Showing Jesus

With Christ I have been crucified, yet I am living; no longer I, but living in me is Christ.  Now that which I am now living in flesh, I am living in faith that is of the Son of God, who loves me, and gives Himself up for me. 

Galatians 2: 20, Concordant New Testament 

I retraced my steps this weekend back to a question which a friend posed some time ago.  How is Jesus best seen in me?  In order to answer this one must understand the truth of Jesus, that He lives in all of Gods children.  If I fail to see Jesus as living in me, how is it that I can proclaim to know the best way He is seen in me?  Makes sense huh?  So it is that I will go by assumption that more than a few who are reading this have the understanding of Christ in them.  For those who don't, buckle up, you might just learn something.  How do I know for certain that Christ is in me?  Well, the apostle Paul makes this truth known in a few places in scripture, most notedly in Galatians 2:20.  It was Paul's revelation on the road to Damascus which led him to the knowing of Jesus in him.  I believe that it is by the Fathers revelation that His Son is made known to all who seek Him.  So, knowing who I am in Christ, how is it that Jesus is best seen in me?  How is Jesus best seen in someone with the knowing of Jesus in them?  Would we know Him if we met Him?  How is someone I've neither seen nor even met best seen in me?  Jesus tells us to let our "light" shine so brightly before men that they will see our good works and glorify the Father for them {Matthew 5:15-16}.  We've all met people in our lives who have a extraordinary heart for others.  Their thoughts are not about personal gain, but about showing kindness to those around them?  They let their light shine before others.  These believers are easy to spot in a crowd, as they are already allowing Jesus to be seen in and through them.  But what about the rest of us?  How is Jesus best seen in me?  Obviously, if my own heart is focused on others instead of myself then Jesus will become visible.  Others will look upon me knowing that I am a follower of the Lord.  The trouble is, there are times where my focus is not on others, but on me.  Is Christ still in me?  Of course, that never changes.  

The other disciples then said to him, "We have seen the Lord!"  Yet he said to them. "Should I not perceive in His hands the print of the nails, and thrust my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into His side, I will by no means be believing."  And after eight days His disciples were again within, and Thomas was with them.  The doors having been locked, Jesus is coming and stood in the midst and said, "Peace to you!"  Thereafter He is saying to Thomas, "Bring your finger here and perceive My hands, and bring your hand and thrust it into My side, and do not become unbelieving, but believing."  And Thomas answered and said to Him, "My Lord and my God!"  Now Jesus is saying to him, "Seeing that you have seen Me, you have believed.  Happy are those who are not perceiving and believe."

John 20: 25-29, Concordant New Testament

Have you ever felt like poor Thomas before?  You know full well who Jesus is.  You have the knowing that He is in you.  Yet you continue to look for proof to validate what you already know in your heart.  I get it, I've been there.  This question of how Jesus is best seen in us gave me fits for a few days as I struggled to articulate a good answer.  Yet one piece of advice kept coming back to be...be Jesus.  That's it...just be Jesus.  Just be yourself.  After all, if Christ is in me then when I am being myself who else can be exemplified but Jesus Himself?  Seems like a no brainer, but for those who have not realized the revelation of who they are in Christ it can be a tough question to handle.  We may force ourselves into good behavior, having been told by one pulpit pounder or another that "being like Jesus" is a good thing.  I have news for you, this is NOT a heart for others.  Only when our thoughts for the good of others become second nature is our heart for others revealed for all to see.  Does this mean that Christ is not in you?  Absolutely not.  It simply means that you may not recognize who it is that you truly are inside.  Again, I've been there.  For me, my own revelation came at a moment of bad conduct on my part.  What better time for Jesus to introduce Himself.   

~Scott~  

Top Down Religion

 "Now you may not be called Rabbi, for One is your teacher, yet you are all brethren.  And 'father' you should not be calling one of you on the earth, for One is your Father, the heavenly.  Nor yet may you be called preceptors, for One is your preceptor, the Christ."

Matthew 23: 8-10, Concordant New Testament

Have you ever noticed that there is a certain hierarchy to that  which we know as Christianity?  Step in to any church and you will see evidence of this structure.  We have pastors and assistant pastors, worship leaders and Sunday school teachers.  It seems that we have quite a crowd to administer and oversee the gospel to the church of Jesus.  I would see them every Sunday morning, sitting in the reserved seats in front of the congregation.  It was understood that these church leaders were to be respected and revered.  Yet what are we to learn from the words of Jesus, who proclaims that we are not to call people 'Rabbi, teacher or father'{Matthew 23:8-10}?  Jesus made no exception for certain people in the church, for certain leadership in the church.  We are not to refer to anyone as teacher, for our true teacher in Christ Jesus.  Nor are we to refer to anyone as father, for our one true Father is in heaven.  Yet there they are every Sunday, the church hierarchy front and center before the congregation.  Is this a flagrant violation of the words of Jesus, or simply a part of that man made quagmire known as religion?  For it is through religion that we have raised up before us the leadership of our churches.  Even the so called organic, grass roots gatherings of our home groups are not immune to this idea of leadership.  Everywhere Jesus is taught, there need be someone in charge of teaching.  And if you have a teacher, you will need a assistant teacher as well.  The issue we get into with this kind of organizational religion is that there need be 'approved' venues where people can gather and worship.  I recall many times that I skipped a Sunday service in order to stay home and enjoy the Lords presence...big mistake.  I was quickly told that to be in the presence of the Lord I needed to be in Gods house on Sunday.  

Now selecting elders for them according to the ecclesia, praying with fastings, they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed. 

Acts 14: 23, Concordant New Testament 

If someone were to tell me someone such as the apostle Paul would openly advocate for overseers in the church of the risen Christ I would have considered it blasphemy.  Yet there it is in scripture.  Paul advising that there should be elders in the church {1 Timothy 3:1}.  Paul calls for deacons in the church {Philippians 1:1}.  Is this double speak by Paul?  Was he somehow trying to undermine the church of the Lord he was struggling to build?  I doubt it.  We must realize above all else that this man Paul whom Jesus called on the road to Damascus...was still human.  Being human, Paul was indeed still influenced by the world around him as well as his past experiences.  What were Paul's past experiences?  Being raised up in the top down hierarchy of the Jewish faith.  Therefore, I'm not at all surprised that Paul would resort to a similar model as he worked to grow the early church of the followers of Jesus.  As far as church building, this is what he knew.  Was he off the rails?  No.  I believe that he was simply building the early organized church the best way he knew, drawing from his experiences.  In everything else we read from Paul, he continues to hold fast to the gospel.  Is this Paul contradicting himself?  Perhaps but, then again, this is Paul doing what he knows how to do.  It is here that we see the human side of the apostle.  What was his reason for appointing overseers in the early church?  I believe it to be for the benefit of building up the body of Christ, the church {Ephesians 4:12}.  In my opinion, Paul's desire was not to set up a ruling church hierarchy.  That had already been accomplished in the synagogues of the day.  

~Scott~ 

Hated For His Sake

 

For you it is graciously granted, for Christ's sake, not only to be believing on Him, but to be suffering for His sake also. 

Philippians 1: 29, Concordant New Testament 

I listened to radio pulpit pounder David Jeremiah this week speak to a sermon as to why people dislike Christians.  He pointed out a few habits which non believers dislike Christians for.  One of these was our moral standing in the world.  That we Christians somehow are the most well behaved individuals on the planet.  Well, I am living proof that this is simply not true.  I screw up, I have screwed up and I will continue to do so.  In fact, it is by my own bad behavior that I came to know the reality of Christ Jesus in me.  We already know that many in the world shun our faith and our beliefs.  We think we're better than the rest.  We believe in a unseen God.  We're trying to convert the entire world into our cult-like religion.  Now, through the ages the Christian religion itself has earned the stripes which others today use against it.  Think of the great crusades, where Christian soldiers marched as to war against the unbelieving hordes.  History is full of the Christian religion forcing itself against the world.  The Salem witch trials.  The Spanish Inquisition.  Is it any wonder why people view us as being holier than thou?  But is this really how we, as believers, are supposed to present ourselves to the world?  Is it our calling to hammer home Gods message to a unbelieving world?  I would disagree with this.  To understand how God desires His children to present themselves we must first understand who He truly is.  Who is God?  Well, we're told in scripture that God is love {1 John 4:8}.  Does a loving God desire the domination and mistreatment of others in His name?  Again, I would call out the mainstream church on this as being false teaching.  Jesus Himself speaks to letting our light shine before men {Matthew 5:16}.  Many a Christian pastor is of the belief that our behaviors are to be different, that it must not reflect the same kind of sin that corrupts the world.  We are, in essence, to be holier than thou.  So tell me Mr. holier than thou Christian, what happens when you screw up?  What will your answer be when everyone you were preaching Godly behaviors to suddenly sees you for who you really are, a flesh and blood child of God.  

Happy are you whenever they should be reproaching and persecuting you and, falsifying, saying every wicked thing against you, on My account.  Rejoice and exult, for your wages are vast in the heavens.  For thus they persecute the prophets before you.

Matthew 5: 11-12, Concordant New Testament

I want you to visualize something which will more than likely change your mind as to how you view the traditional Christ like behavior narrative.  The apostle Paul speaks to the truth of Christ Jesus in Galatians {Galatians 2:20}.  For Paul, his own view of Jesus was that Jesus was in him.  That's right, Jesus...is Paul.  By that same belief, when I look upon myself, I see Jesus.  All of a sudden, what Jesus said about letting our light shine before men starts to make more sense.  If we exhibit Christ who is in us, won't the world begin to see Him as well?  Perhaps we need to began speaking to who it is we truly are in Christ instead of trying to convert the masses?  What of that so called Godly behavior we have been told to exhibit that others may know we're Christian?  Yeah, what about that?  Was Paul a well behaved man?  No, Paul was notorious for persecuting the early church.  Paul, in fact, refers to himself as one of the worst of sinners {1 Timothy 1:15}.  However, Paul was also assured of his own identity in Christ.  As I said, my own misbehavior led me one night to see who I am in Jesus.  It is the same revelation which was granted to Paul on the road to Damascus {Acts 9:1-5}.  What has changed about me is the same as the change we see in Paul.   That being my own realization of who I am.  Am I still human?  Yes.  Do I still mess up?  Absolutely.  There are, indeed, those times where I forget who it that I am.  This doesn't change the reality of my identity in Christ, only that I forgot who I am.  I believe that this is the message that needs to be spoken to in our churches.  The message that Christ is in all in all and our duty is not to force the world into compliance...but to introduce them to who they are in Christ Jesus.  

With Christ have I been crucified, yet I am living; no longer I, but living in me is Christ.  Now that which I am now living in flesh, I am living in faith that is of the Son of God.  Who loves me, and gives Himself for me.  

Galatians 2: 20, Concordant New Testament 

~Scott~  

Objects In The Mirror Are Closer Than They Need To Be

 

"What you did back there is learn the lessons that brought you to this particular moment"

Steve Harvey

There is a saying out there that we do well to remember.  Those who ignore history are doomed to repeat it.  If we forget the lessons of the past, we may very well end up being schooled all over again.  Sounds like good advice right?  Yet many a well meaning person has forsaken it time and time again.  Many a well meaning Christian has fallen victim to those lessons previously learned.  Comedian Steve Harvey is a television personality, motivational speaker and lukewarm Christian.  I say lukewarm because much of the language that he uses is straight from mainstream church pulpits.  God has a blessing for you, God wants to show you something new etc.  Every now and then I will come across a Steve Harvey motivational video on my Facebook feed.  The other day I noticed one which actually made a bit of sense.  He was speaking to how far too many people focus too much on their past failures and mistakes instead of moving forward.  One phrase he said summed it all up for me, "What you did back there is learn the lessons that brought you to this particular moment."  Well said!  Now, who is going to learn from those lessons and who needs to be taught all over again?  I know that I have had many a lesson which I've had to learn over and over again until it finally sunk in.  I also know that I'm far from alone in this.  So, keeping with my faith, what does the scripture tell us about learning from our mistakes?  The apostle Paul proclaims that he is forgetting what lies behind him and is straining forward to what lies ahead in Jesus {Philippians 3:13}.  We can assume that Paul's desire here was a life in Christ Jesus.  The prophet Isaiah proclaimed that we should not remember the things of old {Isaiah 43:18}.  Yet the greatest lesson of all is one we can take from the Father. 

So that if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: the primitive passed by, Lo!  there has come new!

2 Corinthians 5: 17, Concordant New Testament

What is it that the Father sees when He looks upon you?  Does God see your former misdeeds and mistakes and judge you for them over and over?  Do our former deeds define who we are in the Fathers eyes?  No!  God is not interested in what we did yesterday, only that we have the realization of who we are today.  Paul provides us with a much prized lesson in Galatians.  He proclaims that the old man we once were is dead and that all which remains is Christ {Galatians 2:20}.  I remember listening dumbfounded to a friend as he introduced me to these words of Paul.  When did I die?  Wouldn't this be a lesson I'd remember?  Well, as Paul proclaims, I died on that cross beside Jesus.  It is now Christ Jesus who lives in me.  But that old man, the old Scott, is gone never to return.  Lesson learned?  As far as realizing my own identity, yes.  Like Paul, we do well to forget what lies behind us and strive forward for our life in Christ.  I feel that the words of Steve Harvey are prophetic when placed into the context of our knowing who we are in Christ.  What life has provided us is the lessons we needed to bring us to our own moment where the Fathers revelation of Christ Jesus in us is realized.  Then, like Paul, we will strive forward in a life in Christ.

To whom God wills to make known what are the glorious riches of this secret among the nations, which is; Christ among you, the expectation of glory.

Colossians 1: 27, Concordant New Testament 

~Scott~ 

On The Rocks Of Religious Letdown

"For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways," says the Lord.  "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than  your ways, And My thoughts higher than your thoughts." 

Isaiah 55: 8-9 NKJV 

I came across another Wayne Jacobsen talking point the other day which got my attention.  Wayne and his sidekick were discussing a recent article by Christianity Today writer Mark Galli titled "Let's face it: We resent God."  They cite reasons from God's perceived broken promises to not helping us when we feel that we need it.  Wayne also mentions that Christians are resentful that God does not assist us in our attempts at building relationship with Him.  Does any of this sound familiar?  How many believers out there have flat out given up on a God that they feel is out of touch with them?  I can honestly say that I've been in those shoes before.  For before I came to know God in a more intimate way, I was stuck in the middle of a religious paradigm which taught me that God was a God that I could not approach in my own brokenness.  That the best I could do at a relationship was to "Be like" Jesus.  Well, my friends, in this instance imitation is not the best form of flattery.  I felt unworthy that God did not desire me to be near Him.  I felt as if my sinful nature at times left God angry and upset with me.  In the end, this led to His ignoring my pleas for help when I needed Him most.  Was this the God I had grown up worshipping?  Could God really go out of His way to forgive my sins only to then turn His back on me when I needed Him?  To many Christians today, this seems like the God they have come to know.  No, this is the God we have been TAUGHT to know.  For I would suggest that we have been presented with a counterfeit God most of our lives.  This counterfeit God is angry, judgmental, vain and extremely jealous.  Does this sound familiar to anyone?  Unfortunately, walk into many a church these days and this counterfeit God will be the focus of many worship services.  

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

1 John 4: 16, Concordant New Testament

One key phrase I took away from the lead into Wayne Jacobsen's podcast was that the feelings of a far off and uncaring, distant God are nothing but the rocks on which religion leaves people shipwrecked.  How true!   Where is it that we hear the condemning voices of a God who ignores our cries because of our sin nature?  Where is it that we are introduced to the idea that a vain and jealous God cannot have us in His presence because of our own sin?  Is this the voice of the Lord condemning us?  No!  These are the thoughts and teachings of our so called religious teachers condemning us.   I have a dear friend, a former pastor, who now and again will shudder when he recalls his days in the pulpit speaking the church theology.  The door of God's love opened for me when I read the apostle Johns description in 1 John 4:8.  John tells us that the one true nature of the Lord God...is love.  If God loves me, how could he not desire me to be close to Him?  If He indeed loves me, why would He hold a grudge over me from something that has already been destroyed in my life?  Indeed, sin has been a stumbling block between ourselves and God for thousands of years.  Because of sin, we were told we could not be in His presence.  Because of sin, God always kept His distance from us.  However, the apostle Paul proclaims Christs ultimate victory over sin at the cross in Romans.  We are, as Paul describes, dead to sin {Romans 6:11}.  Therefore, if the stumbling block of sin has been removed, what is now preventing us from a close, intimate relationship with the Father?  In my opinion, the only thing preventing believers from having that personal relationship with God is adhering to the archaic theology of religion.  In this case, religion does not produce relationship, but a life stranded on the rocks.  

Knowing this, that our old humanity was crucified together with Him, that the body of sin may be nullified, for by us by no means to be still slaving for sin, for one who dies has been justified from sin.  Now if we died together with Christ, we believe that we shall be living together with Him also, having perceived that Christ, being roused from among the dead, is no longer dying.  Death is lording it over Him no longer, for in that He died, He died for sin once for all time, yet in that He is living, He is living to God.  Thus you also, be reckoning yourselves to be dead, indeed, to sin, yet living to God in Christ Jesus our Lord. 

Romans 6: 6-11, Concordant New Testament

~Scott~ 

https://markgalli.substack.com/p/lets-face-it-we-resent-god?token=eyJ1c2VyX2lkIjo2NTM2MzAyLCJwb3N0X2lkIjo0OTc0NDIwOCwiXyI6InBUa0lGIiwiaWF0IjoxNjQ2NDMxMzc0LCJleHAiOjE2NDY0MzQ5NzQsImlzcyI6InB1Yi0zNDYxNCIsInN1YiI6InBvc3QtcmVhY3Rpb24ifQ.Y0MctEYkswRTnH9bfP9Qay116vVUEjR8A_IM9THkpLA&s=r

Inside Man

 So that, if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: the primitive passed by, Lo! there has come new.

2 Corinthians 5: 17, Concordant New Testament

It's a phrase I've heard before but never paid much attention to.  Yet when this pastor proclaimed it my ears were listening.  In Christ.  Two simple yet prophetic words.  In Christ.  For too many people, words mean things.  The order we place our words in means things.  Granted, this particular pastor was not saying Christ in me, but in Christ.  Whatever did he mean?  Did dude somehow have a understanding of something I didn't?  I'm thinking not.  But the words remain...in Christ.  Tell me, what do you think of when you hear these words?  If someone came up to you and said that you were in Christ Jesus, what would you think?  Well, like I said, words mean things.  For me, hearing this pastor recite these two words at once made me think of one thing, that at some point I had managed to become a personal part of Jesus.  But is this really how it all went down?  Perhaps that would be the narrative for some modern day evangelical or fresh out of Pharisee school pulpit pounder.  But I know better.  For my position in Christ Jesus has nothing to do with any efforts I have undertaken to somehow make myself better, stronger or more righteous.  On the contrary, what my reality in Christ has everything to do with is my own realization of who it is I truly am.  The apostle Paul proclaims this truth for us in Galatians.  Paul understood that it was not by his own doing that he became in Christ.  For he, Paul, was dead.  Put to death and crucified upon the same cross as his Lord and savior.  What remained to fill the empty space of his flesh...was Jesus.  So it is with me.  

With Christ have I been crucified, yet I am living; no longer I, but living in me is Christ.  Now that which I am now living in the flesh, I am living in faith that is of the Son of God, who loves me, and gives Himself for me.

Galatians 2: 20, Concordant New Testament

While I know and understand who I am in Christ Jesus, there was a time when I questioned the words "Christ in me."  For if I have died with Jesus...is there even a me to begin with?  The author Norman Grubb would say no.  Grubb made famous the claim that the only independent self in the universe is God.  Therefore, if there is no "self" for me to hang my hat upon, what is my identity?  Well, as Paul so rightly claimed, my identity remains in Christ who lives in me.  There is no longer any Scott...but Jesus who is in him.  When I gaze into the mirror, I see Jesus looking back at me.  This is, in theory, how we are supposed to approach the reality of Christ in us.  No longer me...only Jesus.  But the road to realizing Christ in us is unpaved and filled with the potholes of mainstream church teachings.  At times, despite my own assurance of who I am, I have entertained thoughts of the old days when I was someone.  This is a slippery slope because it could undoubtedly lead us astray back into the false belief that we are our own self.  But how is it that I can be separate from He who created me?  How is it that I can be anything but totally filled with Him who breathed into me the breath of life?  These are the questions that need be asked if we choose to believe that we are somehow our own self.  I refuse to refer to such people as unbelievers, but as someone who has never known the man inside.  

There is no independent, self-operating self in the universe, except the One who calls Himself I AM {Exodus 3:14} and says, "I am the Lord and there is none else, there is no God beside Me" {Isa. 45:5}. 

Norman Grubb, No Independent Self 

~Scott~ 

Times Such As This

 

Let every soul be subject to the superior authorities, for there is no authority except under God.  Now those which are, have been set under God, so that he who is resisting an authority has withstood Gods mandate.  Now those who have withstood, will be getting judgement for themselves, for magistrates are not a fear for the good act, but to the evil.  Now you do not want to be fearing the authority.  Do good, and you will be having applause from it.  For it is Gods servant for your good.  Now if you should be doing evil, fear, for not feignedly is it wearing the sword.  For it is Gods servant, an avenger for indignation to him who is committing evil.  Wherefore it is necessary to be subject, not only because of indignation, but also because of conscience.  For therefore you are settling taxes also, for they are Gods ministers, perpetuated for this self-same thing.  Render to all their dues, to whom tax, tax, to whom tribute, tribute, to who honor, honor. 

Romans 13: 1-7, Concordant New Testament

Without a doubt, one of the major concerns on the minds of many believers these days is the state of the world in which we live.  With war waging in Europe and a seemingly uncaring government here at home, many believers wonder if these are indeed the end times.  Well, I wish that I had a better answer for that question.  For nobody knows, save for the Lord, the hour or day which the Lord God will make His triumphant return to proclaim His kingdom {Matthew 24:36}.   In the past few weeks, I have listened to many a radio pastor proclaim what is to come, as it they somehow the Lords time schedule.  I have no such dissolutions.  I know that I don't have the answers.  So, what are we to think of a sinking economy, rising gas prices and a unstable world?  One thing, God is in control.  For there is nothing which has or ever will occur that God has not allowed to happen.  With this knowing, we believers should be in a much better position to deal with the current state of this world.  Sadly that's not the case.  I have Christian friends who live each and every day in total uncertainty.  What's going to happen?  How high will those gas prices go?  Is this the beginning of World War three?  All of these concerns are legitimate, but they are indeed above my pay grade.  Like most people, the best that I can do is speculate, and that does nobody any good in the end.  Jesus Himself proclaims that we are not to worry about the things which we need {Matthew 6:25-34}.  I can definitely say that this is sound advice, because I have known the physical ailments that arise from worrying far too much.  God does not want us to worry.  God desires that we turn to Him in our times of worry.  Jesus proclaimed this as well {Matthew 6:33}.   Seek first the Kingdom of the Lord, for there are far more important things we need be concerned about than what the world provides us.  

"Therefore I am saying to you.  Do not worry about your soul, what you may be eating, or what you may be drinking, nor yet about your body, what you should be putting on.  Is not the soul more than nourishment, and the body more than apparel?" 

Matthew 6: 25, Concordant New Testament

I've always considered myself somewhat of a political scientist.  Someone who looks upon the situations of the world and knows the root causes and possible solutions to such situations.  Even though this can be an interesting hobby, more often than not it takes my attention from where it really needs to be.  Why worry about high gas prices when I should be thankful that God is providing for me?  Why worry about the political turmoil in my own nation, are these not representatives appointed by the Lord for times such as this?  Is my own opinion superior to that of Gods work?  I think not.  So it is that in times such as this when everything we see seems to point to the final days of a fallen world, we do well to remember that He who created all that we will ever see continues His work in His kingdom.  Our attention should not be riveted to the television news, but to His word.  Kingdoms will rise and fall, but it is God who reigns forever.  At the end of the day, it is not the Lord who has changed, but we have.

"Yet seek first the kingdom and its righteousness, and these all shall be added to you.  You should not, then, be worrying about the morrow, for the morrow will be worrying about itself.  Sufficient for the day is its own evil." 

Matthew 6: 33-34, Concordant New Testament 

~Scott~ 

Freedom

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

Galatians 5: 1 Concordant New Testament

As I write this morning, I am enjoying Oregon's first day without the indoor face mask mandate illegally set forth by socialist governor Kate Brownshirt.  In fact, before today Oregon was one of just six states nationwide that still adhered to such strict rules.  A fact which helped me in my choice for topics for this mornings writing...freedom.  More importantly, our freedom in Christ Jesus.  I could draw many metaphors of the pandemic lockdowns and mandates which tie into our own freedom in Jesus, but I won't go there.  What I will do is bring up the fact that, like the state of Oregon, there are still Christians out there who have not yet tasted the freedom they could enjoy in Jesus.  The freedom of Christ is out there and available to all, yet many have yet to enjoy it.  To understand this freedom in Christ, we must first understand what it is that continues to hold us in bondage.  The first thing that comes to mind when I think of bondage and Christianity is sin.  For it is sin that continues to hold many a believer in bondage.  Think that you're not in bondage to sin?  What is it that you feel holds you back from a true relationship with Christ Jesus?  Ask that question of many a believer and they would most likely say that their fear of being unworthy or "unlike" Jesus has prevented them from enjoying freedom in Christ.  That fear that Jesus is holy and we're far from it.  This is what prevented me from knowing Jesus fully.  I knew that I was a sinner, my pastor and the scriptures convicted me of my crimes {Romans 3:23}.  I was bound in the shackles of a broken theology.  Broken theology?  Yes, for even though the scriptures spoke to my freedom from the slavery of sin, I did not realize it.  The apostle Paul, in Romans, speaks to the reality that every believer needs to be aware of...that sin is dead.  Yes, we've been chasing unicorns for far too long.  It is Paul who speaks to our feeling of unworthiness when he writes that we should no longer be slaves to sin {Romans 6:6}.  So, what are we afraid of?  What is it that continues to hold us back from enjoying our freedom in Christ?  

Knowing this, that our old humanity was crucified together with Him, that the body of sin may be nullified, for us by no means to be still slaving to sin.  For one who dies has been justified from sin.  Now if we died together with Christ, we believe that we shall be living together with Him also, having perceived that Christ, being roused from among the dead, is no longer dying.  Death is lording it over Him no longer, for in that He died, He died to sin once for all time, yet in that He is living, He is living to God.  Thus you also, be reckoning yourselves to be dead, indeed to sin, yet living to God in Christ Jesus, our Lord. 

Romans 6: 6-11, Concordant New Testament 

In Romans 6, we clearly see that Jesus has provided not only for the forgiveness of our trespasses, but for our final victory over sin as well.  Yet the question remains, if Jesus gave Himself for us on the cross {2 Corinthians 5:21}, why does sin continue to be an issue?  Well, I would submit that many believers simply do not realize who it is that they are.  In my writing "Being You," I present the truth of Christ Jesus in us.  Again, Paul speaks to this reality in Galatians.  For if our "Old humanity" has been crucified with Jesus, what became of this flesh we now see as...me?  Is this who I am?  Not according to Paul.  It is Paul who speaks to us that even though we are now deceased having been crucified with Jesus, "Living in me is Christ" {Galatians 2:20}.  The truth of Christ Jesus is that my own reality has never been this flesh I'm comprised of.  I am God created and Christ inhabited.  It is God in whose image I was created {Genesis 1:27}.  Yet, somewhere along the way believers were duped into believing that we were somehow broken and unworthy of merely being in the presence of Christ Jesus.  All the while, unbeknownst to us, Jesus resided within Gods children.  The problem is many failed to recognize their one true identity in Jesus.  This is exactly why I speak to the current teachings of the church on Jesus as a broken theology, for it ignores the precious truth of who we are in Him.  So what does it mean to be free in Christ?  Freedom in the knowing that sin no longer rules over you.  Freedom in knowing who you are and that you are worthy and loved by God.  Above all, freedom in knowing that you...are Jesus.  

With Christ I have been crucified, yet I am living: no longer I, but living in me is Christ.  Now that which I am now living in the flesh, I am living in faith that is of the Son of God, who loves me and gives Himself up for me.

Galatians 2: 20, Concordant New Testament 

~Scott~ 

Being You

 The basis of our total truth, which we are taking to the whole church in the whole world, is that the human self has no nature of its own.  It is the expresser of a deity nature, whether the nature of the false deity, the spirit of error, or the true deity, the Spirit of truth {1 John 4:6}.  Because we have all become accustomed to speaking of ourselves as having "human nature," it may make it clearer if we speak of the self as never being an independent self.  it has never been a self-operating self, and thus has never operated by expressing a nature of its own.

No Independent Self, Norman Grubb 

I was reminded this once again this week of the centralized thinking that permeates much of Christianity.  As I struggled with a few interpersonal interactions, a friend suggested that I simply...just be myself.  Of course, to the casual observer this might seem like sound advice.  Don't be a poser, don't try to be someone you're not.  Yet each and every day, believers wade into the weeds of a false theology.  For we have been told time and again that we are a being of our own, with an existence totally separate from our creator and Lord.  It seems that the only time God comes to the forefront of our lives is when we're having struggles in this life we view as ours and ours alone.  And so, we call upon God to straighten out this mess we've once again created.  Never once realizing that perhaps, as the creator of all the universe, this mess was not a creation of ours but God allowing circumstances in our lives.  So, when we feel like the walls of life are closing in, we call upon the Lord to help us through that situation He Himself created.  Does anyone see the error in this line of thinking?  By telling someone to "Just be yourself," we're actually expecting them to be someone they have never been.  To understand this, we need to understand who it is that we truly are, who we've always been.  I was first introduced to my one true identity through the words of the apostle Paul.  It is Paul who, in Galatians, explains that the man I thought I was...is dead.  Nailed to the cross with Christ Jesus.  What now remains is not simply an empty flesh shell, but a vessel inhabited by Christ Jesus Himself.  In the words of Paul, I no longer live, but "Christ lives in me" {Galatians 2:20}.  This isn't just a one and done prophesy from Paul, as he once again expresses Christ living in us in Romans.  If we have died with Christ Jesus, then we believe that we also live WITH Him {Romans 6:8}.  So, Jesus is who we are first and foremost.  I am not Scott the independent self, but Christ in his flesh.  

There is no independent, self-operating self in the universe, except the One who calls Himself the I AM {Exodus 3:14} and says, "I am the Lord and there is none else, there is no God beside Me {Isa 45:5}.

No Independent Self, Norman Grubb 

The author Norman Grubb, a writer at the forefront of the Christ in us reality, claimed that he was taking the "total truth" of Christ Jesus to the whole world.  The trouble is most of mainstream Christianity continues to be oblivious to the words and teaching of Mr. Grubb.  It is much easier to maintain the broken-down separation theology which has been spewed out by the mainstream church for thousands of years.  My thought has always been that we who believe in our one true identity have been running up against these many years of church theology for some time.  To understand this is to understand how we come to the knowing of our true identity in Jesus.  Paul spoke that he did not know of his one true identity until "It pleased God" {Galatians 1:15}.  Indeed, God could have revealed Himself to the man Saul earlier, but He chose not to.  My own revealing of my life in Christ did not come about until a bit later in my Christian life.  Don't get me wrong, I knew God, but I also gave in to the narrative that He and I were separate beings.  It was God who, in His own timing, revealed His Son in me as He had with Paul.  So, what does it mean when someone tells you to "Just be yourself?"  For the casual believer, it might mean to be that person whom they've always been told that they are, living separate from the Lord.  For those to whom God has revealed His Son, being ourselves means nothing more than simply being Jesus.  

With Christ have I been crucified, yet I am living no longer I, but living in me is Christ.  Now that which I am now living in the flesh, I am living in faith that is of the Son of God, who loves me and gives Himself up for me.

Galatians 2: 20, Concordant New Testament 

~Scott~ 

Relics

 

Beware that no one shall be despoiling you through philosophy and empty seduction, in accord with human tradition, in accord with the elements of the world, and not in accord with Christ.

Colossians 2: 8, Concordant New Testament 

I had a conversation with a friend the other day which got me thinking about how some people see God.  My friend told me that he was happy to have the cross of Jesus to fall back to in times of trouble.  Now, I know this man and his family to be God fearing people, but what would cause him to make such a statement?  I asked him.  He told me that he believed that the cross was holy and special.  I get it.  Growing up, I was taught to treat the cross of Jesus as if it were an artifact, something the Lord had given to us to worship.  Yet I think that we've been misled once again.  For it is not the cross which is meant to be endeared to our hearts, but the man who died upon that Roman cross.  So it is that many symbols which we have grown accustomed to holding near to our faith at times replace the Lord in importance.  We worship the cross, forgetting that it is Christ Jesus who gave Himself for us {2 Corinthians 5:21}.  We gather in and admire the ornate temples and churches which we raise up, never understanding that God does not dwell in ornate places of worship {Acts 17:24}.  Now, does that mean that God's presence will not be found in those places of worship which we gather?  Absolutely not.  Jesus tells us that the presence of our Lord remains wherever two or more are gathered {Matthew 18:20}.  Yet I believe that the presence of the Lord is always with us, if we choose to realize it.  So what of all of the old relics which we continue to hold dear to our hearts?  The cross, those ornate stained glass windows or that old altar in front of the church?  Well, my position is if these physical things help to remind us of the truth of Christ in us then we're on the right path.  For example, when I see a image of the cross these days, I am reminded of the sacrifice of which Jesus willingly partook for me.  To me, the cross has never been the finish line for Jesus, but the starting point.  That old, broken wood cross is simply a relic.  The man who died upon it endures forever.  

To whom God wills to make known what are the glorious riches od this secret among the nations, which is: Christ among you, the expectation of glory. 

Colossians 1: 27, Concordant New Testament

Years ago, after moving to Portland from Minnesota, I spent some time searching for a suitable church to attend.  One day, while driving around, on the horizon I noticed a white cross rising from a building near the freeway.  At that moment, something within me assured me that this was the place I was looking for.  I ended up attending that church for over ten years, and developed more than a few good friendships which I cherish to this day.  During my time in this church, I heard many stories of how others had seen the cross outside the church and were drawn to it.  One young man, after a night contemplating suicide, pulled his car off the road and prayed after seeing that cross from the freeway.  Now, does God dwell in the images of that cross?  I don't believe in that.  However, I do believe that God spoke to hundreds of people who were searching for Him and saw that cross the very same way He spoke to me that day.  I believe that God will use whatever means He needs to draw our attention towards Him.  Be it a old rugged cross or a million dollar church sanctuary, if the Lords desire is to lead one of His own into the knowing of His Son He will find a way.  

Now what concurrence has a temple of God with idols?  For you are the temple of the living God, according as God said, that I will be making My home and will be walking in them, and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. 

2 Corinthians 6: 16, Concordant New Testament 

~Scott~ 

Multi Taskers

 Not pilfering, but showing all good fidelity, that they may adorn the doctrine of God our savior in all things.

Titus 2: 10 NKJV 

The Greek word for faith can be translated into the word fidelity.  Webster continues with the definition of fidelity as "The quality of being faithful, accuracy in details and exactness."  Why does all of this matter?  Because the multi taskers among us, who try vainly each day to instill the virtues of the Lord into all that they do, are the poster children for fidelity.  These are those that "walk the walk," who try to live their lives by the virtues taught to us through scripture.  I'm sure that most people have heard of the phrase walk the walk, as it's been around for some time.  For a while, I thought that unless I walked the walk, that I was somehow a unworthy believer.  Think about it, we're taught to walk in the Lord and exhibit His virtues each and every day.  It is this mindset which also encourages us to "Be like Jesus."  Be like Jesus?  How about BE Jesus?  That is the radical concept which no self-respecting denominational church has come to embrace.  The apostle Paul championed the truth of Christ Jesus in us in his iconic verse in Galatians {Galatians 2:20}.  Paul wasn't simply trying to be like Jesus.  He knew that he WAS Jesus.  In Paul's mind, he ceased to exist.  All that remains is Christ.  Paul wasn't a multitasker trying to walk the walk, because he knew that he lived each and every day as Christ.  He had fidelity, the faith that he lived as Christ Jesus.  This is the cornerstone of living the Christ life.  

Not embezzling, but displaying all good faithfulness, that they may be adorning the teaching that is of God, our savior, in all things. 

Titus 2: 10, Concordant New Testament

It's a bit confusing, but in the Concordant New Testament translation we see a better translated verse of Titus 2:10.  This is no surprise, as different translations often are closer to the original text than others.  I like the Concordant New Testament translation because it gives a good insight into the original texts of scripture.  If the multi taskers out there were to read more from this translation, perhaps they would see that simply being like Jesus isn't enough.  That walking the walk is a broken theology.  If Christ is in me, and He does as I do, do I still need to walk the walk?  Remember, walking the walk involves living our lives according to the virtues and righteousness of the Lord.  If Christ is in me, is this something I still need to strive for?  I would say no.  So great was this confusion that Paul described it as the mystery among the Gentiles {Colossians 1:27}.  Again, the Concordant New Testament provides more context for this verse as it speaks to Christ not as our hope...but our expectation of glory.  We have that steadfast knowing that Christ Jesus is in us.  I would raise the point that the "Walking the walk" theology stresses the race to somehow be like Jesus.  Was this the desire of Jesus, for His followers to simply be like Him?  In His prayer in the garden Jesus reveals to us what His true desire for us is, that we would be one with He and the Father {John 17:21}.  Not that we would be "like" Him.  For those who suck at multi-tasking, this is good news.  

To whom God wills to make known what are the glorious riches of this secret among the nations, which is: Christ among you, the expectation of glory. 

Colossians 1: 27, Concordant New Testament 

~Scott~ 

Being God

 

God no one has ever seen.  The only - begotten God.  Who is in the Bossom of the Father.  He unfolds Him. 

John 1: 18, Concordant New Testament

I had a conversation the other week with a brother who was convinced that the Lord had delivered unto him a special message for me.  I couldn't help but be skeptical, so I took his words with a grain of salt.  I remember in my church going days that every now and then I'd experience the very same thing.  Every now and then a friend would pull me aside assured that God had given to them the words I needed to hear.  Well, more often than not these prophetic words turned out to be the words THEY wanted me to hear.  So, if there is something which God has intended for me to hear, why is it that He has not told me about it Himself?  As believers, we have the unique ability to be in union with Jesus and the Father {John 17:21}.  The apostle Paul proclaims that it is Christ Jesus who lives in us {Galatians 2:20}.  Knowing this, why is it not possible that we ourselves can and do hear the spoken word of God?  Of this I am extremely thankful, because people really suck at being God.  I have never created anything in nature.  I have never parted the seas.  Oh, and I have never healed anyone.  This is why I know that I would suck at being God.  Now, I know the truth of being one with the Father as Jesus prayed that night, but I'm nobody's God.  So, if the Lord has a special message intended for me, why in the hell would He give it to you to give to me?  Granted, God may speak His words through another in order that we may hear them, but I find that direct communication better than secondhand information.  What if I told you that God had spoken to me that He desired you go to church?  Yes, someone has posed that song and dance to me.  On cue, my first response is usually, "Well why didn't He tell me Himself?"  I do not look too kindly on someone who tells me something they want me to hear but frame it as Gods spoken word.  No, you suck at being God.  

"With Christ I have been crucified, yet I am living; no longer I, but living in me is Christ.  Now that which I am now living in the flesh, I am living in faith that is of the Son of God, who loves me, and gives Himself up for me."

Galatians 2: 20, Concordant New Testament

I remember playing the telephone game in a high school civics class.  The teacher would choose one person to step out of the room.  While the rest of the class waited, he would take the lucky kid out of the room, tell him a story and then have him return to tell the rest of the class.  Well, it didn't take long before the words of the original story had become lost amid another interpretation.  Who's to say that the word of the Lord which you feel so strongly about giving to me isn't second or third hand information?  I have no idea that what you speak is truly from the Lord.  You've never been a prophet and from what I can tell...you suck at being God.  Now, if it comes to pass that the Lord affirms IN ME the validity of the words you have spoken, then we have a whole new ball game.  However, now it's less about you speaking Gods word to me and more about the Father in me affirming His words.  There's a difference.  For it is the Father in me who will place His word upon my heart.  When we live in the union life with Jesus and the Father, we have the ability to hear His spoken word in our hearts.  my desire is not that I would learn to understand your words better, but that I would know Him who is in me.  I would rather live in union with Him...because I really suck at being God.  

For there is one God, and one mediator of God and mankind, a Man, Christ Jesus.

1 Timothy 2: 5, Concordant New Testament

~Scott~