The Good Of The Father (Mandatory Jesus) # 2147

 

The God that makes the world and all that is in it, the Lord inherent of heaven and earth, is not dwelling in temples made with hands, neither is He attended by human hands, as if requiring anything, since He Himself gives to all life and breath and all.  Besides, He makes out of one every nation of mankind, to be dwelling on all the surface of the earth, specifying the settling of the seasons and bounds of their dwelling, for them to be seeking God, if, consequently, they may surely grope for Him and may be finding Him, though to be sure, not far from each one of us is He inherent, 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: 24 - 28, Concordant New Testament 

I ran across an interesting video from outspoken pastor Martin Zender the other night with the catch line being, "God forces us to love Him."  I immediately thought that he had somehow gone off the rails until a friend explained what it was that he was referring to.  See, for a long time I have been hammered with the church teachings that I needed to accept Christ Jesus in order to be saved.  Indeed, there is some scripture basis to back up this claim {Paul to the Romans 10:9-10}.  Jesus has spoken that He is the one true pathway to the Father {Johns Account 14:6}.  But this isn't what Zender was referring to at all.  What he was basing his statement on is something which many in Christian circles wring their hands over.  That the God they supposedly serve, is all in all.  That God is within all which he has created.  And, since all has been created by the Father, He is within every last bit of it.  For there is nothing which has ever escaped His notice.  Now, Christians do a good job of professing that they believe that God is the creator of all which is in the universe and around us, yet they fall short when it comes to putting that belief into practice.  I should know, because I was once walking with that crowd myself.  Back in my church days I believed that I was indeed separated from God because of my sin.  That sin which Jesus gave Himself to die for {Paul to the Corinthians (2) 5:21}.  That not only had Christ Jesus perished on that cross, but that my old nature was crucified with Him {Paul to the Romans 2:20, Paul to the Romans 6:8}.  This is why I can boldly say that I have been freed from that which I once was.  That through the sacrifice of Jesus, I am no longer a sinner.  Yet those within the Christian faith often bristle when I speak of this freedom that I have in Jesus.  "So, you can simply go on sinning?"  No!  To believe this nonsense is to disregard not only the works of Jesus but the very words of Paul as well.  When asked this question, Paul had the answer.  "We, who died to sin, how shall we still be living in it" {Paul to the Romans 6:2}?  

Now, when we understand and believe that God is all in all, this begins to make sense.  That contrary to the false teachings of those within the church, that God has never been separated from that which He has lovingly created.  That He has always been an intimate part of who it is that we are.  So, what does this say of the popular Christian narrative that we must somehow "Choose" to accept Jesus in order to be saved?  Well, if God is indeed all in all, what choice do we actually have to make?  Jesus has spoken that we do not live our life outside of the Father, but within His love {Johns Account 14:20}.  So, if our life is lived within the Father, can we really utilize that which is known as the freedom to choose?  Indeed, if we were separate from God, as those in the church are so fond of pointing out, then perhaps that moment of free choice would seem more plausible, but we're not.  So, is this more of God guiding us into that realization of our life within His Son than of our own freedom to choose?  I would say yes to that.  Hence, this is where I run afoul of many within the Christian religious community.  Those who continue to believe that they themselves have that ability to choose for themselves.  That our salvation is ultimately dependent upon whatever choice we may or may not make.  Do they really believe that God has no say in what we do?  Has the veil of the deceiver so clouded their vision that they accept whatever version of God the pastor comes up with?  Apparently so.  But even through this confusion, it is God Who is within it all.  and THAT is the truth we need to understand.  

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 

~Scott~ 

The Good Of The Father (Posers) # 2146

 

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}. 

Norman Grubb ~ No Independent Self 

Frequent any gym long enough and you will see them.  The posers.  Posers are those who will spend ample time between exorcises taking photos of themselves in whichever mirror is closest.  They will flex whatever muscles they think that they have gained over the course of the past few minutes, putting themselves on display for all to see.  You can almost hear them saying, "Look at me!"  In most cases, the posers are trying to be someone they're not.  But that does not stop them from trying to convince anyone who will notice them of who they think that they are.  Now, some might ask me, what do posers have to do with religion and Christianity?  Well, far too many believers these days are posers in their own right.  For they put forth that image of someone they are not.  I used to be among these posers, because it was who I was taught that I was.  That the life that I lived was separate from God in heaven.  That it was my own sin which separated me from the Father.  That I was my own independent self.  Well, this has been one of the lies spoken from the pulpits of the mainstream church for thousands of years.  For we ARE NOT, not have we ever been, separated from God.  But if you listen to any run of the mill pastor these days, the message being put out there is that we're living separate from the Father Who created us in His likeness {Genesis 1:27}.  I recently ran across a video from well-known and disgraced Christian pastor Mark Driscoll who claimed that believers need to "Live their lives in a way which is pleasing to God."  Now, this might sound a bit hypocritical coming from someone with Driscoll's track record, but this has been the predominant message from the pulpits for quite some time.  That we, as believers, live our lives independently from the Lord who created us.  Well, this is utter nonsense, and Mark Driscoll is simply another poser standing in the pulpit.

The author Norman Grubb sheds some light on the truth on the lie spoken by those within the church in his book No Independent Self.  Grubb writes, correctly, that "There is no independent, self-operating self in the universe, except the One who calls Himself the I AM."  But this truth has never fit into the narrative created by the mainstream church.  The narrative that man is sinful, and that a holy God can never be associated with such sin {Paul to the Romans 3:23}.  Thus, God has separated Himself from that which He has lovingly created.  As I've said, this is simply not true, and it follows the lie spoken by the deceiver.  It is Satan who has convinced the Lords creation that we can "Be like God" {Genesis 3:4-5}.  Well, if there is but One independent self in Gods universe, how is it that we can be among that?  If we have been lovingly created from the dust of the ground, how is it that we can be separate from God?  From the moment that God breathed into us the breath of life, He has always been a part of us {Genesis 2:7}.  So, all which we have to prove that we're indeed separate from God are the words of the deceiver, which is utter nonsense.  And yet, a lie spoken often enough eventually becomes seen as the truth.  So it has been with the separation theology spoken by the church.  Jesus Himself has spoken to the truth of our life lived within the Father {Johns Account 14:20}.  Yet those within the church will mistake the words of Jesus and claim that "In that day" we shall be within the Father, as if this were some future event believers have to look forward to.  Well, that day is NOW!  Contrary to the false teaching of the church, we do not live apart from God, but within His love.  We can stand on the spoken word of Jesus that this is indeed true.  We do not live as posers, but as the Fathers loved children {First Epistle of John 3:1}.  

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 

~Scott~ 

The Good Of The Father (All Through Love) # 2145

 

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

First Epistle of John 4: 8, Concordant New Testament 

I hear too many people talking about the negative side of God.  That God is angry enough to afflict His children with illness of bad circumstances.  Back in my church days, I can recall being afraid to mention to my church friends whenever I found myself going through a trial of some sort, because I already knew what their response would be.  That somehow God was either angry with me, testing me or teaching me a lesson.  This is part of the reason that I grew up in the belief that God was an angry, vengeful God.  A good friend of mine recently described his days in the church as dealing with a God who was cranky a times.  This was my image of the Lord growing up.  For their part, the mainstream church has done all that they can to promote this image of an angry God.  A God who lives distant from His children due to their sin nature.  But is this the true image which we should have of the Father?  Is this how God really is?  The true answer to this question is, and has always been, no.  The apostle John has given us an indication of the one true reality of God, and that is love {First Epistle of John 4:8}.  It is through love that we have been created in His own likeness {Genesis 1:27}.  It is through His love for us that the Father dispatched His Son Jesus to be the price paid for our sin debt {Johns Account 3:16-17}.  Not that Jesus would come to condemn the world, but that the world "May be saved through Him."  Through His love, it was never the Lords intent that we would be left to the consequences of our former sin nature.  Through the Fathers love, He who knew not sin "He makes to be a sin offering" for us {Paul to the Corinthians (2) 5:21}.  Was it within the power of the Lord to condemn us in the face of our former nature?  Absolutely!  Yet it is the Father Who has chosen Himself to be seen as love in all which He does.

One of the things which I have discovered as I have come to know a more personal relationship with the Father is to see Him for Who He truly is.  Not as an angry, vengeful of cranky God, but as our loving Father.  It is this reality of the Lord that I wish has been revealed unto me sooner.  However, it took me forty years on my journey to discover the One true identity of God.  Of course, knowing the truth of the Father has also opened my eyes to how it is I see Him in my own life as well as that of others.  That God is not hell bent (Pun intended) to condemn and/or punish us for the bad behaviors which we ourselves feel guilty of.  Can we wrap our understanding around the truth that, because of His love for us, that the Father has already cleansed us of that sin?  Can we understand that Jesus has bled and died that our sin debt would be paid in full?  This has all been accomplished through the love nature of the Father.  That it has never been His intention to hold us accountable for that sin nature which we once were in bondage to.  He didn't simply turn a blind eye to that which we had done, but through His love for us He sacrificed His only Son in our place.  It is not we who bore the punishment for our sin, but Christ.  What greater expression of love will we ever find {Johns Account 15:13}?  This is also exhibited in what Jesus commands of us in regards to others as well.  That we are to love one another as He has loved us {Johns Account 15:12}.  In this we see the truth of the Father, that He does all through His love for us.

Greater love than this has no one, that anyone may be laying down his soul for his friends 

Johns Account 15: 13, Concordant New Testament 

~Scott~ 

The Good Of The Father (Spin Doctors) # 2144

 

Beware that no one shall be despoiling you through philosophy and empty seduction, in accord with human tradition, in accord with the elements of the world, and not in accord with Christ

Paul to the Colossians 2: 8, Concordant New Testament 

Most people think of a spin doctor as someone who pushes the views and narrative of a political candidate.  While this is true, there are also other spin doctors out there who willingly push the narrative of what we're to believe about God.  I'm talking of those within the mainstream church who preach the narrative at every opportunity.  A good friend mentioned this to me the other day in response to my last posting.  Of course, I've known of the church spin doctors for some time.  But to understand these messengers we first need to understand the message itself.  What is the church narrative?  Well, the narrative consists of a few issues which those in the church treat as truth.  The lie that our sin has separated us from God.  The false teaching that we ourselves live separately from the Father Who created us in His likeness {Genesis 1:27}.  I often refer to the evangel of the apostle Paul when speaking out against this narrative of the church.  For Paul has spoken to the truth which we have in Christ Jesus.  The truth which proclaims that our freedom from sins punishment lies within our life in Christ {Paul to the Galatians 2:20}.  The truth which Jesus Himself has spoken, that our life is embedded within the Father {Johns Account 14:20}.  The narrative spoken by the church spin doctors speaks directly against this truth which we find in the scriptures.  Yet, when I suggest these passages to those who follow the church narrative, I'm accused of "cherry picking" the scriptures in order to support my own narrative.  Well, one of us is cherry picking scripture to support their narrative, but it's not me.  Honestly, why believe in the truth that Christ Jesus has bled and died on the cross for the forgiveness of sin only to turn a blind eye to that truth and proclaim that sin continues to be an issue in the life of every believer?  THIS is part of the narrative which the spin doctors preach!  It is also obvious from the various church congregations out there that there are plenty of those who willingly follow the narrative.

Back in my days in the church, I would never have referred to my pastor as a spin doctor.  I was drinking that kool aid along with everyone else.  In fact, on the rare occasions that someone disagreed with the pastor, I treated them just like those who follow the narrative treat me today.  For me, the words of the pastor were the truthful words from God.  To disagree with the teachings was to believe in blasphemy and false teachings.  That all changed one Easter Sunday as I sat in my usual spot for the morning sermon.  The pastor began by speaking to the truth that Jesus was crucified and died on the cross only to be raised three days later.  However, at the end of his sermon, he invited everyone who had "unresolved sin issues" to come forward and the church staff would pray over them.  Unresolved sin issues?  Wait, you just got done telling me that Jesus died for the forgiveness of my sin.  Now you're telling me that isn't true?  That was the last time I stepped into a church service.  It's funny, but once I removed myself from the church narrative, I began to seek a closer relationship with the Father.  A relationship which wasn't possible while I followed the church narrative.  What I've found is that God is not guided by church traditions.  That Christ Jesus has indeed died to sin "Once for all time" {Paul to the Romans 6:10}.  This is the truth we have in the Father which has been spoken and revealed to us through the scriptures.  The truth was never meant to be contradicted by the narrative of a human created religion.  A religion which speaks to the false narrative that we live separately from God.  Nothing could be further from the truth, and the scriptures speak to our life lived within the Fathers love.  But I'm guessing that doesn't fit the narrative.  

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?" 

Acts of the Apostles 7: 48-49, Concordant New Testament 

~Scott~ 

The Good Of The Father (Dog Issues) # 2143

 

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

First Epistle of John 4: 1, Concordant New Testament 

Webster has defined the word dogmatic as being "Characterized by or given to the expression of opinions very strongly or positively as if they were facts."  In my time, I have been witness to many in the Christian faith who have displayed such qualities.  Their consider their opinions on the way we worship, pray and tithe to represent the gospel of the Lord.  I believe that this is why the apostle John calls upon us to "Test the spirits" of those who claim to speak the word of the Lord {First Epistle of John 4:1}.  Indeed, there have been many false prophets who have come out into the world.  In my time in the church, I ran into many of these dogmatic types of believers.  Their minds could seldom be swayed to another view opposite of their own.  In their mind, theirs is the just and righteous view of God, no matter what.  For disagreeing with these dogmatic believers, I have been accused of blasphemy, lies and not following the true intent of the Lord.  But what is the true intent of God?  Indeed, we have the scriptures to guide us, but did God really intend for the rules and regulations found in the Old Testament to govern our lives today?  Remember, it is Jesus who has called out the Pharisees of His day for exhibiting this very same dogmatic behavior {Matthews Account 23:13-16}.  Many Christians agree that the Pharisees of Jesus' day were deserving of His rebuke, but they turn a blind eye to those very same behaviors today.  The apostle Paul has spoken to the truth that "No one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit" {Paul to the Colossians 2:8}.  Yet this is exactly what a dogmatic believer does.  Their trust and faith in the scriptures and human traditions can and has led many astray. 

One of the biggest stones which the dogmatic believer will toss around the neck of the believer is that of the unforgiven sin.  For it is sin which keeps us in bondage and separated from God.  This is also one of the lies spoken by the mainstream church and every dogmatic believer.  The truth about sin is that Jesus has already dealt with this issue.  Paul speaks to us that Jesus has indeed died to our sin "Once for all time" {Paul to the Romans 6:10}.  But the dogmatic Christian will wring his hands and proclaim, "what about my sin today?"  Really?  First off, would God dispatch His Son to die on the cross for the forgiveness of sin if He intended sin to be an issue for His creation?  The dogmatic believer truly believes that Jesus died on that cross for the forgiveness of sin, but still believes that sin is a big issue in his life.  How does that work?  It works because they buy into the teachings of the church hook, line and sinker.  For without the false teachings of the church, there would not be those who adamantly defend it to the fullest.  I've taken my share of push back for this belief, but I see the dogmatic Christian believer in the same light as those who have been radicalized by the Islamic religion.  Of course, the one common factor in this is religion.  The religion which places tradition over relationship with the Father.  Religion which speaks to the sin bondage of the children of God.  Something which Christ Jesus has already been sacrificed for {Paul to the Corinthians (2) 5:21}.  The dogmatic believer will never admit it as truth, but our sin debt has been paid at the cross.  That relationship which the Father desires with His creation is void of any and all human traditions.  The truth of our life is that we live life WITHIN the Father {Johns Account 14:20}.  Within the Father, there is no guilt nor condemnation, only the love of God.  It is this love of God which the dogmatic believer steals away from the innocent. 

Beware that no one shall be despoiling you through philosophy and empty seduction, in accord with human tradition, in accord with the elements of the world, and not in accord with Christ 

Paul to the Colossians 2: 8, Concordant New Testament 

~Scott~ 

The Good Of The Father (Jesus In Real Life) # 2142

 

For we have not a Chief Priest not able to sympathize with our infirmities, but One Who has been tried in all respects like us, apart from sin 

To the Hebrews 4: 15, Concordant New Testament 

I've had more than a few people ask me if Jesus ever faced the situations and trials that we ourselves so often deal with in the midst of our lives.  Was Jesus ever late for work?  Did He ever deal with a over zealous boss?  And what about people, did Jesus ever have to deal with those who mocked and belittled Him?  Well, one look at the scriptures and we can determine the answer to many of these questions.  We know that Jesus was ridiculed and mocked not only by the Romans who crucified Him, but by many who stood by and waited for Him to die on that cross.  One of the main complaints that I've had about scripture is that we rarely see stories of the young boy Jesus as He grew into the man He would become.  However, we can take a look at the culture of the day and determine what the life of this young Hebrew boy would be like.  In the film Young Messiah (2016), we see the life of a young Jesus personified.  While there have been those who criticized the film version of the life of the young Jesus, I felt that it gives us a glimpse into the life of the boy who would one day suffer and die at the hands of those who hated Him.  Jesus indeed played and hung out with other boys He knew.  He certainly had his moments where He frustrated His parents Mary and Joseph.  In many respects, He was like any other child of His day.  But He also must have had questions as well.  What was His life like?  Was He different than others?  Can we imagine a pre-teen child being able to comprehend all which He was, the Father in human form?  While the film Young Messiah answered a few of the questions people may have had, there are many which remain.  We can be assured that there is nothing which we will ever experience which Jesus has not already been through {To the Hebrews 4:15}.  For this reason, it is Jesus Who will sympathize with all we will ever experience in life.  

So, has Jesus gone through everything we have?  Were there cars and computers in His day?  No, but when we realize the truth of just Who He is, and who we are, we can began to see how Jesus can and will share in our experiences.  In his evangel, the apostle Paul speaks to the truth of the life of Christ Jesus within him.  Yet I am living; no longer I, but living in me is Christ {Paul to the Galatians 2:20}.  Paul understood that his life was never about himself, but about the spirit of Jesus Who lived within him.  Jesus Himself also speaks to our union with He and the Father {Johns Account 14:20}.  We can honestly say that the life we live is within the Father and not apart from Him in any way.  So, does Jesus know what it's like to be cut off by some inconsiderate driver on the freeway?  Absolutely!  Has Jesus ever experienced the pain and hurt of a broken family relationship?  Definitely.  For if our life is within Him, He is part of every joy and hurt we will ever endure.  We can safely say that Jesus is our life.  Some dogmatic souls within the church might bristle at this reality, for they see mankind as having been forever stained by sin {Paul to the Romans 3:23}.  But it is Jesus Who has died to sin "Once for all time" {Paul to the Romans 6:10}.  For Jesus did not die that He would judge those who have been found innocent through His death, but that they would be saved through Him {Johns Account 3:16-17}.  The truth is that there will never be anything which we experience that Jesus has not been through with us.  We endure all through Him.  This is our life lived within the Father. 

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 

~Scott~ 

The Good Of The Father (The Angry Side Of God) # 2141

 

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

First Epistle of John 4: 8, Concordant New Testament 

How many of us grew up in a church where God was someone to be feared and not loved intimately?  That God was a hairs breath away from bringing down His judgement on those who behaved against His will.  The other day I chuckled at a comment given by a friend of mine in his podcast, that God was somehow "Cranky."  Today I do not see Him as such, but during my days in the mainstream church I definitely looked upon God as some cranky, cantankerous being who was waiting for that day where His judgement would be brought upon my sinners arse.  This is the version of God that I was raised on, and it is the version of God which the powers that be within the church continue to chirp to their congregations to this day.  Needless to say, this is a lie, but I'll get into that in a bit.  Imagine growing up living in fear of a loving God who created you in His own likeness {Genesis 1:27}.  Imagine living in fear of a God whose very nature...is to love {First Epistle of John 4:8}.  So, is He a cranky God?  Well, many well meaning Christians would have us believe that.  Since it is almost impossible to have an intimate relationship with One Who is angry or cranky, I never knew that close relationship with the Father until I spent time away from the church and their false teachings.  I know and understand now that God is neither angry nor cranky against us.  How do I know this?  Well, I know the truth of how it is that God looks upon His creation.  Not with anger or animosity, but with love.  It is through His love for us that Jesus was dispatched to bear that sin burden for us {Paul to the Corinthians (2) 5:21}.  Do these sound like the actions of a God Who is angry with us?  All of the scriptural evidence, in my opinion, leads us into the understanding that God is not set upon condemnation, but on reconciliation {Paul to the Corinthians (2) 5:18-19}.  The truth of the matter is, God does not speak of His condemnation for us, but those within the church.  This is the environment which I grew up in. 

One of the most iconic scriptures we know speaks to the truth of Gods love and mercy towards us.  That God loved us so much that He has given us His only Son, that through Him we would NOT be judged, but that all the world would be saved through Him {Johns Account 3:16-17}.  So, Jesus has not come to judge, but to save.  To redeem.  Again, does this sound like the actions of an angry God?  If I knew then what I know today I never would have fallen for the false claims of those speaking the lies of the church.  The apostle speaks that God so LOVED the world, not that He judged the world.  But many Christians will counter with the claim, what about Gods anger in the old testament?  What about it?  Realize that this was before Jesus was dispatched unto this world.  That the entire scripture, from the old testament forward, lays the foundation for the coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus.  This was not dome out of anger or punishment, but of love.  Anger will never produce reconciliation.  Nor will it ever produce trust and faith.  What anger does produce is hostility and fear.  While I have never felt openly hostile towards God, I definitely was afraid of Him.  Those in the church will counter and tell us, but that's righteous fear, which is somehow allowed in Christianity.  The truth is, fear is fear no matter how you look at it.  We're also told that the Father has not given us that spirit of fear, but of power and love and sanity {Paul to Timothy (2) 1:7}.  So, if we have that fear of the Father, is it from Him?  I would say not to that nonsense.  But those within the church seem to embrace that fear of the Father and what He ultimately will do to us.  The fires of hell burn brightly in the back of our minds whenever we think of how He looks upon us.  But this is not the truth of how God sees His creation.  God has chosen love over anger and fear.  It is those within the Christian religion who continue to stoke the fires of Gods anger among any and all who will listen.  

For thus God loves the world, so that He gives His only-begotten Son, that everyone who is believing in Him should not be perishing, but may be having life eonian.  For God does not dispatch His Son into the world that He should be judging the world, but that the world may be saved through Him 

Johns Account 3: 16-17, Concordant New Testament 

~Scott~