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~