Dear God

 

Do not worry about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. 

Philippians 4: 6, Concordant New Testament

It's one of the most talked about topics for every believer.  When we do it right, blessings abound.  However, when we are wrong, we're told that we risk having our heavenly Father not honor our requests.  A plethora of books has been written on the subject.  Many a pastor has spent many a Sunday sermon speaking to how it should be done.  However, in the end it comes down to just one simple concept, our time spent talking to God.  I'm talking about prayer, and it seems that everyone has a different opinion of how it should be done.  I recall a study a good friend of mine and I did on Jesus' sermon on the mount.  The Lords instruction on how we are to pray took us three months on its own.  So important was the message on how we are to communicate with the Father.  I grew up as many believers did, seeing prayer as something akin to a life preserver.  When times were good, I'd pray for the Lords provision.  When times were bad, my prayers would be for the Lords deliverance from said circumstances.  This was Gods job, it seems, to be there when we needed Him to be.  Yet, this is exactly what He has promised {Joshua 1:5}.  So, we're praying for something which He has already said He would do.  Sound familiar?  It should, believers seem to have a habit of praying for things which God has or will provide.  Maybe it's our way of assuring ourselves that He will do what He says He will.  Instead of trusting in the Father, we stack up prayers asking Him if He will do what He says.  Sounds a bit redundant to me.  Yet for something we spend A LOT of time doing, our own understanding of prayer seems to be lacking.  Are my prayers simply a wish list for God to consider?  Despite the fact that He has assured us that He already knows our requests before we even ask Him {Matthew 6:8}.  So this is what prayer has become for us.  Not a close, personal connection to the Father, but a glorified shopping list of requests.  Still, you might see where I'm going with this.  Prayer has never been simply a wish list, but a personal communication with God.  Somewhere along the way we've lost sight of that.  

And this is the boldness which we have toward Him, that if we should be requesting anything according to His will, He is hearing us.  And if ever we are aware that He is hearing us, whatever we may be requesting, we are aware that we have the requests which ye have requested from Him.  

1 John 5: 14-15, Concordant New Testament 

As I contemplated this writing, a thought occurred to me that we might understand prayer a bit better if we saw it in another context.  That is, a context few pastors speak to and fewer believers have come to know.  I'm talking about seeing our prayers as an intimate conversation with the Lord, which they always have been.  But how can someone who has never known God in a close, personal way see prayer as a close personal conversation?  Interesting question.  The traditional mainstream church all too often presents God to us in a way where He is often seen as separate from us.  God is in heaven while we are here on earth.  This is what we have been taught about God, I get it.  But is this how God wants us to know Him?  Does God desire us to see Him as some far off provider?  I doubt it.  From the beginning, God had a close relationship with His creation in the garden.  He interacted with man and most certainly communicated with Him.  Then IT happened.  Man was introduced to another voice, and the rest is history.  Adam and Eve chose to follow the voice of the accuser, accepting the lie that they could be "like God".  This produced the illusion of separation between God and man.  I say illusion because it's not true, which leads us straight into the truth of Christ Jesus we should all embrace.  The apostle Paul speaks to the truth of Christ in us in Galatians {Galatians 2:20}.  It is Jesus who became sin in our place {2 Corinthians 5:21}.  If we see Jesus for who He truly is, in us, then our prayers take on a whole new meaning.  The idea of a close, intimate conversation with the Father doesn't seem so far fetched anymore.  God is no longer simply a far off provider but an intimate part of our life.  

~Scott~ 

Prosperity Theology

 

"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 than apparel?" 

Matthew 6: 25, Concordant New Testament 

Growing up I learned pretty quick that there was one way to get what I needed from the Lord.  This required prayer, and adhering to what God wanted me to do.  In fact, I believe that many a Christian has grown up the very same way.  We're told to trust God to provide for our needs.  At the same time, we're told that if we have any needs, that we are to beseech the Lord through our prayers that He might deliver what we ask of Him.  I once heard a radio pastor refer to this as Prosperity Theology, but I do not know anyone who has gotten rich praying for God to provide for them.  Certainly I haven't.  Along the way, however, I realized that God did indeed provide for me when I needed Him to.  Yet the provision which He often provided usually didn't fall in line with what I was praying for.  See, I was praying for stuff like that new car, good clothes and higher credit and all the while God was doing nothing but providing for my food, shelter and income.  Indeed, my own requests of God overshadowed the day to day provision which He was blessing me with.  Of course, my own desires didn't seem too concerned with what I needed to survive.  Could I eat a car?  Probably not.  These days Facebook and social media are full of posts telling people to "Pray their way to prosperity."  Not to be outdone, more than a few well known pastors have jumped on the prosperity theology bandwagon and began to preach their own form of pray your way to wealth programs.  God is generous.  God created everything.  Pray that He gives you your share!  There is also a dangerous consequence in seeing God as nothing more than a bank account, which I will get to soon.  Not every congregation admits to seeing God as a resource that can be tapped, but they use Him as such nonetheless.  So it is that we have come to see God as simply One who gives us what we ask of Him.  Name it and claim it has become the order of the day.  

Whence are the battles and whence the fightings among you?  Are they not hence:  from your gratifications warring in your members?  You are coveting and have not, you are murdering and are jealous, and you can not encounter it.  You are fighting and battling, and you have not, because of not requesting. 

James 4: 1-2, Concordant New Testament 

There came a time in my belief in this prosperity theology where it smacked me square in the face.  As my mother lay sick in a care facility I often prayed that God would relieve her pain and deliver her from her circumstances.  In my thinking, that meant her being pain free and returning home to a life she wanted.  Never once did I attempt to see things from the Lords perspective.  I was doing what I had been taught, I was praying for Gods provision.  This is exactly what I was doing the night my mother passed away.  Suddenly, name it and claim it meant nothing to me.  I was angry with God for what I saw as His ignoring my prayer requests.  He had let me down.  How could I believe and trust in a God who would lie to me?  THIS is the consequence we face for trusting in prosperity theology.  When we see God more for what He can do for us than what He has already done.  We see God as a blank check for anything we might want or need.  This is NOT the God of scripture.  The God I now know is a loving God who has provided for me all which I ever will have.  My prayers for His provision may be in vain, for He knows my requests even before I ask.  Then what do we say of prayer?  Is it simply a gateway to the Father for our next request?  The Fathers desire is not to be a name it and claim it gift giver.  No, the true desire of the Lord is that His children would be one with He and His Son {John 17:21}.  Once we have this realization, our perspective will shift from a God who provides to a Father who loves.  

After my mother passed, a good friend consoled me in my grief.  I told him that I was angry with God for not honoring my prayers for my mothers healing.  He asked me what prayers God had failed to honor.  I told him, that my mothers pain would be healed and that she would be delivered from her situation.  It was then that I realized the gift God had truly given her.  Answered prayer.  

~Scott~ 

Mornings By The Sea

 

On the morrow John again stood, and two of his disciples.  And, looking at Jesus walking, he is saying, "Lo! the Lamb of God!"  And the two disciples hear him speaking, and they follow Jesus.  Now Jesus, being turned and gazing a them following is saying to them, "What are you seeking?  Yet they said to Him, "Rabbi (which, being construed, is termed "Teacher"), where art Thou remaining?"  He is saying to them, "Come and see," they came, then, and perceived where He is remaining, and they remain with Him that day.  It was about the tenth hour. 

John 1: 35-39, Concordant New Testament

I made the comment this past week during a discussion that I lamented the fact that very little is written in scripture about the day to day life of Jesus and His disciples.  Granted, we are given more than a few clues as the bible tells us of those moments where Jesus chose those whom would follow Him.  This, of course, was in a time well before social media, so all too many of us are clueless as to what life must have been like in Jesus' inner circle.  However, what we lack in scripture we can more than make up for in the history of those who lived as Jesus did back in the day.  We can assume that Jesus and His disciples spent a lot of time outdoors in the open air.  We're not told that Jesus Himself had a permanent dwelling.  We do know, however, that He would often spend time among His friends and family of which He had a good number.  We can assume that Jesus would occasionally stop by the home of His parents Joseph and Mary for visits.  If we remember one thing about Jesus it is that He is very family and relationship oriented.  Family is important to Him.  Likewise, Jesus must have spent a good amount of time among His siblings as well as the families of His followers.  I can imagine that wherever Jesus traveled there was a good sized crowd.  But what was the day to day life like for Jesus and His friends?  Well, I'm certain that it wasn't too much different, more or less, than our own.  For daily tendencies have not changed all that much over the centuries.  Mornings might have been spent with teaching and connecting with those in the area while Jesus and the disciples contemplated what to have for their morning meal.  I imagine that more than one disciple got tired of eating fish all the time.  Perhaps they would dine by a fire by the sea, or in the company of friends in town somewhere.  We can assume that they would spend a good deal of time traveling as well.  There was no mass transit of express buses to catch, so walking was their only option.  One glance at the map of Israel in the time of Jesus and you get a idea of the distances they covered during the ministry of Jesus.  This was the life they had chosen. 

And He is saying to them, "Hither! After Me, and I will be making you fishers of men!"

Matthew 4: 19, Concordant New Testament

I had a bit of fun this week thinking of the kind of posts that Jesus and His disciples might have posted had they had the social media opportunity.  In fact, there are times I wish that they had had such an opportunity.  I believe that the world would profit from knowing more of the day to day life of Jesus and His followers.  Can you imagine the Facebook posts of Jesus' disciples as He fed thousands with only a basketful of food?  Social media of the day would have blown up!  We can only imagine the impact such a record of history would have.  This is exactly why I took such an interest in the streaming series The Chosen.  While it's not an eye witness account, it does provide us with an insiders glance of what life must have been like in the inner circle of Jesus.  I believe that this is also why the series has become so popular among believers and non believers alike.  The Chosen shows the nitty gritty image of Jesus and His disciples we have been longing to see.  The arguments, the struggles, the REAL Jesus.  As a believer in the theology of the indwelling Christ, this series was a invaluable resource for me.  I wanted to learn and know more about the Jesus in me.  The apostle Paul speaks more than a few times in scripture of the truth of the indwelling Christ.  Of Jesus in me {Galatians 2:20}.  Of Jesus' overcoming of sin {2 Corinthians 5:21}.  Indeed, the scriptures describing Jesus as He is are there for us to see.  I just wish that we had more.  If you long for the opportunity to know Jesus, start with the realization that He not only welcomes the opportunity, but is waiting to reveal Himself in you.  

~Scott~ 

The Unlovable

 For ritual clean and undefiled with God the Father is this: to be visiting the bereaved and widowed in their affliction, to be keeping oneself unspotted from the world.  

James 1: 27, Concordant New Testament 

I was interested in a comment made by a friend the other day about a group of people whom they were wondering how to show the indwelling Christ to.  The trouble is, this group has often been labeled by society as being different and out of the norm of social behavior.  Consequently, the church has not made too many friends within this community.  The community I speak of are those in the LGBTQ community.  When was the last time you saw a mainstream church celebrating LGBTQ rights?  While I agree with the moral stand the church has taken on this issue, I would also point to the trail of damaged brethren it has left in its wake.  For those who may not know, the LGBTQ community is one where suicides have been on the rise over the past few years.  While I do not find this surprising, what I do find alarming is the seemingly "Let them kill each other off" attitude of the church.  Granted, the church may not have openly advocated for the elimination of this group from society, they have very little in the way of accepting them into the church family.  Why is that?  We often welcome those formerly addicted to alcohol and drugs back into our church families.  In fact, they are often seen as those who have overcome and brought forth as examples of such.  Their former sins are seemingly worth forgiveness.  But what about those in the LGBTQ and gay rights communities?  Are their behaviors so egregious that even God cannot find His way to forgive them?  No.  Thankfully, God does not share in mans idea of who should be worthy of His forgiveness.  I would say that if each and every person who has ever engaged in deviant behavior, be they sexual in nature or not, suddenly came to the revelation that they have a life and future in Christ Jesus that Jesus Himself would accept them even if the so called church does not.  If the sin of the one involved in the LGBTQ lifestyle is so unforgivable, what other offenses has God set aside which can never be forgiven?  Jesus has proclaimed that He has not come to condemn...but to lead the unsaved to salvation {John 3:17}.  

For thus God loves the world, so that He gives His only begotten Son, that everyone who is believing in Him should not be perishing, but may be living life eonian.  For God does not dispatch His Son into the world that He should be judging the world, but that the world may be saved through Him. 

John 3: 16-17, Concordant New Testament 

I've always found it funny that one of the main verses we Christians use in our so called ministries is what we find in John 3:16.  We see it at public events on television, on t shirts and spoken unto those we deem needing of salvation.  I do not dispute the message of this passage, all who believe in Christ Jesus WILL be saved.  Yet what do these verses tell us about the unloved?  John 3:17 tells us all we need to know.  Jesus DID NOT come to judge the world, but that the world may be saved through Him.  It has never been the Lords intent that the unloved be left behind in torment.  In fact, it has never been Gods intent that there would be any unloved among His children.  When I refer to the term unloved, I refer to the designation the world has slapped on those it does not desire.  LGBTQ, the homeless, unbelievers...the unloved among us.  We are the ones referring to them as unloved, not God.  It is God who has proclaimed them loved and worthy.  Is it any wonder too many people refrain from attending church?  To a certain segment of the population, the church is a place of condemnation.  So how is it that we show the light of Jesus to the unloved?  How is it that we show them the love which God has made known to us?  Well, a good friend once told me that the world will see Jesus through those who truly know Him.  The indwelling Christ is more than ready to reveal Himself unto those needing to know Him.  Our place is not to condemn, but to be that revelation.  

~Scott~ 

Nothing Like Me

 

"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 Sabath, I am taking tithes from all whatever I am acquiring.'  Now the tribute collector, standing afar off, would not even lift his eyes to heaven, but he 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 shall be exalted."

Luke 18, 10-14, Concordant New Testament 

How many times have we found ourselves in that situation?  That moment where we tell ourselves, "Gee, I'm glad I'm not like that guy."  As if we ourselves are any different from those we are criticizing.  The Pharisee in Jesus' parable thought that his adherence to religious laws somehow made him much different than the tax collector he looked down upon.  But was he really that much different?  In His response, Jesus does not tackle the deeper issue, but lets us know that placing ourselves above others is never a good idea.  For those who exalt themselves will be humbled while those who humble themselves will indeed be exalted in the Lords eyes {Luke 18:14}.  As I said, this in no way addresses the underlying issue we run into whenever we look down on those around us.  Yet, why is it that we diminish others and prop ourselves up?  Most would say that self confidence is a good thing, and I agree.  However, my own self confidence has never involved putting others down.  We can be confident in our abilities without making others feel lower than dirt.  In the end, however, I would suggest that even the most devout believers will not hold themselves to the beliefs of what we know to be true.  What is this truth?  The truth that we were created in the very image of our heavenly Father {Genesis 1:27}.  Even though I tried, I have not been able to locate anywhere in scripture where it says that I, Scott, am the only one created in my Fathers image.  So what does this mean?  Well, that very same person whom we have looked down upon occasionally has also been created in our Lords image.  The Pharisee in the parable of Jesus might have realized that he was created in the image of God, but he failed to acknowledge that the lowly tax collector shared in his lineage.  Jesus may not have mentioned this in His story, but He nevertheless knew it to be true.  

Who is the image of the invisible God, Firstborn of every creature.  For in Him is all created, that in the heavens and that on the earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones, or lordships, or sovereignties, or authorities, all is created through Him and for Him. 

Colossians 1: 15-16, Concordant New Testament 

What knowledge of the Father can I claim if I ignore the fact that ALL are created in His image?  This isn't a popularity contest.  I cannot claim to be created by my heavenly Father all the while insisting that the mean guy at work does not share in that reality with me.  We are one in the same.  Each one of us lovingly created in the Fathers own image.  Of course, this throws a monkey wrench into our entire attitude of dealing with people.  Don't like that bully at work too much?  Well, he shares in his creation along with you.  Don't like that homeless guy downtown?  Yep, he was created in the Lords image just as we are.  God doesn't deal in favorites.  The scriptures tell us that God created man in His image.  We either accept this truth or we consider God to be a liar.  Which would you choose?  Along those same lines, it was never the Lords intention that we treat our brethren unfairly {1 John 4:7}.  It is only through our own ignorance and disregard for others that we have created a hierarchy among the Lords creation.  Rich, poor, smart and dumb are all ways we have chosen to marginalize what God has created.  It is Jesus who embraces those we look down upon when they come to Him {Matthew 11:28-30}.  It is also Jesus who proclaims that we are to love one another {John 13:34}.  Notice that Jesus did not say that we were to love one another...except those Pharisees.  Jesus doesn't choose sides.  When we speak of our brethren, we do well to acknowledge the entire brethren. 

Beloved, we should be loving one another, for love is of God, and everyone who is loving God is begotten of God, and knows God. 

1 John 4: 7, Concordant New Testament 

~Scott~ 

The Mystery

 

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

Have you ever wondered about God?  Wondered why it is that He does what He does?  I have.  In the past, growing up in a Christian home, I was told to pass these feelings off as simply being "God's will."  That worked for awhile, until I had even more questions on the way God did things.  Now, I understand that there are ultimately more than a few things we will ever understand about the Lord, but I feel that He does His best to reveal Himself to the willing.  I've never wanted to know God as a mystery, as something I could not understand nor explain.  Yet, if you read from the apostle Paul, this is exactly how the nations of the earth view the truth of Christ Jesus.  It's Paul who proclaims this truth to be the "Secret among the nations."  Do you know this secret among the nations?  Has it been revealed to you as it has me?  The more people that I talk to these days, I understand why it is that Paul referred to the indwelling Christ as the mystery.  Many Christians just don't understand.  In fact, they would rather embrace the Jesus they know than the one they don't know.  Yet it is the Christ which we don't know that hold the key to our deep relationship with Him.  It is this Jesus we have never known who is the mystery which Paul spoke to.  Of course, he also explained the mystery for any and all willing to accept it.  What is this mystery among the nations?  Christ in you.  That's it.  The Jesus whom you've never known is none other than the indwelling Christ you've never known.  Too many believers hear of Jesus dwelling in them and immediately began to worry if they are worthy.  They accept the church mantra that Jesus Himself can never dwell amongst sin and therefore believe that He could never dwell in sinful man.  Our own sin, it seems, is the stumbling block preventing us from knowing Jesus as He is.  Until we resolve our sin, Jesus will continue to be apart from us, or so the institutional church mantra goes.  But what if that sin which impedes us has already been dealt with?  If you knew that you are no longer guilty of sins past, wouldn't you willingly embrace the Jesus you've never known?  Yet the mystery remains.  

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

To be perfectly honest, I'm not really certain how sin could continue to be a stumbling point for so many believers.  Mainstream church theology teaches us that Christ Jesus was crucified on the cross so that our sins would be wiped away.  This is one of the core beliefs of Christianity.  So I pose the question, how many sins did Jesus miss?  How about this, how many times do we need to crucify Jesus?  I'm not just rambling here, but seeking answers to the mystery.  If you cannot accept the indwelling Christ because of your past sins, how is it that you can accept one of the core teachings of the church?  If you believe in your heart that Jesus gave Himself for you, then why does sin continue to be an issue for you?  I believe that the real mystery here is how believers can continue to resurrect something that's dead.  That's right, as a follower of Jesus you are dead to sin {Romans 6:11}.  Sin is no longer an issue.  However, the church continues to sell the idea that we are to beware of sin.  I get it.  It's hard to accept what we know in our hearts to be true when we are continually told something different.  In order to understand the mystery we need to break through many years of church teaching.  As I said, there is a reason by which Paul referred to the indwelling Christ as a mystery.  The mystery will remain until Jesus is revealed in you. 

Knowing this, that our old humanity was crucified together with Him, that the body of sin may be nullified, for us by 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 

~Scott~ 

A Cynical Disease

 

Be rejoicing always.  Be praying unintermittingly.  In everything be giving thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 

1 Thessalonians 5: 16-18, Concordant New Testament

I know a guy.  A Guy I've known for awhile.  I've always found him to be a faithful man, never failing to give a scripture reference to apply to life's situations.  Yet, after spending a bit of time with him you will undoubtedly notice something.  Positivity runs from him like a wounded dog.  See, he has the habit of seeing even the most positive of situations in a negative light.  Now, there will be times in our lives when positivity is difficult to see.  I get it.  However, to have a continuous negative outlook not only infects you but those around you as well.  Let's be honest, who wants to be around someone who is constantly negative?  The only reason that I tolerate it as much as I do is because I know him to have a good heart, and I get paid to be there.  Indeed, I have spent more than enough time with him to have gained a understanding in to why it is that he acts like he does.  Like most of us, he's had some rough circumstances in his life.  Whether these instances have led to his negative attitudes I cannot say.  However, I do know that he has been affected by them.  Many Christians would be shocked to learn that, as believers, we are never promised that our lives will be all smiles and sunshine.  Yes, we have been blessed with the love and grace of our heavenly Father.  Yet receiving His blessings in no way guarantees that our lives will be free of bad circumstances.  I believe that the key to helping us overcome those circumstances in our lives is to keep our minds centered that we are buffeted only for a season.  What we might seem as an eternity in our eyes is but a blink of an eye to the Lord.  To God, time is of no consequence.  Shouldn't the very fact that God has us in the palm of His hand be cause for rejoicing for us?  Yes, life has its pitfalls, but we have far more to rejoice over than to think in the negative.  

Now we are aware that God is working all together for the good of those who are loving God, who are called according to His purpose. 

Romans 8: 28, Concordant New Testament 

I asked a friend some time ago, "When have you thought of God and not felt happy?"  To my relief, he couldn't think of one time.  Yet my question rings true to anyone who is fed up, frustrated or ready to throw in that towel.  When has hearing about God not made you happy?  Now, I'm not talking about some doom and gloom Lords punishment sermon here.  No, I'm asking you, how do you feel when you think of God?  For me, thinking of the Lord lifts my heart and gives me a sense of relief and happiness.  I would suggest that in those times where we feel that we are being far too cynical that we recall a time when we were happy in the Lord.  See, I believe that God has no place at all for cynicism and that His desire is for us to be happy in Him.  But for someone who has felt the pain of bad circumstances, God might be the last thought on their minds.  If they do think of Him, it will more than likely be that He is punishing them in some way.  Sadly, the mainstream church has perpetuated this idea in its theology.  God loves me.  He created me in His image.  He has provided for my future in Him.  BUT, this is all contingent on how I behave.  If I fall short, the fire and brimstone punishment of the Lord will certainly come to pass.  So says the church.  But Jesus tells us a different story.  It is Jesus who proclaims that if one of the Fathers sheep is lost, that He will gather it once again to Himself {Luke 15:4-6}.  What do I have to feel negatively about?  My life?  My life is but a vapor and I will be with my Father for eternity.  My circumstances?  There is NOTHING which God cannot overcome.  In fact, in everything I do He is working it for the good.  God does not evoke negativity, but happiness.  We shall rejoice in Him.  

"What man of you, having a hundred sheep, and loosing one of them, is not leaving the ninety-nine in the wilderness and is going after the lost one, till he may be finding it?  And finding it, he places it on his shoulders, rejoicing.  And coming into the house, he is calling together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, "Rejoice together with me that I found my sheep that was lost!" 

Luke 15: 4-6, Concordant New Testament 

~Scott~ 

The Great Divide

 

So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.

Genesis 1: 27, NKJV 

Can someone tell me what joy there is in dying?  Just this past week a good friend of mine officiated another funeral service for someone who had passed.  My own experience of the death experience was not a good one as it took me some time to get over my mothers passing.  Yet every now and then I hear of a family member, someone's dearly beloved who, instead of fearing their final moments in this life, eagerly await what's in front of them.  Although they know not what awaits them on the other side, they embrace it with gladness.  Why is that?  Well, we're told that we who follow Jesus definitely have a joyous homecoming awaiting us in that day {1 Cor 15:51, Phil 1:23, 1 John 3:2-3}.  Of course, many a Christian has been told from a young age that death is not something which we should be fearing.  On the contrary, we should be celebrating in the victory of Christ Jesus over death itself {Romans 6:9}.  Yet tell this to someone who has just lost a loved one and you might not get the smiling faced happy answer you were looking for.  Death is an uncertain possibility.  Despite what we may know about what our future in the Lord brings us, we are probably not looking forward to dying.  Maybe it's the old and crucified self in us (Except that we never had one to begin with) that brings about thoughts of uncertainty.  Was I good enough?  Were my sins forgiven?  Did I accomplish enough for Gods liking?  All of these thoughts may be going through our mind in those final moments.  I, of course, would not know as I've never been on the other side.  Still we fear what we do not know.  

Fear is not in love, but perfect love is casting out fear, for fear has chastening.  Now he who is fearing is not perfected in love. 

1 John 4: 18, Concordant New Testament 

I firmly believe that our own fear of death resides in our own fear of the unknown.  After all, who of us has tasted the other side then decided it wasn't for them and returned once again from whence they came?  These instances are few and far between.  A few years ago came the film Heaven Is Real, depicting the story of Nebraska pastor whose own son claimed to have been to the other side and returned.  As if this weren't confusing enough, once he returns the youngster begins talking of things he has seen over there.  Things by all intents and purposes he could not have seen.  If this were but a isolated incident we might be able to pass it off as imagination.  However, there have been many documented incidents of people passing over and witnessing that other side which so many of us are in fear of experiencing.  Let's be honest, if we Christians began speaking joyfully about our homecoming, the world might just think we were nothing but a death cult.  People just don't celebrate these things.  Perhaps this is why the Father assures us that we have nothing to fear when that day arrives.  His intention is not to have us in fear of what should be a joyous occasion.  As I attended to my mother in her final days, my own thoughts were not on her fears, but on her reassurance that God was calling her home.  Yes, I was afraid, but my own fears stemmed from losing my mother who had been with me from the beginning.  I wasn't thinking of her fears, but of my own.  I truly believe that in my act of selfishness my mother was trying to reassure me that everything would be ok.  At that point it was not her that needed the reassurance...but me.  

~Scott~ 

To be Or Not To Be

 

Now, looking at them, Jesus said to them, "With men this is impossible, yet with God all is possible."

Matthew 19: 26, Concordant New Testament 

There is a scene from film The Wizard of Oz where the great and mighty wizard which has been the focus of the quest of the lion, tin man and scarecrow for the entire film is finally revealed for all to see.  As it turns out, the mighty wizard is nothing more than a man behind a curtain at the controls of the electronics controlling the show.  I was thinking of this as I contemplated a good lead in to a question posed by a friend a few days ago.  Do we, as Gods children, have free will to do as we please?  Now, I want you to keep the story of the wizard in mind as you answer this question.  Some may pound the table and yell...Absolutely!  Meanwhile, others may recognize the authority of the Lord, realizing that they cannot do anything that is outside of His intentions.  So, which is it?  Well, consider this, if I do have the free will to do as I choose, how is it that God can be sovereign?  The very definition of a sovereign God is a God who is absolute in His authority and supremacy.  This means that God is in control of all He has created, which pretty much means everything.  God not only controls the winds and the weather, but He controls me as well?  Many Christians would bristle at this suggestion, not wanting to give up what they perceive as their freedom.  But where is this freedom in the context of an all sovereign God.  Remember, the lion, tin man and scarecrow all perceived the wizard to be all powerful.  Is our Lords sovereignty just another case of another behind the scenes controlling things?  I doubt it

.  In fact, I believe that such thoughts are border line blasphemy.  No, it is my belief that God is in complete control of all that surrounds Him.  For those who love their freedom, that includes us as well.  

Or has not the potter the right over the clay, out of the same kneading to make one vessel, indeed, for honor, yet one for dishonor? 

Romans 9: 21, Concordant New Testament 

For those who love their freedom, tell me again why it is that you continue to call upon the Lord when things get tough in your so called free life?  Is our freedom based on the circumstances we face?  If things get tough is it therefore Gods turn to once again be sovereign?  And what of our salvation, provided for by the death of Christ on the cross?  Why is it that God didn't simply save everyone...no questions asked?  Instead, He provided us the opportunity to choose our eternity.  Either a future with Him, or a future without Him.  Doesn't sound like a sovereign God to me.  What is does sound like is a loving Father wanting to provide His children the choice on how they want to spend their eternity.  So, on the one hand, God is ultimately in control of all His creation, while on the other hand, He offers that crown of His creation the ability to choose their future.  I realize that this does not bring an answer into the question of whether our heavenly Father is indeed ultimately sovereign, but hopefully it will create a better understanding of who He is.  Are we comfortable with the fact that God has created both good and evil {Romans 9:21}?  Does the wicked person ever ask this very question?  It is God who cause the sun to rise on the good and evil each day {Matthew 5:45}.  It is God who brings the weather upon the good and the evil as well.  Yet, in a act of loving mercy, it is God who presents to us the choice...His Son or a future without Him.  Choose wisely.  

You will be protesting to me, then, "Why, then, is He still blaming?  for who has withstood His intention?  O man!  who are you, to be sure, who are answering again to God?  That which is molded will not protest to the molder, "Why do you make me this?"  Or has not the potter the right over the clay, out of the same kneading to make one vessel, indeed, for honor, yet one for dishonor? 

Romans 9: 19-21, Concordant New Testament 

~Scott~ 

Dead Man Walking

 

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 

The question was thrown down a few days ago by a good friend of mine.  Looking for a few new topics for my page, he suggested a few to chew on.  One of them was this, how do we live crucified?  Ok, simple enough, but wait.  How many Christians out there truly understand that we NEED to live crucified?  Yes, I believe that living crucified, as Christ is, is something which we should endeavor to do.  But how do we go about it?  First, let's get an understanding of the concept of living crucified.  We see this mentioned by the apostle Paul in Galatians.  It is a verse which I am well familiar with from my studies into the faith of Christ Jesus in me.  Again, most Christians have probably never heard this spoken from a pulpit either.  I know I haven't.  Yet Paul was under the understanding that One who had already died...was alive again in him.  I believe that Paul knew of Jesus through his own persecution of the early church.  As we know, Paul went to great lengths to persecute those who followed the teachings of Christ, even to the point of death.  This was the man, chosen by God, to proclaim the gospel of Christ to the world.  So how did Paul get from being the man who despised the early believers to a man who proclaimed Christ Jesus in him?  Well, if we are to believe Paul, it was the revelation of the Lord which led to his knowing of the indwelling Christ {Galatians 1:15-16}.  Paul goes into the detail of how when it pleased God {verse 15}, to reveal His Son in me {verse 16}.  From the words of Paul we can also get an idea of how we ourselves will come to the knowing of Christ in us.  It is by the revelation of the Lord, no other way.  This is how I came to the knowing of Christ in me.  I, like Paul before me, was a dead man walking.  

Now, when it delights God, Who severs me from my mother's womb and calls me through His grace, to unveil His Son in me that I may be evangelizing Him among the nations, I did not immediately submit it to flesh and blood. 

Galatians 1: 15-16, Concordant New Testament

I can pinch myself a few times and still wonder, "How is it that I'm dead?"  How can I be a dead man walking when everything tells me that I live and breathe in this body of mine?  Once again, the words of Paul help us along in our understanding of who we are.  In Romans, Paul proclaims that it is our "Old man" which was put to death next to Jesus on that cross.  When Christ was first revealed in me, it was my understanding that it was my old sin nature which was crucified with Christ.  This seems acceptable as Paul proclaims in the very same verse that I was crucified that "The body of sin might be done away with" {Romans 6:6}.  I believe that this holds part of the answer to my friends question of how we live crucified (of course, it could be a trick question as he is also prone to doing).  How is it that Paul lived crucified?  We have to assume that he did as he had a complete knowing of the indwelling Christ in him.  So complete, in fact, that his old life prior to his revelation on that road to Damascus was but a memory for him.  Paul lived his life AS JESUS who dwelled within him.  He understood that the old Paul was dead and gone, and that what remained was Christ.  Christ Jesus was his life.  THIS is how we live crucified.  We live crucified in the knowing that our old man has been put to death and replaced by the indwelling Christ.  We live crucified in the knowing that we are alive in Christ Jesus.  We didn't choose Him, He chose us.  So it seems that I'm not a dead man walking...but a man walking in Christ Jesus.  

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

~Scott~ 

The Man In The Mirror

 

I'm starting with the man in the mirror

I'm asking him to change his ways

And no message could have been any clearer

If they wanna make the world a better place 

Take a look at yourself and then make a change 

Michael Jackson ~ Man In The Mirror

There's an image which I used to use at the headline of my blog pages which showed a woman gazing into a mirror at a reflection of Jesus.  For me, this image held a deeper meaning.  For the casual observer, however, it might not have the same effect.  Indeed, one must understand the context in which I see this photo in order to understand.  The reality is that when I look upon myself I don't see the man that many in the world see.  Sure, you may look at me and judge me by the flesh and blood which stands before you.  However, this isn't the man that I am.  My identity is in Christ.  This doesn't mean that the Father did not create me in his very image ( A deeper conversation we will dive into soon), but that my one true identity in in Jesus.  The apostle Paul, himself a strong voice for Jesus, describes this reality in Galatians.  It is Paul who proclaims for us that it is Christ who dwells in him {Galatians 2:20}.  Now, some well meaning Christians may disregard his words as being "simply meant for Paul."  However, I would also point out a few other passages where Paul reveals for us the truth of Christ Jesus in us {Romans 6:8, 1 Cor 13:12-13}.  I believe that Paul's words on this topic aren't simply observations about himself, but the greater revelation of Christ Jesus in us.  Can you understand just why the picture of the man in the mirror holds a greater meaning to me now?  My self image isn't based upon what the world sees, but on the revelation that I have been given.  Make no mistake, his knowing of the indwelling Christ was not a knowing which Paul was born with. This was something which was revealed to him by the Father on the road to Damascus {Galatians 1:15-16}.  Indeed, my own revelation of Christ in me came in a similar way.  

For at present we are observing by means of a mirror, in an enigma, yet then, face to face.  At present I know out of an installment, yet then I shall recognize according as I am recognized also.  

1 Corinthians 13: 12, Concordant New Testament. 

Paul also takes this revelation a step further when he speaks to the "Full knowledge" of who we truly are {1 Corinthians 13:12}.  A friend asked of me in an email recently if I was fully known?  Good question.  Am I fully known?  When others look upon me do they see me for who I really am?  Paul tells us that this being fully known will come to us in the future.  We know this for his wording in 1 Corinthians 13:12 of "Then I shall recognize."  For the present, I gaze into that mirror and I see Jesus.  However, those around me do not perceive Him in that mirror as I do.  Yet there will come a time when all will see me for who I really am...Christ Jesus.  Of course, there will come a time when I also will recognize those around me for who they are as well.  Yet I have a sneaking suspicion that I'm already aware of the true identity of those around me.  Needless to say, we Christians don't hold a monopoly on the indwelling Christ.  For the same spirit of Christ who lives in me lives in those around me as well.  Some have had their revelation while others have not.  I am blessed to have had the revelation of Christ Jesus in me.  He is the man in the mirror. 

~Scott~ 

No Safe Place

The God Who makes the world and all that is in it, He, the Lord inherent of heaven and earth, is not dwelling in temples made by hands, neither is He attended by human hands, as if requiring anything, since He Himself gives to all life and breath and all.

Acts 17: 24-25, Concordant New Testament 

This past week we learned of the downfall of yet another popular church pastor due to behavior unbecoming.  Unfortunately, this is a troubling trend which we have seen far too often in Christian circles.  There was a time when the church itself was seen as a safe place, a sanctuary for those who were in need or in trouble.  Many a person resigned to their fate has entered a church expecting to find criticism only to be overcome by the kindness and love of God which has been shown by those within those walls.  The church has built for itself a impressive reputation protecting those from societies rejects to the Jews persecuted by Hitlers Germany during the Second World War.  There are countless stories of the bravery and compassion as preachers of old secreted slaves along the infamous underground railroad to freedom.  Along with these exploits came the trust in the clergy from those which they served.  When the chips were down, you could always go to a pastor for help.  I've been in that pastors office myself more than a few times when I felt as if life was too difficult to handle.  In those times of trouble, I was always able to find comfort in the company of a pastor that I knew.  However, somewhere along the way the trust the world placed in the clergy began to fade away.  I believe that beginning with the very first accusations of child abuse to come out of the Catholic church that those who had put their trust in the men and women who led the Lords congregations began to falter.  Cracks were beginning to form in the walls of the sanctuary.  People who had once valued the stability and safety of the church now began to question their own judgement.  They also began to seek safety and sanctuary outside of the mainstream church as well.  Many would ask the obvious question, was the church leadership truly full of those who would prey on the vulnerable?  I would say no.  

For we are aware that, if our terrestrial tabernacle house should be demolished, we have a building of God, a house not made by hands, eonian in the heavens. 

2 Corinthians 5: 1, Concordant New Testament 

The obvious assumption of those who have seen pastor after pastor fall from grace might be that the entire church clergy is infected with a virus.  I would say, yes AND no.  I have been in the company of more than enough pastors in my time to understand that not all preachers are bad people.  However, all pastors are indeed capable of being tempted and falling for the lies of the accuser.  I have been blessed with the friendship of a man who spent over thirty years preaching from the pulpit.  I have had the opportunity that many outside the church ever get, a view of the inner workings of the mainstream church.  I recall a story of a pastor being asked to visit the home of a female congregation member and being told that he, in no way, would ever embark on such a visit without his wife by his side.  There was simply too much that could go sideways were he to visit the woman alone.  As I said, pastors are not immune from the temptations of the accuser.  So is all of the negative attention the church has received in the wake of all of these accusations of bad behavior deserved?  Absolutely.  Is that trust which people for years have placed in the church misplaced?  Yes, and I'll tell you why.  Any pastor worth his salt will tell you that he SERVES his congregation and community.  A man seeking to be a pastor does not pursue his career path in hopes of striking it rich, for meager earnings are the earmark of a good pastor.  You more than likely will not see advertisements seeking pastors in your local employment department.  To be a pastor, one must feel as if they are being led to do so.  Likewise, a good pastor will always proclaim from the pulpit that the faith and trust of the congregation remains with God and not man.  This is where we have fallen.  When we place our trust in men, we will soon see the error of our ways.  However, when our faith and trust is in the Lord, He will guide us through whatever we are facing.  He is our safe place.  

~Scott~