The Good Of The Father (A God Who Is) # 2077

 

"Now concerning the resurrection of the dead, did you not read that which is declared to you by God, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and the God of Jacob?  He is not the God of the dead but of the living."

Matthews Account 22: 31-32, Concordant New Testament 

The Christian religion has always been filled with references to a God that was, or a God which will soon be.  Consider many of the worship songs which we belt out each Sunday.  Songs which declare, 'Come Lord Jesus!'  As if Christ Jesus is someone who is yet to come.  And, speaking of Jesus, consider the teachings of the church, which speak to the 'Second coming' of Christ, as if Jesus were not a part of the Lords original creation.  Now, part of this is due to the false separation theology preached by those within the mainstream church.  The theology which speaks to the false narrative that it is our sin which separates us from God.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  For the truth which we find in the Father is not of a God of the dead, but of the living {Matthews Account 22:31-32}.  That we need not wait for Jesus to come again, as He is already here among us.  The angels have declared that His very name, Emmanuel, would carry the meaning of "God among us" {Matthews Account 1:23}.  That is, God here among His children, not afar off watching from a distance.  I believe that part of the reason which the church falsely speaks of God is to keep people coming back to church.  The impression being that in order to "Find God" one needs to start in the church.  This, of course, is in error.  What of the man who, being broken in his life, suddenly discovers that bedside bible in a motel room one night?  He has never stepped foot into a church, yet through the word he has come to be introduced to God and His love and mercy for him.  A God Who is not far away, but here with him.  This is but one of the reasons by which I have been critical of the church.  For they speak of a false image of God.  Jesus Himself has spoken to the truth of our union life IN the Father {Johns Account 14:20}.  That we need not wait for His "Second coming" in order to enjoy His love and mercy firsthand.  All we need do is realize the truth of who He is within us {Paul to the Galatians 2:20}.  

I also am of the belief that to speak of God as if He were separate from us denies us the personal connection with Him that the Father desires.  That we would once again be reconciled unto Him {Paul to the Colossians 1:20}.  It was never the desire of God that He would be a separate part of that which He created.  This has been man's narrative from the beginning.  This has been the basis of man-made religion, that we should "Seek" to find God.  If you're thinking that somehow you need to find God, start from within.  For we ourselves have been created in His very image {Genesis 1:27}.  It is God Who is in all and through all {Paul to the Colossians 1:16-17}.  How, then, is it possible for that which has been created to somehow be separate from He Who created it?  Yet this is what continues to be spoken by the church.  The truth of the Father is that we have NEVER been separated from His love and mercy.  He has declared that "I will never leave you nor forsake you" {Deuteronomy 31:6}.  The scriptures itself speak to the errors in church teaching.  I am not simply cherry picking verses to prove my point, this is the truth of our life in the Father, not outside of Him.  I do not seek Jesus to come again, I seek that the world will know that He has always been here {Johns Account 1:1-4}.  It is Jesus Who has been from the beginning.  This is a God who IS.  

"That they may all be one, according as Thou, Father, art in Me, and I in Thee, that they also may be in Us, that the world shall be believing that Thou dost commission Me" 

Johns Account 17: 21, Concordant New Testament 

~Scott~ 

The Good Of The Father (Why They Hate Me) # 2076

 The Pharisaic spirit still exists, and it's the chief reason why so many non-Christians want nothing to do with Jesus 

Frank Viola ~ Eight signs of a modern day Pharisee

I remember how people used to cringe when I mentioned to them that I was indeed a Christian.  For the life of me, I couldn't see how people would discount such a profession from someone.  Of course, it wasn't until I began to encounter the modern day Pharisees that I began to see just why people viewed me with skepticism.  Was I indeed a Christian?  How is it that I practiced my faith?  Did I look upon others as just sinners and not with the love which Jesus Himself displayed?  Let me explain my point here, and how I came to see that I have become guilty by association with other so called Christians.  The author Frank Viola recently penned an article titled "Eight signs of a modern day Pharisee."  What caught my attention from this article was the fact that what Viola was describing was exactly the way which the church taught me to defend my faith.  I was once that guy!  Thankfully, I have come to know that my life does not center around a belief in a man-made religion, but in Christ Jesus.  This is why so many people have looked at me with disgust whenever I mentioned that I was a Christian.  They saw through the smoke screen which the church throws up.  They saw the actions of a judgmental religion.  I hate to admit it, but they were right in seeing me in that way.  For that is how I was presenting myself back then.  When I think back on those days now, I wonder how it is that I would have seen myself.  Thankfully, I have been recently reminded of how it is that others saw me through the interaction of a gym friend of mine.  My friend, and yes, he remains a friend despite our differences, seems to be the epitome of the modern-day Pharisee spoken of by Viola.  The judgement of others.  The holding accountable to the false ideology of sin separating us from God.  Professing that those who remain in that sin will face the punishment of hell.  I don't blame him per se, as this is what the mainstream church continues to teach the followers of religion.  Yet this is the question we need to be asking ourselves, did Jesus ever advocate for the following of a religion?  Or, as I believe, did He focus on the person and not the religious system?  

One of the verses I looked at this week was the command of Jesus and His own desire for us.  Not for adherence to a religion, but for mercy upon those around us {Matthews Account 9:13}.  I was also reminded of the angry words spoken by Jesus directed at the Pharisees of His day {Matthews Account 23:13-33}.  Not only did Jesus express His disagreement with the religious leaders of His day, He openly and publicly condemned them!  Not a good way to make friends for sure.  But Jesus wasn't looking to make friends in this instance.  What He WAS  looking for was shining the light of truth upon the practices of the Pharisees.  How they would burden others with their traditions yet failed to hold themselves to such standards.  If this sounds a bit like the modern day church you might be right.  As I said, it has been the actions of a certain friend which have made me realize that not only was I wrong in my own judgement of others back in the day, but that my friend is also in error.  Jesus was correct in His proclaiming of mercy over sacrifice.  For this is the desire of the Father for us.  It is mercy which God has shown to us even in our former state of sin {Paul to the Ephesians 2:4-5}.  It is because of His mercy that Christ Jesus gave Himself willingly for us {Paul to the Corinthians (2) 5:21}.  Make no mistake about it, we are the ones who needed to die, not Jesus.  Yet, in His mercy for us, God chose He Who had never known sin as that sacrifice.  God did not condemn us to hell for our sin.  He loved us enough to dispatch His only Son that we would be reconciled again to Him {Johns Account 3:16-17}.  In Jesus we have love, not Condemnation. 

"Now go, learn what this is: Mercy am I wanting, and not sacrifice.  For I did not come to call the just but sinners."

Matthews Account 9" 13, Concordant New Testament 

~Scott~ 

The Good Of The Father (Tomorrow's Forcast) # 2075

 

"You, then, should not be worrying, saying, 'What may we be eating?' or 'What may we be drinking?' or 'With what may we be clothed?'  For all these the nations are seeking.  For aware is your heavenly Father that you need all of these.  Yet seek first the kingdom and its righteousness, and all these shall be added to you.  You should not, then, be worried about the morrow, for the morrow will be worrying for itself.  Sufficient for the day is its own evil. 

Matthews Account 6: 31-34, Concordant New Testament 

I have often found it silly that man, with all of his technology, will have difficulty predicting what the weather will be yet still feel that they can comprehend what will happen a few days down the road.  This, of course, is foolish thinking.  For nobody knows what tomorrow will bring.  Jesus Himself spoke to the dangers of worry in His sermon on the mount.  In fact, He points out that despite our worries over tomorrow, the Father already knows what we will need {Matthews Account 6:32}.  Every once in awhile in my travels I will pass a little shop with the blinking sign in front which reads "Tarot cards read...fortunes told."  Let me tell you, if there were any credence at all to these hucksters claims, there would be zero element of risk involved in life.  Want to invest some money?  Have your fortune read and there's a good chance they could predict what to invest in.  Every college football fan is aware of the various pre-season polls which follow each season.  It seems that each and every news outlet has the inside scoop on what will happen before it even happens.  Indeed, man has become good at predicting what may happen tomorrow, or the next day.  The question we need to be asking is not what will happen tomorrow, but why we feel the need to dabble in that which has always been the Lords domain.  Somehow, man has been deceived into the thinking that we are responsible for our own lives.  This is the lie spoken by the deceiver in the garden.  The false belief that we could ultimately "Be like God" {Genesis 3:5}.  The lie has been perpetuated by the mainstream church, which preaches that our own sin has separated us from God.  Yes, that sin which Jesus supposedly died to free us from.  The author Norman Grubb has written that there can be but one self-operating self in the universe, and that is God Himself {No Independent Self ~ Norman Grubb}.  

At it's base, I believe the reason for our worry over tomorrow is the false belief that we and God are two separate individual selves.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  Jesus Himself speaks to the truth of our life in the Father in the book of John {Johns Account 14:20}.  Many of the false ideas harbored by man which I have recently written on can all be traced back to the false belief that we are an independent self.  The free will of man and our ability to choose for ourselves are all based upon the assumption that we, and not God, are in command of our lives.  So, if we are in control of our lives, why is it that we stress so much over what has not yet happened?  Why did Jesus feel the need to proclaim to that crowd on the mount of Olives that day, 'Do not worry?'  Why?  Because He knew the truth, that to worry over such things is folly.  That the Father already knows what we will ask Him for even before we do.  That God already is well aware of what it is that we need.  But we, believing that we alone control our life, continue to work overtime in order to predict what life will bring.  It's well understood that stress and anxiety can cause havoc with these flesh bodies or ours.  Yet I have found a remedy for the stresses of our anxiety.  Trust in the words of Jesus when He declared, 'Do not worry!'  Think about it, what good has worrying over tomorrow ever brought you?  For me personally, to worry brings only distress.  I have never gotten that feeling from trusting in God.  What I have experienced is the peace which comes from knowing that in Him I no longer need to worry. 

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}.

No Independent Self ~ Norman Grubb 

~Scott~ 

The Good Of The Father (The War Within) # 2074

 For the flesh is lusting against the spirit, yet the spirit is against the flesh.  Now these are opposing one another, lest you should be doing whatever you may want

Paul to the Galatians 5: 17, Concordant New Testament 

It's a comment that I have received all too often when I mention the truth we find in Jesus that He has delivered us from sin once and for all {Paul to the Romans 6:10}.  When faced with this truth, many people are aghast and say something along the lines of, "So I can just do whatever I want?"  Pretty much.  Well, at least that is what a part of us desires for us.  To do whatever it is that we see is good, but not what God might see as good.  I was reminded of this internal battle we face by a good friend the other day when he mentioned a life lived in the flesh.  The apostle Paul speaks to our conflict between the flesh and the spirit in Galatians.  For it is the flesh which is lusting against the spirit, and the spirit is against our flesh {Paul to the Galatians 5:17}.  Paul warns us that these two oppose one another "Lest you should be doing whatever you want."  There are people who brush off this conflict by simply saying. "The devil made me do it."  While I wouldn't put it past the deceiver to derail us in that way, I believe that there is something bigger in play here.  That being our struggle between the spirit we are and the flesh we live in.  I would be against condemning the flesh outright, seeing as we have been created in the likeness of the Father {Genesis 1:27}.  It is also God Who has breathed into us the breath of life, whereby we became a living soul {Genesis 2:7}.  So it is that all which we are has been planned and created by the Father.  For it is foolish to believe that anything escapes the Fathers notice.  He knew beforehand that we would encounter this war between our flesh and spirit.  The sides have been chosen long ago, on the one hand are the desires of the Lord while on the other is what makes us feel good.  There was a time when I followed that desire of the flesh as I was dabbling in an addiction to pornography.  My spirit took a back seat to the desires of the flesh.  I was doing what I felt good doing, not what was good for me.  Yet this is the battle each one of us faces every day.  We know what is right and pleasing the Lord, yet we all too often choose the alternate.  Again, Paul speaks wisdom to this truth by proclaiming the struggles he encountered in his life.  Paul concedes that "Good is not making its home in me (That is, in my flesh), for to will is lying beside me, yet to be affecting the ideal is not {Paul to the Romans 7:18}.  

Indeed, Paul knew all to well the struggle he faced between his spirit and his flesh.  It is for this very reason by which many Christians have condemned the flesh as being wicked.  I won't go that far.  In light that we have been created in the likeness of the Father, I will say that it is our flesh which is highly influenced by the world and the earthly pleasures which surround us.  A good friend once related to me that it is our flesh which is neutral, and therefore highly susceptible to the influences of the world around us.  I believe this to be true.  I would also say that to condemn the flesh is to condemn the Fathers creation, and I'm not prepared to do that.  Fortunately, the Father has a way for us to follow what He knows is right for us.  For it is His very spirit within us which speaks to what is right and good {Paul to the Galatians 5:16}.  We can indeed, as Paul proclaims, walk in the spirit which is within us.  Jesus Himself has spoken to our union life within the Father {Johns Account 14:20}.  We no longer live within sin, but in the love and mercy of God.  He IS our life.  Knowing this, we must also recognize that our flesh continues to battle against His spirit within us.  This does not diminish the truth that our true identity mirrors Gods spirit identity as well {First Epistle of John 4:13}.  For to walk in the spirit is the desire of the Lord {Paul to the Romans 8:5}.  

For I am aware that good is not making it's home in me (That is, in my flesh), for to will is lying beside me, yet to be affecting the ideal is not 

Paul to the Romans 7: 18, Concordant New Testament 

~Scott~ 

The Good Of The Father (The Pharisee In Me) # 2073

 

The Pharisaic spirit still exists.  And it's the chief reason why so many non-Christians want nothing to do with Jesus

8 Signs of a Modern Day Pharisee ~ Frank Viola 

Growing up in the mainstream church, I learned early on that there was one and only one narrative of the bible and that was the one which the pastor spoke to each Sunday morning.  I was told that I needed to listen to the padre in order that I might "Be fed" from the word of God.  Not only that, I was expected to take his words and bring them into the community outside of the church walls.  In this way I was seen as walking in the steps of Jesus, evangelizing those who needed to hear the word of God.  This was all fine and good, until I came across someone who either didn't adhere to Christianity or had a different interpretation than what I had been taught.  To me, these people were to be seen as lost and in need of saving.  I spent no time in contemplating why it was that they felt this way, only that I needed to bring correction to them no matter what.  After all, I was doing Gods work.  I never really saw myself as a Pharisee until recently when a good friend shared with me an article penned by author Frank Viola titled "8 Signs of a Modern Day Pharisee."  As I read the article, I thought back to all of those whom I had bullied into my way of thinking about God.  How vehemently I had defended my faith from those who needed to be "Taught about God."  Some know this as apologetics, the vigorous defense of their faith in the arena of any debate or discussion.  I this is one of the signs of a modern day Pharisee, I was indeed among that crowd.  It was my job to defend the word of God from those who disagreed with it.  However, over time I began to wonder to myself just why the creator of this universe would need my help defending Him.  Wasn't God more than capable of defending Himself?  Did He really need to defend Himself?  My "Aha moment" came as I was reading through the epistle of John and came across an interesting passage where the apostle calls on us to "Test the spirits to see if they are of God" {First Epistle of John 4:1}.  Test the spirits?  Whatever did this mean?  Was I being asked to go against what I had been taught about God?  As it turned out, I soon came to realize the truth of the love of the Father, and it hadn't come from any Sunday sermon.

I have come to see the passage we find in the First Epistle of John as one of the core verses of my coming to know the truth of my life in the Father.  As John states, "For many false prophets have come out into the world."  This is not a call for people to ignore the bible, but to seek His revelation through the word.  For Jesus Himself has declared our union life in the Father {Johns Account 14:20}.  The Author J Preston Eby has gone as far as to describe the modern church as a "Harlot" {The Savior Of The World ~ J Preston Eby}.  As I began to see the scriptures through a different lens of understanding, I began to know a God not of guilt and punishment but of His one true nature, which is love {First Epistle of John 4:8}.  Recently I have been reminded through a friend of what I must have been like back in my Pharisee days.  I have a friend who seemingly has a mind set that the scripture as taught by the church is the be all end all word of God.  There is even no room for debate in this.  Believe me, I've tried.  My friends defense of a God who loves His children yet hates sin and wickedness is often very...robust.  When I listen to him I hear the centuries old church doctrine that the good will be rewarded and the wicked punished.  Of course, he backs up these claims with plenty of his interpretation of the bible.  I've asked myself, was I ever this bad?  Although I am grateful for the revelation of my life in Christ, my prayers continue to be with my friend that he might enjoy the same love of the Father that I have experienced in my life.  I don't condemn him for his unbelief.  My Pharisee days are over. 

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  

~Scott~ 

The Good Of The Father (The Fathers Reach) # 2072

 

O man! who are you, to be sure, who are answering again to God?  That which is molded will not protest to the molder, "Why do you make me thus?"  Or has not the potter the right over the clay, out of the same kneading to make one vessel, indeed, for honor, yet one for dishonor? 

Paul to the Romans 9: 20-21, Concordant New Testament 

There are many Christians who have spoken to the arrogance of man, but there is no more arrogant belief than that which speaks to man having a free will of his own.  The apostle Paul speaks to this folly in the book of Romans.  It is here where Paul asks the reader, "Has not the potter the right over the clay" {Paul to the Romans 9:21}?  The arrogance of man assumes that he himself decides what he will do as well as how he will be doing it.  As the apostle would say, what folly!  To be clear, what part of our lives is God not so intimately involved?  What part of His creation does God not dictate what, when and where things will occur?  Man claims that he himself chooses to follow God and/or Jesus.  Jesus Himself declares that "No one can come to Me if ever the Father Who sends Me should not be drawing him" {Johns Account 6:44}.  So, it is not by our own volition by which we come to know Jesus, but it is by the will of the Father.  In fact, I would argue that there is nothing which man does of his own accord.  This seems logical seeing as it is God who has created all which surrounds us {Genesis 1:1}.  It is also logical knowing that we have had nothing to do with our own birth, but that God Himself has created all in His own likeness {Genesis 1:27}.  I do not recall having anything to do my own conception or birth.  Nobody asked me if I wanted to be born into this world.  My guess is that nobody else was given that opportunity either.  Man takes pride in taking credit for that which God is responsible for.  Yes, I've been among those as well.  For their part, those in the mainstream church don't do us any favors by continually speaking to the false belief that we have been separated from God by our own sin.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  But what sin has done is enslaved man into the lie that his life is solely his own.  If anything, man has distanced himself from God by accepting the lie spoken by the deceiver in the garden {Genesis 3:1-6}.  By our own accord, we have accepted that which has never been true, that we are beyond the Fathers reach.

A gym friend of mine has developed the habit of proclaiming that all must "Come to Jesus and accept Christ," as if it is in our abilities to do just that.  Yet, Jesus has spoken that no one comes to Him but through God Who draws them to him.  Of course, many well meaning believers continue to swallow the bait and hold to that belief that it is they who decide what they will do and when and how they will do it.  So, you decide what is to happen in that which you had no hand in creating?  Yeah, good luck with that.  I am not vain enough to recognize that my efforts are but an example of Gods presence here on earth.  It is He who ultimately decides what will happen and when.  You could say that we are simply along for the ride.  But this truth goes against all which is spoken from the pulpits of the church.  Yes, they will acknowledge that it is God Who has created all.  Yet, knowing this, they do not act according to that which is true.  In the theology spoken by the church, God created all, but man decides how he will conduct his life.  This is the error of the belief that man has been created with a free will of his own.  The belief that God has zero influence in whatever man decides to do.  Again, this is not speaking to the truth of the Father.  For our life has never been outside of Gods influence, but within Him.  Jesus Himself speaks to the union between man and the Father {Johns Account 14:20}.  Knowing this truth, what will man ever do that God is not intimately connected to?  In fact, I would argue that it is God who decides how and when we will do what He has set forth for us {Jeremiah 29:11}.  

For the scripture is saying to Pharoh that "For this selfsame thing I rouse you up, so that I should be displaying is you my power, and so that My name should be published in the entire earth" 

Paul to the Romans 9: 17, Concordant New Testament 

~Scott~ 

The Good Of The Father (Brought To Jesus) # 2071

 No one can come to Me if ever the Father Who sends Me should be drawing him, and I shall be raising him in the last day

Johns Account 6: 44, Concordant New Testament 

Christianity has taught us that among mankind there is a choice that needs to be made.  That in order to enjoy the glory of a life in Christ Jesus that one must first and foremost "Choose" to allow Jesus into their life.  That they must choose to accept Him and all which He offers us.  This has been enshrined in church doctrine for centuries.  Of course, this all centers upon mans own ability to make such a choice for himself.  We've been conditioned to believe that this is indeed the case.  Adam and Eve chose the apple.  Able made the choice to kill his brother Cain.  The Jews made the choice to bow before a false God.  But what if we've gotten it wrong all along?  What if we never really had that choice, but sere simply adhering to the ultimate plan brought forth by the Father?  Think about this, did we have the choice to be born?  To my knowledge, nobody ever asked me my opinion before I was conceived.  I'm sure that nobody was ever offered that choice as well.  Yet we will profess all day long that we ourselves need to somehow make a choice of our own volition to choose Jesus.  How about this, accept the fact that everything which we will ever see is from God.  Everything which we will ever do is from God.  It is well known fact that I have been created in the Fathers likeness {Genesis 1:27}.  That it is God who has breathed into me the breath of life {Genesis 2:7}.  All that I will ever be is because of Him.  So, how is it that I can claim that I am the only one who make that choice to accept Jesus into my life?  Do I even need to accept Christ into my life?  For it is Jesus Himself Who has spoken to the truth that our life is in union with He and the Father {Johns Account 14:20}.  If we accept the church claim that we need to somehow choose to accept Jesus, then we fail to see ourselves as we truly are.  It has never been about ourselves alone.  In fact, it can be shown that there is but one self-operating independent self in the universe, and that is God {Isaiah 45:5}.  

Those within the mainstream church will preach all day long that we have been separated from God due to our own sin.  This is the false separation theology spoken by the church.  It is based upon the lie spoken by the deceiver in the garden, that if Eve took of the forbidden fruit, that she would somehow "Be like God, knowing good and evil" {Genesis 3:5}.  As we all know, Eve swallowed that lie hook, line and sinker.  Not only that, but mankind has been living the lie ever since.  A self-independent man, really?  Remember that God is the ONLY self-operating self in the universe.  Man cannot be a self-operating self because it was not how he was originally created.  We were originally created to be live within the Father, to be an extension of Him.  It is man who has perpetuated the lie that we are separated from God.  This has never been the Fathers intention.  Knowing this truth of who we are in the Father, how is it that man can ever make the independent choice to accept Jesus?  We have never been independent of the Lord, therefore we do not possess that ability to choose for ourselves.  What we DO know through scripture is that man is drawn to Christ Jesus through the work of the Father {Johns Account 6:44}.  It is God who ultimately brings us unto His Son, not our own choice.  This is the desire of the Lord, that all will be saved through Christ Jesus {Johns Account 3:17}.  We have zero ability to choose our salvation in Him.  

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}.

No Independent Self ~ Norman Grubb 

~Scott~