was reminded of this the other day when Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris put her foot in her mouth by proclaiming that Christians needed to vote for her in order to...help God.  Honestly, I almost spit my coffee as I was reading this.  The Lord of all creation needs our help?  The creator of all we see needs our help?  In the end, I pass this off as simply another ploy by a somewhat slick and weak politician.  If Harris was attempting to pander to the Christian crowd and save her failing campaign she failed miserably in both cases.  Obviously, politics and religion were never intended to be linked together.  Granted, both have been created by mankind.  Also, both have been shown to divide Gods children rather than unify them.  Who is it that brings us together?  Christ Jesus.  It is God who created each of us in His likeness {Genesis 1:27}.  It is Jesus in Whom all was created {Johns Account 1:1-3}.  Knowing this, did Jesus require any assistance from His creation...ever?  The answer would be no.  Instead of being outraged at the comments from comrade Harris, we should rejoice that through Christ the truth of the Lord has been revealed.  It has never been the desire of the Lord to divide His children.  On the other hand, through Christ we have been joined to He and the Father in union {Johns Account 14:20}.  To this day, I've never heard this truth spoken by any politician anywhere.  

But the Most High is not dwelling in what is made by hands, according as the prophet is saying, "Heaven is My throne, yet the earth is a footstool for My feet.  What kind of house shall be built for Me?" the Lord is saying, or what is the place of My stopping?" Is it not My hand that does all these things?'

Acts of the Apostles 7: 48-50, Concordant New Testament 

What is it that you'd think would be the Lords reply were we to ask Him if He needed help?  First off, I feel as if He would show His love and grace even while replying to our offer.  Yet I also feel that He would gently remind us of what we read in the Acts of the Apostles.  It is here where we are reminded that the Lord does not dwell in what is made by human hands {Acts of the Apostles 7:48}.  We see this all too often when our local churches are referred to as "The Lords house."  What will we build the creator of the universe that He cannot create for Himself?  Are not the materials we would use created by Him?  Is not the land any dwelling would sit on created by Him?  No, I do not believe that God requires our assistance.  What I do believe that He desires for us is that we know Him as our Father.  That we know who it is that we are IN HIM {Johns Account 10:37-38}.  I definitely would have been shocked beyond all belief if comrade Harris had mentioned that all has been created through Christ Jesus.  Despite being loved as the Fathers child, it appears that she is unaware of that. 

~Scott~ 

Being Woke

 

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, for it did not know Him. 

First Epistle of John 3: 1, Concordant New Testament 

Many on the left side of the political isle are fond of declaring that people should be "Woke" to a new way of thinking.  Indeed, being woke has come to be associated with some of the most radical liberal ideas of the day.  I posed the question the other day to a friend if he felt, knowing what we now know of the Father, that our work in the ministries of the mainstream church had been in vain.  He responded by saying that what was needed was for people to "Come awake" to what the Father was doing through them.  That same thought is true today.  While many consider being woke to be a political punchline, I see it as an opportunity to help people into a new understanding of the Father.  A Father who loved us while we were lost in the lies of the deceiver {Paul to the Colossians 2:13}.  A Father who ordained His Son to take our sins upon Himself a the cross {Paul to the Corinthians (2) 5:21}.  The old way of Christian thinking had us believe that sin kept us from a relationship with the Father.  In reality, through the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross, we can now consider ourselves as being dead to that sin {Paul to the Romans 6:11}.  This is what I think of being awoken to the truth of the Father.  That we now live in union with He and Christ {Johns Account 14:20}.  Of course, this fly's in the face of the traditional church theology which many know so well.  Perhaps that is why so many have a difficult time accepting the truth of the Lord.  But I am not proclaiming something which is not spoken of in the scriptures.  The apostle Paul spoke of the presence of Christ in us {Paul to the Galatians 2:20}.  Yet, when I speak this truth to most believers I get the typical deer in the headlights look in return.  They are unaware of the union they share with the Father.  In other words, they need to be "Woken" to the this truth in their own lives.  I remember the struggle which I encountered when this truth was first presented to me by a dear friend of mine.  I remember thinking how radical of a change it seemed to be.  Jesus in me, a sinner?  Yet I thank the Father for His revelation of His Son in me {Paul to the Galatians 1:15-16}.  

"If I am not doing My Fathers works, do not believe Me.  Yet if I am doing them, and if ever you are not believing Me, be believing the works, that you may be knowing and believing that in Me is the Father, and I am in the Father" 

Johns Account 10: 37-38, Concordant New Testament 

It is well known in Christian history that Jesus was despised by the religious authorities of His day for His proclamation that He and the Father were one and the same {Johns Account 10:30}.  For this the Jewish Pharisees took up stones against Him.  To them He was speaking the blasphemy of making Himself one with God.  To Jesus, he was simply introducing them to the truth of the union of He and the Father which John spoke of in scripture.  Oddly, that same resistance which the spoken words of Jesus encountered back then still hold true today.  Many still need to be woken to the truth of the Father.  Yet centuries of church theology can be difficult to overcome.  It was for me.  But it was not a Sunday sermon or mainstream church ministry that spoke the truth of the Father into my heart.  Although a good friend planted the seed of that truth, it was the revelation of the Father which opened my eyes to knowing Him.  For this I am grateful.  My prayer is that others will receive that same revelation and begin to see God as I do.  

~Scott~  

My Neighbor Myself

 

In Whom there is no Jew nor yet Greek, there is no slave nor yet free, there is no male and female, for you all are one in Christ Jesus.

Paul to the Galatians 3: 28, Concordant New Testament 

In all of my years in the mainstream church, I was led to believe that there was a unique difference between myself and the world around me.  See, I was a sinner, but saved by the blood of Jesus.  Those in the world around me, on the other hand, were the ones NEEDING to be saved.  The unknowing and unchurched among us were simply sinners lost in the world.  It was our task as believers to bring them to the Lord.  Indeed, there have been countless discipleship and ministry programs designed to bring the wayward unto Jesus.  The Christian church has always been good at labeling people.  In their domain, the world is divided between sinners and believers.  We celebrate the believers and pray for the sinners.  But what if the church got it wrong?  What if we've been sold a bill of goods?  The scriptures tell us that ALL are created in the Fathers likeness, both male and female {Genesis 1:27}.  The apostle Paul takes that one step further by declaring that in Christ there is no Jew nor Greek.  No slave nor free {Paul to the Galatians 3:28}.  So, is there really a difference between myself and my neighbor?  Not really.  Both have been created in the Fathers image.  Both were created for and by Christ Jesus {Johns Account 1:1-3}.  Knowing this, we soon realize that the divisions created by those in the mainstream church are not what the Father intended for His children.  Believers and sinners, it's all a label created by man-made religion.  First off, where are there sinners?  Do we continue to believe that those not involved in the mainstream church are lost in sin?  The truth is that Jesus took our sins upon Himself and nailed them to the cross with Him {Paul to the Corinthians (2) 5:21}.  Therefore, as Paul proclaims, we are to consider ourselves to be "Dead indeed" to sin {Paul to the Romans 6:11}.  Tell me again where those sinners are.  Despite being assured in the scripture that all were created through Christ Jesus, I do not recall a single sermon ever uttered in the mainstream church which did not label humanity as the lost and the saved.  

So Elohim created humanity in His image; in the image of Elohim He created it: male and female He created them. 

Genesis 1: 27, Concordant Old Testament 

Have you ever known the Lord to play favorites?  To be unjust in His actions?  Paul proclaims that with God there is no partiality {Paul to the Romans 2:11}.  So, can we assume that it was never the Fathers intent that His children be labeled as saved and lost?  I would agree with that.  When we look upon our neighbors, we should see Christ.  When we look into that mirror, we should see the same thing.  For we are all in union with He and the Father {Johns Account 14:20}.  But what of those among us who behave badly?  Those who by all indications have forsaken God for the riches of the world.  Are they any different from us?  No!  The only difference between them and ourselves is that we realize who it is that we are in Christ.  It's that simple.  There are those who have been created in the Fathers likeness yet do not realize this truth in themselves.  They are not lost in the Fathers eyes, just unaware.  There is no doubt that realizing this truth can change the way that we look upon the world around us.  Instead of laboring to "save" the lost, why not simply introduce them to who they really are in Christ?   

~Scott~ 

The Brotherhood

 

If anyone should be saying that "I am loving God," and should be hating his brother, he is a liar; for he who is not loving his brother whom he has seen can not be loving God Whom he has not seen. 

First Epistle of John 4: 20, Concordant New Testament  

I was reminded once again this week of the value of having a solid group of brothers in the faith around me.  I am proud to say that through my years in the mainstream church I have developed and maintained friendships with more than a few Godly men.  The brotherhood can help us in those instances where the accuser comes to mislead us.  That, after all, is his mission.  His lie deceived Adam and Eve in the garden, and it continues to deceive many believers today.  Yet having a solid group of friends around us can help us navigate those situations where Satan attempts to inject himself into our lives.  Those friends in the faith around us can help remind us of Satan's rightful place in the big scheme of things...behind us!  That's right, the accuser has already been defeated.  His only tactic he has left is to wander the earth seeking to distract God's children.  When you look at the world around us, it might seem as if he is doing pretty good at his objective.  All around us, the Lords chosen stumble and fall each and every day to the distractions of Satan.  I'm not ashamed to admit that I have fallen victim to his antics more than a few times.  But the truth of the Lord Jesus is on our side.  The accusers fate has been sealed.  Jesus became sin that we would no longer live in bondage {Paul to the Corinthians (2) 5:21}.  The apostle Paul proclaims that we consider ourselves now to be indeed dead to sin {Paul to the Romans 6:11}.  Contrary to the teaching of the mainstream church, sin is no longer that elephant in the room we can never be free of.  Jesus took our sin upon Himself and nailed it to that cross.  Yet the accuser will continue to prowl the earth seeking to remind us that we're all sinners {Paul to the Romans 3:23}.  For many years in the church I continued to hear the phrase "Sinners saved by grace."  While this may be true in some respects, we're sinners no more.  Through the selfless love of Christ Jesus, we're no longer held in the bondage of sin.  

In Whom there is no Jew nor yet Greek, there is no slave nor yet free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 

Paul to the Galatians 3: 28, Concordant New Testament 

A good friend once reminded me of the truth of our accuser.  He said that when Satan comes to remind you of your past, remind him of his future.  Amen!  The strength in the bonds of brothers in the faith comes from encouraging each other and reminding one another of the truth of the deceiver.  I have been blessed with having a group of friends who do just that.  Not only that, I have gathered around me a group of the Lords children at my local gym.  Like the brothers which surround me, it is my goal to be that bond of faith with those who surround me as well.  I believe that when Jesus spoke of loving one another, this is what He was referring to {Johns Account 13:35}.  Paul spoke of a key thought in our belief, that of seeing those around us as one in Christ as we ourselves are {Paul to the Galatians 3:28}.  If we see others as one with Jesus, how is it that we can think wrongly of them?  If we see others as one with Jesus, how is it that we can be in conflict with them?  Sounds like a good plan, right?  Well, everything looks good on paper.  When my brother reminded me this week of my wrong thoughts toward another, I was not seeing them as one in Christ as I am.  However, I am grateful that I have once again been reminded of this truth.  As the scripture proclaims, two are better than one {Ecclesiastes 4:10-12}.  Give Satan his rightful place in our rear view mirror.  

~Scott~