Me, Jesus And The Blasphemy

 

"I and the Father, We are one"

Johns Account 10: 30, Concordant New Testament 

Have you ever been persecuted for telling the truth?  I would reckon that there are many believers out there, even unbelievers, who have been raked over the coals for simply telling the truth.  A lot of times, the world does not want to know the truth as we tell it.  So it was with Jesus as He spoke to the Jews who demanded of Him to prove that He was who He claimed to be.  Jesus proclaimed that the works which He had done in the name of the Father were a testament to His identity {Johns Account 10:25}.  Then, Jesus said something which made the Jews gathered around Him take up stones against Him, He told the truth.  Jesus proclaimed "I and the Father, We are One" {Johns Account 10:30}.  In the eyes of the Jews gathered that day, Jesus was simply a human street preacher proclaiming Himself to be God.  In their eyes, He had committed a capital offense worthy of stoning.  His crime?  "For an ideal act we are not stoning You, but for blasphemy, and that you, being a man, are making yourself God" {Johns Account 10:33}.  So, there we have Jesus, accused of the blasphemy of making Himself God.  But Is Jesus really who He proclaims to be?  We know from scripture that Jesus was from the beginning {Johns Account 1:1}.  We also know that through Him all was created {Johns Account 1:3}.  We know that Jesus is in the Father and the Father in Him {Johns Account 14:10}.  So it was that Jesus has been condemned for simply telling the truth.  Even today, many in the mainstream church have difficulty accepting this truth spoken by Jesus.  Instead, they proclaim a theology which speaks to the separation of man and the Father.  This is born out of the lie spoken by Satan to Adam and Eve in the garden {Genesis 3:2-6}.  The lie was that once the first creation ate of the fruit which God had commanded them not to, that they would "Be like God."  In reality, as the created likeness of the Fathers very image, they were ALREADY like God.  Likewise, as we were also created by God in His likeness, we share in the identity of the Father.  

In whom the God of this eon blinds the apprehensions of the unbelieving so that the illumination of the evangel of the glory of Christ, Who is the image of the invisible God, does not irradiate them. 

Paul to the Corinthians (2) 4: 4, Concordant New Testament 

Ove the past few years, a group of my friends and I have spoken phrases which, in the day of Jesus, might have been seen as blasphemy.  Words such as "Be Jesus" and "Live as Jesus."  What blasphemy is this?  But, like Jesus who has been persecuted for speaking the truth of His own identity, so it is with me.  For I speak the truth of my identity as well.  I speak to my identity as being created in the likeness of the Father {Genesis 1:27}.  I speak to the truth of my union IN Christ and the Father {Johns Account 14:20}.  If for these words I am accused of blasphemy by those who do not know the truth of Jesus, then so be it.  While I do not expect stones to be heaved my way, I fully expect to be criticized at some point for my belief in my own identity in Christ Jesus.  This is one of the rifts within Christianity today, and why the truth of Jesus is rarely spoken to.  Yet there is freedom in knowing who we are in Christ.  We are free in the revelation that we are in Him.  That we did not choose Jesus, but that the Father chose us {Johns Account 15:16}.  The world may see me as simply a man speaking to knowing Christ, but that's not who I am.  Who I am...is Jesus.  

~Scott~ 

The Choice

 

Not you choose Me, but I choose you, and I appoint you, that you may be going away and be bringing forth much fruit, and your fruit may be remaining, that anything whichsoever you should be requesting the Father in My name, He will be giving it to you.  

Johns Account 15: 16, Concordant New Testament  

It's been said that there are consequences with the choices that we make in life, and I agree.  In fact, there are those in the Christian community who have confused the consequences for the choices which we make for the anger of God.  That our lives will be in turmoil because God is somehow angry with us.  No, for there are consequences for each and every choice that we make.  If we fall into financial difficulty after making a habit of visiting strip clubs, it's not God is somehow teaching us a lesson, we simply made the wrong choice in the first place.  It's that simple.  But I was thinking this week that our own life in Christ is a direct result of another choice.  The choice which Jesus made when He chose each of us unto Himself {Johns Account 15:16}.  Too many Christians will toss around the phrase that they somehow "Chose Jesus."  No, Jesus CHOSE YOU before the world was formed.  It is well known that we are created in the likeness of the Father {Genesis 1:27}.  Therefore, He has been a part of us from the beginning.  We have been predestined as sons of God through Christ Jesus {Paul to the Ephesians 1:5}.  So, if indeed there are consequences to the choices that we make, what are the consequences for God for having chosen us?  Well, first and foremost, we are to live in union with Jesus and the Father {Johns Account 14:20}.  As a result of the Father choosing us unto Himself, we now live IN HIM {Paul to the Galatians 2:20}.  Gods intent for us was never to live in separation from Him, as was the lie spoken by Satan in the garden.  From the beginning we have been meant for a relationship with the Father through Christ Jesus.  This is the consequence of the choice which Jesus made when He called us unto Himself.  We will never choose Jesus, He has already chosen us.  

According as He chooses us in Him before the disruption of the world, we to be holy and flawless in His sight.

Paul to the Ephesians 1: 4, Concordant New Testament 

Another consequence of our being chosen by the Father is that we no longer live in sin.  If you have ever wondered how God sees you, just read the words of the apostle Paul in Ephesians.  Paul has proclaimed that God chose us from the beginning that we would be holy and flawless IN HIS SIGHT {Paul to the Ephesians 1:4}.  Paul also tells us that through Jesus we are to no longer "Slaving for sin" {Paul to the Romans 6:6}.  Therefore, despite the choices which each and every one of us make in life, God is never angry with us.  God never allows His anger to run over into our lives.  For God has CHOSEN to reveal unto us His one true nature, which is His love {First Epistle of John 4:8}.  It is His love in which we now live in union with Him.  Growing up in the mainstream church, this would have been a foreign concept to me.  For I lived in fear of angering God with the choices I made.  Nevertheless, each time I made the wrong choice, I simply blamed the consequences of my choices on the anger of a God who loved me.  But this is what I had been taught that God was like.  I thank the Father that my eyes have now been opened to His true nature.  That He does not look upon me with a disapproving eye, but with a love I am only now beginning to understand.  This is His choice for me.  

"Religion has actually convinced people that there's 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."

~George Carlin~ 

~Scott~ 

Traditional Jesus

 

Who rouses Him from among the dead, you also being dead to the offenses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He vivifies us together jointly with Him, dealing graciously with all our offenses, erasing the handwriting of the decrees against us, which was hostile to us, and has taken it away out of the midst, nailing it to the cross. 

Paul to the Colossians 2: 13-14, Concordant New Testament 

For many, this is the Lords day.  That day each week where we supposedly all gather together to worship in our local Lords house.  Pews will be filled with believers who feel it is their duty to God to come together with their brethren to worship the Lord.  Yet, you won't find me there.  Granted, I still consider myself to be a believer, I just have not participated in the traditional institutional church in more than a few years.  I do have good friends who continue to gather in church for their own reasons, and I respect them for that.  It's just not for me.  In my younger years, I felt the tug of compulsion to fill my seat in the church each week, but not so much in recent years.  The writer of Hebrews calls on believers to "Not forsake the assembling of ourselves" {To the Hebrews 10:25}.  Many well meaning pastors point to this passage as the evidence that our participation in weekly worship is mandatory.  Not for me.  For the author of Hebrews did not come outright and issue the command of the Lord that all gather together in worship.  Yet it is claimed it is "According as the custom of some."  There will be those who gather in worship and those who choose not to.  This is not the identifier of a believer.  What is the identifier of a believer and follower of Jesus is knowing that our life is no longer our own, but belongs to Him.  The apostle Paul points this out as he speaks of the indwelling Christ in us {Paul to the Galatians 2:20}.  Therefore, I see two different versions of Jesus in the world today, the traditional church version and the authentic Christ Whom God desires all of His children to know.  The traditional Jesus is a Savior Who dwells in heaven, far removed from the Lords children here on earth.  The mainstream church speaks to this in the claim that we can only ever hope to "Be like" Jesus.  In reality, the true authentic Jesus is a Lord and savior Who has always been an intimate part of our life {Johns Account 1:1-5}.  Jesus was in the beginning and He is today.  This is the One true Christ.  

In this we know that we are remaining in Him, and He in us, for He has given us His spirit. 

First Epistle of John 4: 13, Concordant New Testament 

One of my favorite scenes from The Chosen series is the scene of Jesus and the woman at the well drawing water.  This woman, a Samaritan, seemed shocked that this Jew would request a drink from her.  By Jewish tradition, Samaritans were not allowed to worship in the presence of Jews.  Yet Jesus explains that the time is coming when neither "In this mountain nor in Jerusalem shall you be worshipping the Father" {Johns Account 4:21}.  He then reveals to this Samaritan woman the worship which the Father desires, "When the true worshippers will be worshipping the Father in spirit and truth" {Johns Account 4:23}.  I can definitely see the correlation between this woman at the well and so many worshippers in our churches of today.  We've been told that coming together in church is the acceptable measure of worship of God.  Yet Jesus Himself has proclaimed that it's not about temples or traditions at all.  True worship of the Father is about spirit and truth.  I can honestly say that even though I am not in church this Sunday, that I am indeed in worship to the Father.  I know that I live in union with Him {Johns Account 14:20}.  I do not follow the traditional church model of "Authentic" worship.  No, I follow my heart for 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. 

Johns Account 4: 23, Concordant New Testament 

~Scott~ 

Leading The Way

 

For whoever are being led by Gods spirit, these are sons of God. 

Paul to the Romans 8: 14, Concordant New Testament 

We've all heard the phrase more than a few times in our Christian lives.  Being led by the spirit.  I revisited this truth the other day after discussing a recent writing about tithing with a good friend.  His question to me was "Have you ever been urged by God to give?"  Of course, I answered that indeed I had.  That I had felt the inner leading to give to someone in need.  But what does it mean to be "Led by the spirit?"  We hear a lot about it, yet we rarely delve deeper into what it really means to us and our lives.  I've never heard of a church program designed to teach people how to follow the spirits leading.  Granted, I've heard quite a few Sunday sermons on this very topic.  I believe to truly understand what it means to be led by the spirit that we need to understand our relationship with the Father first and foremost.  We understand that we are created in His likeness {Genesis 1:27}.  As the prophet Isaiah has proclaimed, shall what has been formed declare to He who formed it, He did not make me?" {Isaiah 29:16}.  Therefore, to understand our life is to understand that we have an intimate connection with our Father who created us.  Jesus Himself has also declared our union with He and the Father {Johns Account 14:20}.  Therefore, we live in union with Jesus and the Father.  How much more of an intimate connection do we need?  This is the personal connection we share with God.  He created us, we live in His creation.  But personal connection does not necessarily mean we share a relationship with Him.  For that is a personal choice each of us makes at some point.  I realized that I shared in Gods creation from an early age, yet only in recent years have I realized the relationship I also have with Him.  Yes, there is a difference.  We each might recognize a friendship, but we may choose at some point to develop this friendship into a deeper relationship.  The same can be said for our relationship with the Father.  

Now, similarly, the spirit is also aiding our infirmity, for what we should be praying for, to accord with what must be, we are not aware, but the spirit itself is pleading for us with inarticulate groanings.  Now He who is searching the hearts is aware what is the disposition of the spirit, for in accord with God it is pleading for the saints. 

Paul to the Romans 8: 26-27, Concordant New Testament 

Anyone who has been married can attest that the marriage relationship can develop to be strong enough that both parties will be keenly aware of the thoughts of the other.  Believe it or not, this marriage relationship example ties in quite well with the idea of being led by the spirit.  For just as two people who are connected can tell what the other is thinking, so it is with our relationship with the Father.  We are a part of each other, and there is no doubt that God can whisper His intentions into our hearts.  His leading may be for us to give to someone who has been praying to Him for relief.  In many ways, we are the instruments of the Father here on earth.  The Father will only be known through the words and actions of those who know Him well.  Yes, God can and has reached out with His hands to help those in need, but He also leads His people into the same situations.  This is what it is like to be led by the spirit.  To have the Father speaking into our hearts what it is He desires for us.  He is the One who knows us best.  We might think that we're not capable of doing what He asks, but He knows us better than that.  It is through the leading of the Father that we reach out into areas we never thought that we would.  

~Scott~ 

Praying For Dollars

 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 

I'll be honest.  If there's one thing that I no longer miss about the church is the weekly passing of the collection plate.  That guilt and shame driven tradition within  the mainstream church that tells us that we're helping the poor and unfortunate among us.  I was reminded of this again this week as I enjoyed some Christian music only to have it interrupted by some quarterly fundraising gig.  Now, granted, operating a modern day broadcast station isn't a cheap venture.  Those operating funds need to come from somewhere.  By the same token, the modern mainstream church is not an entity which can survive without the donations and tithes of its members.  Those ministries, programs and music are not cheap.  Nor are the countless staff members that are somehow needed to make the engine run.  Thus the need for the weekly collection plate.  In my time in the institutional church, I was witness to many situations of the church squeezing whatever funds they could from the congregation.  I get it.  Like I said, running a church isn't cheap at all.  One critic has described the modern church as the largest business corporation in history, and I would agree.  From the many ministries to the jazzy praise and worship bands, modern churches need a good deal of money to operate.  Yet it wasn't always this way.  For in scripture we are witness to the early church of the followers of Jesus who didn't meet in fancy buildings {Acts of the Apostles 2:44-47}.  Among these early followers of Jesus we see the true definition of the word community.  I cannot recall in all of my years attending church any congregation that resembled this.  Disposing of personal possessions for anyone in need.  Breaking bread in each others homes.  Indeed, the modern church can definitely learn from these early believers.  To my knowledge, we're not told that these early believers even relied on a collection plate.  If there was someone in need, the community did their best to help.  Also, we see no reference to multiple ministries and programs nor professional worship music.  So, that right there would shave money from the annual budget.  No, what we see with these early believers is a group of followers of Christ living and worshipping Jesus in their own community setting.  

Now all those who believe were also in the same place and had all things in common.  And they disposed of the acquisitions and the properties, and divided them to all, forasmuch as some would have had need.  Besides persevering day by day with one accord in the sanctuary, besides breaking bread home by home, they partook of nourishment with exultation and simplicity of heart, Praising God and having favor for the whole people.  Now the Lord added to those being saved day by day in the same place. 

Acts of the Apostles 2: 44-47, Concordant New Testament 

Of all the tithing campaigns which I have seen, the one which moved me the most was the tithing challenge.  The tithing challenge was just that, the congregation was challenged by the pastor to give to the church each week, with the "guarantee" that they would be blessed for doing so.  To sweeten the pot, the congregation was informed that if by the end of the challenge that they were not blessed, that they could request their funds which they had given in tithes to the church to be returned.  Now, in all honesty, who would ever request a refund on a tithe?  Yet this is what the church leadership banked on.  That the congregation would not request funds to be refunded.  Truly an ingenious plan if you can get away with it.  And they did.  Is it no doubt that Jesus called out the Pharisees of the Jewish faith for their tactics?  In His woes to the Pharisees, Jesus publicly scolds the religious leaders of His day for their treatment of the Lords children {Matthews Account 23:15-33}.  I've often wondered, how would Jesus react to the pastors of the modern church which confesses to follow Him?  Would we see Jesus proclaiming woes to the pastors?  Keep in mind, it is not the people whom Jesus was critical of, but the religious system and leaders of His day.  Likewise, it is not the ecclesia of the Lord, His family, that I am critical of, but the modern religious system.  For it is this system, and that which Jesus Himself criticized, which has been raised up by the hands of man.  

~Scott~ 

Trusted Faith

 

Now faith is an assumption of what is being expected, a conviction concerning matters which are not being observed. 

To the Hebrews 11: 1, Concordant New Testament 

I have always enjoyed watching The Chosen series depicting the ministry life of Jesus.  One of my favorite scenes involved the Roman soldier Gaius, who over time had come to know Jesus and His disciples.  Well, this scene of Gaius ties in with the scripture passage depicting the faith of the Roman Centurian {Matthews Account 8:5-9}.  In the scriptures, this Centurian seeks out Jesus for healing of his "Boy" who lies sick at home.  Despite the fact that Jesus is dealing with one of the despised Romans, He offers to come to the home of Gaius and heal his child.  This is where the situation turns from a healing opportunity for Jesus to a lesson in faith for the generations.  For Gaius, apparently realizing that his own personal history might prevent Jesus from granting his request, acknowledges that he is indeed unworthy to have the Son of God enter into his home.  Instead, obviously knowing the reputation of Jesus, he proclaims "But only say the word and my boy will be healed."  We're told that Jesus "marveled" at the faith of this gentile {Matthews Account 8:10}.  Of course, this instantly turned into a lesson on faith for Jesus' followers.  Jesus proclaims of this Roman, "With no one in Israel so much faith did I find."  In The Chosen, Jesus speaks to His denial by His own people and the religious leaders of His faith.  This is well documented.  Yet, one Roman, not a Jew, presents to us the greatest lesson on trusted faith we might ever know.  The writer of Hebrews speaks to faith as "An assumption of what is being expected" {To the Hebrews 11:1}.  I used to believe that faith centered around how many prayers I could offer up to the Lord to plead my cause.  If my prayer life was lacking, or is my own behaviors were not pleasing to the Lord, I could not expect for Him to honor my request.  This continues to be the teaching within the mainstream church.  However, nowhere in this approach do we see the trusted faith that what we ask of Jesus will be granted to us.  Trusting faith means that we have the faith of the Centurian.  That Jesus alone can grant what it is we ask of Him.  I agree that prayer is important, but prayer alone is empty if we do not believe in our hearts that Jesus is able to provide what we ask of Him.  

For in grace, through faith, are you saved, and this is not out of you; it is Gods approach present, not of works, lest anyone should be boasting. 

Paul to the Ephesians 2: 8-9, Concordant New Testament 

How is it that you trust that you are indeed saved?  Is it through the reading of scripture?  Do you believe that you have enough good deeds to "Punch your ticket" into heaven?  The apostle Paul speaks to this in his letter to the believers in Ephesus.  Paul speaks to the truth that our salvation doesn't come from what we have done, but only through the grace of God.  That our salvation is the gift of God {Paul to the Ephesians 2:8-9}.  Trusted faith realizes that it is but through Christ Jesus that we are saved.  Paul proclaims that salvation is not of works, "Lest anyone should be boasting."  Paul, of course, knew that were salvation a result of our own efforts, that many would proclaim themselves the reason for the gift which they had received.  Christ dd not die on the cross only for man to proclaim his own salvation!  It is Jesus who became sin that we would be saved {Paul to the Corinthians (2) 5:21}.  It is God who dispatched His only Son that through Him all would be saved {Johns Account 3:16-17}.  Trusted faith understands this truth.  Faith also dictates that we are created in the Fathers likeness {Genesis 1:27}.  Faith also speaks that we live in union with the Father {Johns Account 14:20}.  These are more than just words in the scriptures.  This is the conviction of things which are not being observed {To the Hebrews 11:1}.  

~Scott~ 

The Blessed Life

 

For by faith we are walking, not by perception.

Paul to the Corinthians (2) 5: 7, Concordant New Testament 

I've always been intrigued by the term blessed life.  What does it even mean to live a blessed life?  During my years in the mainstream church, many people I knew threw around this term when things were going well for them.  I came to associate living a blessed life with things going well in my own life.  But, as we all know, life isn't always easy for believers.  There will certainly be those times when we do not feel so blessed.  Are we still living that blessed life?  Despite what others might think, I would say that what we see as blessing is simply the Fathers love and grace.  For it is indeed through the Fathers love that we were created in the Lords own likeness {Genesis 1:27}.  We have also been provided with Fathers love and grace which saved us {Paul to the Ephesians 2:8-9}.  Just because life doesn't work out the way we wanted it to does not mean that God is somehow upset with us or is no longer blessing us.  That in itself is speaking the lie which the deceiver spoke in the garden.  It is Satan who convinced Eve to take of the fruit which God had commanded not to.  It is also Satan who spoke the lie that eating of the forbidden fruit would allow them to "Be like God" {Genesis 3:3-5}.  Unknown to Adam and Eve in that moment was the fact that, having been created in the Father's likeness, that they already were like God.  But what does this all have to do with the blessed life?  The apostle Paul speaks to the reality of our life when he speaks of living our lives by faith and not by sight {Paul to the Corinthians (2) 5:7}.  Paul knew that our life is not lived by our own understanding, but by our trust and faith in the Father.  Even when our so called blessed life goes haywire, we trust that the Father has our best interests at heart.  Now, this might indeed shine a brand new light on our own perception of that which we have come to see as blessing as well.  Are we blessed, or is God simply expressing His love and grace for His children?  

"It is not My garment which healed you, it is your faith."

Jesus in The Chosen

The unclean woman wanted to be healed.  She had the idea that if she were only to touch the garment of Jesus that she would be.  Did the Lord bless her with healing?  No, in her heart she believed that were she to touch the Lords clothing that she would be healed.  She trusted that Jesus would heal her.  He did not simply bless her because that was what He was supposed to do.  She was healed because she believed she would be.  Was this woman living a blessed life?  I believe that were she sitting in the mainstream church that she might feel as if God was angry or upset with her due to her circumstances.  Yet nothing could be further from the truth.  Blessings in life are not a guarantee.  However, what we can depend on is the love and grace of our heavenly Father {Paul to the Romans 5:8}.  We are not blessed, but loved and cherished by God as His children.  Our own knowing of the Father can help us when life is not so easy as well.  When we understand that we do not live in separation, but in union with Him, the difficult times we face take on a whole new meaning.  How wonderful it feels to know that God is not angry or wanting to punish us!  I like to think of the example of the life lived by Christ Jesus whenever tough times come in my own life.  Was Jesus' life filled with all positive moments?  Was Jesus living that blessed life?  No, Jesus had issues in His own life just as we do.  He was disliked, frustrated and talked down to.  Too many believers live this life and insist on calling it blessed.  We are assured that Christ struggled in His life as we often do {To the Hebrews 4:16}.  I would suggest that we do not live a blessed life, but a union life.  

~Scott~