Humble Yourself

 

Now He said also, to some who have confidence in themselves that they are just, and are scorning the rest, this parable.  "Two men went up into the sanctuary to pray, the one a Pharisee, and the other a tribute collector.  The Pharisee, standing, prayed to himself; 'God, I am thanking you that I am not even as the rest of men, rapacious, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tribute collector.  I am fasting twice of a sabbath.  I am taking tithes from all whatever I am acquiring.'  Now the tribute collector, standing afar off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his chest saying, 'God, make a propitiatory shelter for me, the sinner!'  I am saying to you, this man descended to his home justified, rather than that one, for everyone who is exalting himself will be humbled, yet he who is humbling himself should be exalted.  

Luke 18: 9-14, Concordant New Testament

The hotshot quarterback was in a celebratory mood.  His team was up big at halftime, and he was dancing on the sidelines proclaiming, "It's over!"  The trouble was, it was only halftime, and the team he was facing was none other than Nick Saban's Alabama Crimson Tide.  Nevertheless, Texas A & M quarterback Johnny Menzel continued with his celebration as if he had just won the national title.  Two quarters later, as Johnny made his way to mid field in defeat, the cameras caught a Alabama lineman put his arm around Menzel and say something to him.  When he was asked after the game what he had said to the young quarterback, the Alabama player said matter of factly, "I told him to humble himself."  Wise advice from someone who had been there before.  I can honestly say that I have been in Johnny Menzel's shoes before, where my pride has gotten the better of me.  Many times, it does not end up well.  Don't get me wrong, not all pride is a bad thing.  There is a old saying that competence breeds confidence, and I stand by this.  For if we are competent at something, we are more than confident that we can do it.  I believe that there is nothing wrong with this.  However, there are also times where our own confidence takes us places we should never be.  That is, exalted over those around us.  Nine times out of ten, we are only exalted by ourselves and not by others.  Confidence run amok.  What would God say about such confidence?  Well, in the right context I believe that He would approve.  Are we confident in Him?  Are we confident in the indwelling Christ?  It is this form of confidence which leads to our knowing of the Father.  It is our arrogance which proclaims that we don't need Him.  

For if anyone is supposing himself to be anything, being nothing, he is imposing on himself 

Galatians 6: 3, Concordant New Testament

Let me be clear, there is a definite difference between confidence and arrogance.  One comes from knowing while the other simply proclaims we know it all already.  There is a big reason that Jesus Himself taught a valuable lesson on arrogance when He spoke of the Pharisee and the tax collector {Luke 18:9-14}.  From the get- go, this arrogant Pharisee proclaimed that he himself was so much better that those around him.  He abided by the rules and gave so much more than the next guy.  The arrogance of the Pharisee is evident when he prays that he is not like that tax collector, immediately putting the tax collector beneath his own status.  The way he saw it, this Pharisee was the most righteous man alive.  On the other hand, the tax collector approached the Father with reverence.  He knew that he wasn't the best game in town, but he also knew that despite this, God was able to provide for him.  The tax collector humbled himself.  Which of these men would you assume was looked upon more favorably by the Lord?  Yes, the man who had humbled himself before the Lord went home justified.  In the end, Jesus provides a good moral to this parable, "Everyone who is exalting himself will be humbled, yet he who is humbling himself should be exalted."  Wise words indeed.  We do well to never act out of our own arrogance, proclaiming that we, and not those around us, are the best game in town.  Sooner or later the opportunity will present itself where we will be required to humble ourselves.  

Now he who is boasting, in the Lord let him be boasting.  For not he who is commending himself is qualified, but whom the Lord is commending.  

2 Corinthians 10: 17-18, Concordant New Testament 

~Scott~ 

The Many Faces Of God

 

"If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also.  And henceforth you know Him and have seen Him."  Philip is saying to Him, "Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficing us."  Jesus is saying to him, "So much time I am with you, and you do not know Me, Philip!  He who has seen Me has seen the Father, and how are you saying, 'Show us the Father'?  

John 14: 7-9, Concordant New Testament

It is a question many a Christian child has asked their parents or Sunday school teachers for hundreds of years.  What does God look like?  Growing up, I asked that very same question of my mother.  Her response was to point to a artist's rendition of God in my illustrated children's bible.  I have a feeling that this is the typical response which parents give when asked this question.  The disciple Thomas wanted to know what God looked like as well, so he went cut out the middle man, went directly to the source and asked Jesus to show him the Father.  You'd think that Jesus would give a brief description of His Father to young Philip?  Nope.  Instead, Jesus proclaimed, 'You want to see the Father, Philip?  Here I am.'  You can imagine the surprise of his young apostle when Jesus let him know who He truly was.  Of course, comparing Himself to God was the main reason the religious authorities of His day set out to kill Jesus.  God was holy, and Jesus was this...sinful man.  But Jesus wasn't lying when He revealed Himself to Philip.  Nor is He lying when the Father reveals our true identity to us.  So, what does God look like?  He looks like me.  He looks like you.  He is, in fact, a God of many faces.  How can this be?  Consider the teachings of the apostle Paul, who himself inquired of Jesus who He was {Acts 9:5}.  It is through the writings of Paul that we are introduced to our own reality of Christ Jesus in us {Galatians 2:20, Col 1:27}.  Now, Paul himself wasn't with the original apostles when Jesus revealed Himself to Philip.  At that time the man Saul was too busy persecuting the early church.  However, in the years following his Damascus road experience, Paul came to understand not only who he truly was, but the image of the Father in him as well.  After all, as Jesus told Philip, 'He who has seen Me has seen the Father.' 

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 

A few years ago, there was a faith based film released titled Heaven is for real.  In the movie, young Colton Burpo claims that he had seen heaven during his recent hospital ER visit.  As the film progresses, young Colton describes the man who he came to know as Jesus.  Of course, this image was an artist's rendition, and it followed many of the traditional images believers have come to associate with Jesus.  Interestingly enough, scripture does not mention all that many passages about the appearance of Jesus.  We read about His clothing, but not His physical features.  Can we then assume that Jesus the man was not remarkable in physical appearance?  That He was...normal?  I would definitely agree with that.  So, barring all but artist's renditions of the appearance of Jesus, this is all which we are presented with.  So, what would your response be to someone if they were to ask you what God looks like?  Would you refer them to one of the drawings Christians have used for generations to show the image of Lord?  The kindly, smiling elderly man?   Remember the words of Jesus, 'He who has seen Me has seen the Father.'  How is it that we see Jesus?  If we take the words of Paul to heart, we see Jesus when we look upon others.  We see Jesus when we look in the mirror.  If Christ is indeed in us, then this is our one true image.  Therefore, the image of the Lord is...me.  When I see Jesus, I see the Father as well.  He is indeed, a God of many faces.  

Beloved, now are we children of God, and it was not as yet manifested what we shall be.  We are aware that, if He should be manifested, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him according as He is.

1 John 3: 2, Concordant New Testament 

~Scott~ 

The November Witch

 

"I guess my biggest fear, then and there, was that I didn't want to be out there alone"

Dennis Hale, sole survivor of the wreck of the Daniel J Morrel 

Growing up on the shores of Lake Superior, I came a decent respect for the weather she would often inspire.  In summer, cool breezes would blow in by the lake while a few miles inland would be baking in the summer sun.  Winter was another story altogether.  In winter the big lake would produce snow storms that could bury the city in a foot of snow overnight.  Those who have sailed on the lakes often refer to these storms as "The November witch."  Few who have never experienced the great lakes region in the winter could ever understand this.  Of course, along with the weather would come violent storms out on the lake.  Most people were bitterly reminded of the power of Lake Superior in November of 1975 when the 729 foot ore carrier Edmund Fitzgerald went down with all hands lost.  I recall watching the newscast that night when the news broke that the Fitz had been lost.  The Fitzgerald was just one of the over 6,000 ships that have been lost to storms on the great lakes.  Another vessel that gets a lot of attention is the wreck of the Daniel J Morrel.  Unlike the Fitzgerald, the Morrel produced a single survivor, watchman Dennis Hale.  Hale would survive over 14 hours in the frigid 34 degree waters of Lake Huron before being lifted to safety by the Coast Guard.  For years after his experience, Dennis Hale would experience what he described as survivors guilt because he had survived while his shipmates had not.  Was he wishing that he had perished along with them?  Not at all, I believe that Dennis Hale simply struggled to comprehend why events had occurred as they had that night.  Was he special?  Did God have other plans for him?  Perhaps.  In September of 2015, cancer did to Dennis Hale what the gales of Lake Huron had failed to achieve.  

"All that which the Father is giving to Me shall be arriving to Me, and He who is coming to Me I should under no circumstances be casting out"

John 6: 37, Concordant New Testament

One quote proclaimed by Dennis Hale in one of his subsequent interviews got me thinking.  He said that his biggest fear that night was being out in that storm all alone.  I get it.  Many of us have been in that midnight storm, with the waves of circumstances out of our control smashing against us.  We don't want to go through this alone.  Where do we turn?  The apostle Paul tells us that when everything else fails, that there is One who never will.  Paul tells us that we can do ALL things through Christ Jesus who strengthens us {Philippians 4:13}.  In recent years I have tended to modify this scripture to proclaim simply...Christ IS my strength!  Again, Paul assures us of this fact in Galatians, where he tells of the indwelling Christ in each of us {Galatians 2:20}.  What storm is there which Jesus cannot overcome?  Scripture tells us of how He quieted the storm on the Sea of Galilee as He and his disciples traveled across it {Mark 4:35-41}.  His disciples, in wonderment proclaimed, "Who can this be?"  Who indeed.  I have no doubt in my mind that as Dennis Hale often struggled to come to terms with why only he survived his ordeal, that Christ was working through him into the lives of others.  We may never know just how many people Dennis Hale inspired with his story.  I know another true story, of a Man who survived death on a cross that others would live guilt AND sin free {2 Corinthians 5:21}.  Jesus assures us that when the storm arrives, we are never alone.  

And they were afraid with a great fear, and said to one another, "Who, consequently, is this that even the wind and the seas are obeying Him?" 

Mark 4: 41, Concordant New Testament 

~Scott~ 

The Long Goodbye

 

Now, whenever this corruptible should be putting on incorruption and this mortal should be putting on immortality, then shall come to pass the word which is written, swallowed up was death by victory.  Where, O Death, is your victory?  Where, O Death, is your sting?  

1 Corinthians 15: 54-55, Concordant New Testament

I had a conversation with a good friend the other day who recently lost her husband to the covid virus.  Although it has been awhile since his passing, she still grieves.  I can honestly say that I will think long and hard before I suggest to anyone that they "move on" from their own grieving process.  Because not so long ago this was me as I grieved the loss of my mother a few years ago.  Granted, there were those around me who insisted that I let her go and move on with my life.  I did just that, in my own time.  See, everyone of the Father's children is uniquely different in the fact that we react to things differently.  We may have been created by the Father in His own image, but He also created us with habits and behaviors which are unique to us.  This is exactly why the grieving process is a very delicate one.  Each of us does so in our own way.  Maybe it took me more time than others to move on from the loss of my mother, but that is how I do things.  My friend grieves in her own way.  Make no mistake, the time will eventually come when the sting of her loss will less painful.  I still remember my mother, but they are mostly happy memories now.  I have moved on from my own grieving process.  I also understand that there is a knowing in our hearts which makes the loss of a loved one less painful.  This revelation, when it comes, helps us to understand that this life which we live in the flesh is but temporary, and that we will be reunited with those who have gone before us.  I believe that this is part of the "Expectation of glory" which the apostle Paul speaks to in Colossians.  We who are in Christ Jesus know there is more to our own life than the physical which our eyes can currently see.  

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

Colossians 1: 27, Concordant New Testament 

Wouldn't it be a tragedy if this physical life was all which we knew?  Live life to the fullest for tomorrow we die!  Seize the day!  The world is full of live for the moment philosophies all bent on stressing that we need to enjoy the moment because that's all there is to life.  Sorry, I'm not buying what they're selling.  There are even some contemporary Christian speakers who are less than enthusiastic about the afterlife.  The God I serve has never promised me a rose garden of a life here on earth.  My heavenly Father, however, does promise my eternity in Him {Romans 10:9, Ephesians 2:8, Romans 1:16}.  This is our hope, that the sting and pain of death may be mitigated by the reality of our own future in Christ.  Paul himself realized this as well when he mentions his own philosophy on life {Philippians 1:21}.  For Paul, his life...was Christ Jesus.  Death only hurried the moment when Jesus would be revealed for all {Romans 8:18}.  What a blessing to live in the knowing that the life I live in the flesh is but temporary, that we await the glorious revealing of  Christ Jesus.  This is what Paul was referring to when he asked, "O Death, where is your sting?"  There is indeed more to our existence than we see in this life in the flesh.  Come Lord Jesus!  

For if we are believing that Jesus died and rose, thus also, those who are put to repose, will God, through Jesus, lead forth together with Him. 

1 Thessalonians 4: 14, Concordant New Testament 

~Scott~ 

Me/Him

 

There is NO independent, self-operating self in the universe, except the One who calls Himself I AM {Ex 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 

For some time I've been noticing a new, left influenced way for people to identify themselves.  This is through what is commonly known as pronouns.  Now, according to definition, a pronoun is a word which we often use instead of a noun or a noun phrase.  Sounds simple enough right?  Well, except when we began to institute pronouns of gender identity.  All of a sudden simple grammar becomes a statement of who it is we feel that we are.  I mention who it is that we "feel" that we are for a very important reason.  Because who it is that we might feel we are in no way resembles our own true identity.  I can feel sick or weak, but it does not take away from the man that I am.  The man that I am in no way resembles what some leftist gender mongering blowhard might say that I am.  For I am a child of God.  Granted, I don't have a monopoly on that reality either.  Which means that ALL men, women and children carry the same lineage which I do.  Our own constitution, which Democrats love to refer to only when it suits them, proclaims that ALL men were created equal.  Obviously, our founding fathers were on to something.  Scripture backs this up as well {Genesis 1:27}.  Fancy pronouns can never take away from the fact that we were lovingly created by our heavenly Father.  In fact, I believe that our list gender identity pronouns could be boiled down to just one...Him.  When we strip it all away, it is only the Father that matters.  We are created by the Father in His image.  It is the Father who breathed into His creation the breath of life {Genesis 2:7}.  Without Him, we are simply flesh without life or hope.  The belief that we can separate what God has created is, on its base, ridiculous.  Yet mankind continues in its quest to achieve individuality.  

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

What is it that we are trying to accomplish when we use pronouns to define ourselves?  At the end of the day, when we engage in such behavior, we are succumbing to the lies of the accuser.  For it is Satan who has spoken to the lie to Gods creation {Genesis 3:5}.  It is Satan who proclaims that if we follow him that we will "Be like God."  It is also Lucifer who, speaking the lie, proclaimed that he would be greater than God {Isa 14:13}.  Of course, we all know how that worked out for him.  Yet, for thousands of years after the bite of the forbidden fruit, we continue to accept the lie of the accuser, that we can somehow be independent of God.  Author Norman Grubb put it best when he claimed that there is no self-operating self in the universe save for He who calls Himself I AM {Ex 3:14}.  Think about it, all which we have or will ever have is from the Lord.  Life, love and material possessions all originate from His providence.  Think you can survive without God?  Good luck with that.  Think that you are independent of the Lord?  That all works fine and dandy up until you hit rock bottom and you're on your knees crying, "HELP ME GOD!"  God never changes, He is the same always and forever {Mal 3:6, Heb 13:8}.  We are the ones who are always changing, not God.  God does not need a dozen or so pronouns to describe Himself, He is who He is.  He...is God.

Jesus Christ, yesterday and today, is the Same One for the eons also.

Hebrews 13: 8, Concordant New Testament 

~Scott~ 

The Unloved

 

And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living being.

Genesis 2: 7  NKJV 

A friend asked me the other day what has come to be a talking point for too many Christians these days.  Can Jesus be seen in broken people?  Traditional Christian theology teaches us that in order for one to even come close to being "like" Jesus that we must first live a near perfect life.  For man is a sinner, always has been and always will be.  Knowing this, our only hope to be close to Jesus is to live as close to a holy life as we can.  But is this what Jesus Himself desired for Gods children.  Is our future one of only being "like" Jesus?  Not if you ask the apostle Paul.  For Paul tells us that it is Christ Jesus who lives in us today {Galatians 2:20}.  But when was the last time you heard a mainstream pastor mention that Jesus is in you?  It would seem that the fix is in, and has been for thousands of years.  We're to live as best as we can, knowing that Jesus, our Lord and Savior, wants nothing to do with being close to us.  After all, how can a holy Jesus ever indwell in sinful man?  This is something I've struggled with through my first years of Christianity.  I was fed the story of Jesus hook, line and sinker.  What else did I have to believe?  Then the words of Paul began speaking to my spirit.  How Jesus gave Himself that He might be with us {Corinthians 5:21}.  How He put sin to death that we should no longer be enslaved to it {Romans 6:6}.  This isn't something just unique to Paul, but to all of Gods children.  Knowing this, ask yourself that question once again.  Can Jesus be seen in broken people?  The answer is YES!  Jesus can absolutely be seen in those whom life has dealt a bad blow.  Jesus is definitely present in the lives of those who others would deem as unlovable.  We see them every day, those who we immediately pass the judgement of the Lord upon.  God could never love him.  How could Jesus dwell in a guy like him?  Believe me, I've heard a few of these words uttered about me as well from a few self proclaimed Christians.  In the end, if Jesus cannot reside in those we deem unlovable, what happens when the tide of public opinion turns against us?  

That they may all be one, according to thou, Father, art in Me, and I in Thee, that they also may be in Us, that the world should be believing that Thou dost commission Me. 

John 17: 21, Concordant New Testament

I have a better question, perhaps a rebuttal to the question asked by my friend.  Why can't we see Jesus in those who we deem unlovable?  Do we have a monopoly on those whom Jesus chooses to dwell in?  Is it we who choose such things?  Thankfully no.  But for those who stick to their guns and proclaim that Jesus could never reside in someone whom society has forgotten, I present to you the breath of life we have all received from the Father {Genesis 2:7}.  See, when God breathed into us the breath of life, a part of Him remained in us.  Simply put, Gods presence in us is part of our DNA.  Knowing this, we understand that Jesus Himself resides in ALL of the Lords children.  Whether or not we notice it does not diminish the fact that He is there.  All too often, it is our own prejudices that cloud our vision of Christ Jesus in others.  How arrogant the believer who proclaims Christ in himself yet denies Him in his neighbor whom he dislikes.  Like I said, what becomes of us when the tide of public opinion turns against us?  Will we become the ones whom Jesus refuses to dwell in?  Will we become the unloved?  In the end, Jesus doesn't play that way.  We do well to recognize that Christ abides in all of the Lords children.  The court of public opinion hold no sway where Jesus is concerned.  It is Jesus who spent a good deal of time ministering to those less fortunate.  It is Jesus who ministered to those whom society of His day had deemed...unlovable.  The woman caught in adultery.  Matthew the hated tax collector.  The undesirable Samaritan woman at the well.  This was the love of Jesus.  This is the love that abides in us.  

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 

~Scott~ 

The Usual Suspects

 

How , then, should they be invoking One in whom they do not believe?  Yet how should they be believing One of whom they do not hear?  Yet how should they be hearing apart from one heralding?  Yet how should they be heralding if ever they should not be commissioned?  According as it is written: How beautiful are the feet of those bringing an evangel of good! 

Romans 10: 14-15, Concordant New Testament 

I know a man, my good friend Dennis, a former man of the cloth, who during his final years of preaching and teaching from the pulpit, would often struggle with the concept of knowing Jesus on a more personal level.  He recently referred to this in one of our podcasts as the "Two gospels."  The first gospel is the traditional teachings of Christ which both Dennis and I grew up knowing and learning.  The second gospel is one spoken of by the apostle Paul.  A gospel not only of Christ Jesus, but of knowing Him on a more personal level.  The conflict Dennis faced as a pastor was struggling with the centuries old Christian doctrine he had been commissioned to preach and the radically new Revelation which the Lord had placed on his heart.  These days, he cringes when he thinks of the theology he once preached.  He has all too often jokingly apologized to me for all those years of misleading me on Jesus.  I hold no grudges.  I believe that he was simply proclaiming what was right in his heart at the time.  Yet why on earth would Dennis feel that tug of guilt over sermons delivered so long ago?  I believe that this speaks to the conflict of the two gospels.  One traditional and one so radically different that even Paul referred to it as the "Mystery among the gentiles" {Colossians 1:27}.  I had no idea of the conflict which my friend had faced until, on one of our short hikes, Dennis confided in me what I will forever know as my own revelation of Christ Jesus in me.  This is the second gospel which Paul spoke to {Galatians 2:20}.  The fact that churches proclaiming the truth of Christ in me are few and far between makes the revelation I have received less than mainstream in the Christian community.  Which explains why many readers probably have never even heard of it.  Were it not for one man, I more than likely would never have been introduced to the second gospel.  Predictably, most pastors continue to stick to the centuries old theology talking points in their teachings.  When was the last time you walked into a church service and hear the pastor speak to Christ Jesus in you?  Have you ever heard a pastor speak from the pulpit that sin...is dead?  Wait...sin is dead?  But don't we all still struggle with sin?  Yet Paul assures us that sin is indeed a thing of the past {Romans 6:11}.  This is part of the struggle Dennis and I faced as we each received our own revelation of Christ in us.  

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 

I can definitely understand the struggles Dennis faced because I faced the same internal revolt among my own beliefs as well.  I also understand how recalling his days preaching the same old theology from the pulpit has made him at times feel like a get away driver who evaded capture.  I get it.  Somehow, he feels guilty by association.  Yet I believe that, as the Father intends everything for a reason, that the revelation which Dennis received was in no way by coincidence.  For his revelation of Jesus led to my own.  It is fair to say that God reveals Himself in us in His own timing.  This is especially evident in Paul's experience on the road to Damascus.  Traditional Christian doctrine speaks to Paul being converted on the spot, but this was not the case at all.  For Paul had questions and struggles with his new found revelation as well.  Remember, the man Saul was a devout Jew who had been raised up in the faith.  Saul was, if you will, a major religious authority of his day.  His zealous beliefs eventually leading him to persecute the early followers of Jesus.  Now, put yourself in Paul's shoes for a minute.  You've just encountered something/someone whom you cannot wrap your mind around.  Your teaching is telling you one thing, but your heart is pulling you in a totally different direction.  For Paul, his Damascus road experience led him to more than a few years in the desert as he undoubtedly wrestled with what he knew and the revelation he had received.  I have no doubt that Paul, like Dennis, had regrets about the theology which he had embraced for so many years.  By his own admission, Paul was the chief persecutor of the early followers of Jesus {1 Timothy 1:15}.  I for one am thankful that Paul worked out his struggles with his revelation out there in the desert, for he has become a confident voice for the truth of Christ in us.  Whether or not Dennis feels guilty by association to the old theology is of no consequence.  For through his guidance more than a few others have come to the revelation he once received.  We hope that through this book that many more will come to see the truth of Christ Jesus in you.  

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~ 

Their Brothers Keeper

 

For I was hungry and you give me to eat.  I thirst and you give me drink; a stranger was I and you took me in.  Naked and you clothed me; infirm am I and you visit me; in jail was I and you come to me.  Then the just will be answering Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we perceive thee hungering and nourish thee, or thirsting and we give you drink?  Now when did we perceive thee a stranger and took thee in, or naked and we clothed thee?  Now when did we perceive thee infirm, or in jail, and we came to thee?  And, answering, the King shall be declaring to them.  'Verily, I am saying to you, In as much as you did it to one of these, the least of my brethren, you did it to Me.' 

Matthew 25: 35-40, Concordant New Testament

I was once again reminded this week of the goodness of people when the Lord Jesus works through them.  For in the middle of the refuse and filth of a homeless area came a group of people who were not thinking of themselves and their own discomfort, but of how that discomfort had to be affecting those who, perhaps through no fault of their own, were living in the surrounding streets.  I came into the situation with the full intent of educating these people of the dangers of illegal dumping on city property, not realizing that this was merely a drop off site in order that they could remove  all of the trash they had collected.  I must say that I was impressed by the efforts of these people who obviously did not know those who lived in the area, but desired them to have a somewhat clean area to live.  These were obviously individuals who were not thinking of themselves first and foremost, but of their neighbors.  In Christian circles, this is referred to as having a 'self for others.'  The desire to put the needs of ourselves aside and instead concentrate on the needs of others.  Obviously, such selfless action is that of the Lord Christ in us {Galatians 2:20}.  For when Christ is in us, He will definitely work through us to reveal to the world the glory of the Father {Matthew 5:16}.  It has been suggested that the world may not see Jesus if not through those who have come to realize His presence in themselves.  I agree.  For if we have perceived the revelation of Christ in us, it is a wonderful opportunity for the Father to be glorified through all we do.  

"You are the light of the world.  A city located on a mountain can not be hid.  Neither are they burning a lamp and placing it under a peak measure, but on a lampstand, and it is shining to all those in the house.  Thus let your light shine in front of men, so that they may perceive your ideal acts and should glorify your Father who is in the heavens." 

Matthew 5: 14-16, Concordant New Testament

We all have known someone in our lives who showed us the example of a self for others.  For me nobody exemplified this more than my mother.  My mother was never one who was shy to make friends with others nor to help them if she was able.  An encouraging word was often her greeting to her friends in church on Sunday morning.  I never knew just how many lives my mom touched until after her passing.  For after she passed came the countless condolence cards of memories of how my mother had touched people's lives.  One card in particular got to me.  A friend of hers whom she had met one Sunday morning at church had recently gotten out of a abusive relationship.  Church was her last sanctuary.  The words she wrote told of how my mom lifted her up when she was feeling lost and alone.  How my mother had spoken to her that Jesus loved her no matter what.  These words, the young lady wrote, spoke love into her when so many others were judging her.  This was indeed a self for others.  Yet what of those people who exemplify the very opposite of a spirit led self for others?  Many of us have seen them also.  Those people who seem to care of nothing but themselves.  I'm told that these people are exemplifying a self for self, based on the lies of the accuser.  Obviously, having a self for others is preferable, but it is something which needs to be revealed in us through the Father.  My own view of humanity had taken some serious hits based on the negativity I have seen.  Yet a small group of people thinking of those around them and not of themselves showed me that Christ working through others is  not such a radical concept.  

~Scott~ 

The Light

 

"You are the light of the world.  A city located on a mountain can not be hid.  Neither are they burning a lamp and placing it under a peck measure, but on a lampstand, and it is shining to all those in the house.  Thus let shine your light in front of men, so that they may perceive your ideal acts and should glorify your Father who is in the heavens." 

Matthew 5: 14-16, Concordant New Testament 

I was thinking this week of something most people probably do not consider through the course of their daily lives.  For in order to think in the way I had, one would need to know the truth of Jesus that I have come to know.  Have you ever asked yourself where you walked in Jesus on any given day?  I would assume that most people have never considered this.  They can comprehend walking beside Jesus.  Of being led by Jesus.  But walking in Jesus?  Is that even possible?  What heresy is this?  Back in the day, the Jewish Pharisees were in an uproar that Jesus would even dare to consider Himself equal to God {John 5:17-18}.  Imagine a pastors reaction if someone were to mention that one could be "In" Christ.  Of course, this fly's in the face of everything we have been taught about Jesus.  Jesus isn't with us, He's in heaven with the Father watching over us.  Most Christians buy into this simply because it is the common theology and has been for centuries.  I recall having questions about meeting Jesus, of knowing the man Jesus.  The answers I got from the pastors all too often followed the church narrative.  So I followed it too.  I knew nothing about having a personal relationship with Christ until I was introduced to the revelation a good friend of mine had himself received.  A man who himself had started off with questions about knowing the man Jesus.  He was eventually led to the words of the apostle Paul, who speaks directly to the truth of  Christ Jesus in Galatians.  Paul tells us that it is Christ who now dwells in us {Galatians 2:20}.  Paul knew that, as a individual, he had been put to death at the cross of Christ.  All which remained now is Christ.  This is the often overlooked truth of Jesus.  This is the Jesus we walk IN each and every day.  So, where have you walked in Christ today?  

In the beginning was the word, and the word was toward God and God was the word.  This was in the beginning toward God.  All came into being through it, and apart from it not even one thing came into being which has come into being.  In it was life, and the life was the light of men.  And the light is appearing in the darkness, and the darkness grasped it not.  

John 1: 1-5, Concordant New Testament 

As I pondered my question this week, I was struck by the reference to the word light.  Light is something that Jesus is often referred to.  Jesus tells us to let our own "Light" shine in front of men {Matthew 5:16}.  Once we come to see the revelation Paul describes to us in Galatians, I believe that we will indeed let our own light of Jesus shine before others.  This is walking in Jesus.  I was pondering this during the week as I went to and from my local gym.  How is my own light being perceived by those around me?  Is Christ visible through all I do?  I believe strongly that Christ Jesus will only be seen in the world through those who walk in Him.  That's those who have the revelation of Christ in them.  I can no longer have the belief that people see only me when they look upon this man.  That would require being separate from God, and that is just not possible.  So, I remain one in Christ.  Where I go, Jesus goes as well.  What I experience, Jesus experiences.  I walk in Christ.  It is the light of Christ Jesus within me that others will see.  It is the light of Christ Jesus which I saw in my friend as he told me of the truth of Christ in me.  As I move forward, it is the light all will see in me.  

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

Matthew 17: 21, Concordant New Testament 

~Scott~ 

Guilt By Association

 

How, then, should they be invoking One in whom they do not believe?  Yet how should they be believing One of whom they do not hear?  Yet how should they be hearing apart from one heralding?  Yet how should they be heralding if ever they should not be commissioned?  According as it is written: How beautiful are the feet of those bringing an evangel of good? 

Romans 10: 14-15, Concordant New Testament

I know a guy, a former member of the cloth, who during his final years of preaching would often struggle with concept of knowing Jesus on a more personal level.  Of the conflict he faced not only with a radically new revelation, but with the centuries old Christian doctrine he had been led to proclaim.  Today, this man cringes at the very thought of what he once preached to others.  He has apologized to me more than once for the supposed Christian doctrine he proclaimed from the pulpit for so many years.  I hold no grudges.  I believe that he was simply proclaiming what he thought was right in his heart at the time.  Yet why on earth would he, years later, feel a sense of guilt over the message he delivered to so many others so long ago?  I believe that this goes directly to the conflict of his message today in contrast with his sermons back in the day.  It is this very man who, one day on a nature hike, introduced me to the radical revelation he himself had struggled with.  The revelation of Christ Jesus in me.  The fact that Christian churches proclaiming this truth of Jesus are few and far between makes the revelation of Christ in me less than mainstream in todays Christian community.  Pastors continue to stick to the same old doctrine that my friend began to question back in his days in the pulpit.  Now, I admit that I have struggled with this teaching as well, having been raised on the centuries old theology.  Perhaps this is what the apostle Paul is referring to in his letter to the Colossians?  That being this mystery among the gentiles {Colossians 1:27}.  When was the last time you walked into a church on Sunday morning and heard the pastor speak on Christ in you?  When is the last time you heard a pastor mention from the pulpit that sin...is dead?  Sin is dead?  But I still struggle with sin!  Perhaps, but Paul assures us in Romans that we are indeed dead to sin {Romans 6:11}.  I believe that this is the struggle my friend faced when he himself began to receive the revelation in his heart of the truth of Christ in him.  

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

I can understand the struggle my friend faced, because I faced the same internal revolt among my beliefs as well.  I also get why recalling his days in the pulpit somehow makes him feel like a get away driver who evaded capture.  He feels guilty by association.  I get it.  Yet I believe that, as the Father intends everything for a reason, that His revelation in my friend was not in any way happenstance.  Just as my own revelation of Christ in me was not a coincidence.  I believe that God reveals Himself in us in His own timing.  This is especially evident in the experience of Paul on that Damacus road.  Christian doctrine speaks to Paul being "converted" on the spot, but this was not the case at all.  For Paul had questions and struggles as well.  Remember, the man Saul was a devout Jew who had been raised in the faith.  His zealous beliefs eventually leading him to persecute the followers of Jesus and the early church.  Now, put yourself in Paul's place for a minute.  You've just encountered something/someone which you cannot wrap your mind around.  Your teaching is telling you one thing, but your heart is leading you in a totally different direction.  For Paul, that Damacus road experience led him to more than a few years in the desert where he undoubtably wrestled with what he knew and what he was learning.  I have no doubt that Paul indeed had regrets for his actions against the early church.  By his own admission, he was the chief persecutor of the early followers of Christ {1 Timothy 1:15}.  We should all be thankful that Paul worked out his questions and struggles out there in the desert.  For in return he became the single most important voice for the truth of Christ Jesus in us.  Whether or not my friend feels guilty by association with his old brethren is something he will work out in time.  For now I am grateful for his leading into my own revelation.  

~Scott~ 

Blinders

 Or are you not aware that your body is a temple of the holy spirit in you, which you have from God, and you are not your own?  For you are bought with a price.  By all means glorify God in your body.

1 Corinthians 6: 19-20, Concordant New Testament

The other day a friend at the gym mentioned that he had noticed that I had lost a bit of weight since I had been coming in.  Of course, this came as breaking news to me, and I'll tell you why.  When it comes to positive changes in my life, I'm usually the last one to see them.  While others around me may notice positive things going on as a result of my efforts, I usually am the last to see them.  Why is that?  Why are there times when we should be seeing the positives in our life and yet it takes the conformation of those around us in order for us to realize what others are telling us?  I have a theory, which is that we ourselves rarely see what it is that others are noticing in us.  This is why the affirmations of others are so very powerful in our lives.  This is why so many people have, on occasion, put pen to paper and began journaling their daily experiences.  For when we do just that, we can take a look back and possibly see what those around us are seeing.  I'll take these affirmations one step further, what is it that you see when you look in that mirror each morning?  Who is the person you see staring back at you?  Honestly, for quite a long time, when I would look into the mirror, I hated it.  I considered that mirror image to be a man God could not possibly love.  Ugly, full of sin and not worthy of the creation that He lovingly gave me.  That was my image of myself.  Can you see why I have always been the last one to recognize the positives which others see in me?  This was because my own image of myself was flawed.  It was fake news.  I was failing to realize the man I really was.  Who was this man I was not recognizing?  Well, as I gazed into my mirror each morning, instead of seeing Jesus looking back at me, I saw my own perception of who I had been led to believe that I was.  Of course, that was an out and out lie spoken by the accuser.  It's no secret that one of the main objectives of the devil is to remind us that we are far removed from or Lords love and presence.  How could God dwell in sinful man?  How indeed.  I credit the apostle Paul for helping to introduce me into the understanding of the man I truly am.  It is Paul who speaks to the truth of Christ in us in Galatians {Galatians 2:20}.  It is also Paul who reminds us of the truth that our body is the temple of Christ who is in us {1 Corinthians 6:19}.  What more powerful affirmation do we need?  

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

One of my favorite scenes from The Chosen series comes as Jesus has just performed the miracle of filling the fisherman's boat with a huge catch of fish.  At first Simon (Peter) doubts what that this preacher can actually do as He says He can.  Eventually he agrees and tosses down his nets into the waters that only minutes before showed no signs of fish.  Immediately, his nets were filled with so many fish that it began to capsize the boat!  In awe, Simon approaches the man Jesus and falls to his knees before Him.  As he does, he asks Jesus why He is interested in him, a sinner?  It seems that even Simon struggled with identity issues.  However, I believe that in his case, much had to do with what he had been taught about his relationship with the Lord through the Jewish texts and teachers.  Of course, many of the teachings about our own relationship with God has not changed much since the days of Simon the fisherman.  We're still told that it is sin which prevents our heavenly Father from a closer relationship with His children.  Again, the lies of the accuser.  For it is Jesus who put sin to death on the cross {Romans 6:6}.  Sin is no longer an issue between ourselves and the Father.  Jesus is free to live in us as the Father intended.  But do we realize who it is that we truly are?  Who is it that we see in the mirror?  If you have the realization of Christ Jesus in you, all you see is Christ.  

~Scott~ 

Living To God

 

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 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 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

What does it mean to live to God?  The two translations which I often refer to both make reference in Romans 6 to a life lived to God, but what exactly is that?  Far too many people fall for the credence of living life to it's fullest, as if we ourselves were all which our lives had to offer.  We're told to live for today, look out for number one and take care of ourselves above all else.  Ask any person on the street who they live their lives for and you'll probably not hear too many say that they live their lives to God.  So, what made the apostle Paul so different?  Paul, the author of the letter to the Romans, first described Jesus as "Living to God."{Romans 6:11}.  Yeah, but that's Jesus right?  I mean, Jesus is all things God so He should by all rights live a life to God, right?  Absolutely.  Yet I believe that Paul was getting to something bigger here.  I believe that Paul is making the case for the followers of Christ Jesus to live a life to God.  Whoa, I can live a life to God?  Absolutely!  In Paul's letter to the church in Rome, he explains how it is that Christ Jesus lives to God.  In order to live to God, Jesus needed to die.  Indeed, by facing and defeating death, Christ paved the way to live to God.  But what was it that Jesus accomplished by willingly accepting His death upon the cross?  Paul explains that by accepting physical death, Jesus also put sin to death {Romans 6:6}.  In his letter to the church in Corinth, Paul explains that upon His death that Jesus became sin on our behalf, that it would be put to death with Him {2 Corinthians 5:21}.  Many believers feel as if they could never consider living a life to God for fear of what sin they might be held accountable for.  Folks, this is exactly why Jesus walked to the cross with Gods children in mind.  Even before His death, He was living to God.  So, is a life lived to God really within our reach?  I believe that we already are.  

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

The common mistake that many believers make even before they consider living a life to God is holding to a mistaken view of their own identity.  Ask any believer who they feel they are and you will more than likely hear them confess that they are sinners.  It's really not their fault, for this is what we have been taught to believe from almost every pulpit in Christianity.  The best we can hope for, we're told, is to "be like" Jesus.  Well, being "like" Jesus is NOT being Jesus.  Wait, being Jesus?  What kind of blasphemy is that?  Not blasphemy, but the same identity of Christ Jesus that Paul recognized in himself {Galatians 2:20}.  The mistaken identity which most believers adhere to is the idea that they are sinful human flesh.  This is who they feel they are.  It was who I felt I was.  This is what slapped me in the face the day a dear friend introduced me to the truth of knowing Christ in me.  Can Jesus be in such a sinner as myself?  Remember, it was Jesus who was crucified that sin would be put to death as well.  Jesus may have been resurrected that morning, but sin was not.  So, why should I fear something that is already dead?  Why should I fear that something which is dead can somehow keep me from knowing who I am in Christ?  This is our mistaken identity which we continue to adhere to.  It is not sinful human flesh which ultimately defines us.  Our flesh is merely a vessel for Christ who is in us.  So, are you living to God?  

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~ 

The Poison Pill

 

All is allowed me, but not all is expedient.  All is allowed me, but I will not be put under it's authority by anything.  

1 Corinthians 6: 12, Concordant New Testament

Addictions are funny in the way that they change our perception of things.  There are former drug addicts who have a overwhelming fear of needles, fearing that they will somehow slip back into that former lifestyle.  I was recently talking with a friend of mine who shared one of his struggles as he began to know the Lord.  I can honestly say that I can relate to this man, because we share a common story.  My friend, as I did before him, struggled with the enticements of pornography for years.  Not only did it change his view of women, but he almost lost his marriage and family in the process.  Even now, as he considers himself free of the grips of his former addiction, he still struggles at times with his own view of women.  However, I consider him to be free of his former trials as he has been free of pornography for some time.  The scriptures speak to us about our experiences searing themselves into our consciousness {Proverbs 6:27, Romans 7:23}.  From my own experience, how can someone be exposed to such images of pornography and not come away with a different view of the opposite sex?  Indeed, this is something which I have continued to struggle with as well.  Not with pornography per se, but with it's ugly aftermath.  For years I was degraded by the church, like I was somehow a wicked person for allowing such thoughts into my righteous Christian mind.  Yet, if I had known the truth of my own identity back in the day, I have a feeling that things might have been a bit easier on me.  What sucks about pornography is that it is a poison pill which affects the very way we think of those around us.  We began to see someone's wife/daughter/child as a object for our own gratification rather than their one true image created by the Father.  Imagine pornography as a flame, what happens when you are exposed to that fire?  Well, for one thing, there are always scars to deal with once we are burned.  Our perceptions of those of the opposite sex are the scars we endure from any pornography addiction.  Don't fool yourself, pornography IS an addiction.  

To put off from you, as regards your former behavior, the old humanity which is corrupted in accord with its seductive desires, yet to be rejuvenated in the spirit of your mind, and to put on the new humanity which, in accord with Godis being created in righteousness and benignity of the truth.

Ephesians 4: 22-24, Concordant New Testament 

While my conversation with my friend brought back some uncomfortable memories, it also served as a reminder for me to be watchful for the remaining scars of that which I once dabbled in.  Make no mistake, experiences cannot be seared into our consciousness and not confront us from time to time.  The trick is knowing that we are not defined by those experiences.  This is not how or why we were created.  I was not created by the Father simply to languish away in the aftermath of my bad behaviors.  I was meant for so much more than that.  The apostle Paul reminds us of this in his passage on the indwelling Christ we find in Galatians 2:20.  Paul knew that his experiences and his former life as a persecutor of the early church did not define who he was.  Whom he now realized was in him.  In a way, this is why we were created, to be vessels for the Spirit of the Lord Jesus in us.  Just as Paul was not defined by his former behaviors, I am not defined by that which I once engaged in.  They are but experiences I've come across.  It is also Paul who speaks to no longer judging others according to their actions of the flesh {2 Corinthians 5:16}.  We do well to remember that the ultimate and righteous judge is the One who does not condemn, but loves His children. 

So that we, from now on, are acquainted with no one according to the flesh.  Yet even if we have known Christ according to the flesh, nevertheless now we know Him so no longer. 

2 Corinthians 5: 16, Concordant New Testament 

~Scott~