The Good Of The Father (Knowing His Presence)

 

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

Paul to the Romans 8: 28, Concordant New Testament 

I was listening the other day to a radio sermon from a local pastor who was speaking on the barriers each of us encounter in life.  He listed such barriers as racism, sexism and a few other things which many have taken to describing the imperfections of life.  For much of my life, I've been keenly aware that my physical condition and health affected the way others around me looked at me.  Inevitably, this would lead me down the road to more depression and self doubt.  It was truly a vicious cycle.  I began to blame my bad health for many of the bad things in my life.  Sound familiar?  Through pornography, I found temporary acceptance, but it was a false idol.  As it was, those things I saw as barriers in my life were nothing more than distractions of who I truly was.  I was not a sinner saved by grace or a lost sheep searching for God.  I knew who God was, the issue is that until that point I had never experienced being "In God."  The radio padre spoke to the barriers in our life as distractions to knowing the Lord, and with that I agree.  However, it goes much deeper than that.  Knowing about God is much different than actually knowing Him.  Far too many believers spend a lot of time reading scriptures in an effort to know more about God.  These might be the same people who blame those barriers in their lives for the condition they find themselves in.  Believing that things such as racism have been instituted from the Lord.  Now, while it is true that God ALLOWED the existence of the racist attitudes of certain people, I believe that He was not responsible for creating it.  This was mans creation all the way.  From the moment that Cane rose up against his brother Abel in anger and jealousy, man has sought to place labels on one another {Genesis 4:8}.  Again, this is something which the Father allowed to happen.  Cane and Able surely knew of the Father through their parents.  They surely heard of their life in the garden before succumbing to the lie of the deceiver {Genesis 3:1-6}.  Adam and Eve lived their life in the Fathers presence in the garden.  They never learned of such things as hate, jealousy and anger.  These all came about after Satans deception.  

"These things I have spoken to you that in Me you may have peace.  In the world you will have affliction.  But courage!  I have conquered the world"

Johns Account 16: 33, Concordant New Testament 

Many have tossed about the phrase "Mans inhumanity to man" when describing the destructive behaviors which we exhibit towards one another.  Were such people living in the presence and knowledge of the Father?  I doubt it.  Which begs the question, what is it like to live in the knowledge of the Father?  Well, it is Jesus Himself who speaks to our union in the Father {Johns Account 14:20}.  To live in the knowledge of the Father is to live knowing that we have never been separated or distanced from Him.  That God is an intimate part of who we are and all we will ever do.  Jesus has spoken that there will indeed be barriers in our lives {Johns Account 16:33}.  However, our focus should not be on those barriers, but on the Father.  In the Father we know that our future is secure in Him.  That our lives are but a moment in time.  That no matter who is against us, in the Father we are secure {Paul to the Romans 8:31}.  Living in the Father is also knowing that we will indeed experience the pitfalls of life in this world.  Bu that does not define who we are.  We are not defined by racism, sexism or the like, but by God in Whom we share our being {Acts of the Apostles 17:28}.  The good of the Father is knowing that we live each and every day in Him. 

~Scott~ 

The Truth About Sin (And It's Not What You Think)

 Yet we are aware that the Son of God is arriving, and has given us a comprehension, that we know the True One, in His Son, Jesus Christ.  This One is the true God and life eonian. 

First Epistle of John 5: 20, Concordant New Testament 

I've sat through far too many sermons dealing with the subject of sin.  I've struggled more times than I can count to avoid the sinful thoughts I was taught to beware of.  Bottom line, we're told that sin is the difference between good and evil.  To be righteous is to have thoughts of good, while sin belongs to those thoughts of the evil one.  This is what I was taught to believe about sin.  Not only that, but that God has a special place chosen for those who continue to live in their sin.  That those who have not had their sin forgiven are destined to suffer forever in torment.  Keep in mind, this continues to be the teaching of the mainstream church.  My first clue that I might have been wrong about the nature of sin came from the scripture we find in John 3:16-17.  The iconic scripture most evangelists use to persuade those who have never known Jesus to come to Him.  God has indeed loved His creation enough to dispatch His Son.  This I understand.  But it's the following passage that peaked my interest.  That Jesus did not come to condemn the world, but that ALL may be saved through Him {Johns Account 3:17}.  That all would be saved?  What about those who sin?  Obviously, I was missing something here.  Maybe sin isn't about right and wrong after all, but something else.  Where is it that we're told that sin first entered into the world?  This was in the garden of Eden, where the deceiver managed to convince Adam and Eve to act against God.  If we want to understand the real nature of sin, we need to start here.  As a result of Satan's deception, the popular belief is that man was somehow separated from God.  THAT is the true nature of sin.  Our belief that we are somehow separate from God who created us.  Despite being created and given life by the Father, I was deceived into believing that there was a separation between us.  This deception permeated all mankind from its inception in the garden.  God has never spoken that man is separate from Him.  So, the question remains, why would we believe it?  

Now, it is Eonian life that they may know Thee, the only true God, and Him Whom Thou dost commission, Jesus Christ. 

Johns Account 17: 3, Concordant New Testament 

Sit through any church sermon and you're bound to hear the pulpit pounder speak on the virtues of living righteous and the consequences of doing wrong and living in sin.  It is the church which has convinced us into believing that sin is about right and wrong.  It is Christ Jesus Who has come to remind us of the truth of the Father {Johns Account 17:3}.  The truth of the Father is that we live in union with Him {Johns Account 14:20}.  We have been created in His likeness {Genesis 1:27}.  God has never NOT been an intimate part of who we are.  Yet the church will spend countless hours convincing us that to sin is to separate ourselves from God.  No, sin is the FALSE BELIEF that we are separate from the Father.  It is Christ Jesus Who has come to erase this belief and to show us the truth of the Father.  How is it that we can sin if we are in the Father {First Epistle of John 3:6}?  I will not proclaim that there is not good and evil in this world, because there is indeed.  What I will testify to is that it has never been about good and evil in regards to the sin issue.  It is Jesus who took the sin of not knowing the truth of the Father with Him to the cross {Paul to the Corinthians (2) 5:21}.  What remains is the truth which has been revealed to us by Christ Jesus.  That He is in us, and we are in him.  

"Religion has actually convinced people that there's an invisible man living in the sky watching everything you do, every minute of every day.  And the invisible man has a special list of ten things he does not want you to do.  And if you do any of these ten things, he has a special place, full of fire and smoke and burning and torture and anguish, where he will send you to live and suffer and burn and choke and scream and cry forever and ever until the end of time!  But he loves you.  He loves you, and he needs money.  He always needs money.  He's all-powerful, all-perfect, all-knowing, and all-wise, somehow he just can't handle money" 

~George Carlin~ 

~Scott~ 

As The Father

 I and the Father, We are one 

Johns Account 10: 30, Concordant New Testament 

Adam and Eve, they had it pretty good.  They lived each and every day in the presence of their creator.  Having been created and given life by God, they were indeed one with Him {Genesis 2:7}.  Then came the day where Satan the accuser sought to drive a wedge between the Father and His creation.  So, he suggested to Eve that were she to partake of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, that she and Adam would become "Like God."  Never mind the fact that, having been created and given life by the Father, they were ALREADY like God.  Adam and Eve could not have known this, and so Satan sought to use it against them.  What followed was the lie of the deceiver which Adam and Eve chose to partake in {Genesis 3:1-7}.  Popular Christianity has dubbed this as "The fall."  The fall of mankind out of favor with the Lord?  The fall of God's creation into a unrepairable relationship?  Whatever your definition of the fall is, many believers have been lost in the lie of the deceiver for some time.  This is the lie that we and God are separated due to our sin in the garden.  The mainstream church, for its part, continues to teach of the deity of God in heaven and the struggle of His creation here on earth.  Modern worship music speaks to "God above" and "Come, Lord Jesus" as if that separation was indeed real.  Yet the scriptures speak to something totally different.  Jesus speaks to the fact of "I and the Father, We are one" {Johns Account 10:30}.  For this, the Jewish authorities took up stones against Him.  Jesus also speaks to the reality of our own union with He and the Father {Johns Account 14:20}.  We are, as Jesus claims, as the Father. 

The baby son grew up and said A troopers life for me

A jumper like me daddy was is all I want to be

I only hope that I will jump as half as well as he

He ain't gonna jump no more!

Blood On The Risers ~ Vincent Speranza 

Growing up, my dream was to be a sheriff deputy like my dad.  This was the man I saw each and every day.  This was how I knew him.  Why does this matter?  What child has not grown up wanting to be like their parents?  Did Adam and Eve desire to be as God?  If they did, Satan provided them with that false opportunity.  Having been created by the Father, He is indeed a part of us {Genesis 1:27}.  I dare say that there has never been a separation between ourselves and God.  What there has been is the false belief among Gods children that we are indeed separate from Him due to our sin {Paul to the Romans 3:24-24}.  Pastors often point to the verse in Romans in which Paul speaks to the fact that all have sinned.  However, Paul also speaks in the following passage of our deliverance through Christ Jesus.  Yes, we have sinned, but it is through Christ Jesus that the Father no longer remembers or holds us guilty of those sins.  It is Jesus who took that sin upon Himself at the cross {Paul to the Corinthians (2) 5:21}.  So, where is that sin that somehow continues to separate us from being in union with the Father?  Like two warring factions, God and sin have been in conflict from the beginning.  Yet through Christ victory has been declared!  We no longer need worry that the Father will turn from us due to our sin.  As Paul has proclaimed, we should reckon ourselves to be "Dead, indeed, to sin, yet living to God in Christ Jesus, our Lord" {Paul to the Romans 6:11}.  So it is that we live in union with the Father. 

~Scott~ 

Betting On God

 

"Religion has actually convinced people that there's an invisible man living in the sky watching everything you do, every minute of every day.  And the invisible man has a special list of ten things he does not want you to do.  And if you do any of these ten things, he has a special place, full of fire and smoke and burning and torture and anguish, where he will send you to live and suffer and burn and choke and scream and cry forever and ever until the end of time!  But he loves you.  He loves you, and he needs money.  He always needs money.  He's all-powerful, all-perfect, all-knowing, and all wise, somehow he just can't handle money" 

~George Carlin~ 

I remember the promises.  The promises of prosperity were I to endure a short period of doing without.  It was for the good of the church, they said.  And so I gave, more out of guilt than anything else.  Not wanting to be the one who set the church back financially.  It's been referred to as a "Tithing, or giving challenge."  Basically, the flock is asked to faithfully give of their tithes with the caveat that if their conditions do not improve, or if they somehow suspect that their funds are not being used in a manner that they can request their tithes be returned.  I call it a cry for help.  Recently, pastor Greg Locke of Global Vision Bible Church in Mt Juliet, Tennessee made such a request of his own congregation.  The trouble is, someone in the congregation tossed a wrench into his plan and requested a return on their tithes as they suspected that they were not being used correctly.  Well, pastor Locke did what any good church pastor would do, he refused the refund request!  When I heard of this story, I immediately thought back to my days in the mainstream church and the times when the congregation was tasked with bailing the church out of one financial pit or another.  Building repairs, overseas ministry trips, you name it.  Under the guise of giving unto the Lord, we were asked to "Give until it hurts."  In the end, we were told, God would bless us for our faithfulness.  In the business world, this would be akin to a ponzi scheme of the highest degree.  People involved would be tried and possibly convicted.  But, when it's done in the name of the Lord it's somehow ok?  How is it that we have resorted to betting on the favor of God?  Are our prayers suddenly not enough anymore to request His assistance?  Now it seems that the more we give, the better our chances of receiving Gods favor.  I'm sorry, but that is not the God that I know and love.  The Fathers love for me came unconditionally.  I did not pay for my salvation, nor did I purchase the Fathers love in my own life.  This has always been the free gift given unto us by the Father {Paul to the Romans 6:23}.  The price that has been paid was paid by Christ Jesus on our behalf {Paul to the Corinthians(2) 5:21}.  

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

Paul to the Ephesians 2: 8-9, Concordant New Testament 

The catholic church instituted the practice of giving indulgences unto its members as "A way to reduce the amount of punishment one has to undergo for (forgiven) sins."  These indulgences were often used as a way to finance the public good, including charities.  Catholic teaching states that when a person sins they assume the liability of guilt and punishment for that sin.  The practice of indulgences seeks to curtail this punishment.  It is through the practice of tithing challenges that I see as modern day Christian church indulgences.  Or, currying the Lords favor through financial gifts or our own works.  But the apostle Paul wrote to the believers in Ephesus that the favor of Lord is a free gift of God {Paul to the Ephesians 2:8-9}.  When Jesus died on the cross, He took upon Himself the sin and punishment which had been meant for us {Pual to the Corinthians(2) 5:21}.  Paul reminds us of this when he proclaimed that we are now "Dead, indeed, to sin" {Paul to the Romans 6:11}.  Personally, I have not sat through a mainstream church service in many years.  The last time that I did, I was reminded of the mainstream churches misguided teachings on sin.  The pastor had just finished delivering his easter Sunday sermon of how Jesus had bled and died for the forgiveness of our sins.  In the next instant, he asked the congregation that anyone with "Unresolved" sin could step forward to the altar and receive prayer for forgiveness of that sin.  That was last time I walked out of a church.  My relationship I now have with the Father has been possible only through the work of Christ Jesus within me {Johns Account 14:20}.  This is the gift I have received. 

~Scott~ 

The Good Of The Father

 

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

Paul to the Romans 8: 28, Concordant New Testament 

I read the words of Paul written in Romans 8:28 and I immediately began to think of the good things in my own life.  These is the carryover beliefs from my time in the mainstream church.  The church would have us believe that Paul was referring to the Father showering His children with good in this passage.  That if we believe in and follow God He will reward us in our lives.  But is this what Paul was referring to?  Is it the Lords intent that all will be good in our lives if we simply believe in Him?  As I've said, this is what I was brought up to believe about God.  That if I simply believe in Him I would be rewarded in my own life.  Well, this belief is also what brought me to question not only if God existed, but if He really cared for me at all.  Before my mother passed, I prayed for the Lord to heal her from her infirmities.  I believed that the Father would "Work all together for the good" in this situation.  Meaning, I believed that all would be ok and that my mother would be restored to health.  When this didn't happen, I began to question whether God heard my request or if He even was concerned.  I presented my requests to Him, and in my way of thinking God did not honor those requests.  What good is God if He is not honest in what He proclaims?  Was this the good of God?  Oddly enough, my answer to this question came as I thought over what I had prayed for.  One of my prayers was that my mother would be free of the pain she had been in for so long.  The realization that she was now free of the pain of her sickness opened my heart to what the Father had been accomplishing through all of this.  It wasn't about me at all.  But this is how I had been brought up to view God in my life.  As believers we all too often get stuck on how God rewards His followers and makes their lives better.  When that doesn't come to pass we end up questioning Him and His motives.  In the end, I believe that we interpret good very different from how the Father intended.  

Now this is eonian life that they may know Thee, the only true God, and Him Whom thou dost commission, Jesus Christ

Johns Account 17: 3, Concordant New Testament 

Is it possible to know the salvation of the Lord?  Growing up, I was led to believe that salvation was my eternal life in heaven.  That if I believed in God not only would He reward me in my life, but reward me with my salvation as well.  But all it takes is what we perceive as one unanswered prayer and we immediately start to doubt God.  We began to question His promises.  I've been in that situation a few times myself.  But seeing God through the perspective of mainstream church theology is not seeing the truth of the Father.  The church will teach us that salvation is the gift of God, and in that they are correct.  But does salvation revolve around the idea of eternal life?  Is this what God intended?  Jesus speaks to something different entirely.  It is Jesus who speaks to eternal life as knowing the Father {Johns Account 17:3}.  I believe that this is the "Good" which Paul speaks to in Romans 8.  For the desire of the Father is the same as the desire of any earthly parent, that He be known by His children.  Therefore, God has been working all for the good in those who are loving Him.  It is the Father who is becoming known by His children.  Let me just say that knowing God and "knowing of" Him are two entirely different ideas.  Through the mainstream church we come to know OF God.  Yet many believers still do not know Him personally.  Jesus tells us that as children of the Father that we live in union with Himself and God {Johns Account 14:20}.  Unfortunately, many believers still do not recognize this truth.  This does not mean it's not true, just that we don't yet perceive it in ourselves.  How is it that God will be known?  Through those who truly know Him already.  It will be through these believers that God will be known.  So it is that He continues to work all together for the good.  

~Scott~ 

Perfect Plan

 

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

Paul to the Romans 8: 28, Concordant New Testament  

There is no doubt that I was relieved over the results of the latest national election.  And why not, this election cycle was often filled with dire predictions for this nation no matter which candidate we voted for.  If you listened to some people, it seemed like a no win situation.  But that is hardly the case.  See, with God there is never a no win situation.  The apostle Paul goes so far as to proclaim that ALL things work together for the good for those who are called according to the Fathers purpose {Paul to the Romans 8:28}.  Up until a few years ago, I tended to interpret this passage as meaning that God would work out everything in my favor always.  Again, not true.  For Paul's words tell us that the Father will work all TOGETHER for the good.  No matter the outcome, we can rest assured that the Father is working each and every situation according to His will and for the good of His children.  This might be a tough thing to understand when difficult situations come, but most of the time it's because we are focused on the situation and not on God.  I admit that there were times in during this election that I felt defeated and stressed.  This can be a common reaction to situations which are out of our control.  Yet Paul's words remain true, God is working all together for the good. 

Do not worry about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God, and the peace of God, that is superior to every frame of mind, shall be garrisoning your hearts and your apprehensions inn Christ Jesus

Paul to the Philippians 4: 6-7, Concordant New Testament 

Although I know the Lord, there have been times when I felt apprehensive while praying over certain situations.  I mean, is God really concerned over election results in the big scheme of things?  Absolutely!  Remember, it is the Father Who ultimately determines the results of each and every election.  He is Lord of all.  Now, this might be a foreign concept for someone who has been told that if a certain individual wins an election that the country will fall into chaos.  This is also one major reason that I do not trust the mainstream media.  Money is their ultimate objective, not providing information.  So, for those who have been promised by the media that the world will end if Donald J Trump won the election, rest easy.  We can be assured that the Father is continuing to work all for the good of His children.  I remember while growing up that I did not agree with every decision my parents made.  Yet those decisions they made were with my well being in mind.  As with the Father, we might not see His good in each and every situation, but we can rest assured it is indeed there.  Again, if our perspective is seeing the Father not as a distant caretaker, but as our loving Father Who we live in union with, we will began to see things from His perspective {Johns Account 14:20}.  And seeing life through the Father is much better than any news channel.  

~Scott~ 

One Piece At A Time

 

Yet not only so, but we may be glorying also in afflictions, having perceived that affliction is producing endurance, yet endurance tenderness, yet testedness expectation.  Now expectation is not mortifying, seeing that the love of God has been poured out in our hearts through the holy spirit which is being given to us. 

Paul to the Romans 5: 3-5, Concordant New Testament 

In recent weeks I have come to the conclusion that I am not a multitasker.  Normally I can give my attention on one task until it's completed.  Anything more than this and I end up in a stressful mess.  I recall the story which my mother used to tell of her youngest son and his hobby of building model airplanes.  There were times when I would come across a model kit that was particularly complex, but it was always my intent that I would finish the job myself.  Many times my mother would offer to help me, but I would always wave her off and continue with my project more determined than ever.  All too often, everything else went out the window until I finished my project.  This included school work, meals and just about anything else that might distract me.  Eventually, when the task had been completed, I began to catch up on all I had missed.  Now, there are those who can take on multiple tasks at once with no problem.  To them I tip my hat.  I'm not that guy.  I was once again reminded of this in the wake of our recent election season.  Time and again, watching political coverage took priority over other things at times.  And again, at the end, I was once again left wondering why I had allowed myself to reach that point.  It is Jesus Himself, in His sermon on the Mount of Olives, Who proclaims that we not worry about such earthly things {Matthews Account 6:25-29}.  At the end of the day, it is the Father who truly knows what is best for His children.  Our hearts should not be centered on what we can see, but on our life in Him {Johns Account 14:20}.  These were the words of a dear friend the other day.  That when our perspective is on our life In the Father, the stress and worry of the world around us seem less of a burden.  

So no, I'm not too big on religion...and not very fond of politics or economics either...and why should I be?  They are the man-created trinity of terrors that ravages the earth and deceives those I care about.  What mental turmoil and anxiety does any human face that is not related to one of those three? 

~ Willam P. Young The shack ~ 

When I look into the world around me I see a world in turmoil.  There are disappointments, sickness, pain and chaos all around us.  How is it that any of us could make it through this world with a sane mind?  Well, if our intent is to be of the belief that we ourselves are on this journey we definitely won't make it.  It is the Author Norman Grubb who proclaims that the ONLY independent self in the universe is...God.  Yet we humans go about each and every day with the mindset of we're the ones making it happen.  That we are the ones deciding our own destiny.  If that works for you, then you're living the lie.  That being the lie of the deceiver spoken to Adam and Eve in the garden.  The lie which proclaimed that we could "Be like God" if we simply do what He had commanded us not to do {Genesis 3: 1-6}.  The truth of our life in the Father is that we have always been like Him!  We are created in His likeness {Genesis 1:27}.  He has breathed into us His breath of life {Genesis 2:7}.  How much more a part of Him can we be?  We are not simply human organisms tossed about at the whims of fate.  We are His beloved creation alive in Him.  One of my prayers for this election season was that whichever way it went, that His will be done.  In the end, that is the only sure thing.  

~Scott~ 

Through The Storm

 

And, approaching, they rouse Him, saying, "Lord!  Save us! We are perishing!"  And He is saying to them, "Why are you timid, scant of faith?"  Then, being roused, He rebukes the winds and the sea, and there came a great calm.  Now the men marvel, saying, "What manner of man is this, that the winds as well as the sea are obeying Him?" 

Matthews Account 8: 25-27, Concordant New Testament 

It was definitely a difficult time in my life.  My mother had just passed and I was openly wondering if God even was hearing me.  My prayers for some time had been that the Lord would relieve her pain and heal her, but now it seemed as if God was ignoring those requests, or was He?  As my good friend led the memorial service that day, he began to speak of the moment the disciples of Jesus began to fear for their lives in the midst of a storm on the sea of Galilee.  Where was Jesus during this terrifying time?  In the back of the boat asleep.  Imagine the thoughts going through the minds of His disciples, here they were in the middle of the storm and their teacher was sleeping through it all!  Why wasn't He helping them?   So, they did what anyone would have done, they rushed to wake up Jesus.  As His disciples stood before Him in fear and trembling, Jesus inquired of them, "Why are you timid?" {Matthews Account 8:26}.  Jesus truly wondered what His followers were afraid of in the middle of this storm.  Was He not the savior of all mankind?  The living Son of God?  Despite this, the disciples feared for their safety.  And so, Jesus calmed the wind and the waves {Matthews Account 8:26}.  Astonished, His followers wondered amongst themselves, What manner of man is this, that the wind and the seas are obeying Him?" {Matthews Account 8:27}.  Who indeed.  What made this passage appropriate was that I was enduring a situation in my own life where I felt as if Jesus was asleep in the back of that boat.  Little did I know that He wasn't sleeping at all, but I was enduring that storm in Him.  Too many times, traditional church theology teaches us that when times are tough, we should pray to God for His help and guidance.  We're taught that we learn more from the mountains of our lives than we do from the valleys.  But is God limited to the situations we endure?  I would say no.  For when we truly know God, we understand who He is and the depth of our relationship in Him.  Jesus has spoken that we live in union with He and the Father {Johns Account 14:20}.  Knowing this, what storm do we ever face that our Father is not an intimate part of?  

Wherefore also, lest I should be lifted up by the transcendence of the revelations, there was given to me a splinter in the flesh, a messenger of Satan, that he may be buffeting me, lest I may be lifted up.  For this I entreat the Lord thrice, that it should withdraw from me.  And He has protested to me, "Sufficient for you is My grace, for My power in infirmity is being perfected."  With the greatest relish, then, will I rather be glorying in my infirmities, that the power of Christ should be tabernacling over me.  Wherefore I delight in infirmities, in outrages, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake, whenever I may be weak, then I am powerful. 

Paul to the Corinthians (2) 12: 7-10, Concordant New Testament 

The apostle Paul was in torment.  He was going through a difficult time in his life, and so he prayed that the Lord would remove it from him.  Three times we're told Paul entreated God to remove this torment from him {Paul to the Corinthians (2) 12:8}.  What was the Lords response to Paul?  "Sufficient for you is My grace" {Paul to the Corinthians (2) 12:9}.  Paul understood that he did not have a distant relationship with the Lord, but that Christ was an intimate part of his life.  We're told that there is nothing which will ever take us away from the love of the Father {Paul to the Romans 8:39}.  Knowing this, what situation will we ever face that God is not an intimate part of?  Church teachings based on our separation from God will have us believe that the difficult times we will endure are somehow due to Gods anger or disapproval with us.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  We know that the one true nature of God is love {First Epistle of John 4:8}.  We know and understand that it is the desire of the Lord that ALL be saved through Christ Jesus {Johns Account 3:16-17}.  Jesus has never been asleep in the back of that boat.  When we encounter difficult situations, we do so through our life in Him. 

~Scott~ 

The Different Faces Of God

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

To the Hebrews 13: 8, Concordant New Testament 

I was reminded once again this week of the varying beliefs among the followers of Jesus within this religious system we call Christianity.  While in conversation with one of my fellow gym goers, I once again learned of the biblical promises of punishment and banishment.  Now, I'm not a stranger to these institutional teachings of the mainstream church.  Growing up, it was all that I knew about God.  What I knew about Him was what I learned from going to church each Sunday.  I learned that Christ Jesus gave Himself for my sins, but I also learned that it was those same sins which were keeping me from a relationship with the Father.  How does that work?  From a young age, I learned that all I could ever hope to do was to "Be like" Jesus.  If I was somehow like Jesus, then my ticket to heaven was punched and I was good to go.  Yet something happened on the way there.  Like the man Saul on that road to Damascus, I was suddenly faced with one of the most important decisions of my spiritual life.  The decision to realize the truth of Christ, or to continue in my beliefs of the man-made religious system.  It was the apostle Paul, who when he came face to face with Jesus, finally became aware of the Christ he had spent his life persecuting.  It was the Father Whom, as Paul proclaims, proceeded "To unveil His Son in me" {Paul to the Galatians 1:16}.  That is, Christ in this man who had spent so much time and effort persecuting Jesus.  Had Jesus somehow changed from the Savior Saul once envisioned?  No, for Jesus has always been the same today as He ever was {To the Hebrews 13:8}.  God is the same as He's always been {Malachi 3:6}.  No, it is not Jesus who changed, but Paul's own realization of who He was.  As for myself, the decision which I was faced with was to recognize the truth of Christ in me, or continue in the teaching of the church system which denied that truth.  In the end, it is the revelation of the Father who brought me into this knowing.  

"Religion has actually convinced people that there is an invisible man living in the sky watching everything you do, every minute of every day.  And the invisible man has a special list of ten things he does not want you to do.  And if you do any of these ten things, he has a special place, full of fire and smoke and burning and torture and anguish, where he will send you to live and suffer and burn and choke and scream and cry forever and ever until the end of time!  But he loves you.  He loves you, and he needs money.  He always needs money.  He's all-powerful, all-perfect, all-knowing, and all-wise, somehow he just can't handle money" 

~George Carlin~ 

Have you ever noticed just how many different translations of scripture that exist out there?  We have translations for every language, age group and belief system imaginable.  Are we foolish enough to believe that all of these translations of the word have not watered down the words and intent of the scriptures?  A good friend of mine often uses the word "Lens" when talking about the different translations and beliefs within Christianity, and he's right.  All too often , we will view Jesus and Christianity through the lens of what we ourselves believe.  Knowing this, my own views of Jesus and the Father might not mesh with those of my fellow gym friend.  I do not believe in the separation of man and God.  This is simply a result of the lie spoken by the deceiver in the garden {Genesis 3:1-8}.  Satan led Adam and Eve to believe that were they to partake of the fruit which God commanded them not to, that they would "Be like God, knowing good and evil" {Genesis 3:5}.  The issue with this is that Adam and Eve were ALREADY like God.  It was the Father who created them is His own likeness {Genesis 1:27}.  It is the God who breathed into them the breath of life, creating a living soul {Genesis 2:7}.  God has always been a intimate part of who it is that we are.  It is not the Lord who has changed, but our own understanding of who He truly is.  

~Scott~ 

The Politics Of Religion

 

"So no, I'm not too big on religion...and not very fond of politics or economics either...and why should I be?  They are the man-created trinity of terrors that ravages the earth and deceives those I care about.  What mental turmoil and anxiety does any human face that is not related to one of those three?" 

~William P Young, The Shack~ 

There is an old saying which says that one should never argue about politics or religion.  Taking either side will come out on the losing end.  I was reminded of this the other day when Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris put her foot in her mouth by proclaiming that Christians needed to vote for her in order to...help God.  Honestly, I almost spit my coffee as I was reading this.  The Lord of all creation needs our help?  The creator of all we see needs our help?  In the end, I pass this off as simply another ploy by a somewhat slick and weak politician.  If Harris was attempting to pander to the Christian crowd and save her failing campaign she failed miserably in both cases.  Obviously, politics and religion were never intended to be linked together.  Granted, both have been created by mankind.  Also, both have been shown to divide Gods children rather than unify them.  Who is it that brings us together?  Christ Jesus.  It is God who created each of us in His likeness {Genesis 1:27}.  It is Jesus in Whom all was created {Johns Account 1:1-3}.  Knowing this, did Jesus require any assistance from His creation...ever?  The answer would be no.  Instead of being outraged at the comments from comrade Harris, we should rejoice that through Christ the truth of the Lord has been revealed.  It has never been the desire of the Lord to divide His children.  On the other hand, through Christ we have been joined to He and the Father in union {Johns Account 14:20}.  To this day, I've never heard this truth spoken by any politician anywhere.  

But the Most High is not dwelling in what is made by hands, according as the prophet is saying, "Heaven is My throne, yet the earth is a footstool for My feet.  What kind of house shall be built for Me?" the Lord is saying, or what is the place of My stopping?" Is it not My hand that does all these things?'

Acts of the Apostles 7: 48-50, Concordant New Testament 

What is it that you'd think would be the Lords reply were we to ask Him if He needed help?  First off, I feel as if He would show His love and grace even while replying to our offer.  Yet I also feel that He would gently remind us of what we read in the Acts of the Apostles.  It is here where we are reminded that the Lord does not dwell in what is made by human hands {Acts of the Apostles 7:48}.  We see this all too often when our local churches are referred to as "The Lords house."  What will we build the creator of the universe that He cannot create for Himself?  Are not the materials we would use created by Him?  Is not the land any dwelling would sit on created by Him?  No, I do not believe that God requires our assistance.  What I do believe that He desires for us is that we know Him as our Father.  That we know who it is that we are IN HIM {Johns Account 10:37-38}.  I definitely would have been shocked beyond all belief if comrade Harris had mentioned that all has been created through Christ Jesus.  Despite being loved as the Fathers child, it appears that she is unaware of that. 

~Scott~ 

Being Woke

 

Perceive what manner of love the Father has given us, that we may be called children of God!  And we are!  Therefore the world does not know us, for it did not know Him. 

First Epistle of John 3: 1, Concordant New Testament 

Many on the left side of the political isle are fond of declaring that people should be "Woke" to a new way of thinking.  Indeed, being woke has come to be associated with some of the most radical liberal ideas of the day.  I posed the question the other day to a friend if he felt, knowing what we now know of the Father, that our work in the ministries of the mainstream church had been in vain.  He responded by saying that what was needed was for people to "Come awake" to what the Father was doing through them.  That same thought is true today.  While many consider being woke to be a political punchline, I see it as an opportunity to help people into a new understanding of the Father.  A Father who loved us while we were lost in the lies of the deceiver {Paul to the Colossians 2:13}.  A Father who ordained His Son to take our sins upon Himself a the cross {Paul to the Corinthians (2) 5:21}.  The old way of Christian thinking had us believe that sin kept us from a relationship with the Father.  In reality, through the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross, we can now consider ourselves as being dead to that sin {Paul to the Romans 6:11}.  This is what I think of being awoken to the truth of the Father.  That we now live in union with He and Christ {Johns Account 14:20}.  Of course, this fly's in the face of the traditional church theology which many know so well.  Perhaps that is why so many have a difficult time accepting the truth of the Lord.  But I am not proclaiming something which is not spoken of in the scriptures.  The apostle Paul spoke of the presence of Christ in us {Paul to the Galatians 2:20}.  Yet, when I speak this truth to most believers I get the typical deer in the headlights look in return.  They are unaware of the union they share with the Father.  In other words, they need to be "Woken" to the this truth in their own lives.  I remember the struggle which I encountered when this truth was first presented to me by a dear friend of mine.  I remember thinking how radical of a change it seemed to be.  Jesus in me, a sinner?  Yet I thank the Father for His revelation of His Son in me {Paul to the Galatians 1:15-16}.  

"If I am not doing My Fathers works, do not believe Me.  Yet if I am doing them, and if ever you are not believing Me, be believing the works, that you may be knowing and believing that in Me is the Father, and I am in the Father" 

Johns Account 10: 37-38, Concordant New Testament 

It is well known in Christian history that Jesus was despised by the religious authorities of His day for His proclamation that He and the Father were one and the same {Johns Account 10:30}.  For this the Jewish Pharisees took up stones against Him.  To them He was speaking the blasphemy of making Himself one with God.  To Jesus, he was simply introducing them to the truth of the union of He and the Father which John spoke of in scripture.  Oddly, that same resistance which the spoken words of Jesus encountered back then still hold true today.  Many still need to be woken to the truth of the Father.  Yet centuries of church theology can be difficult to overcome.  It was for me.  But it was not a Sunday sermon or mainstream church ministry that spoke the truth of the Father into my heart.  Although a good friend planted the seed of that truth, it was the revelation of the Father which opened my eyes to knowing Him.  For this I am grateful.  My prayer is that others will receive that same revelation and begin to see God as I do.  

~Scott~  

My Neighbor Myself

 

In Whom there is no Jew nor yet Greek, there is no slave nor yet free, there is no male and female, for you all are one in Christ Jesus.

Paul to the Galatians 3: 28, Concordant New Testament 

In all of my years in the mainstream church, I was led to believe that there was a unique difference between myself and the world around me.  See, I was a sinner, but saved by the blood of Jesus.  Those in the world around me, on the other hand, were the ones NEEDING to be saved.  The unknowing and unchurched among us were simply sinners lost in the world.  It was our task as believers to bring them to the Lord.  Indeed, there have been countless discipleship and ministry programs designed to bring the wayward unto Jesus.  The Christian church has always been good at labeling people.  In their domain, the world is divided between sinners and believers.  We celebrate the believers and pray for the sinners.  But what if the church got it wrong?  What if we've been sold a bill of goods?  The scriptures tell us that ALL are created in the Fathers likeness, both male and female {Genesis 1:27}.  The apostle Paul takes that one step further by declaring that in Christ there is no Jew nor Greek.  No slave nor free {Paul to the Galatians 3:28}.  So, is there really a difference between myself and my neighbor?  Not really.  Both have been created in the Fathers image.  Both were created for and by Christ Jesus {Johns Account 1:1-3}.  Knowing this, we soon realize that the divisions created by those in the mainstream church are not what the Father intended for His children.  Believers and sinners, it's all a label created by man-made religion.  First off, where are there sinners?  Do we continue to believe that those not involved in the mainstream church are lost in sin?  The truth is that Jesus took our sins upon Himself and nailed them to the cross with Him {Paul to the Corinthians (2) 5:21}.  Therefore, as Paul proclaims, we are to consider ourselves to be "Dead indeed" to sin {Paul to the Romans 6:11}.  Tell me again where those sinners are.  Despite being assured in the scripture that all were created through Christ Jesus, I do not recall a single sermon ever uttered in the mainstream church which did not label humanity as the lost and the saved.  

So Elohim created humanity in His image; in the image of Elohim He created it: male and female He created them. 

Genesis 1: 27, Concordant Old Testament 

Have you ever known the Lord to play favorites?  To be unjust in His actions?  Paul proclaims that with God there is no partiality {Paul to the Romans 2:11}.  So, can we assume that it was never the Fathers intent that His children be labeled as saved and lost?  I would agree with that.  When we look upon our neighbors, we should see Christ.  When we look into that mirror, we should see the same thing.  For we are all in union with He and the Father {Johns Account 14:20}.  But what of those among us who behave badly?  Those who by all indications have forsaken God for the riches of the world.  Are they any different from us?  No!  The only difference between them and ourselves is that we realize who it is that we are in Christ.  It's that simple.  There are those who have been created in the Fathers likeness yet do not realize this truth in themselves.  They are not lost in the Fathers eyes, just unaware.  There is no doubt that realizing this truth can change the way that we look upon the world around us.  Instead of laboring to "save" the lost, why not simply introduce them to who they really are in Christ?   

~Scott~ 

The Brotherhood

 

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. 

First Epistle of John 4: 20, Concordant New Testament  

I was reminded once again this week of the value of having a solid group of brothers in the faith around me.  I am proud to say that through my years in the mainstream church I have developed and maintained friendships with more than a few Godly men.  The brotherhood can help us in those instances where the accuser comes to mislead us.  That, after all, is his mission.  His lie deceived Adam and Eve in the garden, and it continues to deceive many believers today.  Yet having a solid group of friends around us can help us navigate those situations where Satan attempts to inject himself into our lives.  Those friends in the faith around us can help remind us of Satan's rightful place in the big scheme of things...behind us!  That's right, the accuser has already been defeated.  His only tactic he has left is to wander the earth seeking to distract God's children.  When you look at the world around us, it might seem as if he is doing pretty good at his objective.  All around us, the Lords chosen stumble and fall each and every day to the distractions of Satan.  I'm not ashamed to admit that I have fallen victim to his antics more than a few times.  But the truth of the Lord Jesus is on our side.  The accusers fate has been sealed.  Jesus became sin that we would no longer live in bondage {Paul to the Corinthians (2) 5:21}.  The apostle Paul proclaims that we consider ourselves now to be indeed dead to sin {Paul to the Romans 6:11}.  Contrary to the teaching of the mainstream church, sin is no longer that elephant in the room we can never be free of.  Jesus took our sin upon Himself and nailed it to that cross.  Yet the accuser will continue to prowl the earth seeking to remind us that we're all sinners {Paul to the Romans 3:23}.  For many years in the church I continued to hear the phrase "Sinners saved by grace."  While this may be true in some respects, we're sinners no more.  Through the selfless love of Christ Jesus, we're no longer held in the bondage of sin.  

In Whom there is no Jew nor yet Greek, there is no slave nor yet free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 

Paul to the Galatians 3: 28, Concordant New Testament 

A good friend once reminded me of the truth of our accuser.  He said that when Satan comes to remind you of your past, remind him of his future.  Amen!  The strength in the bonds of brothers in the faith comes from encouraging each other and reminding one another of the truth of the deceiver.  I have been blessed with having a group of friends who do just that.  Not only that, I have gathered around me a group of the Lords children at my local gym.  Like the brothers which surround me, it is my goal to be that bond of faith with those who surround me as well.  I believe that when Jesus spoke of loving one another, this is what He was referring to {Johns Account 13:35}.  Paul spoke of a key thought in our belief, that of seeing those around us as one in Christ as we ourselves are {Paul to the Galatians 3:28}.  If we see others as one with Jesus, how is it that we can think wrongly of them?  If we see others as one with Jesus, how is it that we can be in conflict with them?  Sounds like a good plan, right?  Well, everything looks good on paper.  When my brother reminded me this week of my wrong thoughts toward another, I was not seeing them as one in Christ as I am.  However, I am grateful that I have once again been reminded of this truth.  As the scripture proclaims, two are better than one {Ecclesiastes 4:10-12}.  Give Satan his rightful place in our rear view mirror.  

~Scott~ 

Man To Man

 Having, then, a great Chief Priest, who has 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. 

To the Hebrews 4: 14-15, Concordant New Testament 

I was called out the other day by a good friend.  I've always said that if a friend cannot challenge you for wrong behaviors then there is something wrong.  Some would call this holding each other accountable.  I simply think of it as a friend reminding me of who I really am.  The story goes that, while having dinner with a few friends, my eyes were attracted to an attractive lady.  Not only that, but my thoughts were suddenly led to what some might call improper thoughts concerning her.  Now, I'm not stranger to these feelings, I've spent many an evening in a number of strip clubs.  But this time was different.  This time the thoughts came despite my knowing who it is that I am.  Indeed, I have no doubt that I live in union with Jesus and the Father {Johns Account 14:20}.  I realize that I am created in the Fathers likeness {Genesis 1:27}.  Despite this knowing, somehow those old feelings creeped up once again this week.  Therefore, the next day, my good friend did the right thing and reminded me that this lady was, as I am, a child of the Father.  That hit me hard!  No longer was I a fun loving guy simply having a good time, but a child of the Lord who was treading somewhere I should not have been.  In His own way, God reminded me of this through my dear friend.  For this I am grateful.  But I'm left to wonder, hasn't God created me inn His likeness?  Is not all which He is in me as well?  The author of Hebrews spoke to this when writing of the Chief Priest Christ Jesus who has endured all which we have and more, yet without sin {To the Hebrews 4:14-15}.  So, was Jesus ever tempted by lust as I've been?  I can assume, according to scripture, that He has.  Yet Jesus was able to endure these temptations without giving in to the sin of the flesh.  Me?  Not so much.  While I did not give in physically to the thoughts I felt, the thought to do so was still there.  My friend, perhaps knowing who it is that I truly am, reminded me of what I had forgotten.  That the object of my attention was also a child of the living God.  

So Elohim created humanity in His image; in the image of Elohim He created it: male and female He created them. 

Genesis 1: 27, Concordant Old Testament 

The reminder I received is that I don't hold a monopoly on being chosen by God.  I do not hold a monopoly on being seen as His child.  This person whom my thoughts were drawn to is also looked upon by the Father as being His.  This realization is what made my thoughts that more troubling to me.  If I were still in the mainstream church I might be recommended for a twelve step program or given a sermon on the evils of sin.  Yet, I also am aware that I have been declared dead to sin {Paul to the Romans 6:11}.  Paul posed the question if we should continue to sin since we are under the grace of the Father.  His response?  "May it not be coming to that!" {Paul to the Romans 6:15}.  It is Jesus who became sin on our behalf {Paul to the Corinthians (2) 5:21}.  That sin which others proclaim in us is dead and gone.  What remains in us is Christ.  THIS is who I am.  Just as Jesus was tempted with all I have been, He was without sin.  Rather than despair in regret over another failure in front of God, I rejoice in knowing that His grace gently reminds me of How He looks upon me.  Not as a perpetual sinner, but as His loved child.  

What then?  Should we be sinning, seeing that we are not under law but under grace?  May it not be coming to that! 

Paul to the Romans 6: 15, Concordant New Testament 

~Scott~ 

The Exodus

 

And I hear another voice out of heaven, saying, "Come out of her, My people, lest you should be joint participants in her sins, and lest you should be getting of her calamities, for her sins were piled up to heaven, and God remembers her injuries" 

The Revelation of Jesus Christ 18: 4-5, Concordant New Testament 

For anyone who has bothered to notice, the mainstream church has suffered a mass exodus of worshippers over the past years.  The media has written about it and more and more pastors have preached against it.  I personally have not stepped foot inside a church in over 15 years, yet I continue to worship the Father in my own way.  That's right, I gave up the church and all of its traditions for a deeper relationship with Jesus and the Father.  But how is it possible to have a relationship with Jesus without the "covering" of the traditional church?  We have been led to believe that the church is the be all end all for all things related to God.  If we want to learn about Him, we go to church.  If we want to know Him, we go to church.  If we want to celebrate Him, we go to church.  The traditional church has always been seen as the focal point of our connection with the Lord.  In the coming weeks I will be doing a podcast with a dear friend where we will dive into how we have given up the mainstream, institutional church in order to celebrate Him with a new group of believers and those hungry to know Him.  I would bet that every pastor worth their salt would insist that in order to know the Lord, you must first be involved with a local church.  But think about this, did Jesus Himself ever make such a claim?  Jesus told the Samaritan woman He met at the well that it would no longer be about locations or temples, but that God's children worship him in "Spirit and truth" {Johns Account 4:24}.  Worshipping God without the mainstream church?  Indeed, it is possible, and desirable to God {Johns Account 4:23}.  Could this be the reason why so many of God's children have fled the mainstream church?  I doubt it.  I don't believe that many of the Lords flock have had this truth revealed to them yet.  However, I do believe that many who have left the church did so, as I did, because they were led by their spirit to seek something more.  To know more about the Father that they were not getting from the traditional man-made church.  

"But coming is the hour, and now is, when the true worshippers will be worshipping the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father also is seeking such to be worshipping Him.  God is spirit, and those who are worshipping Him must be worshipping in spirit and truth" 

Johns Account 4: 23-24, Concordant New Testament 

Have you ever heard the traditional church referred to as a prostitute?  Well, imagine my reaction as I first read the writings of the Christian author J Preston Eby.  In his Kingdom Bible Studies on the book of The Revelation of Jesus Christ, Eby refers to the traditional church as a prostitute deserving of the Lords wrath.  In the book of Revelation, the apostle John speaks to his vision of the Lord proclaiming to His children "Come out of her, My people, lest you should be joint participants in her sins" {The Revelation of Jesus Christ 18:4}.  I do believe that God was giving this warning to His children to remove themselves from the man-created church institution and all of its requirements and traditions.  Is this what the apostle Paul was speaking to in his own warning against the requirements which were against us that Jesus nailed to the cross{Paul to the Colossians 2:14}?  Indeed, many of the requirements and traditions of the mainstream church are not designed to bring us any closer to God.  What DOES bring us closer to God is our own realization of who we are in Him.  That we are not on the outside looking in, but living in union with Jesus and the Father {Johns Account 14:20}.  This is a revelation which is received from the Father.  This is truly knowing God.  Freedom in Jesus is knowing that you share in His life, without all of the traditions associated with the mainstream church.  

~Scott~ 

Self Death

 

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 

I overheard a radio pastor mention the words of Jesus to Nicodemus we find in John 3 this week.  Then the padre mentioned something else, the act of dying to ourselves.  Now, I've heard this phrase tossed around in Christian circles many times before, but for different reasons.  For to die to ourselves in the modern Christian theology means that we forsake that which is of this world to follow Jesus.  Of course, this thinking does not address the fact that we, as God's children, have nothing which we can refer to as "ourself."  We have never been removed or independent from God that we should refer to ourselves as our own independent self.  As the author Norman Grubb puts it, there is but one self in the universe, and He is the I AM, the One and only God.  To think anything else is to simply not understand who it is that we are in the big scheme of things.  To proclaim that we exist as "self" means that we are independent of the God who created us.  How is that at all possible?  How is it that we who He created in His likeness could be independent of Him?  Yet this continues to be the theology preached within the halls of the mainstream church.  We are our own self.  We need to "come to Jesus."  We need to forsake this world.  It all sounds ok, but it's based upon the lie of the deceiver spoken in the garden.  It is Satan who proclaimed to Adam and Eve that were they to eat of the fruit which God had forbidden, that they would indeed "Be like God" {Genesis 3:1-7}.  Of course, having been created in the Fathers likeness, they were already like God.  This was the beginning of the human "Self" as we know it.  

Jesus answered and said to him, "Verily, verily, I am saying to you, if anyone should not be begotten anew, he cannot perceive the kingdom of God."

Johns Account 3: 3, Concordant New Testament 

Nicodemus could not understand what Jesus was speaking to him when he spoke of being "Born again."  To him, this meant something which seemed impossible in his earthly understanding, for someone to once again be born again from their mother's womb {Johns Account 3:4}.  In our current Christian language, we speak of being "Born again" as being the beginning of our journey unto Jesus.  Again, we have never been separated from Him.  For all things were created for and through Jesus {Johns Account 1:3}.  Jesus has been from the beginning with God {Johns Account 1:1-2}.  The issue has always been that we have failed to recognize who we are in Christ.  The apostle Paul speaks to those who know Jesus having crucified their own flesh {Paul to the Galatians 5:24}.  However, Paul also speaks to Christ living in us {Paul to the Galatians 2:20}.  And why not, hasn't Jesus been a part of us from the beginning?  We're not the only ones who have had difficulty discerning this truth of Christ Jesus.  Paul speaks to this being "Secret among the nations."  That is, our own expectation of the glory of Christ {Paul to the Colossians 1:27}.  Even in Paul's day, there were many who did not comprehend the truth of Christ.  That truth which Jesus is speaking to our spirit is that we are forever a part of He and the Father {Johns Account 14:20}.  We have no need to die unto ourselves.  What we need to do is realize who it is that we are in Christ. 

~Scott~ 

Gods Elite

 

Now they said to Him, "Grant to us that we should be seated, one at Thy right and one at Thy left, in Thy glory."  Yet Jesus said to them, "Not aware are you what you are requesting.  Are you able to drink the cup which I am drinking, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am being baptized?"  Yet they say to Him, "We are able."  Yet Jesus said to them, "The cup indeed which I am drinking shall you be drinking, and with the baptism with which I am being baptized shall you be baptized.  Yet to be seated at My right or at My left is not Mine to give, but it for whom it has been made ready by My Father." 

Marks Account 10: 37-40, Concordant New Testament 

I had an interesting conversation with a co-worker this week which centered around who would be the most important in the Lord's heaven.  Would his own pastor, who had spent a lifetime of serving the poor and needy, have a seat of prominence in God's paradise?  What place would he, a reformed sinner, have in heaven?  Well, I reminded him that this question had already been asked of Jesus by His own disciples James and John.  These brothers had asked that Jesus grant that they be seated at His right and at His left in His Fathers kingdom.  Jesus' answer?  This authority had not been granted to Him, but by the Father {Marks Account 10:40}.  Too often we get too involved in our own pride to realize what it is we are desiring.  James and John wanted to be seen as being on the same level as Jesus, and this did not sit well with the other disciples {Marks Account 10:41}.  Are we truly that arrogant that to believe that our own goo deeds will grant us a prominent place in heaven?  The apostle Paul speaks in Ephesians that it is not by our good works that we enter into the Fathers salvation, but through His grace alone {Paul to the Ephesians 2:8-9}.  No matter how good a life we have lived, no matter how many we have helped along the way, it is by the love and grace of the Father by which we are saved.  It is because of the Fathers love for us that He dispatched His only Son to give Himself for us on the cross {Johns Account 3:16-17}.  It is because of the love of Christ that He willingly became sin that we would no longer bare its penalty {Paul to the Corinthians (2) 5:21}.  Also, as with my co-worker, do we consider ourselves simply "Reformed sinners?"  This reminds me of the Christian catch phrase that we are simply "Sinners saved by grace."  While we have been saved by the love and grace of the Father, our identity is no longer linked to the past, but to Jesus.  Jesus is who we truly are {Paul to the Galatians 2:20}.  

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

Paul to the Ephesians 2: 8-9, Concordant New Testament 

Have you ever known God to show favoritism?  Have you ever known Him to go back on His word?  Well, when we believe that the Lord favors those who do good deeds over those who have likewise been saved by the sacrifice of His Son we are staking the claim that God is playing favorites with His salvation gift.  Remember, at the end of the day, our salvation is a gift from God {Paul to the Ephesians 2:8}.  Can you imagine the turmoil amongst the followers of Jesus were James and John granted their request to be seated at His side?  Yes, James and John were loyal followers of Jesus, but they were also human.  How long before they would have bragged about their positions of prominence among the other disciples?  How long before the other disciples requested from Jesus positions in heaven of their own?  I'm sorry, but we're human, that's what we do.  Knowing this, Jesus gave the correct response to His followers that day.  Their position in heaven was not His to give, but the Father.  Part of the response I gave to my co-worker was that we are all created in the Fathers likeness {Genesis 1:27}.  God has not created one greater or better than the other.  For we are all children of God {First Epistle of John 3:1}.  We should be glorying in His love and mercy and not in our own desires.  

~Scott~ 

Me, Jesus And The Blasphemy

 

"I and the Father, We are one"

Johns Account 10: 30, Concordant New Testament 

Have you ever been persecuted for telling the truth?  I would reckon that there are many believers out there, even unbelievers, who have been raked over the coals for simply telling the truth.  A lot of times, the world does not want to know the truth as we tell it.  So it was with Jesus as He spoke to the Jews who demanded of Him to prove that He was who He claimed to be.  Jesus proclaimed that the works which He had done in the name of the Father were a testament to His identity {Johns Account 10:25}.  Then, Jesus said something which made the Jews gathered around Him take up stones against Him, He told the truth.  Jesus proclaimed "I and the Father, We are One" {Johns Account 10:30}.  In the eyes of the Jews gathered that day, Jesus was simply a human street preacher proclaiming Himself to be God.  In their eyes, He had committed a capital offense worthy of stoning.  His crime?  "For an ideal act we are not stoning You, but for blasphemy, and that you, being a man, are making yourself God" {Johns Account 10:33}.  So, there we have Jesus, accused of the blasphemy of making Himself God.  But Is Jesus really who He proclaims to be?  We know from scripture that Jesus was from the beginning {Johns Account 1:1}.  We also know that through Him all was created {Johns Account 1:3}.  We know that Jesus is in the Father and the Father in Him {Johns Account 14:10}.  So it was that Jesus has been condemned for simply telling the truth.  Even today, many in the mainstream church have difficulty accepting this truth spoken by Jesus.  Instead, they proclaim a theology which speaks to the separation of man and the Father.  This is born out of the lie spoken by Satan to Adam and Eve in the garden {Genesis 3:2-6}.  The lie was that once the first creation ate of the fruit which God had commanded them not to, that they would "Be like God."  In reality, as the created likeness of the Fathers very image, they were ALREADY like God.  Likewise, as we were also created by God in His likeness, we share in the identity of the Father.  

In whom the God of this eon blinds the apprehensions of the unbelieving so that the illumination of the evangel of the glory of Christ, Who is the image of the invisible God, does not irradiate them. 

Paul to the Corinthians (2) 4: 4, Concordant New Testament 

Ove the past few years, a group of my friends and I have spoken phrases which, in the day of Jesus, might have been seen as blasphemy.  Words such as "Be Jesus" and "Live as Jesus."  What blasphemy is this?  But, like Jesus who has been persecuted for speaking the truth of His own identity, so it is with me.  For I speak the truth of my identity as well.  I speak to my identity as being created in the likeness of the Father {Genesis 1:27}.  I speak to the truth of my union IN Christ and the Father {Johns Account 14:20}.  If for these words I am accused of blasphemy by those who do not know the truth of Jesus, then so be it.  While I do not expect stones to be heaved my way, I fully expect to be criticized at some point for my belief in my own identity in Christ Jesus.  This is one of the rifts within Christianity today, and why the truth of Jesus is rarely spoken to.  Yet there is freedom in knowing who we are in Christ.  We are free in the revelation that we are in Him.  That we did not choose Jesus, but that the Father chose us {Johns Account 15:16}.  The world may see me as simply a man speaking to knowing Christ, but that's not who I am.  Who I am...is Jesus.  

~Scott~ 

The Choice

 

Not you choose Me, but I choose you, and I appoint you, that you may be going away and be bringing forth much fruit, and your fruit may be remaining, that anything whichsoever you should be requesting the Father in My name, He will be giving it to you.  

Johns Account 15: 16, Concordant New Testament  

It's been said that there are consequences with the choices that we make in life, and I agree.  In fact, there are those in the Christian community who have confused the consequences for the choices which we make for the anger of God.  That our lives will be in turmoil because God is somehow angry with us.  No, for there are consequences for each and every choice that we make.  If we fall into financial difficulty after making a habit of visiting strip clubs, it's not God is somehow teaching us a lesson, we simply made the wrong choice in the first place.  It's that simple.  But I was thinking this week that our own life in Christ is a direct result of another choice.  The choice which Jesus made when He chose each of us unto Himself {Johns Account 15:16}.  Too many Christians will toss around the phrase that they somehow "Chose Jesus."  No, Jesus CHOSE YOU before the world was formed.  It is well known that we are created in the likeness of the Father {Genesis 1:27}.  Therefore, He has been a part of us from the beginning.  We have been predestined as sons of God through Christ Jesus {Paul to the Ephesians 1:5}.  So, if indeed there are consequences to the choices that we make, what are the consequences for God for having chosen us?  Well, first and foremost, we are to live in union with Jesus and the Father {Johns Account 14:20}.  As a result of the Father choosing us unto Himself, we now live IN HIM {Paul to the Galatians 2:20}.  Gods intent for us was never to live in separation from Him, as was the lie spoken by Satan in the garden.  From the beginning we have been meant for a relationship with the Father through Christ Jesus.  This is the consequence of the choice which Jesus made when He called us unto Himself.  We will never choose Jesus, He has already chosen us.  

According as He chooses us in Him before the disruption of the world, we to be holy and flawless in His sight.

Paul to the Ephesians 1: 4, Concordant New Testament 

Another consequence of our being chosen by the Father is that we no longer live in sin.  If you have ever wondered how God sees you, just read the words of the apostle Paul in Ephesians.  Paul has proclaimed that God chose us from the beginning that we would be holy and flawless IN HIS SIGHT {Paul to the Ephesians 1:4}.  Paul also tells us that through Jesus we are to no longer "Slaving for sin" {Paul to the Romans 6:6}.  Therefore, despite the choices which each and every one of us make in life, God is never angry with us.  God never allows His anger to run over into our lives.  For God has CHOSEN to reveal unto us His one true nature, which is His love {First Epistle of John 4:8}.  It is His love in which we now live in union with Him.  Growing up in the mainstream church, this would have been a foreign concept to me.  For I lived in fear of angering God with the choices I made.  Nevertheless, each time I made the wrong choice, I simply blamed the consequences of my choices on the anger of a God who loved me.  But this is what I had been taught that God was like.  I thank the Father that my eyes have now been opened to His true nature.  That He does not look upon me with a disapproving eye, but with a love I am only now beginning to understand.  This is His choice for me.  

"Religion has actually convinced people that there's an invisible man living in the sky watching everything you do, every minute of every day.  And the invisible man has a special list of ten things He does not want you to do.  And if you do any of these ten things, he has a special place, full of fire and smoke and burning and torture and anguish, where He will send you to live and suffer and burn and choke and scream and cry forever and ever until the end of time!  But He loves you."

~George Carlin~ 

~Scott~ 

Traditional Jesus

 

Who rouses Him from among the dead, you also being dead to the offenses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He vivifies us together jointly with Him, dealing graciously with all our offenses, erasing the handwriting of the decrees against us, which was hostile to us, and has taken it away out of the midst, nailing it to the cross. 

Paul to the Colossians 2: 13-14, Concordant New Testament 

For many, this is the Lords day.  That day each week where we supposedly all gather together to worship in our local Lords house.  Pews will be filled with believers who feel it is their duty to God to come together with their brethren to worship the Lord.  Yet, you won't find me there.  Granted, I still consider myself to be a believer, I just have not participated in the traditional institutional church in more than a few years.  I do have good friends who continue to gather in church for their own reasons, and I respect them for that.  It's just not for me.  In my younger years, I felt the tug of compulsion to fill my seat in the church each week, but not so much in recent years.  The writer of Hebrews calls on believers to "Not forsake the assembling of ourselves" {To the Hebrews 10:25}.  Many well meaning pastors point to this passage as the evidence that our participation in weekly worship is mandatory.  Not for me.  For the author of Hebrews did not come outright and issue the command of the Lord that all gather together in worship.  Yet it is claimed it is "According as the custom of some."  There will be those who gather in worship and those who choose not to.  This is not the identifier of a believer.  What is the identifier of a believer and follower of Jesus is knowing that our life is no longer our own, but belongs to Him.  The apostle Paul points this out as he speaks of the indwelling Christ in us {Paul to the Galatians 2:20}.  Therefore, I see two different versions of Jesus in the world today, the traditional church version and the authentic Christ Whom God desires all of His children to know.  The traditional Jesus is a Savior Who dwells in heaven, far removed from the Lords children here on earth.  The mainstream church speaks to this in the claim that we can only ever hope to "Be like" Jesus.  In reality, the true authentic Jesus is a Lord and savior Who has always been an intimate part of our life {Johns Account 1:1-5}.  Jesus was in the beginning and He is today.  This is the One true Christ.  

In this we know that we are remaining in Him, and He in us, for He has given us His spirit. 

First Epistle of John 4: 13, Concordant New Testament 

One of my favorite scenes from The Chosen series is the scene of Jesus and the woman at the well drawing water.  This woman, a Samaritan, seemed shocked that this Jew would request a drink from her.  By Jewish tradition, Samaritans were not allowed to worship in the presence of Jews.  Yet Jesus explains that the time is coming when neither "In this mountain nor in Jerusalem shall you be worshipping the Father" {Johns Account 4:21}.  He then reveals to this Samaritan woman the worship which the Father desires, "When the true worshippers will be worshipping the Father in spirit and truth" {Johns Account 4:23}.  I can definitely see the correlation between this woman at the well and so many worshippers in our churches of today.  We've been told that coming together in church is the acceptable measure of worship of God.  Yet Jesus Himself has proclaimed that it's not about temples or traditions at all.  True worship of the Father is about spirit and truth.  I can honestly say that even though I am not in church this Sunday, that I am indeed in worship to the Father.  I know that I live in union with Him {Johns Account 14:20}.  I do not follow the traditional church model of "Authentic" worship.  No, I follow my heart for Him.  

But coming is the hour, and now is, when the true worshippers will be worshipping the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is also seeking such to be worshipping Him. 

Johns Account 4: 23, Concordant New Testament 

~Scott~