Knowing Jesus

 Who, being the Effulgence of His glory and Emblem of His assumption, besides carrying on all by His powerful declaration, making a cleansing of sin, is seated at the right hand of the Majesty in the heights.

Hebrews 1: 3, Concordant New Testament 

The question was raised the other day of if we truly know the man Jesus.  Certainly we know OF Him, but do we truly know Him as He is?  For many, Christ Jesus remains simply a figure, an image which they perceive as Jesus.  Many Christian bibles and publications are filled with images of the best image of Jesus we can conjure up.  Even the streaming Christian show The Chosen, which I feel is one of the best depictions of the life of Jesus in His ministry, holds true to the traditional physical version of Jesus.  This is the description of Christ which has been pushed by the church for centuries.  A bearded man leading His disciples across the land.  For much of the world, this is the Jesus they have come to know.  My friend reminded me the other day that the worlds view of Jesus is shrouded, possibly in what we have been taught about Him {John 14:7}.  I feel that it is important to point out here that it is one thing to know about Jesus, and yet another thing to truly know Him.  Unfortunately, much of what the world knows of Jesus fits in the latter category.  This is the Jesus I grew up knowing.  The Jesus of the bible.  The Jesus someone else taught me.  Needless to say, this version of Jesus is very impersonal.  We rarely bring a personal connection to One we only know of.  It's akin to knowing someone as an acquaintance and knowing them as a friend.  The Jesus I have come to know is my friend.  The Jesus I grew up hearing of was simply an acquaintance, someone I had heard stories of yet never truly had come to know.  This is the Jesus much of the world knows today.  We have become satisfied knowing of Him and what He looks like.  This ultimately leads us to, as I wrote in my previous post, a counterfeit version of Jesus.  

If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also.  And henceforth you know Him and have seen Him. 

John 14: 7, Concordant New Testament 

In my last post, I wrote of the counterfeit AI Jesus which people can log in to a computer and ask Jesus anything they desire.  How cool is that?  Well, I have never used this AI Jesus and I talk to Jesus each and every day.  How is that?  Because I have come to know that it is Jesus who resides in me.  This is the indwelling Christ which the apostle Paul speaks to in Galatians {Galatians 2:20}.  This Jesus in me is not simply an acquaintance, but One I know personally.  I am not too concerned with His physical appearance, but with what He means to my life.  I know of His works which the scriptures have documented, but I also know the man Jesus.  As it is, the man Jesus is my own identity.  Jesus is who I am.  Taking Paul's passage in Galatians literally, we can come to this conclusion.  I am Christ who dwells in me.  He shows Himself through me.  I hesitate to even use the word "me" because this may denote that I continue to live as a individual, which is not the case.  That man has died, as Paul pointed out {Galatians 2:20, Romans 6:8}.  What remains is who I am now.  What remains is Jesus.  This is the Jesus I know. 

"I and the Father, We are one"

John 10: 30, Concordant New Testament 

~Scott~ 

A Counterfeit Jesus

 Who, being the effulgence of His glory and emblem of His assumption, besides carrying on all by His powerful declaration, making a cleansing of sins, is seated at the right hand of the majesty in the heights; becoming so much better than the messengers as He enjoys the allotment of a more excellent name than they. 

Hebrews 1: 3-4, Concordant New Testament 

For many believers, I don't need to serve as a reminder of who Jesus is.  Most of us know His attributes and His nature already.  Well, we know what we've been told by the church.  But imagine what it would be like to actually talk to Jesus.  What would you ask Him?  What struggles would you privately reveal to  Him?  Imagine having your own personal Jesus to talk with.  Well, now through artificial intelligence technology (AI), we can speak to Jesus any time we want.  That is, a AI version of Jesus.  The chatbot version of Jesus, now streaming on the Twitch game site allows users to ask AI Jesus just about any question they desire.  The interactive Jesus gives the user the opportunity to connect with their Lord and savior, or does it?  Sadly, this Jesus knockoff does nothing more than spit out what the programmers want you to hear.  Yes, you can ask it a question, but it is not Jesus who is answering.  This is some tech geeks assumption of what Jesus would say.  I'd rather go straight to the source for my answers.  When I desire to talk with Christ Jesus, I get the real deal.  I don't need no fancy AI program to tell me what it wants me to hear.  I can speak directly to the man who gave His life for me { 2 Corinthians 5:21}.  Needless to say, Jesus has always been a intimate part of my life even before AI technology came along.  The apostle Paul didn't need AI Jesus when he spoke to knowing Christ Jesus in him {Galatians 2:20}.  Paul was not speaking to AI Jesus that day on the road to Damascus {Acts 26:14-15}.  He knew that he didn't need to log on or sign up to some website in order to speak to Jesus.  For Paul, speaking to Jesus was as easy as speaking with any other person.  The truth of Jesus is that He is as real as you and me.  So, why would someone choose a counterfeit Jesus over the original?  

Having, then, a great Chief Priest, who passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, we may be holding to the avowal.  For we have not a Chief Priest not able to sympathize with our infirmities, but One Who has been tried in all respects like us, apart from sin.  We may be coming, then, with boldness to the throne of grace, that we may be obtaining mercy and finding grace for opportune help. 

Hebrews 4: 14-16, Concordant New Testament 

The Jesus which the world knows is undeniable, even to the best tech geeks.  AI technology cannot replace the birth, ministry and death of Jesus.  His life and works are forever a part of us.  In fact, His DNA has always been a part of us as well.  We're told that we are created in the Fathers image {Genesis 1:27}.  As a result, He breathed into us the breath of life {Genesis 2:7}.  This is who we are.  We are not programmed but lovingly created.  Jesus also predates any AI technology.  It is Jesus who was with God from the beginning {John 1: 1-5}.  The best that I can see is that this new AI Jesus is a convenience created for those in a microwave speed world.  We want to simply click on a website and speak to Jesus.  How simple is that?  In reality, speaking to Jesus within us isn't rocket science at all.  We know and recognize His voice in our hearts because He is a part of us {John 10:27}.  The desire of the Father is that we be one with He and His Son {John 17:21}.  The Lords intention was never to present to us a counterfeit of the original.  We are not to be "Like" Jesus, but to be Christ who is in us.  Technology will never evolve to the point where it can emulate who Jesus truly is.  Not a counterfeit, but the Way, the Truth and the Life.  

In the beginning was the word, and the word was towards 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.  

John 1: 1-4, Concordant New Testament 

~Scott~ 

The Race To Get To Heaven

 

And as they were looking intently intently into heaven at His going, Lo! two men stood beside them in white attire, who say also, "Men! Galileans! Why do you stand, looking into heaven?  This Jesus who is being taken up from you into heaven shall come thus, in the manner in which you gaze at Him going into heaven."

Acts 1: 10-11, Concordant New Testament 

Anyone who has been witness to the current events of this world may have wished at one time or another for its coming.  The place where our Lords glory reigns.  Where justice and peace for all of Gods children can be found.  For thousands of years, men have dreamed of their ultimate destination when this life is over.  The mainstream church has all too often used our time in heaven as a sort of reward for the toil and sacrifice we endure here in this world.  If we're good enough.  If we meet the Lords standard, then we too will enjoy a heavenly reward.  The truth is, our heavenly destination was intended to be more of a homecoming than a get out of jail free card.  The temporary bodies we inhabit are not our one true home.  Our home, our destination, is in the presence of the Lord.  Why would God not desire His children to return to Him?  Why would a loving God not desire to share His home with the children He loves so much?  This is the truth of our future in heaven, and it fly's right in the face of all we've been taught.  Growing up, I was told that only the good will be rewarded with eternity in heaven.  This was our incentive to live as close to a Godly life as possible.  The better we did, the better our chances of reaching heaven...and God.  The trouble with that way of thinking is that the man made church made the rules of how well one must do in order to succeed in reaching heaven.  The church decided if you had been good enough to deserve your final home.  How many believers have perished not knowing the true love and acceptance of God?  How many have struggled and toiled chasing the righteousness set forth by man?  This was never the Lords intent.  God has never desired that heaven be a contest.  What He DID desire is that we would be one with He and His Son {John 17:21}.  Jesus has prepared for us a place in heaven {John 14:2}.  Consider the thief crucified on the cross next to Jesus.  He never toiled in his quest to be righteous.  What he DID do is recognize that only through Jesus would he enter his final home {Luke 23:43}.  If we seek our eternal home in heaven, then Jesus is where our search should begin {John 14:6}.  

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

2 Corinthians 5: 1, Concordant New Testament 

The apostle Paul speaks to our final home in his letter to the church in Corinth.  Paul speaks of a building of God, a house not made by human hands {2 Corinthians 5:1}.  Not surprisingly, Paul did not speak to the effort and toil it would take to achieve our final home.  What he did was speak of our expected destination.  I wonder what the church spin would be on the words of Paul here.  We have a building made by God...if we are good enough.  We have a building made by God...if we behave.  Does this sound like a heaven in which a loving God desires for His children?  To me this sounds more like a reality show competition than a homecoming.  Millions of contestants with very few winners.  If it seems as if the deck is stacked against us, you're right.  At least from mans point of view.  By mans standards, very few will achieve the righteousness needed to enter into heaven.  By Gods standards, all are welcome.  Yet speak this truth to well meaning Christians and you will get a shocked response.  What?  God desires ALL to enter into heaven?  But what about all those sinners?  Yes, what about them?  Again, scripture tells us our Lords desire {John 3:16-17}.  Many a Christian knows John 3:16 by heart, but selectively forget the next verse in the passage.  That the world may be saved through Jesus.  The world...everyone.  I recently watched the film Come Sunday, which depicts the career of pastor Carlton Pearson.  Pastor Pearson was heavily criticized by the church for speaking that there was no hell.  Indeed, this fly's in the face of all the church teaches.  Take away the threat of hell and all you're left with is a loving Father who desires a homecoming for His children.  THAT, is the true desire of the Father.  

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: 17, Concordant New Testament 

~Scott~ 

What About Me?

 Well, there's a little boy waiting

At the counter of the corner shop

He's been waiting down there, waiting half the day

They never see him from the top

He gets pushed around, knocked to the ground

He gets to his feet and he says...what about me? 

What about me, Moving Pictures 

I've been seeing a lot of me lately.  Not me personally, but so many others wondering, what about me?  You can see it in almost every corner of society, people looking for the best deal, program or situation...for me.  Live your best life.  Live for the day.  Pay yourself first.  The "me" theme is all too common in the world we live in.  Even in Christian circles, we're taught to believe that the me trend continues in our life with the Lord.  I've heard way too many preachers speak to our lives "with" the Lord.  Like we are somehow separated in some way from the God who created us {Genesis 1:27}.  So, what about me?  Am I indeed separate from God?  Is it the Lords desire that I remain as myself forever?  In His prayer in the garden, Jesus spoke to something different.  In the book of John, we see that the desire of the Lord is not that we would remain individuals, but one in Jesus and the Father {John 17:21}.  We see that it was never the Lords intent to leave us without Him in our lives.  More than that, many are surprised to learn that God has NEVER not been a part of our lives.  What does the phrase "come to Jesus" mean to you?  Ask any Christian of how they came to Jesus and you will get many different answers and stories of lives transformed.  This is all well and good, but is it truly what happens?  Do we come to Jesus, or do we eventually recognize Him in our lives?  If we read the words of the apostle Paul we might get a different perspective than the one we've been taught all of these years.  It is Paul who recognized that it was Christ who resided in him {Galatians 2:20, Romans 6:8}.  Paul speaks not of himself, but of Jesus.  You might consider Paul's experience on the road to Damascus to be his come to Jesus moment, but was it?  I suggest that Paul had a connection to Jesus long before his so called conversion.  For the Lord has also breathed into Paul the breath of life which we all have {Genesis 2:7}.  The DNA of the Father has been in us from our very first breath.  So what do you say of your come to Jesus moment now?  What about me?  

There is no independent, self - operating self in the universe, except the One who calls Himself the 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 

Tell someone that they do not exist and you're likely to get more than a few blank stares in return.  But I suggest that we do not exist, at least in the way we've been taught for so long.  We know from scripture that Adam and Eve communed and communicated with God in the garden {Genesis 2:17-18}.  They were not separate from God, but an extension of Him.  The same can be said of our lives today.  We do not wander this world as lost souls searching for our own come to Jesus moment, but we walk IN HIM.  The trouble is that we have been misled for far too many years.  Mainstream church theology perpetuates this lone wolf narrative in their teachings.  We "come to Jesus."  We are to "be like" Jesus.  I suggest that have never been meant to resemble Christ, but to BE HIM {Galatians 2:20}.  This truth was not simply destined for Paul, but for all of the Lords children.  God has always been a part of our makeup.  We do ourselves a disservice when we allow ourselves to follow the broken theology which preaches that we need to justify ourselves before God before He will accept us.  He is our loving Father and creator and we have never been apart from Him in any way.  What we HAVE done is fall for the lie that we are somehow separated from Him.  This is the lie which the accuser spoke to Eve in the garden {Genesis 3:5-6}.  It is the lie which many continue to live out today.  It is the lie we perpetuate each time we ask...what about me?  

Are you not aware that you are a temple of God and the spirit of God is making its home in you? 

1 Corinthians 3: 16, Concordant New Testament 

~Scott~ 

The Hope Of Glory

Now when He got into a boat, His disciples followed Him.  And suddenly a great tempest arose on the sea, so that the boat was covered with waves.  But He was asleep.  Then His disciples came to Him and awoke Him, saying, "Lord, save us!  We are perishing!"  But He said to them, "Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?"  Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.  So the men marveled, saying, "Who can this be, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?"  

Matthew 8: 23 - 27 NKJV 

There has certainly been a lot of anxiety across our nation lately.  I have even heard more than a few people comment that they've lost all hope that things will ever return to a sense of a normal life.  In the past year we have been witness to unprecedented social lockdowns on account of a virus who's severity you may or may not believe in.  Nonetheless, here we are.  Add to that the instances of obvious election fraud we have seen in the aftermath of our national elections.  To be honest, I can understand how one might contemplate all that is going on and come to the conclusion that hope...is lost.  Well, being a bit of a pessimist myself, I've fallen into that rabbit hole that tells us there is no hope from time to time.  I'm here to tell you that hope is alive and well.  How is it that I can attest to that?  Well, just this week we have learned that the long awaited coronavirus vaccine initiated by president Trump will begin being distributed in the next few weeks.  That in itself is reason for hope.  However, we have also learned that more than a few of the legal battles being fought against the fraud of this past election may be on a fast track to being decided in the Supreme Court.  This may indeed be some long awaited good news for many, but what about when the next life crisis rears it's ugly head?  What about when that next storm comes?  Will your hopes wash away as quickly as they have with our recent events?  If so then your focus might be misplaced.  In other words, where is it that you are placing your hope?  In whom are you placing your hope?  Is your hope in Donald Trump that he might bring stability to our lives once again?  If so then you might want to consider who it is that allowed Trump to be where he is today.  We're told that our governing authorities exist and are appointed by God {Romans 13:1}.  Yes, we have the freedom to choose who we wish to see in office, but ultimately it is God who raises up for Himself leaders.  I was contemplating this scripture this week before I realized that my own hopes had been misplaced.  For those who know the Lord, there is never a reason to lose hope.  

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.

Romans 8: 28 NKJV 

I'll admit that I am a devoted listener to conservative icon Rush Limbaugh, have been for years.  Now, some there are people who criticize him for stoking fear in his audience.  I disagree.  A favorite Limbaugh quote he has used often lately since his cancer treatment began is "I woke up this morning and thanked God that I did!"  Not long ago, my own emotions followed the ebb and tide of the shifting winds of current events.  I'll admit that when we're surrounded by bad news, it can be difficult to keep our thoughts grounded.  But when we know the Lord Jesus, we are never surrounded by bad news.  The apostle Paul assured us of this in Colossians where he shared the greatest hope of all...the hope of glory in Christ Jesus {Colossians 1:27}.  Paul was speaking to the reality of Christ in us, which he also introduces in Galatians {Galatians 2:20}.  Our hopes are not to be grounded on the whims of the world, but on the hope of the glory which we have in Christ.  And if we have Jesus, we know that all things work together for good because we love Him.  How many of you have thanked the Lord for all He is doing in our nation?  Yes, many of you will say that it looks as if our nation is teetering on the edge, but does that change who God is?  Does that change who you are in Christ?  Despite all that rages around us, we are to be content with the constant knowing that He is in us.  Jesus is a intimate part of who we are.  When we encounter the storms, it is Jesus who walks through them with us.  He is a part of all which we feel, experience and do.  Tell me, how is that a reason to lose hope?  

To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the gentiles; which is Christ Jesus in you, the hope of glory.

Colossians 1: 27 NKJV 

~Scott~ 

Lone Wolves

 Rizzo ~ "Mike Eruzione...Winthrop Massachusetts!" 

Herb ~ "Who do you play for?"

Rizzo ~ "I play for....the United States of America!"

Herb ~ "That's all gentleman" 

The boys of this U.S. Olympic hockey team had just been through over two hours of grueling end to end ice skating drills.  Up until this point, many of the players were more concerned with personal statistics than becoming a team which could compete against the worlds best.  They were, as their coach Herb Brooks told them, a bunch of lone wolves.  Brooks preached that individuals would not win in the Olympics, yet up until this point his words had not been heeded by his players.  In fact, the reason they were in their current predicament was because of a lackluster effort against a team they should have beaten easily.  For coach Brooks, it was the last straw.  Lone wolves would not win games.  His team would not be a team of individuals.  As his players stood on the line waiting for Brooks to send them once again, team captain Mike Eruzione told Herb Brooks what he had been waiting so long to hear.  His team was finally a United States team.  A few months later, playing as that team, his players defeated the best team in the world in what was best described as a miracle.  At the conclusion of the 1980 winter Olympics, Herb Brooks' boys stood on the winners podium with their gold medals.  Not as individuals, but as a team.  As Herb Brooks preached to his team, individuals do not win in team sports.  The same could also be said for Christianity.  Those who believe in Jesus are not alone but part of a larger family whose head is Jesus {Colossians 1:18}.  Yet far too many believers go through life living a lie.  They have bought into the lie the accuser spoke to Eve in the garden.  Satan had assured Eve that when she took of the fruit which the Lord had commanded her not to eat that she would be "like God" {Genesis 3:4-6}.  This, of course, was a lie.  But Eve could not have known that, having been created in the Lords image, that she was ALREADY like God {Genesis 1:27}.  Even so, Satan convinced Adam and Eve to buy in to his lie.  This is the very same lie of the accuser that Christians continue to live today.  Many believers have been taught that they are somehow separated from God who created them.  This lie is often perpetuated by the theology of the mainstream church.  

There is no independent, self - operating self in the universe, except the One who calls Himself the 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

Just as coach Brooks' players were under the false belief that a team of individual stars could win, many well meaning believers mistakenly believe the Christian life they live is the desire of the Lord.  They struggle and strive, believing that in the end their efforts will bring them closer to God.  But they are living a lie.  The lie being that we, by our own efforts, will be deemed "good enough" to share eternity with God.  However, the apostle Paul spoke against this way of thinking in Ephesians when he said that it is the grace of God which saves us and not our own efforts {Ephesians 2:8-9}.  Therefore, believing that we must do better, pray more and give more is only believing in the lie of the accuser.  This has never been the desire of the Lord.  What HAS been the desire of God is that His children would be one with Him {John 17:21}.  God did not provide His Son as a sacrifice that we would continue in our struggle to be good enough for Him.  Paul again spoke to the reality of who we are in Galatians.  It is Christ Jesus who lives in us {Galatians 2:20}.  We are not a collection of struggling, striving lone wolves, but one family in the Father.  Knowing this truth will change your life.  You were not meant to strive for the Fathers love and acceptance.  We were never meant to live apart from Him.  We are one in Him.  

For in grace, through faith, are you saved, and this is not out of you; it is Gods approach present, not of works, lest anyone should be boasting. 

Ephesians 2: 8-9, Concordant New Testament 

~Scott~ 

Christian Rage

 

"Happy are you whenever they should be reproaching and persecuting you and, falsifying, saying every wicked thing against you, on My account." 

Matthew 5: 11, Concordant New Testament 

Watching the news last night I witnessed the full, indignant rage of Christians as they protested outside of Dodger stadium in Los Angeles.  If you've had your head under a rock for the past month or so then you haven't heard of the anti Christian trans gender group Sisters of perpetual indulgence being honored at pride night at Dodgers stadium.  These trans gender activists have made it a habit of mocking everything Christian from our faith to defiling the name of Jesus as well.  Last night, it looked as if the militant arm of the American Christian church was out in full force to protest these blasphemers.  One particular protestor held up a sign which stated "Ask me why you're going to hell."  As I watched this spectacle I asked myself, what are we trying to prove here?  What are we, as believers, attempting to show the world through this protest?  The love and kindness of Christ?  Yeah, good luck with that.  For as you rant and rave against those who mock you in the name of Jesus, you somehow feel that it is our ordained right as followers of Jesus to judge those who more than likely have never met Him.  I get it.  I used to know a man who was so deeply into the institutional church theology that at times he made it seem like I was still living under the law.  I made it known to him many times that I did not follow the same God he did.  My God is merciful.  My Jesus gave Himself for me {2 Corinthians 5:21}.  My Jesus did not condemn me, but raised me up.  I wonder how it is that Jesus would react to the protests I saw last night.  My question would be answered in His interaction with the woman caught in Adultery.  By all rights, this daughter of the Lord was guilty of her sin.  Yet Jesus did not come to condemn but to redeem.  For through Christ Jesus there is NO condemnation {Romans 8:1}.  Jesus sent a powerful message to those who had judged the woman for her actions, "Let the sinless one of you cast the first stone at her" {John 8:7}.  Somehow I think that Jesus would have the very same response to the protestors I saw last night, "Neither am I condemning you."  

If the world is hating you, know that it has hated Me first before you.

John 15: 18, Concordant New Testament 

Recently I've been looking at the situation of the perpetual sisters through the lens of another story.  That story is the continuing decline in our church congregations.  Those who follow Jesus are telling us that they are tired of the song and dance of the mainstream church.  The writing is on the pulpits and has been for some time.  Our traditional church congregations have seen a exodus of disenchanted believers looking for something more than they were getting in the church.  I might be mistaken, but I do not believe that these are the militant Christians I saw last night.  The protestors I saw last night were those who continue to hold on to the old traditions of the mainstream church.  The world has disgraced Jesus, and it is our sacred duty to condemn the blasphemers!  Yeah, like God needs our help defending Himself.  This is the mistake we often make when we run across those who mock Jesus.  Somehow we feel that it is our duty to condemn those who do the mocking.  To those of us who condemn Jesus has a simple message, "Let the sinless one of you cast the first stone."  So, who's going to toss that first stone against these blatant blasphemers of the name of Jesus?  I'll pass on that.  I know that my own history is not so clean.  I know that it is only because of Jesus that I am able to rest in Him while the world condemns me.  It is not my duty to condemn those who blaspheme the Lord.  It is the nature of Christ Jesus to love those who do.  

If anyone should be saying that "I am loving God," and should be hating his brother, he is a liar; for he who is not loving his brother whom he has seen can not be loving God Whom he has not seen.

1 John 4: 20, Concordant New Testament 

~Scott~ 

Me And Jesus

 

*The author realizes the scientific evidence which points to the fact that there is no "me."  However, for the sake of this discussion, he feels it is relevant to the page* 

We can't afford any fancy preachin'

We can't afford any fancy church

We can't afford any fancy singin'

You know Jesus got a lot of poor people out doin' His work

Me and Jesus, Tom T Hall 

I recall a man in the church I used to attend who was on fire for the Lord each and every Sunday.  This man would sing and dance in the aisles of the church as the orchestra played the morning worship songs.  In essence, this was my motivation for todays page.  The term "me and Jesus" in no way aims to say that I am somewhat separate from Him, as that would be living the lie of the accuser.  What I wanted to capture was the overall excitement one feels when they are first introduced to Christ in their lives.  I have seen this reaction in many a new believer.  I believe that I also may have exhibited some excitement when Jesus was revealed to me.  He loves me, He died for me and He saved me, who would not be excited for something like that?  As the singer Tom T Hall said, "Me and Jesus got our own thing goin'."  It's hard when we first come to know Jesus to escape that feeling that He lives just for you.  That Jesus indeed has a personal relationship with us.  Well, that is not too far off.  We know that the desire of Christ is that all of the Lords children are one with He and the Father {John 17:21}.  How much more personal can you get?  Church theology (the teachings of man) will tell us that we and God are separated.  Now, if the desire of the Lord is that we would be one with He and the Father, why would we be separate from Him?  There are many scriptures which the mainstream church has mistook in their attempts to push the issue that we and God are separated.  Yet that is a discussion for another time.  Knowing that Jesus has an intimate connection with our lives is a large part of the excitement we feel.  That despite what everyone else claims to be true, Jesus is in me.  

With Christ have I been crucified, yet I am living; no longer I, but living in me is Christ.  Now that which I am now living in 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 other day a good friend sent me a email link to an interesting article.  It seems that science has finally caught up to what we have known for some time, that there is no "me."  That's right, science now agrees that there is no "self center" in our brain Science has gone to great lengths to map the areas of the human mind.  They can isolate the language center of our minds as well as the part dealing with memories.  However, when it comes to the location of the self in our brain, there is no clear scientific conclusion.  Does it even exist?  If you adhere to the teaching of eastern religions, you will come to find that the self is nothing but an illusion.  In western Christianity, however, the self is the driver of who we are.  Whichever you believe, it is clear that the self would ultimately be at odds with a faith and trust in God.  How can we trust in God to be in control of our lives when we believe that we ourselves are in control of it?  Even the tried and true Christian saying "Dying to ones self" raises a few eyebrows.  If we have no self, how do we die to it?  The apostle Paul called it correctly when he referred to this truth of Jesus as the "Secret of the nations" {Colossians 1:27}.  This is not cookie cutter church theology but a deeper knowing of Christ Jesus in us.  Having the revelation of Christ Jesus in us is more than enough to be excited about.  I'm not all too sure if Tom T Hall had this realization, but I do.  

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~ 

Casting Seeds

 "Yet he who is being sown in the thorns, this is he who is hearing the word, and the worry of this eon and the seduction of riches are stifling the word, and it is becoming unfruitful.  Now he who is being sown on the ideal earth, this is he who is hearing the word and understanding, who by all means is bearing fruit, and is producing; these indeed, a hundred, yet these sixty, yet these thirtyfold."

Matthew 13: 22-23, Concordant New Testament 

I've recently had the opportunity to share Jesus with a coworker and good friend.  We talk of what I know of Him, and of what He has accomplished in my life.  The fact that my friend is deeply seated in the teachings of the Orthodox religion makes some of our discussions somewhat...interesting.  Indeed, there have been more than a few times when he has gone silent as he contemplates the Jesus I am speaking with the Christ he has been taught to know.  For these two versions of Jesus are completely different in nature.  On the one hand, I speak to my friend of a Jesus who loved me enough to give Himself in my place {2 Corinthians 5:21}.  For his part, my friend will speak of a Jesus I once knew from my own time in the church.  This is the Jesus of mercy and judgement.  The Jesus who, despite dying to forgive me of my sins, willingly judges and condemns those He finds unworthy.  I find this church version of Jesus to be a total contradiction of the Christ I now know in me, so I continue to speak the Jesus I have come to know.  I am a sower of the seeds of the gospel of Christ.  For his part, my friend is a sower as well, of the Jesus he has been taught for so long.  In my eyes, they could not be any more different from each other.  Ironically, it was the Jesus which I once learned of in church that convinced me to seek the Jesus I now know.  Sitting in a Easter morning service, I was encouraged to step forward to reveal any unspoken sins which I might be hiding.  Of course, this was right after listening to the pastors sermon on how Jesus died on that cross to rid me of my sin.  The Jesus I had grown up learning didn't mesh with what I knew in my heart to be true.  

Yet hallow the Lord Christ in your hearts, ever ready with a defense for everyone who is demanding from you an account concerning the expectation in you, but with meekness and fear. 

1 Peter 3: 15, Concordant New Testament 

Jesus speaks to us in His parable of the sower of those who hear His word.  There are those who hear the word, yet they have little knowing or understanding of the word, and the seed falls on rocky ground.  Meanwhile, there are those who hear the word, but the cares of the world choke the meaning of the word and they remain unfruitful {Matthew 13:22}.  Then there are those who hear the word of the Lord, understand it, and in turn bear much fruit {Matthew 13:23}.  Which of these are you?  I believe that my friend falls into the first category.  He receives the word of the Lord with joy and eagerness, yet he has no solid root for the word to take hold and prosper.  This was me.  I received the word of Jesus with joy, yet I knew very little about Him.  There was no solid ground for the word of Jesus to take hold of in me at the time.  Why do I mention this?  Because in our time knowing the Lord Jesus, we will be led to sow the word of the Lord unto others.  Not everyone whom we speak to will receive what we proclaim in the same way.  This is not meant to discourage, but to encourage us to speak the Jesus we know.  The mainstream church has a few thousand years head start in speaking the  alternate form of the Jesus I know.  Do not be at all surprised if those you speak the Jesus you know to seem somewhat confused.  In the end, our goal is not to change their mind, but to speak the truth of Jesus into their heart.  

~Scott~ 

Sins Of Our Fathers

 Fathers, do not vex your children, less they may be disheartened. 

Colossians 3: 21, Concordant New Testament 

I had a brief conversation with a good friend this week about the regrets we often face over the actions of our parents.  Indeed, this is a subject which I am all too familiar with.  For my own father forsook our family when I was quite young to follow his own desires.  Consequently, I grew up never knowing whatever positives my father may have known in his life.  All I routinely saw of him was the negative, selfish side which he seemed to exhibit very well.  For my father, it seemed that it was all about him.  Yet there were brief moments where, as if peeling back a layer, I caught a glimpse into the man who himself was obviously hurting.  My mother once told me that whenever he would come upon an accident in his job as a sheriff deputy, his first thought was of his two boys at home.  It was in these moments that I would catch a rare glimpse into the rough exterior of the man I knew as dad.  One of my uncles once shared with me the torment he and his siblings faced growing up at the hands of my grandfather.  It seems that my grandfather would often demand obedience from his own children to the point of verbal abuse.  Seeking a way out, my father left home when he was eighteen years old for a hitch in the navy.  It does not take rocket science to see that the actions and attitudes of my own father were influenced by his own parents.  The sins of his father begot the sins of my own.  Now, this by no means guarantees that everyone who grows up in a abusive home will turn out like my father did.  My father made his choices and he had to live with them.  Consequently, what he learned growing up he sometimes enacted in his own family.  Over the years I have learned to focus more on the positive side of my dad than on his negative actions.  I have come to realize that, like my friend, he was seeking help in his own way.  The old age idea that we were created to fend for ourselves is a myth.  Growing up, my dad was fed the lie that men were strong and never show emotion.  Another lie.  Some call it the generational curse, which keeps cycle going until someone is brave enough to break it.  Again, this is something I know well.  

"If God made us for connection, one of the cruelest things we can do is to withhold our affection from someone who needs it." 

Wayne Jacobsen

I have often wondered if my dad had anyone around who would speak positively into his life.  If he did I never heard of it.  So, I can only assume that he surrounded himself with people whom he knew shared his ideals.  If you can imagine the attitude of men in the late 70's and what it supposedly took to "Be a man" in the eyes of the world.  The drinking, brawling and womanizing brutes who populated our cities and towns.  These were real men, so they say.  This is how my dad grew up.  This is all he knew.  To him, God and Jesus were something for the weak minded.  I'm guessing that were my father still with us today that he might not approve of the direction my own life has taken.  One of the promises I made to myself so long ago was that I would NEVER be the man that my father was.  I had lived the path of destruction which he left behind him.  My father was stuck in the idea that he was in charge of his own life.  The very same lie spoken by our accuser in the garden {Genesis 3:5-6}.  The lie Satan spoke to Eve was that by partaking of the forbidden fruit that she and Adam would "Be like God."  This immediately put into action the lie that we are separate from God.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  For we are not separate from God, but alive IN HIM {John 17:21, Galatians 2:20}.  This is the desire of the Lord our One true Father.  The choice we have been given is to continue to live the lie of the accuser, or accept what we know in our hearts to be true.  The cycle indeed can be broken. 

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 

~Scott~ 

The Name Jesus

 

You are believing that God is one.  Ideally are you doing.  The demons also are believing and are shuddering. 

James 2: 19, Concordant New Testament 

Has anyone ever trusted in how smart Satan is?  Ever thought that he is smarter than us?  Well, I look around the world and I see that there are way too many people who seem to be blinded to this fact.  There are far too many people who treat Jesus as a ancient story and not the living, risen Lord He is.  They point to the scriptures as simply fables written by ancient scribes for the enjoyment of the masses.  I get it.  Satan simply laughs at this notion.  He knows better.  For those who doubt the name Jesus would be far fetched to believe that Satan knows Him all too well.  Satan indeed knows Christ Jesus, and fears Him {James 2: 19}.  Satan went so far as to bribe Jesus out of His mission to redeem us {Matthew 4:1-11}.  Jesus, of course, withstood Satan's advances and sent him away.  It was Satan who desired the throne of the Lord for himself {Isa. 14:12-14}.  Indeed, it was Lucifer who plotted to have the kingdom of heaven for himself.  For those who see Satan as some dimwitted, clueless rube, you have another thing coming.  Our adversary is quite cunning {Genesis 3:1, 1 Peter 5:8}.  In many cases, Satan knows what many humans do not know, that Jesus is real.  How many times have you questioned whether or not God was listening to you?  I know I have.  When we do this we are falling right into the trap of the accuser.  Make no mistake, the number one goal of the accuser is to drive a wedge between God and His creation.  The more people that question the validity of Jesus the better.  Yet if I could ask one question of him I would simply ask him, "Satan, do you ever feel as if you're being used?"  How could he not?  If his minions know and understand the name Jesus can we assume that Satan himself is aware of the implications?  Absolutely!  If Satan knew not the importance of Jesus, he would never have tried to entice Him in the wilderness.  Satan knows Jesus.  

And at His coming to the other side, to the country of the Gergesenes, two demoniacs meet Him, who were coming out of the tombs, very ferocious, so that no one is strong enough to be passing by through that road.  And lo! they cry, saying, "What is it to us and to Thee, Son of God! Didst Thou come here to torment us before the season?" 

Matthew 8: 28-29, Concordant New Testament

I have never been naive enough to believe that everyone would come to know the Lord Jesus in this age.  However, I know that it WILL happen {Phil. 2:10-11}.  I know that it is Gods desire that all of His creation would come to know His Son {John 3:16-17, John 17:21}.  It is the desire of the Lord that all will come to Jesus.  It is the arrogance of Satan which seeks to prevent that from happening.  Indeed, even after failing to advance to the throne of the Lord, Satan continues to try {Isa. 14:15}.  I am reminded of a conversation I had with a good friend the other day as he referred to our accuser as a "useful agent" in the Lords plan.  I believe that Satan is well aware of his ultimate fate, yet chooses to continue in his attempt to drive a wedge between the Father and His children.  How does he know his future?  Unlike the Father, Satan cannot know the future.  He is well aware, however, of the same scriptures which you and I know.  Satan knows of the writings which tell of his ultimate fate.  He knows what we already know.  Still, there are those who continue to deny the name Jesus.  Does this mean that Satan is smarter than they are?  Not really, all it really shows is that those who deny Christ make the conscious decision to choose to do so.  Perhaps they have never heard of His love for them.  Maybe they have simply followed the lies of the accuser.  Whatever the case, all will eventually know the name Jesus {Phil. 2:10-11}.  

That in the name of Jesus every knee should be bowing, celestial and terrestrial and subterranean, and every tongue should be acclaiming that Jesus Christ is Lord, for the glory of God, the Father. 

Philippians 2: 10-11, Concordant New Testament 

~Scott~ 

Canceling God

 

For the era will be when they will not tolerate sound teaching, but, their hearing being tickled, they will heap up for themselves teachers in accord with their own desires. 

2 Timothy 4: 3, Concordant New Testament 

Recently, the beer swilling public of this great nation was thrown a curveball by the brewer Anheuser Busch when they decided to partner with trans gender mouthpiece Dylan Mulvaney.  Although they soon found out that the majority of the country did not accept this move, the war on what is right continues.  A good friend of mine recently lamented the decision of his favorite Los Angelos Dodgers to host a trans LGBTQ "pride night."  As a result, Dodgers hurler Clayton Kershaw helped in bringing a family themed night to Dodger stadium.  These two events are just a few of the instances in what has become known as the "Cancel culture" movement in our nation.  It seems that none of what we have traditionally known as right and just is safe from this assault.  Here in Oregon, voters approved a measure which, in essence, legalized possession quantities illegal narcotics.  Walk down the streets of Portland these days and you will likely see many lost in addiction.  My current Raising the dead blog series is based upon a few of my experiences with those who are suffering from addiction.  What was once known as wrong, is now known as right.  It's not as if we weren't warned beforehand that this was coming.  The apostle Paul, in his letter to young Timothy, warned that there would come a time when people would no longer embrace sound teachings, but would raise up teachers "In accord with their own desires" {2 Timothy 4:3}.  When you look a what has been happening in our nation, you can't help but see the fruition of these words of warning from Paul.  From liberal DA's who refuse to prosecute dangerous crimes to the rise of addictions to illegal drugs, at times it seems as if the moral fabric of our nation is being ripped apart.  By design.  For this has been the goal of those on the left side of the political system for some time.  

Be not loving the world, neither that which is in the world.  If ever anyone is loving the world, the love of the Father is not in him, for everything that is in the world, the desire of the flesh, and the desire of the eyes, and the ostentation of living, is not of the Father, but is of the world.  And the world is passing by, and its desire, yet he who is doing the will of God is remaining for the eon. 

1 John 2: 15-17, Concordant New Testament 

The scriptures have warned us time and again that friendship with the world around us goes against what God desires for us {1 Corinthians 15:33, 1 Timothy 6:10}.  So, why wouldn't God simply take these bad things away from us?  Well, the Father has created us in His image with the ability to make choices on our own.  Adam and Eve made a choice in the garden which affected all humanity for generations.  King David chose to seek out Bathsheba.  Our lives will be filled with choices, right and wrong.  The symphony playing from the mainstream media that normalizes what we have known to be wrong presents us with yet another opportunity to choose.  Don't get it twisted, if you know something is wrong, then it hasn't changed no matter what the media tells you.  There are those who abhor all which we know and believe in as Christians.  They fight day and night to instill a new reality upon us.  I am not naive enough to believe in someone who tells me that the grass is blue, I know better.  Yet those teachers whom people have heaped up for themselves will tell you that what was once known as right is now wrong.  Likewise, you will be told that what you have known to be wrong is now right and acceptable.  This IS NOT direction coming from the Father.  It is the false narrative born out of the desires of those who have not known the Lord.  

Now we may not be despondent in ideal doing, for in due season we shall be reaping, if we do not faint.

Galatians 6: 9, Concordant New Testament 

~Scott~ 

Sleeping Dogs

 

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

Galatians 5: 1, Concordant New Testament 

There's a old adage which often tells us that we should let the past remain in the past.  Never to be resurrected again.  "Let sleeping dogs lie," they tell us.  That is, ignore an issue because trying to deal with it might cause a more difficult situation.  As many know, a sleeping dog can be unpredictable if suddenly awakened.  My experience is more with cats, but I'll go with it.  I mention this because there is a tendency in Christian circles to resurrect the past and continue to dwell in it.  The apostle Paul refers to this in Galatians.  Paul warns us to "Not be enthralled by the yoke of slavery."  Slavery?  What is it that Paul was speaking to?  Well, first of all we will need to somewhat define the word slavery I guess.  Google defines it as "The condition compared to that of a slave in respect of exhausting labor or restricted freedom."  Does this sound at all like the Christian life you are now living?  Are you laboring for something you find unreachable?  What was it that Paul was talking about here?  Well, believe it or not, many a believer has fallen victim to the yoke of slavery in their lifetime without realizing it.  It is a thought process that is so engrained in us that we often do not even realize that we're living it.  Yet make no mistake, we are slaves to it.  What is it?  I'm speaking to the very identity which we have mistakenly associated ourselves with for far too long.  The identity which places a divide between ourselves and God.  Now, rest assured that it has never been the Lords intent that He be separated from His loved creation.  From the beginning it was His desire that we be one with He and Christ Jesus {John 17: 21}.  That is His desire for us.  Yet instead of following our Fathers desire, we instead follow the lie of the accuser which has led us into the slavery which Paul spoke of.  The lie of our accuser is the same lie Satan spoke to Adam and Eve in the garden.  Eve bought into the lie of Satan, believing that if she ate of the fruit which the Lord instructed her not to, that she would "Be like God" {Genesis 3:4-5}.  Unknown to Eve, she already was like God {Genesis 2:7}.  Scripture tells us what happened from there.  Adam and Eve were banished from the garden, and mankind was branded with the sin they chose to accept.  Paul tells us that we all have sinned {Romans 3:23}.  We live the lie.  

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, having been 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 

If you think that all is lost, think again.  For even after reminding us that were all once sinners by nature, Paul reminds us of the love and grace of the Lord God which saved us from ourselves.  Once again, in Romans, Paul speaks to our no longer being slaves to the sin {Romans 6:6}.  But weren't we slaves to the lie of the accuser?  Yes, we WERE.  Paul reminds us that our old humanity, that which was affected by the sin lie, has been crucified with Jesus on the cross {Romans 6:6}.  We are no longer slaves to the lie of the accuser, we have been set free in Christ {Romans 6:11}.  The lie of the accuser is that we are somehow separate from the Lord.  That we are our own independent self.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  The Lord is a everyday part of our lives, even if we choose not to believe it.  It is Christ Jesus who now dwells in us {Galatians 2:20}.  We are not one in ourselves, but one in Jesus and the Father.  By choice, we can no longer be slaving to the lie of the accuser.  

There is no independent, self-operating self in the universe, except the One who calls Himself the 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 

~Scott~ 

Raising The Dead (Feeding The Lie)

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

Norman Grubb, No Independent Self 

What is the price we pay daily to feed the lie we live?  We struggle for money, power and influence all to satisfy that which has never existed.  I could very well pose the question, what is the price of happiness?  It has been estimated that around 140,000 people die each year from alcohol related illnesses.  When you add to that the body bags we fill as a result of drug related illnesses you get a staggering number.  I have a friend who has recently struggled with the demons of alcohol addiction.  I myself have struggled with a few addictions in my life as well.  With each and every addiction I fed into, I believed that I would be a happier person as a result.  Obviously, I was wrong in that assumption.  Happiness did not come to me as a result of food or stimulants.  All I ended up gaining in the end was my own share of health issues.  Although I have never struggled with hard core addiction issues, I have definitely seen its effects on others.  I've watched a young man overdose on heroin only to be revived moments later after being administered narcan.  I've watched a young lady miserable from her life on the streets and longing to see her family once again.  They all had one thing in common, they believed that their next dose of their drug of choice would make everything better.  Good luck with that.  I've been down that road, and it got me nowhere as a result.  If we remember one thing about addiction it's that they ALL have a underlying physical issue attached to them.  Some used to refer to them as coping mechanisms, others called them a crutch.  Whatever we choose to call them, rest assured we all deal with our issues differently.  I'm not going to sit here and preach that Christians are somehow immune from the evils of addiction.  I'm not that naive.  If that were the case, I would have spared myself a lot of pain years ago.  One thing that helped me to understand the nature of addiction was knowing the man that I am.  Despite all the which the world tries to convince me, I know that my identity lies with the Lord and not myself.  

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 

So, what is the lie which our addictions so easily feed into?  The answer to that goes all the way back to Adam and Eve in the garden.  When presented with a choice, they chose to believe in the lie which the deceiver presented to them {Genesis 3:4-5}.  Satan enticed Adam and Eve into partaking of the forbidden fruit with the promise that they would "Be like God."  Adam and Eve could not know it at that time, but they already WERE like God.  They were created in His own image {Genesis 1:27}.  It was God who had breathed into them the breath of life {Genesis 2:7}.  How much more like their creator could they be?  Yet, as I mentioned, they didn't know that at the time.  Satan, the deceiver, did not stop there when it comes to spreading his lie.  He has convinced millions of people that they and they alone are the center of their lives.  I am me and God is God.  That, in a nutshell, is the attitude  which produces many an addiction.  The belief that I can make myself satisfied and happy.  What self is that speaking to?  You?  Are we to believe that we are separate from He who created us?  That God somehow has no influence over our His creation?  If we believe that, then we are succumbing to the very same lie which the accuser spoke to Adam and Eve.  I am not foolish enough to believe that God is not in me.  The apostle Paul spoke to this reality of Christ in us in Galatians {Galatians 2:20}.  One of the most difficult revelations of the Lord we will ever encounter is His revelation of His Son is us.  Paul realized this, and referred to it as the "secret among the nations{Colossians 1:27}."  The world will tell us that we need material things to survive.  God reminds us that all we need is Him {2 Corinthians 12:9}.  

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~