The Good Of The Father (Through His Eyes)

 

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 

Around the world, people spend, on the average, about 43.77 billion dollars on self improvement.  Here in the U.S. that total is around 13.4 billion annually.  In the eyes of most people, how the world sees them matters a great deal.  I've recently seen this trend through two different perspectives.  First, I have a friend who makes his living as a motivational speaker.  His income is based upon how many people he can get to listen to his confidence building seminars.  My friend is a believer and loves the Lord, but he spends his time instructing his clients how to improve their image in the eyes of the world.  On the other hand, I have a coworker who has recently been through a difficult break up with a former boyfriend.  So much so, that she has somehow based her importance and worth into the opinion of another.  Again, she is not a believer, which might explain how she now sees herself.  Does anyone see anything wrong with these two scenarios?  Now, I admit that I have also struggled with the image of who the world proclaimed that I am.  However, it was not until I was deep into my own fitness journey that I began to realize through the Fathers revelation just who it is that I am.  Of course, the image which God has of me is in no way who the world around me claims that I am.  The apostle John speaks to the truth of this as he explains why it is that those in the world refuse to know the truth of who we are {First Epistle of John 3:1}.  As John proclaims, the world has not seen us as we truly are because it has not known the Father.  For if they had known the Father, they quite possibly would see us for who it is we are.  Now, I have also been guilty myself for not looking upon those around me as the Father sees them.  I believe that this issue is not one based strictly on non believers.  As I said, it was a good number of years before I even realized how it is that the Father saw me.  Yes, I grew up knowing OF  God, but I did not truly know Him.  Had I known Him for who He is, I might have saved myself more than a bit of personal struggles with my own identity.  For through the eyes of the Father I am seen as a son. 

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

First Epistle of John 3: 2, Concordant New Testament 

Just as I had not known the truth of the Father for many years, so it was for the reality of Christ Jesus.  For it was not until the revelation of the Father of His Son in me that I began to know and see Jesus for who He really is.  One of the first scriptures which pointed this out for me were the words of the apostle Paul as he described the truth of Christ Jesus in him {Paul to the Galatians 2:20}.  In the words of Paul, the man they saw each and every day was based upon the false image spoken by the deceiver in the garden {Genesis 3:1-6}.  For instead of revealing to Adam and Eve who they really were in their creator, he instead told them of how they could "Be like God" were they to eat of the forbidden fruit.  Satan reminded them not of who they really were, but of who HE claimed that they could be.  I contend that if Adam and Eve knew the truth of who it is they were in the Father, Satan's plot would have failed.  Yet, having never been faced with the opposite of their identity, Gods creation knew not of who they really were.  In the case of my friends, I believe that their own idea of who it is that they are has been fostered in their imaginations.  In essence, the truth of the Father has not been revealed to them.  Therefore, they have not known themselves as He does.  They have not seen themselves through the Fathers eyes.  As I struggled with my own identity issues in the past, I never once looked at myself as the Father saw me.  Not as an imperfect sinner scorned by many in the world, but as a child of God.  Sadly for many around me, they continue to live in the imaginary reality that their worth is determined by the world around them.  Their eyes have yet to be opened.  When the Father is finally revealed in them, they will see Him, and themselves, as they truly are.  

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 

Paul to the Galatians 2: 20, Concordant New Testament 

~Scott~ 

The Good Of The Father (As One Of Us)

 

Then Yahweh Elohim said: Behold, man has become like one of Us in knowing good and evil.  Now lest he should stretch out his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat and live for the eon.  So Yahweh Elohim sent him out of the garden of Eden to serve the ground from where he was taken.  

Genesis 3: 22-23, Concordant New Testament 

The prevailing wisdom of Christianity tells us that Adam and Eve were evicted from the garden of Eden because they had partaken from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, which the Lord had commanded them not to {Genesis 2:17}.  Yet this is but part of the truth of the fall of man in the garden.  Yes, Eve was convinced by the deceiver to take of the forbidden fruit, and she then convinced her husband who was with her and he ate of the tree also {Genesis 3:6}.  Christian theology stops at this point and laments the consequences of "The fall."  Granted, the actions of Adam and Eve went against what the Lord had commanded them, and upon taking of the fruit they knew they had screwed up {Genesis 3:7}.  Something happened in that instant in which man took of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.  In that  moment, he knew that what he had done was wrong.  In that moment, he knew that he had gone against what the Father had commanded.  Yet this was but a consequence of his actions.  See, there is a reason that God had commanded His creation not to take of that tree.  For in doing so, man would be faced with the knowledge which had been reserved for the Father alone.  Think about it, how much better are our lives knowing and living in the knowledge of good and evil?  Well, I would suggest that living in this knowledge prevents us from living in the love of the Father.  For when we think of good and evil we immediately think of rewards and punishment.  A good friend mentioned the other day that man cannot know how to operate in the good vs evil paradox, and I would agree.  When we live in the knowing of good and evil, we place ourselves alongside God in the judgement of it.  Think I'm wrong?  Consider our system of rules and laws which we continue to hold people accountable for.  Now, ask yourself, who would you rather have as a judge, God or man?  Remember that with God there is no favoritism, emotions or grudges.  Can anyone say the same about human judges?  So it is that living in the knowledge of good and evil takes away from our life in the love of the Father.  

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" {Issaiah 45:5} 

Norman Grubb ~ No Independent Self 

One of the false assumptions made by Adam and Eve in the garden was the deceivers suggestion that they could "Become like Elohim, knowing good and evil {Genesis 3:5}.  In reality, man was already like God, having been created in His likeness {Genesis 1:27}.  However, since he had yet been presented with an opposite to his one true identity, Adam knew not that truth.  The deceiver, perhaps perceiving this, set about to drive a wedge between God and His creation.  Satan knew that he could not physically separate man from God, so he did the next best thing.  He twisted the truth in a way which enticed Adam and Eve to believe in the lie that they could be like God.  Again, Adam could not have known the truth that mankind was already like God.  The result of Satan's deception is that mankind continues to have the imaginary belief that we have been separated from God.  For their part, the mainstream church continues to proclaim this imaginary lie spoken by the deceiver.  So it is that mankind continues to live in the knowledge best reserved for the Father.  How often have you wondered about living in the Fathers love, yet were keenly aware of the wrong things you had done?  This is how I was raised in the theology of the church.  A loving God who rewarded good and punished evil.  I had never taken of that forbidden fruit, but I suffered the consequences all the same.  To live in the love of the Father is to drop our knowing of good and evil into the arms of God where it rightfully belongs.  Ours is not to judge evil nor to reward good.  We live in unity with the Father, we don't function in the same way beside Him {Johns Account 14:20}.  Trust me when I say that there's a difference.  Living in the Father means leaving everything unto Him.  

Religion has actually convinced people that there is a 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~ 

The Good Of The Father (No Hell, No Hand Basket)

 

Not for works which are wrought in righteousness which we do, but according to His mercy, He saves us, through the bath of renascence and renewal of the holy spirit, which He pours out on us richly through Jesus Christ, our Savior 

Titus 3: 5-6, Concordant New Testament 

One of the greatest scams in history has been perpetrated by those in the mainstream church.  It is within these walls that many a church leader has professed the theology that man is either saved or condemned.  Growing up, I recall the sermons based on the fear that if I didn't know God, that a lake of fire and torment awaited me upon my death.  This was enough to convince me to proclaim that I was a believer.  I didn't want to burn for eternity.  So, if my only option to avoid such a fate was to profess God, then I would be the first in line to do so!  Sadly, this continues to be the scam spoken by the mainstream church even today.  There is good and evil, good is rewarded and evil is punished.  The first time that I realized that there might be something more to this was when I was reading through the writings of the Author J Preston Eby.  In his Kingdom series, Eby poses the question if God simply has power over our lives, or if He also, as being all in all, has power over our afterlife as well.  We speak too often of God banishing those who do wickedness into hell.  Yet what we should be preaching is that it is the Father who desires that ALL will be saved {Johns Account 3:16-17}.  If we believe that the Father is all in all, then we must also believe that He has NO limitations.  Therefore, if God desires the wicked among us to be saved after their demise, then it is within His power to do so.  But will He?  I have done some deep pondering on the concept of good and evil and I've come away with the opinion that evil is simply our own misunderstanding of who it is that we truly are.  That's right, wickedness is a mental issue and not a spiritual condition.  Did men like Adolf Hitler know who they were in the Father?  Probably not.  Therefore, they acted out of the belief that they themselves controlled their lives.  This is the false narrative spoken by the deceiver unto Adam and Eve in the garden {Genesis 3:1-7}.  It is Satan who put forth the false idea that we were our own separate individuals, separate from God.  It is the mainstream church which has taken that thinking and ran with it.  

Religion has actually convinced people that there is a 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 

Knowing what I know of the Father now, I will never believe that His arms are so short that He cannot reach beyond the bonds of life as we know it in order to save one of His children.  In the film Come Sunday, the preacher Carlton Pearson is ostracized from the church he has been leading for refusing to acknowledge that there is indeed a hell.  Pearson got it!  In one of the scenes of the film, he inquires of those assembled to decide his fate, "If you could save your own father from hell, wouldn't you?"  I tend to look upon this issue from the Fathers perspective.  Is it not God who has created us in his likeness {Genesis 1:27}?  Has He not breathed into ALL men His breath of life{Genesis 2:7}?  Why, then, is it spoken to millions of believers that God would forsake them when we die?  Is the Fathers love that conditional?  I would say no.  As my mother lay in the hospital in the final days of her life, I spent many hours with her reading scriptures and singing hymns with her.  In my own heart, I knew that she loved the Lord, but I was hedging my bets that God would remember her when she passed.  This was how I was taught things were!  I did not want anything to get in the way of her salvation.  The truth is, her name was already written in the book of the lamb.  God had already secured for her a place in His presence.  I did not realize this truth until after she had passed.  The love of the Father does not deal with fear.  It is His desire that all of His children come to know Him.  His love is deep enough that He will save all of His creation.  

~Scott~ 

The Good Of The Father (Loves Gift)

 He who is not loving knew not God, for God is love 

First Epistle of John 4: 8, Concordant New Testament 

Around the world, people will celebrate this Christmas day.  The tradition will be that we will gather to exchange gifts with each other, which has been the custom for hundreds of years.  If you were new to this society, you might think that this time of year is more about buying gifts than anything else.  Yet all of the gifts which we have ever been given could never equal the one gift which was given to us from the love of our heavenly Father.  This gift was presented to us thousands of years ago in the form of a newborn infant.  In the city of Bethlehem in the nation of Judea, God presented to us His only Son.  Of course, those who gathered to celebrate the birth of this child had no idea of the importance of this event.  How God, out of His never ending love for His children, had commissioned His Son to be the sacrifice for that which we have done wrong.  So it is that Christ Jesus, born in humility, gave of Himself for the sins of the Fathers creation {Paul to the Corinthians (2) 5:21}.  It is Jesus who has proclaimed that a greater love has no one, that he may be laying down his soul for his friends {Johns Account 15:13}.  What love has Jesus for us, that He would lay His own life aside for Gods children?  That He would bear that punishment surely meant for ourselves.  For this is the gift of love which the Father has given to us.  Not only for the believer, but for all mankind.  So it is that all of Gods creation may be saved through Christ Jesus {Johns Account 3:16-17}.  This birth of Jesus is not simply the greatest story ever told, but the greatest gift ever given.  

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

First Epistle of John 4: 16, Concordant New Testament 

I have found that many folks bristle whenever I mention the prospect of universal salvation.  The belief that God will ultimately provide for the salvation of all of His creation.  They point to the belief that all who do wrong must be punished and those who follow God will be rewarded.  I love the Chosen series, and there is a beautiful scene within it that illustrates how the Father and Jesus see good and evil.  As Jesus sits teaching the local children, one of them relates to His of a spat which he had with another boy.  Jesus asks the child, "Well what did you do?"  The boy replies that he pushed the other child as hard as he could.  Jesus smiles and proclaims, "And that is why you were punished."  Jesus then explains to the children of someone else who loves justice...as He smiles and points to the heavens.  Indeed, it is the Father who is the ultimate judge of all.  For man to squabble over who should be and not be saved is not our fight, but Gods.  The author J Preston Eby, in his Kingdom series, explains that our judgement has already occurred.  We have been found guilty {Paul to the Romans 3:23}.  However, through the love which He has for us, God dispatched His Son to pay the penalty for what we have done.  What love has no one, that He be laying down His soul for His friends?  So, that concept of universal salvation isn't as blasphemous as you might believe.  The gift of love which the Father has provided each of us declares us free of sin.  However, like someone ignoring a gift left under the Christmas tree, there may be some who refuse to accept the gift given out of the love of the Father.  This in no way means that they will be forgotten.  For it is the desire of the Father that all be saved.  

~Scott~ 

The Good Of The Father (Who Is This Jesus?)

 He is saying to them, "Now you, who are you saying that I am?"  Now answering, Simon Peter said, "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God."  Now, answering, Jesus said to him, "Happy are you Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood does not reveal it to you, but My Father who is in the heavens" 

Matthews Account 16: 15-17, Concordant New Testament 

Every year around this time I began to hear differing ideas of the identity of Jesus.  Some people say that He was one of the greatest peace makers known to man, and they would be correct in saying so.  Still others focus on the attributes of Jesus, such as His kindness, love and mercy.  Again, they are correct in describing Him.  But perhaps it is the disciple Simon Peter who said it best.  Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God {Matthews Account 16:16}.  Yet even Simon may have not been aware of the one true identity of Jesus.  For, as Jesus once told His own disciples, "I and the Father, We are one" {Johns Account 10:30}.  So it is that the infant in the manger which we celebrate each and every Christmas season is nothing more than the Father returning to be among His children once again.  This is who Jesus truly is.  As He has proclaimed, He does only what He sees the Father doing {Johns Account 5:19}.  I believe that the true reason for the season is that the Father has once again restored that relationship which was lost in the garden {Genesis 3:22-24}.  Through this infant lying in a manger, the Father will once again move among His children.  As Jesus grows, the Father will experience that relationship which was once lost.  As the angel has spoken to Joseph, "And they shall be calling His name 'Emmanuel' "Which is, being construed, God with us" {Mattews Account 1:23}.  When we look upon Jesus, we see the Father.  Yes, it is Christ Jesus who has given Himself for all {Paul to the Corinthians (2) 5:21}.  Yet it is also the Father who lives through Him.  This is Jesus.  

"I and the Father, We are one" 

Johns Account 10:30, Concordant New Testament 

Whenever someone asks me who it is that I think Jesus is, I ask them to look in the nearest mirror.  Usually I get blank stares in response to this reply.  So it is that too many so called believers are unaware of their true identity in the Father and Son.  As Jesus has proclaimed, we live today in union with He and the Father {Johns Account 14:20}.  However, many Christians are barred from seeing this truth due to the traditional teachings of the mainstream church.  Instead, we're taught that there has been a separation between God and His creation due to mans disobedience in the garden.  As the Author J Preston Eby has written, our judgement has come and gone!  We have been found guilty and redeemed by Jesus giving Himself willingly to the cross.  Therefore, there is absolutely NOTHING which prevents Gods children from being in his presence.  Through Christ, we have now been deemed spotless in the eyes of our heavenly Father.  If you were to ask the Father for forgiveness of your sin, He may reply to you, "What sin, my child?"  So it is that one of the basic fundamentals of Christian theology has been ignored.  That being the sacrifice of Christ Jesus for the sin of all mankind.  Jesus did not simply give himself for those sins of our past, but for our present and future as well.  As the apostle Paul proclaims, Jesus has died to sin once for all time {Paul to the Romans 6:10}.  That's it, He gave Himself once for the iniquities of all mankind.  Therefore, I propose that we rethink what we see as the reason for the season.  For the angels of the Lord have proclaimed the return of the Father to be among His children once again. 

And Lo!  A messenger of the Lord stood by them, and the glory of God shines about them, and they were afraid with a great fear.  And the messenger said to them, "Fear not, for Lo! I am bringing you an evangel of great joy which will be for the entire people, for today was brought forth to you a Saviour, Who is Christ, the Lord" 

Lukes Account 2: 9-11, Concordant New Testament 

~Scott~ 

The Good Of The Father (Something Happened On The Way To The Cross)

 

Then Yahweh Elohim took the human and settled him in the garden of Eden to serve it and to keep it 

Genesis 2: 15, Concordant old Testament  

Anyone who has read the beginning of the scriptures knows exactly what happened after the Lord completed His creation.  Mankind found a way to screw things up.  In what has been known in Christian circles as "The fall," man disobeyed the creator and fell for the lie of the deceiver.  That lie was that man could "Be like God" {Genesis 3:5}.  Of course, Adam could not have known at that time that he was created in the very image of the Father {Genesis 1:27}.  In reality, Adam was already like God.  He shared in all that the Father is.  For when we're told that we are created in the likeness of God, we can be assured that we share in all that He is.  Not only was Adam created in the Fathers likeness, it is God who breathed into His creation the breath of life {Genesis 2:7}.  It is God who took from Adam to create a "Helper comparable to him" {Genesis 2:18}.  So it is that we have Adam, created in the likeness of the Father.  Then there is Eve, created from Adam but still carrying the Fathers likeness for herself.  We can assume that this first couple lived and thrived for a brief time in the Lords creation.  That they lived daily in the presence of the Father.  How is it that we know this?  Well, after Adam and Eve took of the forbidden fruit, the Lord came calling.  It's here where we learn that, upon hearing the voice of the Lord, Adam answered that "I heard your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself" {Genesis 3:10}.  Take note, because this is the fracture point in Adam and Eve's relationship with God which they shared prior to their believing in the lie of the deceiver.  This is what is known as the fall.  Where mankind, lost in sin, was banished from the garden.  This is the moment which set up the coming of Christ Jesus and the restoration of that relationship which God once shared with His creation.  

"Lo!  The virgin shall be pregnant And shall be bringing forth a Son, And they shall be calling His name 'Emmanuel', "which is, being construed, "God with us," 

Matthews Account 1:23, Concordant New Testament 

For much of the Christmas season, believers all across the world will gather to celebrate the birth of Jesus the Savior.  The belief is that Christ was commissioned solely for the forgiveness of the sin of Gods creation.  I beg to differ.  One of the key moments in the history of the birth of Jesus comes as Joseph is visited by the angel of the Lord to announce to him the coming birth of his son.  The angel proclaims that "They shall be calling His name Emmanuel, which is, being construed, "God with us" {Matthews Account 1:23}.  Now, think back to the final days of man's time in the garden of Eden, how his own relationship with the Lord had been fractured due to his disobedience towards God.  Now, as the birth of the coming savior is announced, we're told that this child will be "God with us."  Yes, the child will save His people from their sins, but He will also restore that relationship which God once shared with His creation.  It is the Father Who, through Jesus, will once again be in relationship with His creation.  It is the Father, through Jesus, who will interact each day with His chosen disciples.  It is the Father who, through Jesus, will once again share in the day to day lives of His creation.  As we read of Jesus interacting with those around Him, remember that this is the Father living through the Son.  This is the union which Jesus speaks of related by the apostle John {Johns Account 14:20}.  Jesus in the Father, we are in Christ and Christ in us.  This is what happened on the way to the cross.  

In that day you shall know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you.

Johns Account 14: 20, Concordant New Testament 

~Scott~ 

The Good Of The Father (God Among Us)

 All the people were discerning the thunderclaps and the torches and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking.  And the people saw and roved about and stood afar.  They said to Moses: Speak with us that we may hear; yet Elohim must not speak with us lest we die

Exodus 20: 18-19, Concordant Old Testament 

The people of Israel had just witnessed the glory of the presence of the Lord, and they wanted nothing at all to do with it.  Instead of taking the opportunity to commune in the presence of their God, these Israelites cowered in fear at the sight before them.  I cannot speak for everyone, but I believe that this is the very same mentality today which prevents Gods children from recognizing that they live in the presence of the Lord today {Johns Account 14:20}.  It's the mentality which Satan spoke to Eve in the garden {Genesis 3:1-6}.  The belief that they were separated from the God Who created them.  This belief is stressed to this day in the teachings of the mainstream church.  The Lord is holy, and we are but sinners.  That the only way that we can approach the Father is through Jesus.  While it is true that Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life, it is also true that we live each day in the presence of the Father {Johns Account 14:6}.  Yet far too many believers live their lives like those Israelites of old, in fear of God.  I recently had a discussion with a good friend of mine who reminded me that the relationship which the Father once shared with His creation in the garden had been broken when they partook of the forbidden fruit.  When God called out to Adam in the garden, he responded that he had heard His call but that he was afraid as he was naked {Genesis 3:10}.  This is a far cry from the time before he partook of the fruit, as Adam and Eve walked in the garden and were not ashamed {Genesis 2:25}.  Obviously, something happened between that point and his taking of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.  So it is that we have been sold on the narrative that God is holy and that we ourselves are soiled with sin and unable to be in His presence.  

Lo!  The virgin shall be pregnant And shall be bringing forth a Son, and they shall be calling His name "Emmanuel," which is, being construed, "God with us." 

Matthews Account 1: 23, Concordant New Testament 

In a few short days, churches around the world will gather to celebrate the birth of Christ Jesus once again.  They will glory in His immaculate conception and humble beginnings.  For He is the savior which the prophet Issaiah proclaimed {Issaiah 7:14}.  The telling of His birth proclaims that "He shall be saving His people from their sins" {Matthews Account 1:21}.  Consider theses two prophesies concerning the birth of Jesus for a moment: "They shall call His name Emmanuel," which is, being construed, "God with us" {Matthews Account 1:23}.  Also, "You shall be calling His name Jesus, for He shall be saving His people from their sins" {Matthews Account 1:21}.  Saving Gods people from their sins, God with us?  This sounds to me as if the Father is restoring that relationship He once had with His creation.  Through Christ Jesus, God would once again walk among His children.  There is no mention of sin in this new relationship, as Jesus became put that to death at the cross {Paul to the Corinthians (2) 5:21}.  Yet, before Jesus even was nailed to that cross, the Father interacted with His creation through Him.  Jesus proclaimed that He and the Father were one {Johns Account 10:30}.  It is the Father who walked the streets of Jerusalem speaking to all who would listen.  It is the Father who performed the miracles for which Jesus is given credit.  This was God once again in relationship with his children.  This is God among us.  As we once again celebrate another Christmas season, we do well to recognize the true reason for the season.  That being our restored relationship with the Father.  

~Scott~  

The Good Of The Father (Not Into Temptation)

 

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: 15, Concordant New Testament 

Not long ago a friend sent me the link to a story of a self professed Christian only fans model internet influencer.  It seems that internet sensation Sophie Rain has caused quite a stir among Christian circles by proudly proclaiming that "God put me here for a reason."  Now, let's set the stage for this story shall we.  Sophie Rain is a internet lingerie model who claims that her profession has been allowed by the Father.  Now, I could be on board with her statement, if that was as far as it went.  For I believe that God, being all in all, is ultimately responsible for everything which we will ever experience in our lives.  So, for Miss Rain to boldly claim that God put her in her position for a reason is a true statement.  However, many traditional mainstream church believers don't see it that way.  They look upon Sophie Rain as living a life in sin.  These same believers who claim to understand why Jesus forgave the woman caught in adultery in the same breath condemn this internet influencer for her apparent sin.  I get it.  It sems that sin continues to be a major issue in the minds of many church goers.  Despite the fact that, as the apostle Paul proclaims, we shall now consider ourselves "Dead, indeed, to sin" {Paul to the Romans 6:11}.  Despite the fact that Christ Jesus has given Himself as a sacrifice for our former life {Paul to the Corinthians(2) 5:21}.  Knowing this, what we're left with is why in the world would the Father allow miss Sophie Rain to prosper in her current vocation?  If God has put in this position for a reason, what is that reason?  Well, I look at her chosen path and ask myself, what is Sophie doing to introduce the Father to the world?  How is baring her barely naked body for millions to see helping the Fathers children to know Him?  Because, as I believe, this is the desire of the Father.  That His children would know him.  How is gazing at the body of a self professed Christian internet influencer helping anyone know the Father?      THAT is the question which needs to be asked.  

Now each one is undergoing trial when he is drawn away and lured by his own desire

James to the Twelve Tribes 1: 14, Concordant New Testament 

Using the same logic spoken by Sophie rain, the nude dancers I once indulged in watching were placed in their position by God.  Again, I agree with that premise.  But why was I drawn to these women?  I can think of only one reason, and that was to fulfill my own desires.  I admit that.  However, in the same way that the Father allowed me to indulge in my own desires, He also called me back unto Himself one night at a strip club.  It was in that moment that I realized that this life was no longer for me.  That my own desires were not as important as the Fathers desire for me.  I see the outrage against this internet sensation as coming from those who are steeped in man made religious beliefs.  Obviously, Sophie seems to be a believer from her proclamation that the Lord has put her in her position for a reason.  What she needs to focus on now is what that reason is.  What is the Fathers desire for His daughter?  Again, I believe that the answer to this question lies within the Fathers desire to be known by His creation.  Will there be those gliding through the internet who come across Sophies pictures and began to wonder what it is that God intends for their lives?  That would be God working His will through His daughter.  Perhaps that is the reason why Sophie Rain is in the position that she is, to draw others unto God.  One thing is for certain, the Father does not always bring His children unto Him by conventional methods.  My own journey professes to that truth.  

~Scott~ 

The Good Of The Father (Loves Choice)

 

He who is not loving knew not God, for God is love 

First Epistle of John 4: 8, Concordant New Testament 

How is it that you see God?  Do you see Him through His one true nature, or do you see Him through someone else's narrative of how He is?  Over time, I have learned to see the Father as He truly is, in love {First Epistle of John 4:8}.  For it is through love that the Father makes each and every decision.  It is through love that He spoke the universe into being {Genesis 1:1}.  It is through love that He is pleased with His creation {Genesis 1:18}.  It is through His love that, despite our sins, He dispatched His Son to die on the cross in our place {Johns Account 3:16-17}.  All which God does, He does out of His love for us.  Of course, there are times where we look upon our situations and wonder how in the world that God could be exercising His love in our lives.  I wondered that question after my mother passed.  For some time, my prayers had been that God would heal her and ease her pain.  Well, the Father did ease her pain, just not in the way that I expected Him to work.  The traditional church narrative is that God bases His decisions on a scale of good and evil.  If we're good in our Christian life, God will have favor upon us.  However, if we feel that our sin has become a barrier to the Lord, then He will deal with us appropriately.  The good is rewarded while the wicked is punished.  Seems pretty straight forward, right?  Except for one thing, God has already dealt with us.  That's right, the Father has already judged us, which is the reason that Jesus became sin in our place on that cross {Paul to the Corinthians (2) 5:21}.  Through the love of the Father, we have been justified through the love of Christ Jesus.  God no longer looks upon us as guilty, but as His loved children {First Epistle of John 3:1}.  In fact, if you were to come to the Father with the intent of confessing your sin, His response would very well be "What sin, My child?"  Indeed, this is now how the Father looks upon His children.  Through His love.  

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

First Epistle of John 4: 16, Concordant New Testament 

So, what if you have never seen God in the way He truly is?  What if through your experiences of teachings you have a different view of the Father?  I've been in that crowd before.  My view of the Lord was based upon the good versus evil narrative.  While it is true that the Father indeed has the same anger as we experience, it is through His love that God CHOOSES to relate of His creation through love.  That's right, God chooses to be the love which He is.  That can be a comforting thought the next time we feel as if the Lord is upset or angry with us.  For the Father never does anything without love.  A good friend made the comment to me the other day.  What would have happened to the world had God decided not to manage His desires through love?  Well, I'm not sure that there would be anyone left alive on earth.  Yet, through His love, the Father has dealt with His creation not only justly but with love as well.  As I mentioned, it is only through the love of the Father that we are alive in Him {Johns Account 14:20}.  While we were yet sinners, the Father chose to see us through His love {Paul to the Romans 5:8}.  This is the love of the Father.  This is His one true nature.  

~Scott~ 

The Good Of The Father (Love And Lies)

 

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 

First Epistle of John 2: 16, Concordant New Testament 

A lot of this weeks discussion amongst our group has been on that physical relationship between a man and a woman.  Now, this is something which I have definitely dealt with in my own past.  I have even come across a few believers who boldly claim that the Father meant for His children to indulge in their  physical relationships.  While this is obviously true in the marriage relationship, I believe that it certainly isn't to be had in those outside of marriage.  For there is plenty of scripture evidence which one could point to which speaks to the Lords plan for these relationships {Matthews Account 5:28, Paul to the Corinthians (1) 6:13}.  In most Christian circles, it has been understood that the physical relationship between man and woman has been ordained for marriage.  But even believers fall short in this area, I did.  But let's go a bit deeper down that rabbit hole and speak not to sex, but to our own THOUGHTS of it.  Jesus Himself has warned us of the dangers of gazing upon a woman with the sexual intentions {Matthews Account 5:28}.  This is not love.  This was the beginning of our discussion this week.  How are we supposed to cast eyes upon a woman we find so very attractive?  Well, I would say that we should check ourselves when it comes to our intentions.  What is it that we are hoping to gain from a relationship with her?  If our thoughts are for physical enjoyment, then I would suggest that we're on the wrong path.  However, if we are gazing upon her and the beauty which the Father has created, then I do not see an issue with that.  As I've mentioned, my own past has been littered with thoughts of women which the Father I'm sure would definitely not approve.  You don't sit in a strip club and look upon women to admire the Lords creation.  That being said, it has taken me quite some time to renew my mind in this area through the revelation of the Father.  To realize that the women I encounter are not there simply for my own enjoyment.  Sadly, modern culture has labeled sexual intimacy in all forms as love.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  Women are, as we are, a child of God.  I don't hold a monopoly on living in the love of the Father.  For we were all created in the Fathers likeness {Genesis 1:27}.  Indeed, how is it that the Father would look upon our thoughts of intimacy with one of His daughters?  That more than anything should be a reason not to indulge in such things.  

Flee from prostitution.  The penalty of every sin, whatsoever a man should be doing, is outside of the body, yet he who is committing prostitution is sinning against his own body

Paul to the Corinthians 6: 18, Concordant New Testament 

Back in the day, it was the threat of sexually transmitted diseases which made many people stop and consider their actions before engaging in a physical relationship.  Yet through the progress of medical technology and the lies of the mainstream media, many today consider these risks to be minimal.  It is no secret that our modern society celebrates those who engage in such relationships.  All someone needs to do is look at popular movies and television to see that in action.  But the apostle John warns us of that which is in the world {First Epistle of John 2:16}.  With that I agree.  Now for the kicker.  Is it not God Who has not only created us in His own likeness, but also with the thoughts and desires which we experience?  Yes!  But, knowing this, how is it that we utilize those thoughts and desires?  Do we utilize them in order to gain pleasure for ourselves only?  Because that is the very definition of selfishness.  To be so self centered that our only thought is for our immediate pleasure.  Well, that is what lust is!  To look upon a Father created individual with only thoughts of how it is she could please us.  Like I've said, I've been there.  It doesn't take long before we no longer see a woman as being God created, but simply someone simply there for our own enjoyment.  This is what we have seen in our modern culture.  Sadly, many believers have become involved in these thoughts of the world as well.  The news is filled with stories of Christian pastors who have fallen into sexual immorality.  It is indeed a equal opportunity destroyer.  Do I wish that I never would have engaged in such behaviors?  Yes.  But I also am thankful for the revelation of the Father for showing me His true intentions for the desires He has created within me.  

~Scott~ 

The Good Of The Father (Daddy)

 

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

Johns Account 17: 3, Concordant New Testament 

The first time I ever heard God referred to as "Daddy" was while I still walking the halls of the mainstream church.  A few of my friends had taken to affectionately calling God their Daddy.  I'm guessing out of respect or from genuine heart-felt admiration.  Whatever the reason, whenever I tried to look upon the Lord in that way I couldn't do it without a mixture of emotions.  See, calling God daddy brought back years old memories of my own father who had never been a part of my life.  I would transfer all of the ways that my dad had let me down upon my heavenly Father.  In this way, I was unable to speak of the Lord in loving, relational terms.  I a lot of ways, God had responded to me just like my dad had for so many years.  When I prayed, He would seemingly listen but then once again turn His back to me.  My relationship with God often centered around how good I behaved.  If I was a good son, my life would be easy.  However, as often happens, when my life got difficult, the common Christian church based response was that I had somehow done something to upset Daddy.  Just like my earthly father, when I misbehaved I was punished of ignored by Him.  Referring to God as Daddy was akin to linking Him to the negative behaviors of my own father.  This is an all too common issue for those of us who have not had the best relationship with our own parents.  The love aspect simply is not there.  We hear the word Daddy and we immediately think of the negative instead of the Fathers love for us.  For its part, the traditional church has prospered this thinking by constantly speaking to the separation of man and God.  See, man is a sinner, and God cannot be in the presence of sin.  They point to the words of the apostle Paul in Romans to remind us of our failure {Paul to the Romans 3:23}.  Yet rarely is the Fathers grace through Christ which Paul speaks to in the following verse mentioned {Paul to the Romans 3:24}.  Yes, we were at one time sinners, but Jesus has accounted for that on the cross.  It is Jesus who took the burden of sin upon Himself on that cross {Paul to the Corinthians (2) 5:21}.  God commissioned Christ Jesus for the cross that He would restore the love relationship He once had with His children {Johns Account 3:16-17}.  This is what our loving Daddy has done for us.  

He who is not loving knew not God, for God is love

First Epistle of John 4: 8, Concordant New Testament 

When you consider what too many believers have gone through, it is easy to see that it is not the Father who has fostered a false relationship with His children, but our own perceptions of who He is.  Once we know the true nature of the Father, calling Him Daddy will become natural for us.  This was not easy for me, but eventually, with the help of a few good friends, I was able to see the one true nature of the Father.  That nature, as spoken to by the apostle John, is love {First Epistle of John 4:8}.  It is God who loved us enough to create us in His own likeness {Genesis 1:27}.  It is God Who refused to allow us to rest in our sin, but gave His one and only Son as a sacrifice for us {Paul to the Romans 6:10}.  It is Jesus who, through His act of selfless love for us, died on the cross {Johns Account 15:13}.  These are not the acts of a callous, uncaring and distant father, but a loving Daddy.  I won't suggest that those who have suffered through a bad relationship with their own parents will easily forget their past.  However, what I am suggesting is that it was never God with Whom they shared a bad relationship.  The Father has always been there, waiting for us to return to Him.  The Father desires a loving relationship with His children, and He is lovingly waiting for us to return to Him. 

~Scott~ 

The Good Of The Father (God Among Us)

"Now she shall be bringing forth a son, and you shall be calling His name Jesus, for He shall be saving His people from their sins."  Now the whole of this has occurred that that may be fulfilled which is declared by the Lord through the prophet, saying: "Lo! The virgin shall be pregnant and shall be bringing forth a Son, and they shall be calling His name 'Emmanuel,' which is being construed, "God with us." 

Mathews Account 1: 21-23, Concordant New Testament 

Growing up in the theology of the mainstream church, I always had a disconnected relationship with the Lord.  God was seen as being all holy and residing in heaven, while I was here on earth among the daily struggles.  God was simply there to watch over me and discipline me when I failed to meet His standards.  Of course, He was available to hear my prayers as well, but even those depended on how well I behaved.  It seemed that through my own efforts I would dictate how it was that God interacted with me.  But was this what God had intended for me?  After all, I had been created in His likeness {Genesis 1:27}.  Why would the Father not want a deeper relationship with me?  Well, it turns out that He has wanted just that all along.  We see this in the opening pages of the New Testament as the angel speaks to Joseph of the coming of his newborn son.  What is interesting about this conversation is that Joseph is instructed to refer to his son as Emmanuel.  This is translated into the words "God with us" {Matthews Account 1:21-23}.  If God had intended to simply be an overseer, why would he come to be among His people?  The author Wayne Jacobsen speaks to the Fathers relationship with His children through that of Jesus and his relationship with His disciples.  In Jesus, the Father in the flesh, we see the Father at last resurrecting that relationship which was lost in the garden of Eden.  For in the garden, the Lords creation fell victim to the deceit of Satan {Genesis 3:1-6}.  From that point onward, man saw himself as being separated from God.  Of course, having been created in His likeness, this was never true at all.  Yet this is the belief which continues to be preached in many houses of worship.  Too few believers have taken heed of the angels words to Joseph, that the Lord is now among us.  

In that day you shall know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you

Johns Account 14: 20, Concordant New Testament 

As I was thinking of the history of the telling of the coming birth of Jesus, I wondered how it is that we could have gotten it so wrong.  Here was God speaking through His angels of the birth of His Son.  That not only would He be saving His people from their sins, but that He (God) would be among His people.  Yet, I realize that this goes against the grain of what modern church theology has spoken about our relationship with the Father.  I have spoken to many people about my belief that I live in union with the Father and I usually receive blank stares in reply.  I get it.  But the proof, as they say, is in the pudding.  We have the words of Jesus as well as His followers that our relationship with God is not one of separation {Johns Account 14:20}.  Most modern day pastors cherry pick the scriptures in order to fit whatever narrative they are spinning.  They don't shoulder all of the blame for this, as it has been the church mantra for centuries.  But ask yourselves, as I have, what is it that God desires most?  Is it the Lords will that we live separated from Him?  Or, as the scriptures clearly proclaim, is it His desire that He be with His creation?  The creator of all the universe in relationship with His creation.  God among us.  

~Scott~ 

The Good Of The Father (A Fathers Wish)

 Perceive the 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 

I grew up never really knowing the man that my father was.  I would catch occasional glimpses of him in those rare moments that he would open himself up for people to see, but those were few and far between.  Men of my dads generation weren't big on emotions or showing their feelings.  So it was that I grew up never knowing the man he was.  By the same token, my dad spent most of his own life not knowing a relationship with his own children.  When they speak of broken families, this is definitely what they are speaking to.  I've never had the opportunity of being a parent, but I have been around some good friends whom I have learned a lot from.  One of these men, a very dear friend, has struggled in recent years due to a fractured relationship with one of his children.  I can see how much it concerns him in those moments when he shares his thoughts about the situation.  Even though I grew up without knowing the man my father was, I rarely thought about what it must have been like for him.  To go through life not knowing your own child?  That pain is something I can't speak to.  Yet, from those I have spoken to over the years, a lost relationship with a child can be a gut-wrenching feeling.  We might blame ourselves, or we might go through life with resentment towards our own flesh and blood, but in the end we miss that which we've never had.  I was thinking about this the other day as I thought of my own relationship with the Father.  In a way, my own relationship with God has followed that same path as my relationship with my earthly dad.  For years I never really knew Him.  For years my Father longed for that relationship with me.  As with my dad, I knew OF God, I just didn't truly know Him.  The author Wayne Jacobsen, in his book He Loves Me, lays out our typical one sided relationship with the Father that I once knew.  This relationship, based more on fear than anything else, is the relationship which the mainstream church continues to push on people today.  Imagine that you're someone looking to know God.  Along comes a pastor, someone you think would point you in the right direction, who explains to you that you have the choice of either knowing God or going to the suffering of hell.  Well, what choice do you think you'd make?  Faced with that same choice, I chose God.  A no brainer, right?  Well, the only catch is that this isn't how the Father wants to be seen.  Like any father, God WANTS a relationship with His children.  Do we come to Him because we're afraid of the consequences, or do we come to Him out of our desire to really know Him?  

Religion has actually convinced people that there is a 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 

Growing up I had a fear based relationship with God.  I knew about Him, and I knew what the church had taught me I was supposed to do to keep me in His good graces.  The trouble was, I was never able to uphold all of what was expected of me.  So, in my own eyes, I was often the bad son of His flock.  Consequently, I was never able to fully see Him as He wanted me to, as my loving Father {First Epistle of John 4:8}.  Wayne Jacobsen makes the statement in his book that "Once you convince someone that hell and heaven exist, winning a convert is easy."  How true this is of the church today!  Religion has convinced us to live our lives in fear of God.  But this is not how God really wants to be known.  Would a God of love desire to rule His children through fear?  Yet this is the mantra I bought into for so many years.  Often, God was a contradiction to me.  When things were going well in my life, He was happy and blessing me.  But when the pitfalls of life came, suddenly He didn't want anything to do with me.  How could a Father who had created me in His own likeness be so cold and distant {Genesis 1:27}?  Again, this is how I was taught to see Him.  One night during a bible study on the parable of the prodigal son, I was introduced to the REAL Fathers love for me.  In Jesus' story, the rich mans son took his inheritance and traveled to a distant land to live his own life.  Well, things didn't work out and , destitute, the son decides to return and make amends with his father.  Imagine the sons surprise that, while he was still a ways from home, his father came running out to greet him!  This father, whom the son was assured would be upset with his wayward son, had nothing but love for him.  THIS is the love that God has for us.  Despite what we have been told, it's a relationship with His children that He desires.  What father would not want that?  The Fathers love is not a love based on fear, but on genuine affection.  This is the good of the Father. 

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

First Epistle of John 4: 18, Concordant New Testament 

~Scott~ 

The Good Of The Father (A Life Of Redemption)

 

And rising, he came to his father.  "Now, at his still being far away, his father perceived him and had compassion, and running, falls on his neck and fondly kisses him."  Now the son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight.  No longer am I worthy to be called your son.  Make me as one of your hired men.'  Yet the father said to his slaves, 'Quick!  Bring forth the first robe, and put it on him, and give him a ring for his hand and sandals for his feet.  And bring the grain-fed calf, sacrifice it, and, eating, we may make merry, for this my son was dead and revives, he was lost and was found,'  And they began to make merry. 

Lukes Account 15:  18-21, Concordant New Testament 

How many times have you felt like that prodigal son?  Having been given everything from the Father, yet in your mind you failed Him, again.  I've been there too.  The Christian religious system is big on condemnation of those who fail the Lord.  But the deck has been stacked against us from the beginning.  From the start we have been deemed sinners {Paul to the Romans 3:23}.  And so many believers spend a lifetime trying to adhere to the standards of the Father.  If we fail, as we often do, we're often reminded of our failures and the consequences of having failed God once again.  When I was still in the church, I was often too afraid to reveal those moments in my own life where I thought I had failed, because I knew the reaction that it would bring from my fellow Christians.  I would be reminded that God obviously did not approve of my life and choices and was probably upset with me.  I would be told that I was weak and not strong enough in the Lord.  No, I had seen that movie far too many times and didn't want any part of it.  So, I kept my failures to myself, despairing in how I thought the Lord would look upon me.  One day I was reminded by a good friend of the story of the prodigal son.  This kid had walked that same road I had in his life.  Leaving home, he followed where the world led him.  In my own life, I've had a similar path.  But eventually, as always happens, I stumbled along the way.  In my mind I knew that some of the things I had done went against the Lords desire for me, but I didn't want the condemnation that usually accompanied my confession of 'sin.'  So, I suffered alone as the prodigal son had in that foreign land far away from home.  Yet the son had a revelation one day, he would return to his father, apologize and seek his forgiveness.  In his mind he had no idea of the love of his own father.  His only thought was how disappointed he would be in the actions of his son.  Yet as he returned home once again he received a unexpected surprise.  For instead of the condemnation he had expected from his father, he received love.  Indeed, the father rejoiced in his sons return!  Not only that, we're told that when his son was "Still far away," that his father ran out to embrace him {Lukes Account 15:20}.  Instead of condemnation, the son experienced redemption in the love of his father.  

I am saying to you that thus there will be joy in heaven over one sinner repenting, more than over the ninety-nine just persons who have no need of repentance 

Lukes Account 15: 7, Concordant New Testament 

It's taken me a long time to realize that the love of the Father which the apostle John speaks of is not a love of condemnation {First Epistle of John 4:8}.  It's also taken me a long time to realize that many of the things which I thought God was thinking about me simply were not true.  In His love, He has never looked upon me as a sinner.  In His love, He dispatched His only Son to become sin that I would be spared a life of condemnation {Paul to the Corinthians(2) 5:21}.  This is the love of the Father on display.  Despite what others have told me, God is not upset with me.  When He looks upon me He does not see a life stained by the sin of the world, but His own likeness {Genesis 1:27}.  This is how the Lord sees His children.  I believe that Jesus spoke the parable of the prodigal son to illustrate to us the truth of the love of the Father.  Not only that, but the truth of the love of Christ for us as well.  For as we know, He and the Father are one {Johns Account 10:30}.  It is also Jesus who reminds us that we live in union with He and the Father {Johns Account 14:20}.  In the Father there is no condemnation.  There is also no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus {Paul to the Romans 8:1}.  Our main issue comes when we refuse to believe in the truth of the Father.  That it has never been His intent to condemn His children.  That there will be joy in HEAVEN over one sinner who is redeemed {Lukes Account 15:7}.  Many believers have a difficult time accepting the truth of universal salvation, that all will be saved.  We want good to be rewarded and evil to be condemned.  But what does God want?  This is what I believe Jesus is telling us in the parable of the prodigal son.  The Lords ultimate desire is that all be saved {Johns Account 3:16-17}.  This is the good of the Father. 

~Scott~  

The Good Of The Father (He Will Be known)

 

"For this is the covenant which I shall be covenanting with the house of Israel after those days," the Lord is saying; 'Imparting My laws to their comprehension, On their hearts, also, shall I be inscribing them, And I shall be to them for a God, And they shall be to me for a people.  And by no means should each be teaching his fellow citizen, And each his brother, saying, 'Know the Lord!'  For all shall be acquainted with Me, from their little to their great."

To the Hebrews 8: 10-11, Concordant New Testament 

I have been told to live in confidence.  For in the face of the fallen world, eventually ALL would bow at the name of Jesus {Paul to the Philippians 2:10}.  That after Jesus comes once again, ALL will know the Lord {Johns Account 17:3}.  The theology of the mainstream church is big on proclaiming that Jesus will indeed come a second time {The Unveiling of Jesus Christ 1:7}.  For the record, Jesus has appeared more than a few times after His death.  He appeared in front of His followers after His death AND also to a large group of people to show that He was yet alive {Acts of the Apostles 1:3}.  Therefore, to say that Jesus will come again a second time is in error, for He has already appeared numerous times since His death.  Christian believers continually struggle over the matter of all the world knowing God.  Believing the teachings that we live in a fallen world, they separate His creation into good and evil.  In the end, all who do not know His name will be relegated to that place of punishment.  This scare tactic has obviously been designed by the church in order to force people into believing in the Lord and, in turn, filling those church pews on Sundays.  Coincidence?  I think not.  The fact is, we are ALL created in the likeness of God the Father {Genesis 1:27}.  Why would the Father not desire to be known by His own creation?  What parent is there who does not want to be known by their child?  Yet the teaching of God separating His creation into both good and evil continues to be preached.  But here is something which you might not know, that the Father has already accounted that all of His children will come to know Him.  The writer of Hebrews proclaims that the covenant of the Lord is that all will be acquainted with Him {To the Hebrews 8:11}.  His covenant also proclaims that we should not be teaching each other to "Know the Lord" for all shall be acquainted with Me {To The Hebrews 8:11}.  Think about this the next time you're sitting through another Sunday sermon about knowing the Lord.  

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  

I can remember sitting through countless sermons and seminars listening to the perils of not knowing the Lord.  To sit through such sermons was almost a requirement as I recall.  The message was clear, come to know God before it's too late!  Even today I will listen to one radio preacher or another proclaim that knowing the Lord is paramount.  While I agree, I also have come to realize that despite our own efforts, that God has already accounted for that.  The late reverend Billy Graham made a career out of convincing people to come to the Lord.  That's a good thing.  But where would the world be without the efforts of the Reverend Graham?  One step closer to all of the Fathers creation knowing Him.  That's just the truth spoken of in scripture.  Despite all of our ministries and sermons on knowing God, eventually all will know Him.  Now, another monkey wrench in this conversation occurs when we speak of those who pass on without ever knowing the Lord their entire lives.  What becomes of them?  In the movie Come Sunday, the real life reverend Carlton Pearson is removed from his own church for denying the existence of hell.  What?  But what of all those people who never have known God?  Aren't they guilty of denying Him?  As the reverend Pearson inquires in the film, "If you could save your own father from hell, wouldn't you?"  Why wouldn't the Father desire to save all which He has created?  Yet many believers continue to bristle over the idea of universal salvation, that all will be saved.  But this is exactly what the Father reveals through Christ Jesus in the scripture {Johns Account 3:16-17}.  That through Jesus ALL will be saved.  Still, the preacher keeps telling me to know God.  As they say, I'll let God figure that one out.  

~Scott~ 

The Good Of The Father (Not What The Man Said)

 

May it not be coming to that!  Now let God be true, yet every man a liar, even as it is written: "That so Thou shouldst be justified in Thy sayings, and shalt be conquering when Thou art being judged" 

Paul to the Romans 3: 4, Concordant New Testament 

I watched a video of a fired up pastor the other day speaking against all which the world will tell us is true.  Male and female relationships, the changing of the sexes and such.  Now, many well meaning believers know in their hearts that such things go against the Lord, yet many more have simply come to accept these things over fear of angering those around them.  As the world will say, there's nothing worse than a preachy, unaccepting Christian.  Yet, when I mentioned this video to a good friend of mine I received an interesting reaction based on the words of the apostle Paul...yet every man a liar {Paul to the Romans 3:4}.  That's it in a nutshell.  When we listen to those in the world when they speak of transgenderism and adulterous relationships, we're listening to liars.  We're listening to those who do not speak the words of the Father.  I will say that if the believers of this world spoke with the conviction that this pastor did, there just might be a different narrative in this world today.  But sadly, too many Christians have surrendered to the lies of network news and those who speak of that which is not of God.  In the past, when I have spoken to others that these words of men go against what the Lord desires, I have been accused of everything from being closed minded to a radical religious nut.  If so, I wear that badge with pride!  Better a religious nut than being lost in the world.  Better a radical believer than adhering to the lies of mankind.  In my heart, I know that what the Lord has proclaimed is good and true.  I also know that most of what I see in the modern media is designed to sway my opinion one way or another.  Yet every man a liar.  

For, at present, am I persuading men or God?  Or am I seeking to please men?  If I still pleased men, I were not a slave of Christ 

Paul to the Galatians 1: 10, Concordant New Testament 

Think of those words of Paul and consider for yourselves what we hear coming from the pulpits of many mainstream churches these days.  Yet every man a liar.  Shall we put aside the words of our church leaders?  I believe that the apostle John said it best when he called upon we who believe in Christ to "Test the spirits" of those we are listening to and see if they are of God {First Epistle of John 4:1}.  We might be enthralled with a seemingly dynamic new kid on the block pastor, still, test the spirits.  We might trust in the tried and true wisdom of a pastor whom we have known for some time, but test the spirits.  These words of John apply to more than just religious teachers, but to all that we hear every day.  From the daily news to those funny internet videos, we need to be testing the spirits to see if what we are listening to is actually of the Father.  It is common knowledge that we should be listening to the Lord and not to man, but many believers seem to have relaxed their defenses in this regard.  Therefore, many mainstream houses of worship have chosen to adhere to the life choices of those who go against what the Lord has proclaimed.  There is a common phrase I heard some years ago that still holds true even today.  Despise the sin, not the sinner.  Test the spirits and think of this phrase again, where is it in scripture that Jesus despises the sinner?  On the contrary, He welcomed all unto Him.  When I speak to the subject of universal salvation, that all will be saved, I get mixed reactions from many believers.  Test the spirits, has not the Father proclaimed that His desire is that all His children be saved {Johns Account 3:16-17}?  Again, it is better that I hear the word of the Father than that of man. 

~Scott~ 

The Good Of The Father (What The Father Wants)

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

Johns Account 17: 3, Concordant New Testament 

Too many pastors and worship leaders spend an inordinate amount of time attempting to explain what it is that God the Father desires.  I can recall numerous Sunday sermons on the topic of what God wants, all of them with a different idea of what He desires.  To some, God desires loyalty from His children, while others say that God truly wants us to be as holy as He is.  Both would seem to be reasonable ideas of what God desires from us.  But I feel that the most accurate description of what the Father wants comes from the Son Himself.  As Jesus prayed that night in the garden of Gethsemane, He spoke of the true desire of His Father, that we might know Him {Johns Account 17:3}.  This seems reasonable, because what earthly Father is there who has not wanted his own children to know him?  Yes, drawing comparisons between human parents and God the Father might seem like we're lowering God to our level, but I use it only as an illustration as to the desires of the Father.  The scriptures speak to the fact that all we will ever know was created by God {Genesis 1:1}.  We also know that all mankind has been created in the Fathers likeness {Genesis 1:27}.  Yet far too many of His children have not known the Father who created them.  Indeed, there are even those who have refused to acknowledge He even exists.  That everything that we see was somehow created by some cosmic explosion a long time ago.  But somehow science keeps stumbling upon evidence that the creation spoken of in the scriptures is indeed real.  Despite those who deny the existence of the Father and Son, we're told that eventually ALL will know that He is God {Paul to the Philippians 2:10-11}.  The truth is, Gods desire is that all of His creation will know Him before that time.

We are of God.  He who knows God is hearing us.  He who is not of God is not hearing us.  By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of deception. 

First Epistle of John 4: 6, Concordant New Testament 

A dear friend of mine reminded me not too long ago of the true intentions of Satan, that is to deceive the Fathers creation.  Obviously, this is why He is all too often referred to as the deceiver.  We're reminded of his intentions in scripture as well {Peter to the Dispersion 5:8}.  And why not?  It is Lucifer who once desired to place himself above the Father {Issaiah 14:12-17}.  Those who know the Father also know of the deceit of Lucifer.  We know that his place is not one of glory, but of despair.  But what many well meaning believers fail to comprehend is that even Lucifer himself was created by God.  With this in mind, does the Father despise Lucifer?  I would say no.  I believe that God the Father has the same desire for His fallen angel that He has for the rest of His creation, that he would come to know Him, the Father.  Modern Christian teachings on good and evil will not speak to this.  In Christian theology, Satan is the enemy and will ultimately be defeated by the goodness of God.  But the scriptures speak to his creation through Christ Jesus {Johns Account 1:1-4}  Yes, ALL was created through Him and for Him, including him whom we call the deceiver.  Will Satan eventually acknowledge the Father?  Paul speaks to the fact that ALL will bow at the name of Jesus, both terrestrial and the subterranean {Paul to the Philippians 2:10}.  Obviously, one can assume that Satan will be included among those who will eventually know the Father.  We can also be confident in knowing that this is indeed what the Father wants. 

~Scott~ 

The Good Of The Father (Thankful)

 

In everything be giving thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

Paul to the Thessalonians (1) 5: 18, Concordant New Testament 

Today marks Thanksgiving.  That day where we often reflect on all which we are thankful for in our lives.  Where we think of the good of those around us besides ourselves.  Most will gather around the dinner table with family and friends before retiring to watch an afternoon of football and holiday movies.  As I contemplated this mornings post, I thought of how ironic it is that we set aside a single day each to think of the goodness of others.  To consider all which we are thankful for in life.  Not to rain on that parade, but I for one am thankful each and every day for all which the Lord has given me.  Not surprisingly, I would be nothing without Him.  For it is God who has created me in His very likeness {Genesis 1:27}.  It is the Lord who has created all which we will ever know in life {Genesis 1:1, Johns Account 1:1-3}.  Therefore, it is imperative that we recognize His provision not just once a year, but each and every day.  The apostle Paul proclaims that our every word and deed should be in giving thanks to Christ and the Father through Him {Paul to the Colossians 3:17}.  This not simply a once a year tradition, but something we do each and every moment of the day.  What is it that we will ever have that God has not provided for us?  Growing up, I would often feel a sense of guilt when thinking of all which the Father has provided.  My immediate thought was all too often "What can I ever do to repay God?"  That's the wonderful part of the good of the Father, God is never asking that we repay Him for His love and grace.  Yet this is all too often our own human reaction to what the Father provides out of His love for us.  We always feel as if there must be a catch somewhere.  That God will provide for us IF we pray more, donate more or promise to do better.  Sorry, that's not how this works.  Those in the church love to toss around the phrase "The joy of the Father."  Well, I believe that it gives the Father joy when He gives unto His children.  Just as we experience joy in giving to others, so it is with our heavenly Father as well.  

Giving thanks always for all things, in the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ

Paul to the Ephesians 5: 20, Concordant New Testament 

Not to upset the traditional Christian apple cart, but there is something else which we must consider when we talk about the Lords provision for us.  We know that Christ has called on us to love one another {Johns Account 13:34}.  Now, brace yourselves.  How is it that the Father provides for the less fortunate among us?  Does He simply wave His hand and send provision from heaven?  Possibly, although I think that we're missing the boat when we think of the Father in that way.  I believe that the Father works through the love and charity of His children as He provides for those less fortunate.  Think about it, what is one of the main things people think of at this time of year?  Providing for those less fortunate among us.  We know that Jesus was born humbly into this world without much in the way of opulence {Lukes Account 2:7}.  Christianity spends a lot of time proclaiming the fact that Jesus came into this world poor, which is in fact true.  When we wrap our understanding around the fact that all were created by God and all live in union with Him it changes everything {Johns Account 14:20}.  Knowing this, it is not beyond the Father to utilize the lives of His children to provide for their brethren in need.  Yet somehow we've either taken God out of that equation, or most believers do not yet have the realization of living in the Father.  I believe the latter to be true.  To live in the Father is to truly know His love and goodness.  THAT is the good of the Father.  

~Scott~