The Good Of The Father (The Jesus You Don't Know) # 2151

 

Thereupon we, the living who are surviving, shall at the same time be snatched away with them in clouds, to meet the Lord in the air.  And thus shall we always be together with the Lord

Paul to the Thessalonians 4: 17, Concordant New Testament 

I've heard a lot of talk lately concerning the end times.  Talk from many Christians concerning the rapture.  That moment when believers will be caught up with the Lord in the clouds.  Too many of these wanna be prophets speak as if they are assured of the exact time and date of when this will occur.  The truth is, only God knows the precise hour and time {Matthews Account 24:36}.  Despite this, many claim that they can read the "Signs of the seasons" in order to predict these events.  If God has a sense of humor, I'm sure that He is quite amused at those who seemingly know when He will act.  But the issue that I have with those who speak of the rapture is that they speak of the impending return of the Lord Jesus.  Here's my question for those who believe this bunk, where has Jesus gone exactly?  THAT is the question which might break this conversation wide open.  For the traditional mainstream church belief is that Jesus is sitting in heaven at the Lords side awaiting that moment when He will once again return amongst us.  Never mind the fact that the scriptures speak of the other appearances of Jesus after His resurrection.  There are many Christians who believe that THIS will be His "Second coming."  It's a good story if you can sell it.  But back to my question, where has Jesus gone?  If we follow the traditional church preachings, we believe that He resides in heaven with the Father.  Yet I hold a different view on that.  I believe that Jesus, resides in us.  That's right, that Jesus is indeed in us.  The apostle Paul speaks to this union in Galatians {Paul to the Galatians 2:20}.  Paul knew and understood that Jesus wasn't dead, but that he himself had indeed died with Christ Jesus on that cross.  What remained, and what remains, is Christ Jesus in us {Paul to the Romans 6:8}.  Therefore, Jesus is not waiting for that moment to come down from the clouds, because He's already here among us.

Needless to say, this truth of Jesus has rarely been preached within the pulpits of the church.  To toss another monkey wrench into the traditional church theology, Jesus Himself has proclaimed that we live our lives in union with the Father {Johns Account 14:20}.  We are not separated from Jesus nor God, but we live each and every day within the Fathers love.  Whenever I mention this truth to most believers, I'm accused of cherry picking the scriptures to suit my narrative.  Well, there is a narrative there, but it belongs to the church itself.  It's the same narrative that has been preached for thousands of years.  That man has been separated from God due to his sin nature.  That very sin nature which we ourselves died to with Jesus on the cross {Paul to the Romans 6:10}.  Despite the forgiveness of sin being one of the hallmarks of the Christian faith, we're told that sin is still that main issue in our lives.  So, did Jesus give Himself for the forgiveness of sin or not?  Do the scriptures not speak to this truth?  Perhaps I'm simply cherry-picking verse again.  Those within the church will tell us that Jesus will return once again, but He's never left.  They'll tell us that He sits in heaven at the Fathers side, when in reality He resides within us.  I am not arguing that the rapture will indeed happen, but the timing of it is something only the Father knows.  And what about this, suppose that rapture is simply the Lord gathering ALL of His children unto Him once again?  What if His desire is not to sort out the good from the bad, but to bring all into His presence?  Again, probably not something you've ever heard coming from the pulpits of the church. 

In an instant, in the twinkle of an eye, at the last trump.  For He will be trumpeting, and the dead will be roused incorruptible, and we shall be changed 

Paul to the Corinthians (1) 15: 52, Concordant New Testament 

~Scott~ 

The Good Of The Father (Living Free) # 2150

 

For freedom Christ frees us!  Stand firm, then, and be not again enthralled with the yoke of slavery 

Paul to the Galatians 5: 1, Concordant New Testament 

For the past week I have been watching the preparations that are being undertaken for the celebration of this nations 250th anniversary.  Across the country, people will be celebrating not only the birth of our nation, but the freedom that comes with living here.  Now, there will be those on the left side of the aisle who will try their best to demean and disparage this great experiment in self governance, but anyone who knows our history knows that this nation born out of battle remains that shining example of democracy known all over the world.  We're told that to live in America is to live free.  Indeed, there is a lot to be said for that.  We have the freedom to travel.  The freedom to speak our mind AND the freedom to worship in whatever way we choose without fear of government oppression.  Yet many Americans do not know what it truly means to live free.  The apostle Paul reminds us in Galatians that it is Christ Jesus Who has truly set us free {Paul to the Galatians 5:1}.  The apostle John has proclaimed that if "The Son should be making you free, you will be really free" {Johns Account 8:36}.  We're not talking about constitutional freedom here, but true, life changing freedom.  This is the freedom which man will never take from us.  This is the freedom which Christ Jesus has provided for us.  So what is it to live free in Jesus?  Growing up I would hear this phrase tossed about many times, but I never realized what it meant to live free in Christ until later in life.  It wasn't until I realized who I was in Christ that I came to know the freedom which comes from living within the Fathers love.  THAT is true freedom.  I would say that to know Jesus is to know that you are free in Him.  Free of the condemnation preached by those within the church.  Free of the guilt and shame of the sin debt which was crucified on that cross so long ago.  To live free in Jesus is to know that we ourselves died with Christ that our old man would be put to death for good {Paul to the Galatians 2:20}.  As Paul proclaims, what remains is Christ. 

As I said, I never knew the meaning of truly living free in Jesus while in the mainstream church.  They talk of living free in Jesus, but rarely put it into practice.  Many Christians have never known what it really means to be free of all of the religious and traditional trappings which the church places upon us.  They know that there are requirements which must be met in order to enjoy eternity in the Lords presence.  That comes with a price, so we're told.  Well, if there were a price to be paid for that freedom, it has already been paid in full by Jesus Himself.  What remains is for Gods children to realize the freedom which we now have in Jesus.  For me, this realization was more of a revelation given unto me by the Father.  The revelation that I was no longer a sinner, which runs contrary to the false teachings of the church.  For those within the church, sin continues to be a major issue for believers.  For those who have known the truth of a life lived within the love of the Father, sin is something we no longer need to fear.  As Paul has spoken, "We, who died to sin, how shall we still be living in it" {Paul to the Romans 6:2}?  Knowing the freedom which we have in Christ Jesus means knowing that not only did Jesus die to sin, but that we have died with Him.  Sin no longer holds us captive {Paul to the Romans 6:6}.  Just like those on the Democrat side of the aisle will do their best to demean this great nation, so will those within the church take each and every opportunity to proclaim that we are not free, but still in sins bondage.  But to know the truth of our freedom lived within the Father is to see beyond the lies of the church separation theology.  For to know our live in Jesus is to know the freedom which we have in Him. 

Nothing, consequently, is now condemnation for those in Christ Jesus.  Not according to the flesh are they walking, but according to spirit, for the spirits law of life in Christ Jesus frees you from the law of sin and death 

Paul to the Romans 8: 1-2, Concordant New Testament 

~Scott~ 

The Good Of The Father (God Unexpected) # 2149

 

Now, whenever all may be subjected to Him, then the Son Himself also shall be subjected to Him Who subjects all to Him, that God may be all in all 

Paul to the Corinthians (1) 15: 28, Concordant New Testament 

Here's a question for all of the believers out there, where is the LAST place that you would ever think of looking for God, or Jesus for that matter?  Growing up, I was taught that God was indeed everywhere and saw everything that man ever did.  God had been keeping score from the beginning.  I've heard many a pastor speak to the pages of events by which mankind would be judged in that day.  Thus, I grew to fear that impending judgement of the Lord.  Where am I headed with this?  The apostle Paul has spoken that God is indeed all in all {Paul to the Corinthians (1) 15:28}.  He has created all which we see and is in all which we see.  I can recall facing difficult circumstances in years past where my first prayer was always, "Where are you, God?"  Despite God being all in all, I was raised on that false belief that my sin had separated me from Him.  This separation theology continues to be preached from the pulpits of the mainstream church.  When the difficult times arrive, we're told to seek the Lord in prayer for His help.  But then the doubts arise, will He hear me?  Has my sin upset God enough that He will allow me to suffer?  How long will it take Him to deliver me from my situation?  These are all thoughts I've encountered in the past.  There have been times that I dreaded difficult situations because I wondered if God would even be there for me.  Thankfully I no longer walk that road.  Which brings me back to my question, where is the last place which you would expect to find God?  Well, in the past, I would separate my bad experiences from God.  God was in heaven watching over me while I was here suffering.  The best that I could do was to pray for His deliverance from my trials.  There have been times that I would pray myself into exhaustion hoping that God would act in my favor.  Well, it turns out that He was there the entire time. 

The truth we have in the Father is that we cannot believe that He is all in all and not believe that He is within our difficult circumstances and illness as well.  Yet we have been conditioned by the church narrative to separate our difficult situations from Him.  We pray for His intervention.  We invite those around us to intervene for us.  Almost every church I have been in has had some sort of prayer ministry or another.  Their mission is to offer prayers to God for those who are suffering, as if God were somehow distant from it all.  But instead of being distant from it all, God is all in all.  There is nothing which we will ever go through that we do not go through in His love.  Jesus has spoken that we live a life within the Father {Johns Account 14:20}.  Knowing this truth of our life within Him will open our eyes to the truth of the words spoken by Paul, that He is indeed all in all.  God is within our triumphs as well as our defeats.  Ask any well intentioned believer and they may just admit that pain or sickness is the last place that they would expect to find God.  But He's always been there, too many of us simply haven't believed that He was, myself included.  How is it that we can say that God sees and knows everything and not realize that He is always an intimate part of all we are?  The fault lies with the lie spoken by Satan the deceiver, who has spoken the lie that we are indeed separated from God.  That our life is lived alone apart from Him.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  God is all in all, which includes every intimate part of our life lived within His love.  Our prayer should not be for God to intervene for us, but for Him to reveal that which He is accomplishing through us.  

For all am I strong in Him who is invigorating me -- Christ! 

Paul to the Philippians 4: 13, Concordant New Testament 

~Scott~ 

The Good Of The Father (The Jesus Narrative) # 2148

 

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 

There has been a narrative spoken within the mainstream church for thousands of years.  This is the narrative that we, as sinners, needed a savior in order to atone for that which we had done.  Enter Christ Jesus.  Enter the Jesus narrative.  It is a consensus among Christian believers that Jesus is that sacrifice for that which we have done.  In fact, it is the foundation of the Christian faith.  But this is but a piece of that narrative.  It is also taken as fact that God treated Jesus like a red headed step child on that cross.  That He turned His back on His beloved Son and poured out His righteous anger upon Him.  How else could one explain the torment which Jesus endured?  After all, we're sinners (Yes, we're still considered such by the church), and we deserve the Lords violent anger as a result of our sin.  But we didn't receive that penalty, Jesus did.  It is believed that Jesus received the full wrath of the Lord which our sin deserved.  This is the narrative which I grew up believing in.  So, I believed that God could not deal with me on a personal level, that I had been separated from Him because of my sin nature.  Again, this is all a part of the Jesus narrative.  The passage which opened my eyes to the truth of the death of Jesus was spoken by the apostle Paul in the book of Galatians.  It is this very passage which shoots the Jesus narrative all to hell (If there even is a hell, but more on that later).  Paul speaks to the truth that Jesus did not receive the full wrath of God on that cross, but that WE died with Him at His side.  That's right, Jesus died TO  sin once for all time {Paul to the Romans 6:10}.  This is referred to as Penal substitutionary atonement, the belief that Jesus died absorbing the wrath of God which had been meant for us.  Thus, He became that savior which we so desperately needed.  But is it more believable if Jesus absorbed our sin, or if the sin itself was put to death?  But the early Christians had a different view of what Jesus endured on the cross.  They didn't refer to it as punishment, but of victory.

Very few Christians refer to Jesus' death on the cross as a victory, but that's exactly what it was.  For on the cross, Jesus didn't absorb the wrath of the Father, but marched into enemy territory and defeated the enemy which had held the Lord's children in bondage for so long.  On that cross, Jesus conquered sin {Paul to the Romans 6:6}, death {Paul to the Corinthians (1) 15:55-57}, and wickedness {Paul to the Colossians 2:13-15}.  But this truth never has and never will fit into the Jesus narrative created by those within the church.  We're sinners, we're guilty and WE deserved the Lord's punishment.  As our Savior, Jesus took the penalty of that sin, along with the anger and wrath of God, all for the forgiveness of our sins.  It's a good story if you can sell it.  And that's exactly what the mainstream church has been doing for thousands of years, selling that Jesus narrative.  Is it any wonder that Paul asks the question, "O, death, where is your victory" {Paul to the Corinthians (1) 15:55}?  For Paul the answer is simple, Jesus defeated death on that cross.  He also knew the answer to the sin issue which surprisingly continues to plague us thousands of years after the death of Jesus.  For anyone who worries they are still condemned by their sin, which those within the church continue to preach, Paul had the answer for that, too.  "We, who died to sin, how shall we still be living in it?" {Paul to the Romans 6:2}.  As Paul spoke in Galatians, we have DIED to sin!  We have been crucified beside Jesus on that cross.  It is that sin which has been defeated by Christ Jesus on the cross {Paul to the Romans 6:6}.  Again, this truth spoken by Paul goes against the Jesus narrative preached by the church.  This is why so many believers believe that they continue to live in bondage to sin, because the church says that we do.  There is a reason that the gospels never speak of God punishing Jesus in our place, because the Jesus narrative had yet to be invented.  What the scriptures DO speak of is the victory of Christ Jesus over what once held the Lord's children in bondage.  But I guess that doesn't fill many seats on Sundays.  

Who rouses Him from among the dead, yet 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, stripping off the sovereignties and authorities, with boldness He makes a show of them, triumphing over them in it 

Paul to the Colossians 2: 13-15, Concordant New Testament 

~Scott~ 

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~