The Good Of The Father (The Gathering) # 2132

 

And He is the head of the body, the ecclesia, Who is sovereign, Firstborn from among the dead, that in all He may be becoming first

Paul to the Colossians 1: 18, Concordant New Testament 

It's no secret that the traditional church has been hemorrhaging members for many years.  I've spoken to this many times on this page.  People who once were gung ho in coming together in the name of the Lord are now lukewarm to that possibility.  What changed?  Well, as I've mentioned before, I believe that it is those within the church that changed it.  This is not something which has suddenly happened, but has been ongoing for the thousands of years since the inception of the first organized group of believers.  From the beginning, the focus has not been on Jesus, but on the desires of man.  But there is another church which is led by Christ Jesus which He continues to grow.  This gathering, the ecclesia, are those followers of Christ which He Himself draws unto the Father.  The ecclesia is different from the traditional institutional church in that it is void of the traditions carried forward by those within the church,  There are no tithes.  There are no boring Sunday sermons.  Jesus does not simply gather those who are most prominent among us, but all are indeed welcome in the church He is gathering.  In my time in the organized church, I came across those who felt guilty over missing a single Sunday or not being dressed well enough for the Lords day.  Jesus has done away with those requirements.  In fact, He has done away with many of the requirements which those within the church have imposed upon those who simply desired to worship Jesus {Paul to the Colossians 2:14}.  This is all about Jesus gathering all unto Him.  But what about those whose intent is not to worship Him, but to live the way they desire?  Won't Jesus judge them instead of gather them unto Himself?  Well, if you're into the broken theology of the mainstream church, you just might believe in that nonsense.  But we're told in the scriptures that Jesus has NOT come to judge the world, but that all the world will be saved THROUGH Him {Johns Account 3:16-17}.  

One of the best examples which I can give of the ecclesia which Jesus is drawing unto Himself is that of a group of gym goers which I have been associated with for some time.  Many of these have since become close friends of mine.  Not all of these are die hard Christians.  In fact, there are many who are either on the fence or have never considered knowing Jesus at all.  But I believe in my heart that they are being drawn into His ecclesia as I have been.  I'm no pastor, but I know that there are those in our group who take notice when I speak of the truth of our life within the Father {Johns Account 14:20}.  The apostle Paul spoke to this truth in his evangel, proclaiming that he was no longer alive, but that Christ Jesus lives in him {Paul to the Galatians 2:20}.  This is the truth of our identity in Christ.  Again, this is something you probably will not hear spoken of in the traditional church.  But it is the underlying truth of our life in Christ.  There are many who will bristle at the mention of the concept of universal salvation, that belief that God intends to gather ALL mankind unto Him to be saved in His name.  But what about the wicked?  What of those who openly blaspheme God?  Seriously, if God should choose to save all of His children, who are we to dispute this?  When we argue that the guilty deserve eternal punishment in hell, then we take upon ourselves those titles of judge and jury.  What is it that Jesus spoke of those who judge others {Matthews Account 7:1-5}.  Therefore, if God so chooses that He would save all of His children, that is His desire.  I see the gathering of His ecclesia by Jesus as the fulfilling of this desire of the Lord.  To gather all of His children unto Himself.  The difference being, His church is not losing members.

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 (House Of Cards) # 2131

 

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

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

A good friend of mine sent me an article this week detailing the seven reasons that people are leaving the modern church.  Having left the mainstream church years ago, this piece caught my interest.  I wanted to know if any of the reasons they came up with actually agreed with why it is that I left the church of my youth.  There were a few reasons which factored into my decision, but the real reason that I left the church was for theological differences.  I came to question the message which I has been receiving from those within the church.  I questioned how it is that the pastor of the church I had been attending for a good number of years could speak of the truth of our forgiveness of sins in the death of Christ Jesus one minute, and in the next proclaim that there was still unresolved sin within us.  To me it seemed like a zero sum game, what good was it to believe in the forgiveness we find in Jesus if sin still remains in us?  In my opinion, someone was not telling me the truth.  Either it was those within the church, or God had misled me all of those years.  Since I knew in my heart that God had never in my life lied or misled me, I decided that those in the church had lied to me.  Therefore, it was an easy decision for me to leave the organized church to seek the truth of the Lord on my own.  I have been fortunate, as the same friend who forwarded me this article is also the same friend who has spent years in the role of pastoral leadership within the church.  Dare I say that I have become closer to God in the years I've been absent from the church than I ever had while sitting in those pews every Sunday.  To me, that's a problem.  For I see the purpose of the church to not only lead people spiritually, but to guide them into the truth of our life within the Father.  This is a truth I've never heard spoken from any pastor in any church I've ever been in.  So, is it really truth if the church never speaks of it?  Or, do those in the church disagree with this truth and willfully choose not to speak it?  The truth of our life in the Father is not some radical new concept.  There are scriptural references to support it.  Yet when I attempt to speak of this truth to well meaning believers, I'm accused of cherry picking the scriptures to support my beliefs.  

The author J Preston Eby stirred something within me not too long ago when, in his Kingdom Bible series, he proclaimed that the scripture which we find in Revelation 18:4 was a direct command from the Lord to abandon the organized church.  One look at this passage and one could understand what Mr. Eby is referring to.  The article which my friend sent me is loaded with a number of reasons for which so many people are leaving the church.  From moral disagreements and issues with teachings to the conflicts and internal politics involved with the modern church.  Having spent a good deal of time in discussions with my friend, I'm well aware of the inner workings of the church he spent so many years leading.  Not only that, but I have witnessed the inner workings of this house of cards too many times myself.  The personal conflicts and the board room like atmosphere that personifies so many churches today.  It doesn't take long before those only interested in a closer walk with the Father say ENOUGH!  We're all aware of the disdain which Jesus had for the behavior of the scribes and Pharisees of His day {Matthews Account 23-33}.  I've always wondered, if Jesus were to confront those pastors of todays church, would we hear Him declare "Woe to you pastors?"  I believe that He would do just that.  The issues I have with the modern church involve their false teachings of the Lords children continuing to carry sin which Jesus has already forgiven with them.  This is the lie spoken by those within the church.  Now, do I believe that well meaning believers could continue in the church for the purpose of fellowship?  Absolutely.  But I also believe that the value of church attendance stops there.  I chose to abandon the house of cards years ago, and I've seen that I'm not alone in that decision. 

The God Who makes the world and all that is in it, He, the Lord inherent of heaven and earth, is not dwelling in temples made by 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 setting of the seasons and the bounds of their dwelling, for them to be seeking God, if, consequently, they may surely grope for Him and 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 we are.' 

Acts of the Apostles 17: 24-28, Concordant New Testament 

~Scott~ 

The Good Of The Father (The Pornography Lie) # 2130

 

For even as the woman is out of the man, thus the manis also through the woman, yet all is of God 

Paul to the Corinthians (1) 11: 12, Concordant New Testament 

Anyone who has suffered through an addiction to pornography knows the lens through which we view those of the opposing sex.  We see them not as valued children of the Lord, but as objects for our own gratification.  I was reminded of this once again this week as someone I know made the mistake of thinking within the desires of his flesh and not in the truth of his own identity.  I get it, I've been there more times than I can count.  The very reason that the porn industry is so profitable is that it plays to our own desires.  I've never seen a pornography video that spoke to the reality of who we are in the Father.  What I have seen is the presentation of both women and men into objects of our desires.  When I speak of this, I know what the hell I'm talking about because I've been there.  When my friend approached me this past week telling me that he was intending to ask a certain young lady on a date, my first advice to him was DON'T.  Not because I didn't want him to have companionship, that wasn't the issue.  The fact that he is already married negates the issue of companionship.  No, I advised him not to go down that road because I already knew where it would lead him.  I've seen countless others, including my own father, make the mistake of seeking intimacy from another person.  It never ends well.  So it is with my friend, who has become the latest victim of the lie which is pornography.  The lie which tells us that we deserve to be satisfied.  the lie which tells us that we deserve to be rewarded with the companionship of another for the purposes of sexual intentions.  As a believer, I know in my heart that this is not what God has intended for His children.  

In the darkness of my own addiction, my only thought was of what I wanted.  How I needed to be satisfied.  Never were my thoughts about what the Father desired for me.  That's a problem.  For I see this behavior in my friend, and it makes me sad.  In my heart, I know that the path which he is on is not beneficial for him.  But he has chosen to believe in the lie I once found to be so attractive.  Yet the truth we have in the Father is so much better.  To live within His desires for us is a life lived the way it has been created to be from the beginning.  God did not create us in his own likeness that we would see others only as objects of our own desires {Genesis 1:27}.  When I look at someone who has been happily married to their spouse for a good number of years, I all too often see a happy union.  Yes, there are trying times with any marriage, but this is part of the growing process.  While I was in my addiction, I rarely saw a female as anything but someone to satisfy my own desires.  But I was a hypocrite, for whenever I saw someone engaging in that same behavior that I was, I immediately accused them of violating somebody's wife, child or daughter.  It took a good number of years until I finally realized the truth of the man that I was, and that I was seeing others in the wrong light.  For Gods creation are not simply the objects of my desire, but His loved children.  We cannot proclaim ourselves as His child and yet see others as simply put on this earth for our enjoyment, it doesn't work that way.  The truth of our life in the Father is that He has created us in his likeness, male and female {Genesis 5:2}.  It is the accuser who has spoken the lie that we can be our own individual self {Genesis 3:1-6}.  It is also the accuser who spoke to me that I deserved to be satisfied by another. 

Yet if they are not controlling themselves, let them marry, for it is better to marry than to be on fire

Paul to the Corinthians (1) 7: 9, Concordant New Testament 

~Scott~ 

The Good Of the Father (Finding God) # 2129

 

And Lo!  The curtain of the temple is rent in two from above to the bottom, and the earth quaked, and the rocks are rent 

Matthews Account 27: 51, Concordant New Testament  

Up until the time of the death of Jesus, those who believed seemed to believe with certainty where God was.  The Jews of Jesus' day believed that God dwelled in the temple.  Not only that, but that He was to be approached only by the priests, the spiritual leaders of the people.  For inside the temple, in a place referred to as the "Holy of holies," there was a large curtain which separated the rest of the temple from the ark of the covenant of the Lord.  To venture beyond this curtain was prohibited, save for the chief priests on certain times of the year.  God separated from His children.  But the death of Jesus on the cross changed all of that.  For at the moment He took His final breath, that curtain in the temple was torn from top to bottom.  Not by human hands, but by the Lord Himself.  I believe that this is Gods way of introducing Himself as Who He truly is to His creation.  This was not God tucked away in a box.  This is His creation living in His presence, no longer inhibited by the barriers created by man.  Yet listen to the words of far too many pastors today and you'd think that God is still living behind that veil in the temple.  They speak of mankind being separated from God as a result of their sin nature.  But what of the sacrifice of Jesus?  Upon His death, that veil in the temple was torn.  God was no longer hidden from His children.  Yet far too many people today seek the Lord in the wrong places. 

The words of Jesus tell us that God does not live behind a curtain, but that His children reside IN Him {Johns Account 14:20}.  This is the truth of our life in the Father.  The apostle Paul understood this relationship when he described himself as having died in Christ.  He was gone, only Jesus remains {Paul to the Galatians 2:20}.  But what of that sin issue?  What indeed.  Many who look for God are hit by the roadblock thrown up by those in the church that their sin separates us from God.  Noting could be further from the truth.  For if we are truly seeking God, we need only to look within.  Our understanding of who and where God is can often be tainted by the teachings of those within the mainstream church.  I have often referred to the separation theology spoken by the church as one of the great lies spoken by them.  For it has never been the Lords desire that we would be separated from His presence.  Indeed, how is it even possible that we who have been created in his likeness can ever be separated from him {Genesis 1:27}?  Are we to ignore the words of Jesus Who speaks to our union with the Father?  I think not.  Yet, whenever I speak of this truth of our life within the Father, many believers accuse me of cherry picking the scriptures to suit my narrative.  This coming from those who have built an entire religion upon the narrative that we remain sinners separated from God.  Who do you think is ignoring the truth of God?  For those who are earnestly seeking the Lord, my advice is always the same, look within.  For it is not in temples or monuments built up by man that God will make His home, but within those whom He has created. 

The God Who makes the world and all that is in it, He, the Lord of heaven and earth, is not dwelling in temples made by hands, neither is He attended by human hands, as if requiring anything, since He Himself gives to all life and breath and all.

Acts of the Apostles 17: 24-25, Concordant New Testament 

~Scott~ 

The Good Of The Father (Playing The Part) # 2128

 

For each one shall be bearing his own load 

Paul to the Galatians 6: 5, Concordant New Testament 

There are those people out there who consistently refuse to take accountability for their own actions.  Unfortunately, I was once again reminded of this truth this week,  Some people refer to this as having a victim mentality, where anything negative which happens to them has nothing to do with their wrong choices, but will take each and every opportunity to find an excuse for their own actions.  There are certainly many out there who play the part of the victim very well.  The apostle Paul, as he so often does in his evangel, speaks to those who would conduct themselves in such a way.  Paul speaks that "Each one shall be bearing his own load" {Paul to the Galatians 6:5}.  What is Paul referring to in this passage?  Well, I believe that he is referring to the truth that each of us will be having that responsibility for that which we do.  If this were not true, Jesus would not have had to die for our sakes.  For we were once found guilty for that which we had done.  We could not place the blame on others for our own sin.  Yet despite our guilt, the Father chose His love for us over that punishment for our sin.  This is why Jesus shed innocent blood on our behalf {Paul to the Corinthians (2) 5:21}.  Make no mistake, we needed to die, not Jesus.  We were the guilty ones.  Not by happenstance, bad luck or the meddling of others, the guilt was ours alone.  I think that it's safe to say that playing the victim doesn't carry too much weight with God.  For He knows our very thoughts and our heart {Jeremiah 17:10}.  God is not influenced by the victim mentality.  Nor should we be.  I believe that at the base of much of this victim nonsense is that far too many people are unaware of their true identity in the Lord.  Again, Paul speaks to this truth in his evangel.  Paul realized that he, his old nature, had been nailed to the cross at Christ's side.  What remains is Jesus {Paul to the Galatians 2:20}.  It has never been our circumstances or the actions of others which has defined us, but Jesus Himself.

I rarely differ with the apostle Paul on anything, but I would like to add to his passage he speaks in Galatians 6.  Paul speaks that "Each one shall bear his own load."  But never let this confuse you that we ourselves are our own separate self or being.  Those within the church are fond of teaching us that our sin has separated us from God.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  For there is nothing which could ever separate us from He Who created us {Genesis 1:27}.  The author Norman Grubb speaks to there being "No independent, self-operating self in the universe" {No Independent Self ~ Norman Grubb}.  The truth of who it is that we are is embedded in the truth that our life is not lived apart from God, but WITHIN Him.  Jesus Himself speaks to the truth of our life within the Father in the gospel of John {Johns Account 14:20}.  Now for the tough question, who is it that you're following?  Are you following your own desires, ignoring the truth of your true identity?  Or, are you hearing and following the leading of the Father in Whom you live?  Paul speaks to the truth of "walking in the spirit" {Paul to the Galatians 5:16}.  Not only that, for if we indeed follow the spirit of He in whom we now live, we will no longer fulfill the desires of the flesh.  How can we be a victim for following the lead of the Father within us?  Obviously we can't, and that's the entire point.  Yes, each of us will be bearing our own load, But I choose that yoke of Jesus {Matthews Account 11:28-30}.  

Now I am saying, walk in the spirit, and you should under no circumstances be consummating the lust of the flesh 

Paul to the Galatians 5: 16, Concordant New Testament 

~Scott~ 

The Good Of The Father (No Way To Live) # 2127

 And we know and believe the love which God has in us.  God is love, and he who is remaining in love is remaining in God, and God is remaining in him 

First Epistle of John 4: 16, Concordant New Testament 

I have a friend who seldom has a conversation of the positive part of his life.  If you were to listen to him, you would think that his life was every bit as negative as he made it out to be.  Which is interesting considering that my friend confesses to be a Christian believer.  Now, there is no doubt that Jesus has proclaimed that in this life we are to have turmoil {Johns Account 16:33}.  However, Jesus also points out the truth of the fact that He Himself has overcome the world.  So, if Jesus has overcome this world, have not we who remain in Him done so as well?  What is it that the troubles of this world can do to we who are in Christ?  I have tried to impart the truth of Jesus to my friend that when he is in Christ, nothing about this world matters in who he is.  The apostle Paul speaks to the truth of our life in Jesus, that "To be living is Christ, and to be dying, gain" {Paul to the Philippians 1:21}.  Paul understood the truth of what it is to live life within the presence of God.  To be confident in knowing that we live AS Him.  Now, many in the church will point out that sinners cannot live within the presence of God, that our sin is a barrier to enjoying a life lived within Him.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  For Jesus has not given Himself as the "One not knowing sin" only that we should continue to suffer in this life {Paul to the Corinthians (2) 5:21}.  The truth of our life in Christ Jesus is that He has given Himself to that death of sin within us "Once for all time" {Paul to the Romans 6:10}.  That which once condemned us is no more {Paul to the Romans 6:6}.  This truth should give us the confidence we have of a life lived in Jesus, IF we know that truth within our hearts.  

I don't blame my friend for not grasping the truth of Christ in us as I have, for this is something which the church refuses to speak to.  In my time in the church, I never heard a pastor speak to the truth of Christ Jesus in me as I know today.  No, for I was a sinner deserving of condemnation.  This is the mindset by which my friend now lives his life.  He has been condemned, and he must live each day of his life as such, continually seeking Gods forgiveness.  Let me tell you, that's NO way to live!  A life lived in negativity will always come through in your interactions and relationships with others.  There is no way that you can express your joy of a life in Christ when you feel condemned by Him.  THAT, in my mind, is the key to the happiness of a life lived within Jesus.  This is why I can speak to my friend of the joy I have in Christ, because I live in the confidence of knowing that I am no longer condemned by Him.  That Jesus does not look upon me as a sinner deserving of punishment.  That debt has been paid in full.  What remains is my life lived within God {Johns Account 14:20}.  This is the reason for my happiness, I have overcome the world.  Whatever it is that I face in this life, I encounter it as Christ Jesus in Whom I now live.  How is knowing this truth not a joyful feeling?  I believe that the Father never intended us to live in the pain and sorrows of this world, but in the knowing of our life in Him.  This is true freedom in Christ Jesus.  Not concerned over whether or not there is some unforgiven sin which God continues to hold against us.  That's no way to live. 

For to me to be living is Christ, and to be dying, gain 

Paul to the Philippians 1: 21, Concordant New Testament 

~Scott~ 

The Good Of The Father (A Thinking Problem) # 2126

 Yes I admit, I've got a thinking problem

She's always on my mind

Her memory goes round and round

I've tried to quit a thousand times

~Thinking Problem by David Ball (1994)~ 

This week I was once again reminded of the impact of that which I thought I had once left behind me.  A good friend confided in us that he was once again struggling with the evils of pornography.  He's not alone by any means.  I was once among those who struggled daily with the images of the female form for my own gratification.  According to the latest statistics, 11% of men and 3% of women in America have confessed to being addicted to pornography in some form.  But what of those who dabble in it and don't feel that they're addicted?  What about those numbers?  See, when I was struggling with porn there was a time when I felt that I didn't have an addiction at all.  I was merely doing "What guys do."  The funny thing about pornography as compared to other, more destructive addictions, is that it often takes a back seat to diseases like drug addiction and alcoholism.  It's like porn is the ugly cousin of these other hurtful problems so many face.  Yet I'm here to tell you from my own experience that the porn struggle is all too real for many people.  I've been there.  I might never have partaken of drugs, but I was addicted nonetheless.  I chose to fill my time with images which satisfied me if only temporarily.  Isn't that what drug addicts and alcoholics do, seek that temporary pleasure?  In some ways, pornography has been seen as simply a issue with the mind.  If I don't think about those images, I'll be fine.  Well, I'm here to tell you that the issue goes deeper than that.  I dare to say that it goes to the issue of who we truly are.  Or, in other words, who God sees when He looks upon us.

When it comes to recovery programs, typical drug addictions have more options than those of pornography.  There are systems in place to help those addicted to kick the chemical addiction.  What does pornography have?  I've known more than a few men who have gone through one church endorsed porn addiction seminar or another and come out on the other end still addicted to the flesh.  So, how is it, then, that I managed to stop the cycle of the thinking problem?  Well, part of it was Gods intervention while the other part has been my own realization of who I am in His eyes.  It all began one night as I once again waited to walk through the doors of another Portland strip club.  In that moment, I felt what I can only describe as a tugging at my spirit which told me "This is not who you are."  Whatever it was, it was enough for me to walk away that night.  It also began the journey which led me to discover who I truly was in Christ.  If I'm not "That" guy, then who am I?  Well, If I adhere to the words of the apostle Paul, I am the image of Christ Jesus Who lives in me {Paul to the Galatians 2:20}.  That old guy I once was, who the church told me that I am, is dead.  He was crucified on that cross alongside Jesus.  That guy was a sinner, and I'm not that guy anymore!  While the pornography addiction can be described an issue with the mind, knowing who we truly are in Christ is that renewing of our minds {Paul to the Romans 12:2}.  My journey to knowing my identity in Christ has not been easy, but it has been life changing for me.  Knowing that the Father does not look upon me as a sinner, but as His loved child {First Epistle of John 3:1}.  When we renew our minds, we stop seeing ourselves not as condemned sinners, but as living our life IN Him {Johns Account 14:20}.  For those who find themselves addicted to images of the flesh, I can assure you that this is not who you are. 

And not to be configured to this eon, but to be transformed by the renewing of your mind, for you to be testing what is the will of God, good and well pleasing and perfect. 

Paul to the Romans 12: 2, Concordant New Testament 

~Scott~