Humble Yourself

3Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. 4Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.
Philippians 2: 3 - 4 NKJV

I saw a replay of a college football game from last season the other day.  The game was one of the semi finals from the college football playoff featuring Oklahoma and Georgia.  Well, for most of the game the sooners of Oklahoma were handing Georgia their lunch as they built a good lead.  So much so that heralded Oklahoma quarterback and Baker Mayfield paraded along the sidelines at halftime screaming "It's over!"  I remember watching this game last season that the young mans optimism might just be a bit presumptuous.  Sure enough, Georgia came storming back in the second half and won the game setting the stage for a showdown with Alabama in the championship game.  Suddenly the confident Mayfield morphed into a crying, remorseful young man as he walked off the field at the end of a game which an hour earlier he was so sure he had won.  As he walked off the field, one of the Bulldog linebackers yelled something in his direction.  Soon the cameras picked up the exchange..."HUMBLE YOURSELF!"  Words of advice from a worthy opponent.  In fact, I couldn't think of any better advice to give this cocky young ball player in the midst of defeat.  Perhaps his coach had sat him down and told him the same thing.  All too often it seems that we could use that same advice in our own lives.  Humble yourself.  I have not been above seeing myself as more important than I really am at times, and there have been those who have all too often reminded me to humble myself.  As followers of Christ, we are often told to put the interests of others above those of our own, yet this is easier said than done at times.  Looking out for number one seems to be easier than the interests of others.  Just ask Baker Mayfield.

9Also He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: 10“Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11“The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other men—extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. 12‘I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.’ 13“And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’ 14“I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be dhumbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
Luke 18: 9 - 14 NKJV

I recall that story of the Pharisee and the tax collector which Jesus related to those who were listening that day.  The arrogant Pharisee comes into the temple assured of his own righteousness all the while looking down at the lowly tax collector.  Meanwhile, that same tax collector humbles himself before the Lord and admitted his own weakness.  Humble yourself.  How is this important in our own lives?  Well, how many times have we ourselves looked upon ourselves as righteous and chosen christians?  Yes, we are followers of Christ, but we remain meek in His presence.  Although it is Christ who now lives through me, I am no greater than those around me {Galations 2:20}.  I can honestly say that each time I have viewed myself as more righteous than my brother, I was humbled rather quickly.  I'm not sure if this is Christs way of keeping us in line or not, but I would definately say that He has a way of helping us see who we truly are.  I am Christ Jesus who lives through me.  I am not independent from my Lord, but He lives through me.

~Scott~

The Old Man

43“To Him all the prophets witness that, through His name, whoever believes in Him will receive remissionn of sins.”
Acts 10: 43 NKJV

I ran across a Wayne Jacobsen blog a week or so ago that I had a bit of trouble with.  Now, usually I tend to agree with most of what ol' Wayne says, but this one, this one was trouble from the begining.  Here was Wayne talking about the forgiveness of our sins and that we, as christians, enjoy that gift through the work of Christ at the cross.  Yeah, I'm totally ok with all of that so far.  Then he went and tossed a curve ball into the entire conversation.  Not only are my own sins forgiven, but so are the sins of those who sin against me!  Wait, so that same dude who cussed me out at work or flipped me off on the freeway has his sins forgiven as well?  I can see how someone would have a real issue with that line of thinking.  I mean, here I am a christian and I constantly come across those who take it upon themselves to behave badly against me each and every day.  Such people can't possibly be christians...can they?  Am I justified to call upon the vengence of the Father upon them?  I mean, they treated me, a son of the living God badly.  People such as this HAD to be sinners, right?  Yes, they once were sinners, just like the apostle Paul, king David and many more people of scripture whom God not only blessded with forgiveness, but with salvation as well.  Not only am I in good company, but so are those among the elect who have done wrong against me.  See, human behavior and following the urges of our flesh is not something that just sinners do from time to time.  I can definately attest to the fact that I have done my own share of behaving badly to others.  I have insulted, judged and persecuted the same as anyone else out there.  Yet I would be the first one to get my feathers ruffled if a fellow christian indulged in that very same behavior which I once engaged in.  Hypocracy on parade.

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

My dear mother had a saying which she all too often would tell me whenever I would complain about how others were behaving in a non christian way.  Whenever I would complain about such things, she would smile and say that every time I pointed that finger of guilt at another person that there would all too often be ten more pointed right back at me!  Yeah, she was right.  The simple fact is that, as christians, we don't hold dominion over our Lords grace and forgiveness.  Yes, our sins have been washed and forgiven by Christ, but so have the sins of those around us.  Those whom we have thought to ourselves could never be christians.  How many have thought the same about me from time to time?  How many christians would consider Paul a sinner?  Well, Paul himself did.  In fact, Paul refered to himself as "chief" among sinners {1 Timothy 1:15}.  Yes, one of the greatest defenders of the christian faith of all time WAS...chief among all sinners.  I say was because that is exactly what happened on that Damascus road that day.  That man Saul became the old man, the man who once was.  This new man, Paul, was one who soon began to recognize his own life in Christ {Galations 2:20}.  This wasn't a instant transformation for Paul, but a gradual revelation of that man he truly was.  This is the very same transformation that I found myself in as I began to realize the truth of Christ in me.  Galations 2:20 never tells us that Christ has chosen to live in a select few christians.  God never gets into favoritism.  Instead, when we accept Christ Jesus in our own hearts, He Himself shares our life with us.  Just like Paul, our "old" man has passed away.  As He is revealed in us, those around us will see Him through all we do, good and bad.  Not only are my own sins forgiven, but so are the sins of those around me who have trusted in Him.

14in whom we have redemption through 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 eprincipalities or fpowers. 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

~Scott~

How We Relate

9Two are better than one, Because they have a good reward for their labor.10For if they fall, one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls, For he has no one to help him up. 11Again, if two lie down together, they will keep warm; But how can one be warm alone?12Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him. And a threefold cord is not quickly broken.
Ecclesiastes 4: 9 - 12 NKJV

I've had more than a few conversations with a friend lately about relationships and just how they shape us as people.  Now, this all came about due to a few strained and failed relationships in his own circle of friends and family so perhaps he was trying to learn from that experience.  Whatever his motivation, it certainly led to more than a few conversations including more than a few about our most precious relationship of all.  That relationship we have with the man Christ Jesus.  Now, there may be others out there who bristle at the fact that we, as sinners, could indeed share a relationship with one so holy as Jesus, but we are told more than a few times that we indeed share a deep relationship with Him.  The apostle Paul recognized this when he wrote that it was indeed Christ who now took importance in his life {Galations 2:20}.  It was this scripture, penned by Paul, that first introduced me into my own relationship with Christ.  It was also this passage which I have introduced to others that they might experience the very same relationship with Him.  Before being introduced to my relationship with Christ, Jesus was nothing more than one I'd read good things about.  Here I was, trying my best to not live in sin here on eartth while Jesus sat at the right hand of the Father ready to admonish me when I fell.  Boy did I fall!  In fact, I spent more time asking God for forgiveness than I did celebrating that freedom which Jesus died to give to me.  The epiphany for me came one Christmas season as I sat in church gazing at the wooden cross inside the church.  As the pastor related to all who were listening that Jesus gave Himself that our sins would be clean, a bell went off inside me.  What had I been asking forgiveness for all this time?  I realized that I didn't really know Jesus on a personal level.

9In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. 10In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
1 John 4: 9 - 11 NKJV

We all know that guy who we work with who everyone greets each day yet never takes the time to ge to know.  Well, for too many of us, Jesus is that guy.  We know of Him through what we have been taught, yet we seldom venture into that relationship territory with Him.  Indeed, this was the extent of the relationship I had with my friend for the longest time.  I would see him each day yet never took the time to get to know him.  It wasn't until I started working with him that I began to learn more about him.  I believe that we can say the same thing about our own relationship with Christ Jesus, we may never enter into a closer relationship with Him until we realize just who He truly is.  If we see Jesus as I once did, as only a Holy spiritual being watching over our every move then we may never enjoy that freedom of a relationship with Him.  This belief system seperates Christ from our own lives, and that is simply a false teaching.  We all remember Pauls thoughts on Jesus in His own life.  It was no longer he who lived, but Christ who lived in him.  So it is with us today.  If we continue to see Jesus as being seperated from our own lives, then that is where He will remain.  However, that doesn't make this the truth of Christ, only that we refuse to recognize it.  How is it that we can have a relationship with someone we don't know?  This is the million dollar question.  We can talk all day about getting closer to Jesus and becoming more like Him, but in the end we're missing the boat.  For we are ALREADY like Him.  We were created in His likeness and it is Jesus Himself who shares each and every day with us.  Of course, we could be like that guy who walks into work each day yet never gets to know those around him.  Don't be that guy.

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.”
John 17: 20 - 26 NKJV

~Scott~

Living Outside The System

21“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.22“Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ 23“And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’
Matthew 7: 21 - 23 NKJV

I remember a conversation I had some time ago with a friend of mine.  I had asked him just what it was that led him to seek a relationship with Christ.  He siad that he grew up knowing those stories and parables of Jesus, but never had come to know the man Christ Jesus.  He longed for that relationship with Jesus on a more personal level.  Just as he and I were friends, so it was that he wished for his own relationship with Jesus.  The trouble with that is that we have been taught for so many years that we are sinners saved by grace and that we are seperated from Jesus because of this.  As a result, many of us live a life in fear of what God may punish them for next.  Have I done my bible reading?  Have I tithed the amount which God has chosen for me?  Have I served my fellow man?  More and more, we are surrounded by a system of rules and regulations which we have been told that we are supposed to follow in order to be in our Lords good graces.  In fact, we're told that the bible itself lays out just what we are supposed to do and not do in order to keep us in good standing with God.  Each time I hear someone spout this junk my very first thought is, "well, what about Jesus?"  What about Jesus who came to take all of my sin upon Himself upon that cross?  What about Christ Jesus who we are told lives through us today {Galations 2:20}?  What about that Jesus?  We can talk all day long on how we desire to be "more like" Christ without even realizing that we already have Him within us.  It is Jesus Himself who walks through this life with us each day.  Everything we see and experience we do AS HIM.  Jesus never saddled us with a list of chores to do that we might have Him within us.  No, all we need to is believe in all He is and has done for us.  That's it.  All of that man made crap of guidelines we must accomplish simply to be "like" Jesus is all junk bro.  That scripture we worship was never intended to be used as a bullwhip to whip wanna be christians into communion with God.  Yet that is all too often what we do.

4But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, 5not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, 6whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
Titus 3: 4 - 7 NKJV

Walk into any church as a christian broken down by lifes trials and you will more than likely find more condemnation than forgiveness from the system.  You failed.  You did not believe.  Worst of all, God must be angry with you!  Yeah, we all know what happens when God gets angry.  The church knows this too, and they use it very well in their favor.  In the system, every sinner needs a twelve step program in order to get them back in line with what it is God wants for them.  In the system, these sinners are looked upon as being on the low end of the christian scale.  Believe me, I've lived it.  I recall the very words of Jesus to the woman caught in adultry, "nor do I condemn you."  Yet, in the system condemnation seems to be the rule of the day for those who have fallen.  How could one not fall?  The list of requirements which other christians place upon us can often seem insurmountable.  They will stand there waving their bibles and cherry picking scripture after scripture designed to condemn another.  True love on display in the house of God.  The fact is that most pastors are ill equiped to deal with one who has fallen.  The common theological teaching is to place such a individual in a special class, to make a example of them for others or some other crap like that.  As I said, I've lived it.  However, this is far from the advice which Jesus us on how to deal with one who has fallen.  I'm sure that woman caught in adultry deserved all the condemnation Jesus could give her didn't she?  However, Jesus was not one to follow the religious systems of the day.  Instead, He approached those around Him in a more personal way, speaking to the heart yet never condemning.
I've made the statement that I've lived that condemnation of the church and I have.  However, I recently had a first hand experience of how it is Jesus calls upon us to respond to others.  Having fallen into a behavior I knew was wrong, it came to the attention of a dear friend.  I was already full of shame and guilt from what I had done, so I guess I expected him to rake me over the coals.  His response was both welcomed and surprising.  Nor do I condemn you.

9Also He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: 10“Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11“The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other men—extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. 12‘I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.’ 13“And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’ 14“I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
Luke 18: 9 - 14 NKJV

~Scott~

Go And Sin No More

 16All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for cinstruction in righteousness.
2 Timothy 3: 16 NKJV

I've made the statement before that one thing I abhor from fellow christians are those who will take each and every occassion to toss live grenades of scripture at others in times of trouble or simply to prove a point.  The trouble is, when these holy hand grenades explode their casulties are guilt, condemnation and shame instead of death and injury.  So it is with those who will choose to cherry pick passages of scripture to use to make their own point.  Hey, I can do that too.  There is not any biblical point which I want to make that I cannot back up with the seeming blessing of our Lords holy breathed scripture.  Then, if God backs me up with His holy words, then my point becomes all the more powerful for me...and damning for those it's directed against.  I get it.  The trouble with all of these christian grenade throwers is that they are using the bible in a way which it was NEVER intended to be used.  Some time ago a good friend of mine related to me that the bible was our Lords love letter to us.  Now, I buy that more than I buy the fact that the bible is stocked full of words designed to condemn others.  Now, many people will point to the words of the apostle Paul in his letter to young Timothy in which he refered to ALL scripture as being useful for reproof, correction and for instruction in righteousness.  This is all true.  All scripture is indeed given by the inspiration of God...but it is not (gasp!) Gods word as many will declare.  Now, there are certainly those passages in the new testament,  spoken by Jesus, which give us a hint at the heart of the Father.  However, I simply don't follow the reasoning that a loving and graceful Father who loved me enough to provide for me would provide us with a list of indictments to accuse others.  That simply isn't the nature of our loving Father.

3Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst, 4they said to Him, “Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act. 5“Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?” 6This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear. 7So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.” 8And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. 9Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.10When Jesus had raised Himself up iand saw no one but the woman, He said to her, “Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?” 11She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.”
John 8: 3 - 11 NKJV

I think of the story of Jesus and the woman caught in adultry which the Jewish religious leaders brought before Him as a test.  By all rights, this woman had sinned against the laws of the day and was guilty of the crime before her.  Even Al Sharpton could not have gotten this gal off.  Now, interestingly enough, what was the reaction of Jesus when this womans guilt was brought before Him?  The penalty for this womans indiscretion would be for her to be stoned to death.  Yes, she would stand facing her accusers as they would toss stones at her...brutal.  However, this was the law of the day, and these Pharisees fully expected Jesus to abide by THEIR laws.  So, what did Jesus do?  The very same thing He did for us when our own sins were brought before Him, He accepted her without condamnation.  In fact, the very words of Jesus did not condemn the guilty woman...but her accusers.  "He who is without sin among you, let him throw the first stone."  Whoa!  Was Jesus throwing her under the bus?  Not even close.  Guess how many of her accusers lifted their stones to throw at her as was her punishment?  None...zero...zilch!  In fact, when the dust cleared and Jesus asked her where were her accusers were...not one remained.  Instead of passing judgement upon her, which He was fully capable of doing, Jesus gives us a glimpse into the heart of the Father.  "Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more."  Now, we all know that Jesus could have tossed many a old testament grenade of condemnation upon this woman, but that's not His nature.  Jesus is not one to condemn but to love.  What did He do when my own sins were brought before Him?  He simply absorbed them unto Himself that I would no longer be a slave to my own sins {2 Corinthians 5:21}.  Go and sin no more.  In fact, whenever there is some scripture grenade thrower who takes it upon himself to convict me using whatever scripture they choose in the moment, Gods response to me is always "what sin, my son?"  Indeed, all which was against me was taken upon Christ at the cross.  I am now dead to sin, and that's a good feeling.

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, creckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 6: 6 - 11 NKJV

~Scott~

Out Of Step

15For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do.16If, then, I do what I will not to do, I agree with the law that it is good. 17But now, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. 18For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find.19For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. 20Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me.
Romans 7: 15 - 20 NKJV

I remember being afraid, dreading that day.  This was the point where, as some would say, the rubber met the road.  I had been dabbling in some pretty shady behavior up until that point and I knew that at some point I would need to step up and admit my shortcomings to those around me.  I honestly didn't know what to expect.  I mean, here i was in a christian environment and, from all appearances, a pretty decent church.  How would my christian friends react to my revelation?  I soon found out.  The first pastor I trusted with my indiscretions refered me to one of the churches "recovery" groups for those with various types of addictions.  Was I addicted?  I didn't feel addicted, but that was just my opinion.  All I knew was that I was involved in some pretty unchristian like behavior and all I wanted was to be free of it.  Instead of learning what it was that had me in bondage, I was told it would be a good idea if I stepped into a recovery class.  I get it.  Apparently this was a church pastors go to play whenever someone would come to them with issues of addiction.  Now, I'm not here to say that such classes are not useful, for I know of more than a few friends who have been through the twelve steps of this, that or the other and have come out a changed person.  What I didn't get was that, instead of taking the time to learn of my shortcomings, I was immediately refererd to the closest recovery group.  However, somehow I felt that this wasn't for me.  So, I continued in that bondage which I was living in, all the while knowing I was better than that.  To be honest, I really didn't relish the opportunity to be told each week that I was a sinner and that I needed to change in order to please God {Romans 3:23}.  If this was the way to liberation from my own behaviors I wanted no part of it.

35‘for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; 36‘I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’37“Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? 38‘When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? 39‘Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’40“And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’
Matthew 25: 35 - 40 NKJV

Our addictions come in many forms and sizes.  One can find addiction in anything from drugs and alchohol to the internet.  My drug of choice turned out to be pornography.  It turns out that I wasn't alone either.  In fact, 2016 numbers showed that 64 percent of men had or were engaging in viewing pornography of some kind.  That's three quarters of our population!  Not only was I struggling in my own bondage, but it turns out that I was far from alone.  I'm assuming that there must be a pretty large waiting list to register for one of those recovery groups I kept hearing about back in the day.  Then again, if these so called recovery groups were at all effective, why is it that the numbers of those in bondage continue to rise?  Well, I'm sure that there are more than a few diehard institutional church members out there who will swear two ways from sunday that their ways are the best path out of whatever troubles you.  I get it.  The thing is, I cannot testify that these programs never worked for me as I never indulged in one.  Something in my own spirit whispered that this was not the path for me.  Yeah, I knew that what I was doing was wrong but, to me, my way out would go through God and not mans systems.  I wanted nothing else than to huddle with Jesus and to hear Him whisper..."This I did for you."  There was nothing in church which could bring me into a close, huddle type relationship with my Savior.  After all, this was my greatest desire.  If only I had jesus, then whatever it was that troubled me would be washed away by His shed blood and love for me as His son.  I wasn't too far off.
There was a conversation I shared with a dear friend recently along the lines of those behaviors that so troubled me.  It was more of a off the cuff comment on how far I had come in my relationship with Christ than anything else.  I mentioned to my friend that I had noticed that in myself a change, that desire to indulge in those bad behaviors was not as strong as it once had been.  It's not something that I can easily explain, only that my desire to live and know Christ Jesus in me has grown stronger over time {Galations 2:20}.  There are still times when I'm alone that I will hear the call of my accuser inviting me to once again indulge in what he has for me.  Then I hear another voice within me..."this I did for you."

~Scott~

Good People

9Two are better than one, Because they have a good reward for their labor.10For if they fall, one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls, For he has no one to help him up. 11Again, if two lie down together, they will keep warm; But how can one be warm alone?12Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him. And a threefold cord is not quickly broken.
Ecclesiastes 4: 9 - 12 NKJV

I had a discussion with a friend of mine recently which got me thinking.  Now, there are many people who claim to know about racism in this country, but this man has experienced it first hand.  Being african american, he has all too often witnessed a side of our nation which few will ever see.  His perspectives on race relations in our nation have often only provided me with more questions than answers.  How, if we claim to be followers of Christ Jesus, can we stand up for a society which willfully discriminates against those who live among us?  How can this happen in the land of the freedom and opportunity which is these United States.  Yet even today the ghosts of struggles past still haunt those who have endured.  To them, places like Mississippi, Arkansas and Alabama continue to be a hot bed of racial inequality.  However, my friend made a comment recently which, on the surface at least, seemed to provide some hope.  He said that if not for the "good white people" of this country in the 1960's that the civil rights movement might not have taken hold.  Now, no matter where you stand on the issue of race relations, you may still ask yourself...am I a good person?  Believe me, I have asked this question of myself many times in the past.  Am I a good person?  Well, in regards to all which I believe in and all which I strive to practice, then I would say yes.  But is that indeed our measure of a good person?  Is all that it takes to proclaim someone good is their own word?  I'm afraid it's not all that simple.

9Also He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: 10“Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11“The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other men—extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. 12‘I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.’ 13“And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’ 14“I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
Luke 18: 9 - 14 NKJV

In Jesus' parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector we see two different men.  One a seemingly righteous and good man while the other was one who was despised by those around him as a agent of the hated Roman occupiers.  Which one would you assume would be the man who would be justified in the end?  Jesus' answer might surprise you.  For it was the Pharisee who, in his own religious ways, deemed himself to be righteous and elite.  The tax collector, perhaps recognizing his own faults, humbled himself before the Lord.  Now, almost every believer knows that Jesus related this story for a good reason.  That it is never too early to humble ourselves.  Once we see ourselves as important and just, life may just slap us with a lesson we will not soon forget.  Then again, the minute we see ourselves as a seperate "self" we are already on a wrong path.  Indeed, there is but one true self, and that is our Father in heaven.  Think about that, are you set apart from God in any way?  Is there any part of your life which is not touched by God on a daily basis?  The apostle Paul tells us that it is Christ Jesus who lives through those who believe in Him today {Galations 2:20}.  Therefore, if Jesus Himself lives through us, how is it that I can claim that I am independent?  How is it that I can say that God takes a back seat in my own life when all that I experience He does through me?  Knowing this truth of Christ in me, am I a good person?  The world might just judge me on what they see, which brings up a important point.  Remember that no one has EVER seen God except the Son {John 1:18}.  Therefore, if not for Jesus living through those who follow Him, then the world may never know Him.  If Christ Jesus lives in us, then the world will see Him in all that we do.  So, am I a good person?  No...I am a Jesus man.

12No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us. 13By this we know that we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit. 14And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world. 15Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. 16And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.
1 John 4: 12 - 16 NKJV

~Scott~

Come And See

Come and see

37The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. 38Then Jesus turned, and seeing them following, said to them, “What do you seek?” They said to Him, “Rabbi” (which is to say, when translated, Teacher), “where are You staying?” 39He said to them, “Come and see.” They came and saw where He was staying, and remained with Him that day (now it was about the tenth hour).
John 1: 37 - 39 NKJV

A lot has been made recently of just it is that we should show others the truth of Christ Jesus in us {Galations 2:20}.  On one side of the fence are those who hold fast to the old ways of "preaching" this truth to others.  Now, this might include a direct conversation or, with those who might not understand nor have received this revelation of Christ, a "righteous" argument designed to make others see Christ.  I have heard more than one radio preacher raise their voices as they called upon their listeners to never cease in their efforts to make others see the gospel of the Lord.  Now, it might just be me, but if there is someone who is resistant to hearing the truth of Christ in them then the best which I can do is to continue to encourage them to see the truth.  One christian practice which I have always found distasteful is that of tossing scripture at someone to prove your point.  Seriously, I have seen far too many people engage in this to understand that any scripture can be cherry picked to prove a point.  One persons understanding of a certain verse might not agree with anothers.  This was never more evident than in our recent discussions within our Sunday morning group.  Sure, we can butt our heads against a wall all day long arguing over the meaning of scriptures, but at what cost?  Are we willing to sacrafice the fellowship of another to prove our point?  To paraphrase a popular expression...what would Jesus do?  Before you answer that question, consider that this is Jesus we're talking about.  How did Jesus approach those who were simply curious about what He was teaching?  Come and see.  Come and see what it is I am speaking.  We're told that when a few new disciples did come and see...that they remained with Jesus.  Obviously these men saw or heard something which kept them in the presence of Jesus.  So it is with us.

43The following day Jesus wanted to go to Galilee, and He found Philip and said to him, “Follow Me.” 44Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. 45Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” 46And Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.”
John 1: 43 - 45 NKJV

I have thought more than a few times of renaming our sunday morning group from McChurch to "come and see."  After all, that is exactly what this group of Jesus seeking guys is doing.  Each week we come together to experience, learn and see who Jesus truly is.  Along the way we have come to realize that it is WE who Jesus lives through today.  So it is that whenever someone will ask me about our sunday morning gathering I will simply tell them...come and see.  I don't throw in some scripture about not forsaking our meeting together or how it is that we are required as christians to gather in His name.  Forget all of that...just come and see.  The one thing about tossing scriptures at someone is that it does not provide someone with the personal experience of knowing Jesus which I've felt since He was revealed in me.  This is NOT a personal relationship with Christ.  These are a few cherry picked verses which others will use as rules to live by.  I'm sorry, but I don't see the new covenant of Christ we see in the new testamant as a list of rules I need to obey.  Jesus has already nailed those requirements to the cross with Him {Colossions 2:14}.  Besides, I'm the LAST person who can tell another brother how God wants him to live his own life.  In His own way, God will reveal that to each of us.  So, instead of beating someone over the head with that bible as seems to be the modern christian custom, we can invite others into that fellowship we share with Jesus.  Come and see.

9But avoid foolish disputes, genealogies, contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and useless.
Titus 3: 9 NKJV

~Scott~

The Jesus Label

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. 5But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.
2 Timothy 2 - 5 NKJV

A lot has been said and learned in our group lately on the subject of false teachers and wrong teachings.  All of this stems from a brother who has stuck to his guns of old covenant teachings despite the evidence that we no longer live under such circumstances.  This got me to thinking, is the brother who refuses to recognize the truth of the gospel of Christ Jesus indeed a false teacher?  Is he the one the apostle Paul warned us of in 2 Peter 2?  I agree that there will indeed be those of us with itching ears who will take to doctrines which fall in line with our own beliefs, I've seen this for myself.  But false teachers?  If we indeed must slap a label on one who refuses to see the truth of Christ I would much rather prefer one of reluctance than of outright ignorance.  I remember when I was still young in my understanding of Christ in me {Galations 2:20}.  Yes, I continued to hold fast to the dominant teachings of the institutional church like a good christian soldier.  I prayed endlessly hoping that suplications would be enough to appease a God who obviously needed to keep His distance between Himself and this sinful man.  I was but a sinner saved by His grace.  I was holding fast to my "old man" Paul has proclaimed dead in Romans 6.  Indeed, I was living in something which was dead and gone in Gods eyes.  This does not mean that I was a false teacher, only that I had yet to recognize the truth of Christ which was right under my nose the whole time.  If I had indeed been aware of the truth of Jesus and still refused to accept it, then I might consider a different label for myself.  I get it.  In the past few weeks I have done some serious thinking on this issue in regards to our own wayward brother.   I have realized that the Jesus he talks of is not my Jesus.

1I, therefore, the prisoner aof the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called,2with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, 3endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.4There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; 5one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.
Ephesians 4: 1 - 5 NKJV

Where I once approached my brother with a attitude of needing to be right, I now endeavor to approach him with the love of a true brother in Christ.  For if Jesus indeed lives through me, then it is He who will speak on His own behalf through me.  Believe me, God needs NO defending from any one of us.  All we need do is allow Him to live and speak His truth us.  This has never been a issue of hammering the truth into my brother, but of helping him to realize who he truly is.  Jesus did not resort to tactics of ganging up on unbelievers.  On the contrary, He all too often simply shared the very thoughts of the Father.  This is how He approached the woman caught in adultry.  This is how Jesus could proclaim, "nor do I condemn you."  I realize not that this is not a issue of being right or wrong, but one of patience with my brother.  As the Spirit of Christ was revealed in me, so it will be in him in the working of Gods timing.  I am not foolish enough to believe that I can do a better job of converting one steeped in the teachings of the old covenant than God can.  If this is indeed a battle for my brothers understanding, it's certainly not one for me myself to win.  However, God is more than capable of living and speaking His truth through me.  This is what He does so well.

19So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; 20for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God.
James 1: 19 - 20 NKJV

~Scott~

A Fathers Place

 18‘I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, 19“and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.” ’ 20“And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. 21“And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ 22“But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet. 23‘And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; 24‘for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ And they began to be merry.
Luke 15: 18 - 24 NKJV

I've had a few discussions lately on the role of a father in the lives of their families.  Granted, having never been a father myself, I still have a pretty good idea of how that story goes.  Over the years I have had the examples, the good, bad and the ugly of how a father interacts with his family.  When they say that there is no instruction book as to the role of a father I would agree...to a point.  While many self help gurus have, over the years, attempted to give their own take on fatherhood, nothing beats personal exeperience.  There is no self help book that will ever duplicate the school of hard knocks lessons which life will bring upon all parents.  That's just the way life is.  So, what is a fathers place in the family?  Well, I would agree that while the role of leadership in the family dynamic traditionaly falls upon our fathers, there will always be exceptions to this as well.  Having grown up in a family where my own father was not involved, I undersatand all too well that things don't always fit the traditional plan.  The traditional plan is one where the father is the head of the family while the wife and mother is the tail of the operation.  Well, I'm here to tell you that the most loving and successful families which I have been involved with over the years refused to follow this model.  On the contrary, a few of the most love centered families are the ones where each parent is loved, respected and instilled with their own place in leading the family.  The old time Ozzy And Harriet view of the father going off to work each day while wifey stays home to ensure all his needs are met no longer holds true.  If it even ever did.  I'm a firm believer that both parents need to take upon a leadership role in order for the family to survive against the world we live in.  So, just where is the fathers place in his family?

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

I have often wondered, just where is my place in the family of God?  What standing do I have in Him?  I know where I stand with my earthly parents, for from them I have inherited that which has made me who I am today.  However, heredity only goes so far in our development.  Our own experiences shape us as well.  Has not God given us experiences which have shaped all who we are today?  I would make the argument that there is nothing we have experienced in our lives which God was not personally involved in.  We are told that Christ Jesus lives through us {Galations 2:20}.  Each day He shares with us all we experience.  We are assured that we are children of the most high {1 John 3:1}.  This is our standing in the family of God.  In the family of our Lord there are no dysfuctional families nor rude relatives.  In the family of God there are no missing parents nor broken families.  We are children of the living God as well as heirs of the promise of Christ Jesus {Romans 8:17}.  Some might argue, but I think that not even the wealthiest of families could guarantee such a lavish future.
So, where is a fathers place in his family?  A father will find his place in the lives of his children.  A father will manifest that love of Christ in his own love and compassion for his spouse.  A father will remain firm but loving in his discipline of his children, knowing that his actions will directly affect their own lives.  Above all, a father will fill his household with the love of Christ Jesus who lives through him.  This is the fathers place.

27“All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father. Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.
Matthew 11: 27 NKJV

~Scott~

Without Prejudice

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 

We've been talking a lot lately about our salvation.  Or better yet, is it possible to lose our own through salvation which was provided to us by Christ Jesus at the cross.  Not only that, but is it at all possible that despite Jesus wiping away all of our iniquities by becoming sin on our behalf, that maybe, just maybe, there remains that requirement that we should continue to seek our Lords forgiveness for our own sins?  Indeed, this has become quite a contentious conversation in the company of some of our brothers.  Yes, there are those among our own group of christian soldiers who hold steadfastly to that belief that we are but sinners saved by the grace of our Lord.  I get it.  After all, haven't we all sinned {Romans 3:23}?  Granted, my first response to someone who seems to be chained to those requirements of their old life is, did Jesus miss some sins while He was on that cross?  Was He somehow distracted enough in His own agony that, despite our assurances in scripture, He somehow forgot to cleanse us of all of our sins?  Even if this is true, would that not make God a liar to us all?  I'm sure even the most new born christian can see the slippery slope which this belief opens up.  Yet, there are those who continue to live in the bondage of those chains.  That bondage in which we once lived before Christ set us free from those requirements which were against us {Colossions 2:14}.  Those chains of our own sins in which we all once lived...before Christ Jesus {Romans 6:6}.  You will notice that the context I wrote of these former things are of those chains we USED to endure.  For it is through Christ that we, as those who believe and trust in His truth, rejoice in the freedom that we are no longer deifned by what once was.  It is Jesus Himself who lives through us today {Galations 2:20}.  

4For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, 5and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, 6if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame.

Hebrews 6: 4 - 5 NKJV 

Is it at all possible for Christ Jesus to be crucified again?  Can that Spirit of Christ be once again nailed to yet another cross to suffer the sacrafice for a new generation of believers?  Did Jesus, as the writer of Hebrews tells us, give His life once for all believers {Hebrews 10:10}?  For me, there is but one Jesus...and one death for all.  Those iniquities which He wiped away at the cross were...final.  What good would it do for Jesus to give Himself for those sins up to a certain point?  For in the end there would need be more and more sacrafices because in the end, we are imperfect.  Yet we are told that Jesus gave Himself and rose from the dead once...for all believers.  The chains of our former life can still be seen today.  Somehow there remains the belief that we need to continue asking for Gods forgiveness.  Yet, the same christians who lay claim to this belief also will agree that Jesus indeed gave Himself but once.  So, christian, you agree with me that the death of jesus was final yet you still heed a requirement that we need to seek our Lords forgiveness?  For what?  Didn't Jesus nail those requirements to the cross with Him?  Believe me, I have lived this teaching in the church.  I have listened as one pastor after another assured me of the forgiveness of Christ yet pleaded with me to seek His forgiveness daily.  What??  

There is a point in any criminal trial where the presiding judge informs he who has been accused of a crime that he is to be released "without prejudice."   A case that is dismissed without prejudice is over and done with, once and for all, and cannot be brought back to court.  I liken the sacrafice of Christ Jesus as we who trust in Him being released without prejudice.  It is over with, one sacrafice for all.  That which we were once convicted can never be brought before the Lord for our own condemnation...ever!  

10By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

Hebrews 10: 10 NKJV 

~Scott~