The Deplorables

16Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer. 17Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. 18Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, 19that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not dimputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.
2 Corinthians 5: 16 - 19 NKJV

I was reminded once again this week of how soon it is that we can forget just how Christ Jesus views not only us, but all of Gods children.  That as christians we certainly do not have a monopoly on our heavenly Fathers goodness and grace.  It is not only for our benefit that God so loved the world.  Far from it, for the love of Christ Jesus is available to all {John 3: 16 - 17}.  However, as I've found out yet again, every so often we find ourselves sliding into the belief that God is for our benefit as christians only.  His mercy and blessings are all designed to bless only those who believe in HIm.  Well, I hate to burst anyones institutional church bubble, but that is not how my God does things.  For if this were indeed the case, then I woud have no hope of being saved.  I was born into sin, and despite this God saved me from my condition even though I didn't believe in Him from the begining.  It is not a exclusive salvation club which we belong to.  This entire discussion began this week as I was having difficulties with a co worker.  In fact, the very thought of working with this person stirred up anger in me.  Why?  Because of what he has done in the past.  But wait, what about what I have done in the past as well?  If God was merciful to forgive me, then certainly He is merciful enough to forgive someone I don't like.  Now, as the apostle Paul so richly tells us in 2 Corinthians 5, we are not to judge anyone by the flesh any longer.  Indeed, Christ was once in the flesh as well, but we no longer see Him in that way.  No, we see Christ Jesus for who He truly is, the image of the invisible God.  So also are we to see others as who they truly are and not by the flesh.

1Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of aGod! Therefore the world does not know bus, because it did not know Him. 2Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.
1 John 3: 1 - 2 NKJV

One of the big teaching points in our weekly discussions has been just what our real indentity truly is.  Are we simply the flesh, bone and blood which we ourselves can see, or is there something else in play here.  Well, one thing we have learned is that our real identities are not fleshly but spiritual in nature.  In fact, these flesh bodies of ours are simply containers for our true spirit identities.  This is indeed why Jesus came as fleshly man, that He would be the image of the invisible God.  So, if indeed our true indentity is not tied to our flesh but to our spirit, how does that affect the way we see those around us?  We no longer see others by the flesh.  No, we see those around us by their true identities which is their spirit indentity.  It is here where we then get into which spirit is within them be it the spirit of Christ or the spirit of error (satan).  The point is, if God does not see my identity as a flesh and bone creation but as a spirit identity, then that is how we are to see those around us as well.  It is certainly a good thing that God does not judge His children by the flesh.  We do well to follow His example.

~Scott~

In Gods House

24“God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands. 25“Nor is He worshiped with men’s hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things. 26“And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, 27“so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us"
Acts 17: 24 - 27 NKJV

I used to have a christian coworker who would every so often ask me if I had been in "Gods house" on Sunday.  Of course, it is widely known that Jesus had refered to the temple as "My fathers house" for good reason.  For indeed it was well known that in the temple the presence of God would dwell.  In fact, the Jewish priests were the only ones permitted in the inner sanctums of the temple.  How could God indeed tolerate a common man in the inner regions of His house?  No, there had to be a segregation.  No common people allowed in the holy parts.  So did the Jewish traditions contiue even to this day.  Even among christians, the church building itself has become well known as Gods house, as I was reminded every so often.  The church building was the epicenter of the faith.  The church housed all that we believed in as christians.  More than one pulpit pounder has called upon Gods presence to be realized in a Sunday sermon, as if God only dwelled in that particular building.  And as christians we all bought it hook line and sinker.  This was Gods house, and He was to remain there.  Talk about putting God in a box.  But wait, what if God indeed is not limited to just a building?  What if God does not dwell in His house at all?  Well, there goes thousands of years of christian philiosophy straight down the crapper!  Now the important question.  Is the creator of all creation limited to a building?  The apostle Paul didn't think so at all.

19Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? 20For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body gand in your spirit, which are God’s.
1 Corinthians 6: 19 - 20 NKJV

In Acts 17 Paul tells those assembled in Athens that day that the God whom he served was not limited to any ornate building.  Indeed, the presence of God has no limitations.  We ourselves are the ones who place limits on who God is.  As Paul tells it, God does not dwell in temples made by men.  What?  Well, if indeed He dwelled in His house only, the ol' Paul would never have encountered Him on that Damascus road.  Someone would have had to escort Paul into Gods house.  Not into the holy area however, because that was forbidden.  What we as christians must realize is that God indeed does have a home, but it is not in a building.  No, Gods dwelling place today is within those who have recognized Christ Jesus.  It is the Spirit of God that lives through us.  Whatever we experience, see and live today, we do so as Christ who is in us.  That entire notion of a seperation between God and His children which was manifested in the temple no longer exists.  For it is through the man Christ Jesus that we now have a advocate to our heavenly Father {1 Timothy 2:5}.  It is though Christ Jesus that the relationship mankind shared with God before the fall has now been reinstated.  Our original factory settings have been made as they once were.  The notion that we travel each and every Sunday to Gods house is steeped in old testament thinking.  We don't travel to Gods house, we ARE Gods house.

20“I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me."
Galations 2:20 NKJV

~Scott~

God In A Box

24“God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands. 25“Nor is He worshiped with men’s hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things. 26“And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, 27“so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us."
Acts 17: 24 - 27 NKJV

I saw a post just the other day which talked about the acedemics of following God.  How somehow we as christians needed to put our thinking caps on in order to fully understand and comprehend what our heavenly Father has done for us.  My first thought upon reading this was of the apostle Pauls speech in the Areopagus in Athens.  See, the Greeks and Romans were famous for constructing lavish temples and buildings in honor of whatever god they chose to bow down to.  The building, therefore, became synonimous and associated with whatever entity they were worshipping.  Sadly, far too many christians today have taken this approach as well.  I can speak from experience of the modern churches insatiable desire for bigger and more ornate buildings.  Some years ago, the church which I was attending made the bold announcement that they would be purchasing a large swath of nearby property in order to build a new church and retail marketplace to serve the local community.  Of course, there was the initial excitement of building such a lavish establishment.  However, it wasn't long before the church hierarchy begin wringing their collective hands over just how to finance such a project.  Indeed, there were more than a few special Sunday tithe offerings where the congregation was "encouraged" to give above their normal amount in order to help the financing of this new christian marketplace.  What a great place to connect with God!  To this day, that project is still on hold.  My point here is, why is it that we continue spend our time and energy dreaming and building bigger palaces to worship our heavenly Father?  It's as if we've resurected the thoughts of the ancient temple builders, that who we worship is tied to the buildings which we construct.  This is placing God in a box of our choosing, and it's wrong.

44Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, 45and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need. 46So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, 47praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.
Acts 2: 44 - 47 NKJV

I've always loved the example of the early church of Jesus which we find in Acts 2.  This was really not a church at all, but a community of believers.  It is from this example which the church of today so often talks of community within its own walls.  A community where their own congregation can gather and commune with the Lord.  Again, this is not community at all but a modified church service.  What we fail realize in the example of Acts 2 is that this community of believers WERE the community of their day.  It would be as if the city of New York would routinely gather together, worship and share among themselves with whoever had need.  The most organized church ministries and outreach of today could never match the community of the early church.  Instead of wasting our time and efforts building bigger and better "houses" to worship God, we do well to know in our hearts where it is that God truly lives.  For through the gift of Christ Jesus, we ourselves are that temple within which our heavenly Father dwells.

19Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? 20For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body gand in your spirit, which are God’s.
1 Corinthians 6: 19 - 20 NKJV

~Scott~

No I In Jesus

Minnesotas Sam Bradford (8) leads his team into the huddle.

6knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. 7For he who has died has been freed from sin. 8Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, 9knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him. 10For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. 11Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 6: 6 - 11 NKJV

What if I were to ask you your opinion of Jesus?  What would your answer be?  Is He your savior, your heavenly Father or the cleanser of your lifetime of sins?  What are the limitations you put on this man you see as Jesus?  Many is the christian who recognizes the sacrafice of Jesus yet fails to see the flip side of Christ at His empty tomb.  For Jesus is much more than the blood He shed to wash away the sin which we were all born into {Romans 3:23}.  While it's true that Jesus was made to become sin on our behalf {2 Corinthians 5: 21}, the truth of the Jesus of today happened after His crucifiction.  As the apostle Paul tells us in Romans 6, our old man was crucified with Jesus on that cross.  Why is this truth so hard to comprehend?  Why is this the truth which Paul refered to as the "Mystery among the gentiles" {Colossions 1:27}?  Well, for one thing, I really don't recall ever dying.  However, in my heart I know that it is Christ Jesus who lives through me.  Why did our old man need to be put to death?  As Paul tells us, "That the body of sin might be done away with."  Yes, each one of us has  sinned and fallen short of the glory of a holy God.  It is that life of sin which we were once born into which Jesus took upon Himself to be put to death on the cross.  The sin spirit we once carried is no longer within us, having been replaced by the Spirit of Christ Jesus.  As Dennis likes to tell it, our former occupier has been evicted, replaced now with that original spirit which we now share with Adam and Eve.

20“I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me."
Galations 2:20 NKJV

We are assured of this new spirit within us by Pauls words in Galations 2:20.  It is no longer "I" who live, but Christ lives in me.  There is a popular motivational phrase out there which touts that there is no "I" in team.  The meaning, of course, is that it takes a team to compete and win, not just a individual.  Knowing this, I submit that there is also no "I" in Jesus.  For if indeed Jesus is within us, then everything that we do we do as Christ.  It is no longer we who live, but Christ lives in us.  Everything that we see, touch and experience we do AS HIM.  Are we struggling in our marriages?  Then it is Christ who is struggling.  Are we entering a new chapter of our lives?  Then it is Christ Jesus who is walking this new life path.  If indeed Paul tells us in Galations that it is no longer we who live but that Christ lives in us, then it is Jesus Himself who enters into all that we experience.  We now live as Jesus who is in us.  It is no longer we but He.  Therefore, we can say with the utmost confidence that there is no "I" in Jesus.  We are certainly not independent as so many have falsely believed, but one in Christ.  Dennis, my unofficial editor, has often pointed out that I mistakingly use the word "I" in my writings.  To not see the error in this thinking is to not see Christ living through us.  Old habits die hard.

~Scott~

Ten Miles Of Bad Road

18Then his brothers also went and fell down before his face, and they said, “Behold, we are your servants.” 19Joseph said to them, “Do not be afraid, for am I in the place of God? 20“But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive."
Genesis 50: 18 - 20 NKJV

Some might confuse the christian life as days of wine and roses.  I am not so naive.  Yes, we're saved and our sins have been forgiven, but this christian life is far from a party.  Far from it, for we often suffer the same setbacks, crisis and life events as those around us.  Indeed, to be a follower of Christ Jesus does not give us a pass on lifes chaotic events.  On the contrary, we may often have a rougher row to hoe than most others.  One may ask just how God could provide for us such trying circumstances.  Haven't we sacraficed enough already?  I mean, it's no easy gig being a christian in this fallen world.  With persecutions and life events, we've certainly got our hands full.  You may often stop and think that life is way too much for one person to handle.  Well, life was not meant for us to go through on our own.  On the contrary, this life which we live was meant to be lived in the presence of our heavenly Father.  For we are not independent, but creations of the most high.  There is absolutely nothing about us which is independent from God.  For in Him we have our being {Acts 17: 28}.  So, just how are we to approach a life which will surely bring us pain and trouble?  Well, we could certainly ask Joseph, one of the patriarchs of the old testament.  In their jealousy, Josephs brothers beat him and sold him to some traveling slave traders.  What was Josephs crime?  He simply related a dream to his brothers in which he explained that they would one day bow down to him.  Of course it all came true, but not before God worked through Joseph to accomplish what He wanted done.  How did Joseph react to his brothers treachery?  God worked through him there also.  As his brothers stood before him at his mercy, Joseph calmed their fears, "You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good."

2My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3knowing that the testing of your faith produces apatience. 4But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. 5If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. 6But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. 7For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
James 1: 2 - 8 NKJV

More than a few times I've come across the first chapter of the book of James and slammed my bible closed!  Count it all joy?  Was I to count these persecutions, ugliness and disrespect from others as joy?  Absolutely!  What about God?  Was I to count those times when things didn't go the way I wanted as joy?  Absolutely!  I recently found myself in a two hour conversation with my heavenly Father about why He would not provide a employment opportunity which I so desired.  Why didn't He answer me?  Did I do something wrong?  Whether it was His revelation or me simply recalling that story of Joseph and his brothers, there was a gentle reminder that my situation was not over, not by a long shot.  What others meant for evil, God meant for good.  From my human perspective, it surely looked like I had been ignored by God.  But we simply cannot view God from the filter of our human perspective because that is not Gods arena.  We are not privy to the behind the scenes activity which God is so often accomplishing on our own behalf.  However, we can rest assured that whatever it is, it will be to His glory.  Those of us who are not parents may not understand the often gentle yet sometimes heavy handed guidance which a parent uses to teach and guide a child.  There are times when a gentle approach simply will not get the message across.  I say this not to advocate discipline, but to illustrate just how it is that our heavenly Father guides His children along this pathway of life.  In the moment we may not understand, but as time passes His plans for us will be revealed.  In that day we will count it all joy.

Temptations hidden snare
Often takes us unaware
And our hearts were meant to bleed
For every thoughtless word and deed
And we wonder why the test
When we try to do our best
But we'll understand it better BY AND BY
~By And By - Bill Gaither~

~Scott~

At The Summit

 24“God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands. 25“Nor is He worshiped with men’s hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things. 26“And He has made from one jblood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, 27“so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us."
Acts 17: 22 - 27 NKJV

It's a claim spoken by many a pastor week after week, "Get closer to God."  Hence begins the week by week and perhaps even the lifelong struggle the chirstian endures as he tries to make himself "Good enough" for our Lords forgiveness.  We offer challanges, tithes, fasting and on our knees prayer in order to reach that summit where God dwells and we dwell with Him.  It's here where we want to stay, not only near Him but with Him.  To be in His presence where our heavenly Father is only a monents whisper away.  We invest many an hour in this quest to reach that place.  Of course, one of the rarest of sermons in the modern church is the one of our joy of just how close we ALREADY ARE to our heavenly Fathers presence.  In Acts 17, the apostle Paul tells us that "He is not far from each of us."  Yet our struggle to get closer to God continues.  What did Paul know that we today seem to have forgotten?  Well, for starters it's that we who have accepted Christ Jesus today now live in a restored relationship with God.  Yes, we were indeed born under the curse of sin perpetrated in the garden, but through the truth of Christ, we are no longer bound to that old man which once defined us.  Again, it is Paul who assures us of our pressence in Christ Jesus.

20“I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me."
Galations 2: 20 NKJV

I have become convinced that the reason that the truth of Christ is not preached in the modern church is that if it were, the church as we have come to know it would no longer exist.  For the modern church has staked its reputation on the traditions and requirements it has preached for thousands of years.  The message of our endless efforts to become more like God/Jesus is one which has been shouted from the rooftops for centuries.  Never mind that this message runs contrary to the finished work of Jesus on the cross.  For it is Jesus Himself who became sin on our behalf that our old sin nature would be put to death with Him {2 Corinthians 5: 21}.  We are told Jesus died to forgive our sins, and in the very same breath we're told to ask our Lords forgiveness for our daily sins.  Excuse me, what sins did Jesus forget to wash away as He died?  It is teachings such as this which keep many a christian in the bondage of our church traditions.  We are told that we need get closer to God.  Friends, it is useless for us to work ourselves into a frenzy in our quest to get closer to God.  We're already there.  This is exactly what Paul was getting at as he proclaimed, "It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me."  if the Spirit of Christ Jesus resides within us, how much closer do we need to be to Him?  How much harder do we need to strive in order to get there?  In our attempt to reach that summit where God resides, our heavenly Father waits to meet us exactly where we are.

~Scott~

Wayward Christians

31Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. 32“And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” 33They answered Him, “We are Abraham’s descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone. How can You say, ‘You will be made free’?” 34Jesus answered them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. 35“And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. 36“Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed."
John 8: 31 - 36 NKJV

Something strange happens whenever I tell people that I have no church home which I attend on a regular basis.  I usually can count on a long blank stare as if the person I'm talking to is in utter disbelief of what they have just heard.  How can a christian not belong to a local congregation?  How can one survive in this world without being "Led and fed" each and every Sunday?  For surely we are in need of Gods chosen annointed leaders to guide His flock less we go astray?  The funny thing is, most people I've talked to about church attendance are already of the opinion that I've gone astray!  Not only that, but they offer prayers over me that God would bring me back into the fold.  It seems that I am destined for a life without the ordained guidance of Gods annointed pulpit pounders.  So is that a bad thing?  I glanced over a article Dennis forwarded to me recently about how millenials have been ditching the modern church in ever increasing numbers.  My response to this was, what took them so long?  Have they come to that very same realization I have?  It makes me wonder just how many wayward christians are out there among us.  One of the main reasons which I have read that so many people are leaving the modern institutional church is that the church has simply become too religious, too confining.  Indeed, the traditions and trappings of the modern church have led many to walk out its doors never to return.  Now, even though I have not participated in a Sunday church service in some time, I'm all too familiar with the weekly agenda.  First you have the rousing opening music which supposedly is designed to get we christian soldiers motivated and excited for God.  Following this you'll have a few opening announcements, a offering and then finaly the sermon from Gods ordained pulpit pounder.  At the risk of being excommunicated yet again, I submit that this is not the assembly which God intended.  It's my belief that God desires a communion with His children in an arena without the walls, restrictions and traditions of the modern church.

13And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, 14having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. 15Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it. 16So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, 17which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ.
Colossions 2: 13 - 17 NKJV

I have reflected a few times in these writings of a gathering which Dennis and I had recently at the home of a friend on a Sunday morning.  There was no worship music, no traditional church fanfare and no offering.  How could something such as this be considered church?  Let me see, a gathering of Gods children in His name to celebrate their freedom in Jesus?  That sounds more like church to me than anything I've seen in any multi million dollar church facility.  That morning the focus was not on the pagentry of church tradition but on coming together in the freedom we shared in Christ Jesus.  Just another group of wayward christians needing to be brought back into the flock.  Indeed, one of the reasons which I no longer participate in a Sunday morning service is that we have our own group of brothers which meets each Sunday  morning at a local fast food joint in the freedom of Christ.  This is our church, or our McChurch if you will.  Can this be considered church?  The apostle Paul seemed to think so.

24“God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands. 25“Nor is He worshiped with men’s hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things. 26“And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, 27“so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us."
Acts 17: 24 - 27 NKJV

What is it that we can give God?  Does He desire ornate building?  Church annointed leadership?  More and more tithes?  No, I believe that one thing which we can offer up to our heavenly Father is our relationship with Him through Christ Jesus.  The buildings, the traditions and pagentry only serve to place man made tradition over God.  Perhaps this is why we chose a fast food restaurant as our gathering place on Sunday morning.  We've done away with all the traditions and instead replaced it with community and fellowship in Him.  Typical of wayward christians.

~Scott~

~McChurch~

The Spirit And The Flesh

38Then He said to them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch with Me.” 39He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.” 40Then He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “What? Could you not watch with Me one hour? 41“Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” 42Again, a second time, He went away and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if this cup cannot pass away from Me unless I drink it, Your will be done.”
Matthew 26: 38 - 42 NKJV

A question has come up once again in our quest to know more of the truth of Christ Jesus.  Upon asking Dennis for prayer this week I was met by a interesting response.  His response was somewhere along the lines of, "This is what I pray for you, Matthew 26:41"  What?  Now, I admit that initially I was thinking that he was indeed being flippant, but upon further reflection I came to realize that what he was doing was taking yet another opportunity to show me Jesus.  For as we look at Jesus' words in this passage we see see two often opposing sides of our being.  This being our spirit and our flesh.  As Jesus tells his disciples who have once agian dozed off while keeping watch in the garden, the spirit was indeed willing but it was the flesh which was weak.  Now, for those who have come to know Christ Jesus, the "spirit" is Jesus Himself who now lives through us {Galations 2:20}.  Knowing this, it doesn't take a democrat pollster to see just what Jesus means when he points out the weak flesh.  This is our ever neutral flesh which all too often is influenced by it's surroundings.  Knowing this, it is easy to see why Christ would refer to our flesh as weak.  For it is the flesh which carries our emotions and heart which are so easily persuaded by our surroundings.  How often I have worked myself into a worried frenzy in the face of a certain situation.  Indeed, His spirit within us is willing, but our flesh is weak.  It is here where I got lost when Dennis said he would pray for me.  I was expecting the "formal" prayer which Jesus was telling those assembled on the Mount of Olives that day {Matthew 6: 6 - 19}.  This is how many view prayer to the point that they refer to it as the "Model prayer."  For the pulpit pounder claims that this is how we should pray.  However, what is far less known is that Jesus was speaking to a crowd steeped in the traditions and requirements of the old covenant on that day.  Now, if you indeed intend to live your live in the old covenant seperated from Christ Jesus then by all means embrace this model prayer in Matthew 6.

20“I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; 21“that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. 22“And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: 23“I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me. 24“Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world. 25“O righteous Father! The world has not known You, but I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me. 26“And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.”
Luke 17: 20 - 26 NKJV

Upon reflection, it is my belief that the prayer which we should be focusing on is not found in Matthew 6 but in Jesus' prayer in the garden of Gethsemene which we see  in Luke 17.  It is here that Jesus prays that we who know Him would one with the Father as He and the Father are one.  How prophetic, as that is exactly how those who have accepted Christ Jesus live today.  For the truth of Jesus which the apostle Paul speaks of in Galations 2:20 assures us that it is Christ who lives through us today.  I believe that this is the willing Spirit which is within us which Jesus proclaims in Matthew 26:41.  It is only natural that the Father would desire a uniting of His spirit within us and our neutral flesh.  When this happens, we will come to that realization of who we truly are in Him.  This certainly would have helped me this week when I asked for Dennis' payers.  However, he could not have asked God for anything better for His child than for me to see Himself in me.  Well done pastor.

~Scott~

Unlike most pulpit pounders, you've taught me so much :)

The Thoughts Of A Heretic

6knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be adone away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. 7For he who has died has been bfreed from sin. 8Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, 9knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him. 10For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. 11Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 6: 6 - 11 NKJV

An interesting dinner conversation with Dennis morphed into the question of just how we who know Jesus see ourselves.  Do we see ourselves as being complete in Him, or do we think that we are forever striving to reach a ever distant goal.  A goal which many a pulpit pounder has preached that we need to "Be more like Jesus."  While it is honorable to choose to resemble the very image of the invisible God, I feel that it is in this quest that we continually fall short.  Therefore, the message from that pulpit each and every Sunday continues to preach that we are to seek that goal for our lives.  But what if we there is no goal for us to reach?  What if we are indeed already there?  Well, not only would that nullify a primary narative of the institutional church, but present a radical change in how it is that we see ourselves.  Do we see ourselves as continually chasing that perfect image of Christ Jesus which the church claims we must do?  If this is how we see ourselves, then there is a freedom out there which we have yet to realize.  The freedom of knowing that we are complete in Christ Jesus and have no need to continue to strive to seek Him, to be more like Him.  For Paul tells us in Galations that those days are gone.  The reality is that in the truth found in Jesus, that we ARE Jesus.  Think back to your new testament pages on the reaction which Jesus received as He proclaimed that He was indeed the son of God!  Blasphemy!  The Jewish Pharisees of the day had a cow over this claim.  It was this bold truth which ultimately led his persecutors to put Him to death.  How can anybody claim to be God?  It is a well known fact that those who have made such claims have been branded as heretics.  If this is true, then I am a proud heretic!  I no longer chase what I already have.

9But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. 10And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.
Romans 8: 9 - 11 NKJV

One of the main parts of our discussion this week was just who we see that we are.  All too often we look at our flesh vessels and proclaim that this is who we ultimately are.  Of course, this is a dangerous error.  The book of Genesis tells us that we were ultimately created in His very image.  It is here where I go tripped up myself.  I just assumed that my fleshly body was that image in which I was created.  Well, you know what happens when we assume.  Instead of being that flesh image which we see each day in the mirror, this is not our true identity.  It is Paul who proclaims that we are not in the flesh but in the spirit.  This spirit image is our core identity.  This is the image of He who created us.  What better way for God to manifest Himself than through His spirit which is in us.  This is indeed how the image of the invisible God walked the earth, in the flesh of a man.
As I sat in the local coffee shop this morning I happened to overhear two men gushing over just how they were knocking themselves out in their quest to continually seek to be filled with Jesus.  It seemed as if struggling to the point of collapse was a badge of honor to these two.  All in the name of being more like Jesus.  Of course, I already knew where that narrative came from.  Once upon a time I myself followed it.  I decided against showing them the error of their thoughts.  For who would believe the thoughts of a heretic?

~Scott~

McChurch

2Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. 3For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; 4and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.
2 Timothy 4: 2 - 4 NKJV

In my constant search for blog material I am so very often drawn into the antics of a few local congregations which I once frequented.  This past week was no exception.  For some time now I have been receiving social media updates from a pastor friend on "his" congregation.  Now, this man is a wonderful man of God and a good friend whom I would most assuredly seek advice from if needed.  However, I have often wondered over a few of his social media posts about the church he leads.  This week I noticed a few references to how this congregation was praying that God would raise up people to leadership positions for the congregation.  Now, unless you have had your head in the sand, those who have perused this blog already know my feelings on those who seem to place institutional religion and tradition over the truth of Christ Jesus.  Of course, this truth found in Galations 2:20 tells us that Jesus indeed shares our lives with us today.  This is indeed the restoration of that holy relationship we shared with God up until the fall.  As Dennis likes to put it, these are our original factory settings.  That relationship man had with God up until that first bite of the forbidden fruit has now been restored for those who have trusted in and accepted Christ Jesus.  For them, they share each and every day living as Jesus who is in them.  Sadly, this is a message that has been lost on almost all church congregations.  For instead of preaching the truth and freedom of truly knowing Jesus, they esteem the man made traditions of the institutional church.  Such it was with my friends congregation.  Does this mean that he does not know Jesus?  I don't believe that for a minute.  Rather, I believe that he is just stuck in that narative which has permeated churches for thousands of years.

15He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or eprincipalities or fpowers. All things were created through Him and for Him. 17And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. 18And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.
Colossions 1: 15 - 17 NKJV

One of the first questions Dennis asked when I shared this latest news was a good one, what church does God belong to?  Of course, any christian worth their salt of the earth would claim that God IS THE church.  For if Jesus is the head of the church and He is also the image of the invisible God, then Jesus is indeed the head of the church.  Then, what is the church?  Is the church that ornate building which we dutifully flock to Sunday after Sunday?  That church which is only exists due to the faithfull giving until it hurts?  Or is it something more?  Is the church exactly what scripture tells us that Christ is the very head of, the church BODY?  That is, each and every believer.  What church would God attend?  I suggest that our heavenly Father is at home not only in a large congregation but also in the smallest of home groups.  How can we attempt to say that the most high is limited to what buildings of people that He might visit?  In fact, does effective worship even need a fancy building?  The apostle Paul didn't think so at all.

Therefore, the One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you: 24“God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands. 25“Nor is He worshiped with men’s hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things. 26“And He has made from one jblood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, 27“so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; 28“for in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also His offspring.’
Acts 17: 23 - 28 NKJV

Indeed, God is not limited to one particular congregation or group of believers.  God does not dwell in temples which we make for ourselves, but in us.

~Scott~

~McChurch...Realizing that God dwells within us, not the building~ 

Me Worry?

25“Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? 26“Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27“Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? 28“So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; 29“and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these."
Matthew 6: 25 - 29 NKJV

I have often wondered if the physician Luke was involved in the words of Jesus we find in Matthew 6.  It is here that we find Jesus' words to those listening of the folly of worrying.  Now, I don't say to know exactly what worries that the common man of Christs day had, but I'm assuming that they fell along the same lines as those core worries that we today have.  What are those core worries?  Well, Jesus Himself listed a few of them.  Basically, we often worry about the same things over and over.  Money, provision and food.  Not only are these worries the cause of many a argument in our relationships, but all too often we tear ourselves apart in our struggle to come to grips with these fears of ours.  Jesus had a simple solution for these fears of ours...STOP!  I have no doubt that Jesus Himself knew of the dangers of worrying about these things in our lives.  For not only are our very thoughts occupied with our worries, but if left unchecked these worries can lead to some pretty intense physical consequences as well.  I wonder if old Luke had treated people with one sort of anxiety disorder in his day or not.  It is no mystery that our worries and anxieties often lead to health consequences as well.  Not the least of which is that our own immune systems become compromised.  Is it no wonder, then, that Jesus would warn us about the dangers of worrying about that which we ourselves cannot control?  I've often found myself in that same situation, worrying and fretting over something I could not change myself.  However, there is a deeper reassurance we can take from these words of Jesus in Matthew 6.  We are not to worry because our heavenly Father KNOWS what it is we ultimately need from day to day.

2My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3knowing that the testing of your faith produces apatience. 4But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be bperfect and complete, lacking nothing. 5If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. 6But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. 7For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord.
James 1: 2 - 7 NKJV

The words of Jesus also assure us of our heavenly Fathers provision.  In his examples of thenbirds of the air and the lillies of the fields, Christ assures us that God Himself has our best intrests at heart.  He knows exactly what need from one moment to another.  So why do we worry?  Well, again it comes down to the lie many have fallen for that we ourselves are in charge not only of our own lives but our circumstances and surroundings.  Nothing could be further from the truth!  This lie first conceived by satan is nothing short of putting God on the back burner.  What need would we have for God if we ourselves were in charge of all which is around us?  I have no doubt that Jesus knew that this lie was embedded into those He was speaking to.  I have no doubt that, in a way, He was attempting to show those who were listening the folly of this lie.  Why do you worry?  Why do you worry about what God will provide for you?  Are you not important to Him?  Trust me, the lie of our independent self is a tough nut to crack.  We must realize that, as created beings, we indeed share a connection with He who created us.  He is the reason for our daily provision and for each and every breath we take.  In Him we have our being {Acts 17:28}.  We are not independent, but dependent on Him as we walk each day in Him {Galations 2:20}.

~Scott~

What About God?

19Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? 20For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body gand in your spirit, which are God’s.
1 Corinthians 6: 19 - 20 NKJV

It's no secret that as a culture that we have been living in a self glorifying "Me generation" for some time now.  While it's true that we still believe in charity and helping others, our main and primary focus is on ourselves.  So much so that we've fallen for the enemy generated lie that we ourselves are independent and masters of our own surroundings.  WE are the ones who are in control or ourselves.  It was common for those in the feminist movement to carry signs which proclaimed "Our bodies ourselves!"  Of course, this might be a logical assumption for someone who holds to the belief that they are truly independent.  I was one of those not so long ago.  I had a sphere of influence, and I controlled most everything which was in that realm.  I was in control of what happened to me and I dictated how my life path traveled.  It was me, and nothing else.  I can just imagine God in the background saying, "What about me?"  Well, what about God?  It is generally accepted that it is He who created not only the universe but ourselves as well.  So, how is it that we can then proclaim to our creator, "I got this!"  It is only our own arrogance and pride which leads us to such a conclusion.  We've fallen for the lie.  It is the same lie which satan himself believed as he convinced himself that it was he that would be exalted higher than God.  It is the same lie which he then spoke to Adam and Eve in the garden.  It is also the lie which many continue to believe to this day.  We are in charge of our own destiny, we are the ones who control our own lives.  Really?  Well, for those who continue to adhere to this belief I offer to you the words of the apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 6.  For as Paul tells us, "You were bought at a price...you are not your own."  That "Price" is the very life and shed blood of Christ Jesus.  For it is Jesus who became sin on our behalf that we might be saved.  It is Christ Himself who lives on to this day in all who have accepted Him {Galations 2:20}.  So, do you still believe that you alone are in charge of your life and circumstances?

"If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it.  The lie can be maintained only for such time as the state can shield the people from the political, and/or military consequences of the lie.  It thus becomes vitally important for the state to use all of it's powers to repress dissent, for the truth is the mortal enemy of the lie, and thus by extension, the truth is the greatest enemy of the state."
~Joseph Goebbels~

The greatest mystery to me was just how a christian who adhered to the belief that God Himself is the creator of all which we see could still hold fast to the lie that they were themselves independent.  For if God has not created all that we see AND ourselves as well, are we really in control of these lives which God has given us?  The lie lives on.  Of course, such are the same people who, in times of distress cry out, "Help me God!"  So, christian, if you are indeed in control of your own life, why is it that you continue to pray and seek Gods assistance?  Were God like many of us, He would simply shrug us off in our time of need and proclaim, "Hey, you wanted it and you got it!"  However, in our Lords love and mercy, He gently brings us back into His presence even when we stumble.  For He is not blinded by the lie.  We do well to realize that we ourselves were indeed purchased by Christ for a price and that we are not our own.  The life we live, we live for God.


20But indeed, O man, who are you to reply against God? Will the thing formed say to him who formed it, “Why have you made me like this?” 21Does not the potter have power over the clay, from the same lump to make one vessel for honor and another for dishonor?
Romans 9: 20 - 21 NKJV

~Scott~

~The Fuhrer with his propaganda minister Joseph Goebbles~

One Flesh

21And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place. 22Then the rib which the LORD God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man. 23And Adam said: “This is now bone of my bones And flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman, Because she was taken out of Man.” 24Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.
Genesis 2: 21 -24 NKJV

The discussion this week centered around a verse in Genesis 2.  Particularly Genesis chapter 2.  It is that moment when God acts upon His own earlier realization that it was "Not good for man to be alone."  Up to this point, it had just been God and Adam in the garden, now the neighbors were moving in.  As Adam slept, God took a part of him to create a companion suitable for him.  I can imagine Adams surprise when God brought her before him.  It is the very same surprise every man to this day feels in the presence of a woman he seeks a relationship with.  It is no surprise, then, that many men have had many a embarrassing moment when first intorduced to...her.  I find Adams reaction interesting in the fact that he must have been aware of Eves human presence, as he immediately declares her "Bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh."  He obviously must have sensed a companionship with Eve to react this way.  Now, one of the main subjects of our discussion this week came from the last part of this passage in Genesis.  As the writer proclaims "They shall become on flesh."  One flesh?  Now, I was initialy a bit confused about the deeper meaning of this passage but perhaps it is not as hard to grasp as I thought.  As Dennis mentioned this week, I believe that we can certainly look upon our relationships with our spouses in the same way as the relationship between Christ and the Father.  For as Jesus proclaimed that He certainly knew the will of His Father, so do a husband and wife reach that point in their marriage relationship where both seem to know what the other is feeling or even thinking at any given moment in time.  A husband and wife may certainly learn to read each other like a book.  Beyond just intimacy, this relationship is one of oneness...a union of the two which God has brought together.

5Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?” 6Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. 7“If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him.” 8Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us.” 9Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?"
John 14: 5 - 9 NKJV

In John 14, we see in the words of Jesus a perfect example of the "One flesh" example in Genesis 2.  His disciples waver and doubt.  Clearly, Jesus has often told them that if they had seen them that they had seen the Father as well.  However, obviously it didn't click with a few of His followers as Philip asks Jesus to show them the Father. As usual, Jesus' response should have been enough for anyone listening.  As He tells His disciples, "He who has seen Me has seen the Father."  Now, it is common christian knowledge that Jesus carries the title Son of God.  In fact, scripture tells us that God sent us His only begotten Son that the world might be saved through Him {John 3:16-17}.  But God and Jesus as one?

14in whom we have redemption dthrough His blood, the forgiveness of sins. 15He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. 17And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.
Colossions 1: 14 - 17 NKJV

It is in Colossions that the apostle Paul confirms the words of Christ.  For Jesus is the very image of our invisible God.  He and the Father are one.  It is God Himself who came to dwell among us in the form of a man.  It is through Christ that we see God expressed.  Have you ever noticed the interaction of a married couple who have been together for some time?  I have been blessed with the opportunity to see this union relationship in a select few of my brothers.  These are not relationships of mere convenience.  One does not overshadow the other, but both benefit from being in union with the other.  They are no longer seperate lives, but one flesh in union with one another.

~Scott~

In The Mirror Of Christ

6knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be adone away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. 7For he who has died has been freed from sin. 8Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, 9knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him. 10For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. 11Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 6: 6 - 11 NKJV

A friend recently forwarded a video clip of the television series "The young pope" for a very profound reason.  In the scene, the pontiff is attempting to his visitor his overall importance in the big scheme of things.  Finaly, the pope proclaims "I do not exist!"  Now, I do not dispute this anology, for we who have accepted Christ Jesus ourselves no longer exist, but only live through Jesus who is within us.  However, to hear such new age christian talk coming from the leader of the worlds foremost institution of idol worship took me by surprise.  I would have been much more comfortable to hear a catholic pope proclaim, "Christ only exists because I allow Him to exist!"  What else would one expect from a religion which places the virgin Mary almost on par with Christ Himself?  A religion in which millions of faithful catholics the world over dutifuly stream millions of dollars into church coffers in the belief that somehow their "Sins" will be forgiven.  A religion where ornate church palaces seem to be worshiped more than our heavenly Father.  Not a religion really, but a business institution.  But, I digress.  What intrigued me of this video clip was the pontiffs speech, even if it was just for show.  For in the larger scheme of things, we ourselves do not exist!  Oh, we used to exist in that sin nature which we were born into.  However, all of that has changed once we accepted Jesus into our hearts.  For once we realized that there was more to Jesus than the man on the cross, a new reality was opened up for us.  A reality where that old man which once resided within us, having been put to death with Jesus on that cross, has now been replaced by Jesus Himself.  Therefore, when we look into that mirror each day, we see not ourselves but Christ Jesus looking back at us.  This is the reality of who we truly are in Christ.

20“I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me."
Galations 2: 20 NKJV

The apostle Paul tells us in Galations 2:20 the basis of this very truth.  It is no longer we who live, but Christ who now lives in us.  It is Dennis who is fond of saying that we are but ourselves in Jesus form, and I agree.  I am Scott in Jesus form, Praise be to God!  THIS is the image which we see each and every day when we look into that mirror.  Not ourselves as we have known, but the image of Jesus looking back upon us.  And so, it is in this respect that we ourselves no longer exist.  It is but Christ Jesus, only He exists... in us.  One cannot take a good look into Pauls words in Galations 2:20 and not see this truth which he was trying to explain.  It is no longer I who live...but CHRIST lives in me.  This is our true image.  It is in this very image of Christ Jesus that we live, breathe and have our being each and every day.  Whatever it is we experience, we experience as Jesus who is in us.  So perhaps I can cut the young idol worshipper a bit of slack if he truly indeed knew the truth of Christ.  Of course, this would fly in the face of the teachings of the institutional catholic church.  He may even be facing excommunication for his radical beliefs.

~Scott~

Our Best Laid Plans

13Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit”; 14whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. 15Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.” 16But now you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. 17Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.
James 4: 13- 17 NKJV

I have a habit.  Some who have known me have recomended therapy for this disorder, but so I've resisted.  See, when it comes to many of my activities in life, I tend to do things in the spur of the moment.  Pre planning is for chumps, I'll just take it as it comes.  Of course, there are certain things in life which can and do require our best laid plans and indeed I have at times succomed to pre planning.  To be organized, it seems, is a foriegn concept to me.  James warns us against the arrogance of making plans for the future.  For we say to ourselves, "Tomorrow we will travel to this city and make a profit."  Rarely do we think that in our efforts to make our plans that we may be overlooking our Lords will for our lives.  It's happened to me many a time where I have prayed as I entered a certain situation only to not have things work out the way I had anticipated.  Was God against me from the start in that situation?  Most certainly not, but it was my own arrogance which led me to believe that what I was doing was what God intended for me.  James calls such thoughts boasting, and I agree.  For I myself am but a extension of Christ Jesus who is within me {Galations 2:20}.  Therefore, these plans I make always include Him as well.  When I have stepped back and looked at my decisions from this perspective, I've seen the arrogance which James warned against.  Indeed, my own arrogance.  If God Himself has assured us that He has His best intentions for us, how can we not trust in His judgement?  If we are indeed the extension of Christ Jesus who is within us, how can we not accept His direction for our lives?

16Then He spoke a parable to them, saying: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. 17“And he thought within himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?’ 18“So he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. 19‘And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.” ’ 20“But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’ 21“So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”
Luke 12: 16 - 21 NKJV

I've often wondered about those people whom I have had that conversation about Jesus with.  For inevitably I will hear someone tell me, "I don't need Jesus, I know where I'm headed."  Sadly, I don't think that they do.  The scriptures are filled with more than a few references of that place one goes when they pass the bonds of this life.  I truly believe in my heart what the scriptures claim, that there is indeed a heaven and a hell.  It is beyond me how one could choose the conditions of not living their eternity with Christ Jesus.  Ultimately I think this decision all comes down to that control which we falsely believe we have over our own lives.  It is this false belief that we are indeed a independent self which is contrary to God.  Truly, if we were independent, would we even need God?  Satan didn't think so, look where it got him.  Taken at face value, how is it that we can be independent of He who created all that we see?  Yet, each one of us has within us that burning desire to be truly independent.  We long to be in control of that life which we live.  More than a few have staked this claim in error.  For if we are indeed extensions of Christ who is in us, that independence we desire is a lie not of Jesus.  It is Jesus Himself who claimed that He only does the will of His Father.

19Then Jesus answered and said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner. 20“For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself does; and He will show Him greater works than these, that you may marvel."
John 5: 19 - 20 NKJV

It is Jesus who is within us, and Jesus who knows and does the will of the Father.

~Scott~

Heretics!

13“Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. 14“You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. 15“No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you. 16“You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you."
John 15: 13 - 16 NKJV

I read this week from Wayne Jacobsen of how it was once considered heresy to encourage others to worship the Lord at home with friends and family.  If this be true, then count me in the company of heretics!  In fact, count our weekly discussion/worship group as just one more group of rebel heretics.  For the only church we know is not a church at all, but a local fast food joint which has earned our nickname of McChurch.  You see, we learned early on that we felt more comfortable outside of the constrictive walls of the institutional church and among our brothers.  What started out as a two man gathering with Dennis and myself has now doubled in size.  We have no worship band, no sermons and no offering plate.  However, what our McChurch does offer us is comradeship between brothers and a desire to learn more each week of the truth of Christ Jesus.  So yes, if you can call that heresy then please count me among the guilty.  How far we have come from the true worship of Jesus in our church congregations.  And they wonder why fewer and fewer people are shunning the local church...heretics all!  Myself, I have seldom looked forward to a Sunday morning spent among the strict institutional requirements of organized religion.  It seems I'm not alone in that regard.  Therefore, I switched my Sunday mornings from institutional church to one of companionship and learning about Jesus.  For it is Jesus who is the center of the church and not vice versa.  Those who have read my page will notice that one of the main verses I often quote is Galations 2:20.  For it is here that the apostle Paul lays out for us the truth of Christ Jesus in us today.  It is no longer we who live, but CHRIST lives in us!  I find this truth far more important to me than a Sunday sermon or a rockin worship band.

"This is what happens when we lose sight of the church as the company of people learning to live in the love of Jesus and following Him, but seek to contain it in institutions with those who need to derive their income from it."
~Wayne Jacobsen~

This is why we gather at McChurch on Sundays, not to revel in a tradition but in Jesus who loved us first.  Each one of us has felt that tug on his own heart to "Come and see" the truth of Christ.  It is Christ Himself who welcomed us into this assembly.  It is Him who we worship.  I guess we would be called McHeretics.  I cannot say that we are a threat to the local church as most heretics go, but we indeed have each seen enough of the organized church to lead us away from it.  As I've mentioned, I believe that this is exactly why others are leaving the local church in greater numbers.  Are we all heretics?  Perhaps, but perhaps we're also in search for something more than a tradition and conformity to the institution.  I've often found myself in envy of those few disciples who shared their lives with Jesus during His ministry.  Day by day these men walked and lived in the presence of God Himself!  If we ourselves believe in the truth of Christ Jesus, we too will share in this experience once we accept Him into our hearts.  Each day we will walk and live AS JESUS who is within us.  That doesn't sound like much of a heretic to me.

~Scott~

Heretics! 

Me

1Then Jesus spoke to the multitudes and to His disciples, 2saying: “The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. 3“Therefore whatever they tell you to observe, that observe and do, but do not do according to their works; for they say, and do not do. 4“For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers. 5“But all their works they do to be seen by men. They make their phylacteries broad and enlarge the borders of their garments. 6“They love the best places at feasts, the best seats in the synagogues, 7“greetings in the marketplaces, and to be called by men, ‘Rabbi, Rabbi.’ 8“But you, do not be called ‘Rabbi’; for One is your Teacher, the Christ, and you are all brethren. 9“Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven. 10“And do not be called teachers; for One is your Teacher, the Christ. 11“But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. 12“And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.
Matthew 23: 1 - 12 NKJV

I found myself listening to an old radio preacher the other night and parts of his message got me to thinking of what his real motivation was.  Near the end of his sermon, the pulpit pounder exclaimed to his congregation, "Come join me next Sunday in my church won't you?  Can anyone see what I did?  Well, let me translate his statement for you...me me me!  Unfortunately I have seen this far too often in my church comings and goings.  In fact, congregations are often refered to as the flock of one pastor or another!  Really?  I suppose that scripture of Christ Jesus being our Good Shepherd was lost on these guys.  For the true head of our church is Jesus Himself, and one day He will return for her.  What pride have we that we ourselves would lay a claim of ownership over those who God has brought to us.  No matter if this pastor indeed led someone to the Lord or not, the one true teacher, the one true Lord can be found in none other than Christ Jesus.  For the very church which we claim membership is His and we are His.  I would dare to call such claims by certain pastors as pure arrogance and nothing else.  In our group we have often had many a discussion on the error of our thinking that we ourselves are truly independent beings.  I say "Error" because it is foolish to believe that we are independent of our heavenly Father who created not only ourselves but all that we see each and every day.  How is it that I can proclaim that I have my own independence when I myself a created being ultimately dependent upon God?  Jesus Himself had some harsh words for the Jewish Pharisees of His day, themselves a prideful group.  These Pharisees were famous for placing conditions of Gods children, and Jesus called them on it!  I've often joked with Dennis of his time spent in "Pharisee school" at seminary.  Although it is in jest, there is truth to this statement.  For even as the Pharisees of old would place conditions on Gods children, so do more than a few of todays pulpit pounders.  They are the epicenter of the church, of the congregation.

15Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. 17And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.
1 John 2: 15 - 17 NKJV

I have been bewildered for some time of the mainstream churches refusal to speak of the truth of Christ Jesus which is found in Galations 2:20.  For instead of talking of Christ Jesus in us and the restoration of that relationship we once shared with Him, we instead talk of the importance of the pastor and the church.  It is as if the center of Christs church resides in the ornate buildings and ordained pastors.  The apostle Paul was quick to point out that God Himself does not dwell in buildings built by men.

Therefore, the One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you: 24“God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands. 25“Nor is He worshiped with men’s hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things.
Acts 17: 23 - 25 NKJV

Our focus should not be on what we do, but what Christ is doing in us.  In fact, I could use another statement in describing this.  With apolagoes to the late John Fitzgerald Kennedy, "Ask not what you can do, ask what Christ Jesus is doing in you!"  Suddenly, that church building, worship program and collection plate would take a back seat to the will of our heavenly Father and what He is doing in each one of us.  Now, I can see why the truth of Christ in us is not preached of that much in the christian church, for to do so would possibly decrease the pastors congregation size.  Sadly, the focus has been that empty pews translate into less income for the pastors church.  I have shared more than a few times of a gathering Dennis and I attended not so long ago at the home of a dear friend.  The focus of this Sunday morning gathering was simply that, to gather in the presence of Christ.  There was no pulpit pounder sermon, no blaring worship band and no morning offering.  This was simply a gathering of people who were experiencing their freedom in Christ without the trappings of the organized church.  One by one, each guest talked of the freedom they felt in Jesus that morning.  THIS is true worship, relaxing in the presence of our savior.

~Scott~