The Good Of The Father (The World Will Know) # 2010

 

"You are the light of the world, a city located upon a mountain can not be hid.  Neither are they burning a lamp and placing it under a peck measure, but on a lampstand, and it is shining to all those in the house.  Thus let your light shine in front of men, so that they may perceive your ideal acts and should glorify your Father Who is in the heavens" 

Matthews Account 5: 14-16, Concordant New Testament 

I was listening to a commentator on the news the other night who asked a simple question which must be on everyone's mind in the wake of the assassination of conservative speaker Charlie Kirk.  The question was, who will be the next Charlie Kirk?  Who will step up and fill his shoes moving forward?  For her part, Charlies widow Erika has vowed that his Turning Point organization will continue to proclaim the truth of the Lord and conservative values moving forward.  A friend of mine recently commented in response to my post yesterday that Charlie Kirks words were often "Politicly charged."  While I agree that he put himself out there into the often hostile environments of our nations college campuses, there have also been many stories spoken from those who, through their interaction with Charlie Kirk, were led to follow Jesus.  I believe that the work which Charlie Kirk did was his own way of being used by the Father for the good.  I think that he truly believed that in his heart.  So, who will be the next Charlie Kirk?  Honestly, I don't think that he can be replaced or replicated.  Yet what we can do is to exhibit the Father through all that we do.  For it is through those that know Him that the world will come to know God.  Jesus referred to His followers as "The light of the world" {Matthews Account 5:14}.  Some might ask, what was He referring to?  Well, remember that the apostle John has spoken to "The light appearing in the darkness" {Johns Account 1:5}.  I take this to mean the presence of Christ in the Lords creation, especially in this world.  For the "Life" is the light of men {Johns Account 1:4}.  Therefore, it is Christ Jesus Who is the light of this world.  When He speaks to others as being the "Light of the world," He is speaking to the truth of our life in Him.  Jesus Himself has spoken to our union life in He and the Father {Johns Account 14:20}.  Our life is in Him.  Therefore, through our daily lives the light of the world which is Christ working through us, will shine for all to see.  I often talk about my interactions with those in the gym environment.  I speak of simply "Being myself."  Well, when I speak to being myself, I am speaking to the truth of exhibiting the Father in Whom I now live.  When I do this, His light will shine for all to see.  

With Christ have I been crucified, yet I am living; no longer I, but living in me is Christ.  Now that which I am now living in flesh, I am living in faith that is of the Son of God, Who loves me, and gives Himself up for me 

Paul to the Galatians 2: 20, Concordant New Testament 

Others may disagree, but I believe that through his words, the light of the Lord was being shown through Charlie Kirk.  Charlie and I may have had a few disagreements on the presence of our life in God, but I believe that it was the Lord who often spoke through him.  As we know, the reach of the Lord is not so light that He cannot use the words of others to speak His truth.  Si it is that I say this, be yourself and the light of the world will shine through you for all to see.  When I say be yourself, I am speaking to the truth of our life in the Father.  For if our life is in Him, then all we do is done through Him.  WE are the light of the world for all to see.  Where many become confused, and I feel that Charlie Kirk may have fallen into this, is to adhere to the false theology of the mainstream church.  For those in the church will speak to a theology of our sin separating us from God.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  Hear me, when we speak this false message of the separation theology, we come off as being judgmental and condemning of those around us.  This is why I'm not a huge fan of throwing bible verses at those around me.  This is part of what those in the church do in order to guilt someone into salvation.  God IS NOT based upon guilt and shame, but upon love for us {First Epistle of John 4:8}.  I see the work of Charlie Kirk as akin to the ministry of Jesus.  For Jesus was condemned for spending His time with taxpayers and sinners {Matthews Account 9:11}.  Didn't Charlie do this very thing?  He didn't focus his time on church going crowds, but on those who needed to hear the message of the Lord.  For this he will be remembered.  

Now hearing, He said, "No need have the strong of a physician, but those having an illness

Matthews Account 9: 12, Concordant New Testament 

~Scott~ 

The Good Of The Father (A Price To Be Paid) # 2009

 "Go! Lo! I am dispatching you as lambs in the midst of wolves"

Lukes Account 10: 3, Concordant New Testament 

I woke up this morning to the news that authorities in Utah had finally apprehended the alleged suspect in the killing of conservative Christian icon Charlie Kirk.  His death a few days ago shocked even those who didn't necessarily agree with him.  Yet Charlie knew that price that was to be paid for speaking the word of the evangel of Christ.  This is the same price which has been paid by the apostles of Jesus for their speaking of the good news of Christ.  Indeed, the apostles of Jesus were put to death on account of the message which they spoke.  It is Jesus who has proclaimed that He sends us out as sheep amongst wolves {Lukes Account 10:3}.  There is the price to be paid for speaking the evangel of Christ Jesus.  In my times in the gym, where I have developed many a solid friendship with believers and non believers alike, I have come to know this price all too well.  There have been arguments and disagreements as well as those who continue to choose to speak with me due to my "Closed minded" adherence to the gospel of Christ.  I accept this as the cost of following Jesus.  Not everyone will hear my words and come to accept Him.  Yet, much like Charlie Kirk, I continue to put myself out into the world to speak to the truth of my life in Christ Jesus.  To his credit, I've never seen Charlie Kirk condemn someone who claimed not to believe in what he was speaking to.  No, he simply spoke the words of the truth of the evangel and left it at that.  He was simply planting a seed which the Father could later bring into fruition.  To be honest, this is exactly how I came into the knowing of my life in Christ.  For it is a dear friend of mine who spoke unto me the truth of the evangel, which God has now used to bring to fruition the revelation of my life in Him.  This is the beauty of those who speak the truth of Christ Jesus for all of the world to hear.  Charlie Kirk knew this as well.  The mainstream church may tell us that those who do not follow Jesus are guilty of condemnation, but this not why He sent His followers out to do.  It is Jesus who has dispatched those who have known Him to speak the truth of His gospel to the world around us {Lukes Account 9:60}.  

Now after some days, Felix, coming along with Drusilla (Being a Jewess), sends after Paul and hears him concerning the faith in Christ Jesus

Acts of the Apostles 24: 24, Concordant New Testament 

Many have spoken of a "Lost generation" of youth which we have in this country.  How our institutions for higher learning have indoctrinated those who are being taught there.  It is in these bastions of liberal thinking that Charlie Kirk chose to speak his message of the evangel of Christ.  As a lamb dispatched among wolves.  This was his battleground, for he knew that the youth of our nation desperately are in need of hearing the gospel.  After his death, there have been countless stories told by those who, through hearing the words of Charlie Kirk, have come to know the Lord.  I consider that he had no greater calling than that.  This is the same calling which has been placed on my own life not only in my interactions with my gym community but with others around me as well.  It is said that many will come to know the Lord through the words of those who follow Him.  I don't think that Charlie Kirk could have asked for anything better than to be remembered for speaking of the faith which he held so close to his heart.  Again, this is part of the cost of following Jesus.  How is it that we will be known?  Will we adhere to and follow the desires of the world?  Or will we choose to know what has been written upon our hearts from the creation of the world?  That our lives are not lived in the confines of this world, but in the Father {Johns Account 14:20}.  I choose Jesus. 

~Scott~ 

The Good Of The Father (They Knew Not God) # 2008

 

Phillip is saying to Him, "Lord, Show us the Father, and it is sufficing us."  Jesus is saying to him, "So much time am I with you, and you do  not know Me, Phillip!  He who has seen Me has seen the Father, and how are you saying, 'show us the Father'? 

Johns Account 14: 8-9, Concordant New Testament 

The question came up this week during a discussion on yesterdays post.  In "The heart of worship," I illustrated what Jesus described as true worship to God.  This is worship free of the styles and traditions of the mainstream church.  Too many times we're told that in order to be in "God's presence" that we need to be within the confines of the brick and mortar man-made church.  Sorry, this is not true worship to the Father.  For Jesus proclaims that the worship to God is to be "In spirit and truth" {Johns Account 4:23-24}.  This brought a question to mind for me, since the Jews of Jesus' day were so very involved in their  keeping of religious traditions, did they actually know God?  Jesus provides us with the answer to this question when His disciples ask Him to "Show us the Father" {Johns Account 14:8-9}.  Did the disciples feel that they didn't know God?  It's entirely possible.  Yet the response of Jesus to Phillips question speaks volumes.  "He who has seen Me has seen the Father" {Johns Account 14:9}.  Now, there were more than a few of the Jewish faith who condemned Jesus for seemingly comparing Himself to God.  Even more so as He again spoke the truth of the Father, claiming "I and the Father, We are one" {Johns Account 10:30}.  How well do we know God?  Do we know Him as the God spoken of by the traditions of the church, or do we know Him for who He is?  For much of my life, my own view of God revolved around what I heard in church on Sunday morning.  If the pastor proclaimed that God was watching everything I did with a wary eye, this is how I perceived Him to be.  More often than not, I was taught that because of my sin, that I was unable to be in the presence of God.  Since God was holy, and I was but a sinner, I could not have a personal relationship with the Father.  The closest I could ever hope to get was to emulate Christ, to be like Jesus.  This is the God that I knew.  Well, it turns out that, like the Jews of Jesus' time, I didn't know God.  

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 doesn't 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 think that it is remarkable that I did not began to realize who God truly is until I removed myself from the traditions of the mainstream church.  Wasn't church where I was supposed to go to learn who God is?  Sadly, this isn't the case more often than not.  For as much as the Jews of Jesus' day were immersed in the traditions of their religion, so it is that those in the mainstream church of today are of the same cloth.  I would venture to say that they themselves know not the true of the Father.  They might, as I once did, know OF Him, but they do not know Him as I do.  The God that I now know is radically different from the Lord I was taught in the church.  Far from being separated from God by my sin nature, the truth of the evangel is that my life in now IN Him as Christ has proclaimed {Johns Account 14:20}.  But what about that sin which those in the church are so fond of pointing out?  Well, the apostle Paul has spoken to the truth that Christ has died to sin "once for all time" {Paul to the Romans 6:10}.  It is Jesus, the innocent One, who has given Himself willingly for us {Paul to the Corinthians (2) 5:21}.  The question remains, if Jesus has been crucified as the penalty for us, why is it that those in the church continue to preach that sin is an issue to us?  Simple, they do not know the truth of the Father.  If they do know Him, they willingly have chosen to ignore the truth.  This is the reality of the separation theology spoken by the mainstream church.  Ironically, this was also the theology spoken by those in the synagogues of Jesus' day by those who knew not God.  

~Scott~ 

The Good Of The Father (The Heart Of Worship) # 2007

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

Johns Account 4: 23-24, Concordant New Testament 

One of my favorite scenes from the Chosen series takes place when Jesus ventures to visit a Samaritan woman drawing water at a well.  Now, to know the importance of this meeting one must understand the religious dynamics of the day.  For this Samaritan woman was considered to be ritually unclean by the Jewish worshippers of Jesus' day.  The Samaritans chose to worship at their own separate location, forsaking the traditional Jewish worship center of Jerusalem.  It is against this backdrop of Jewish traditions that Jesus found Himself that day.  But Jesus had not come to condemn this Samaritan woman over her practices of worship, nor for her numerous husbands which we see revealed in this passage.  No, what Jesus ventured into this land to do was not only to reveal Himself to her, but also to speak to her that worshipping God is not based upon Jewish traditions.  True worship, as Jesus proclaims, is not about tradition, but about the heart of the worshipper.  One of the reasons that I liked this particular scene is that I have been among those who have been told that we must be in "God's house" on Sunday.  Growing up, I was all too often dragged into church by my mother who wanted her children to know God as she had.  Of course, her own parents had raised her in the same way.  Never once did it occur to us that we did not need to be in church in order to know the presence of the Lord.  That we didn't need the praise music and the often boring sermons.  Even today, I'm often approached by friends who wonder which church I am attending for my worship.  When I remind them that I live in the presence of God I often get a blank stare.  They don't get it.  Like the woman at the well, they hold to the traditional notion of worship that worship must take place in within the church.  What Jesus traveled to Samaria to do that day was to lay to rest the notion that God is only accessible in mans approved temples.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  For it is Jesus Who has spoken to the truth of a life lived in He and the Father {Johns Account 14:20}.  How is it that this truth fits into the narrative that our worship is to be done in a church setting?  The truth is that true worship from the heart can be accomplished anywhere.  

To put off from you, as regards your former behavior, the old humanity which is corrupted in accord with its seductive desires, yet be rejuvenated in the spirit of your mind, and to put on the new humanity which, in accord with God, is being created in righteousness and benignity of the truth

Pual to the Ephesians 4: 22-24, Concordant New Testament 

To be clear, I am not against those who attend church simply for the aspect of fellowship with fellow believers.  What I will never be on board with is the notion that God is only worshipped in the confines of the church.  It is this tradition which Jesus sought to dismantle.  I believe that to understand the truth of worshipping the Father wherever we might find ourselves in life we must first come to know Him for Who He truly is.  God has never been simply that overseer in heaven looking down upon us, judging our every move.  This is what religion will often speak to us.  No, the truth of the Father is that He has always been an intimate part of who we are.  He is in our DNA if you will.  We can proclaim this because we have been created in the spirit likeness of God {Genesis 1:27}.  It has never been possible for that which has been created to not have the fingerprints of its creator.  That is the truth we find in the Father.  Knowing this, we can readily assume that God is with us no matter where we find ourselves.  At work, at the gym or on a long road trip.  We always live our life within Him.  So it is that our spirit likeness of God is always able to worship Him no matter where we are.  There is no church or praise band required for "Propper" worship of God.  I have often found myself in a quiet moment where I found myself praising the Father for His presence in my life.  This is the type of worship Jesus was speaking to.  For God is spirit, and we are His spirit image. 

~Scott~ 

The Good Of The Father (Who Is God?) # 2006

 

Now the soulish man is not receiving those things which are of the spirit of God, for they are stupidity to him, and he is not able to know them, seeing that they are spiritually examined

Paul to the Corinthians (1) 2: 14, Concordant New Testament 

I recently had a discussion with a fellow gym rat who is pretty big into science.  He has done his share of research on the science of natural medicine as well as various other studies.  Yet we locked horns this past week when he attempted to bring science into the realm of God.  By his own admission, science is constantly evolving.  Yet we know from the scriptures that Christ Jesus never changes {To the Hebrews 13:8}.  So, who is God?  Is God within science?  Is God THE science?  The simple fact is that God is all in all.  That is, He is ever present is all which we will ever know and see, including science.  At its root, science is simply the study of something.  Archeology, meteorology and psychology are all realms of science that study something.  But here's the kicker, so is theology.  For theology is nothing but the study of God.  Mankind has upheld science as the knowledge of the universe.  The trouble is, they've forgotten the creator of all which we see.  We know that in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth {Genesis 1:1}.  These are the very first words written in scripture.  For their part, science has continually attempted to downplay the truth of the Lord.  They try to divert our attention from the truth by claiming that the universe was created by some cosmic event long ago.  This is based upon the knowledge of man and not the truth we find in the Father.  The apostle Paul speaks to the worldly man not accepting the truth of the Lord, that "They are stupidity to him" {Paul to the Corinthians (1) 2:14}.  Nowhere is this more prevalent than in theology, the study of God.  I have written many times of the separation theology of the mainstream church.  It is this belief system which proclaims that it is our sin which has separated us from God.  Even today, our seminaries are filled with students of theology who are fed this false doctrine of God.  Paul speaks to the truth found in the evangel that Christ Jesus has died to sin "Once for all time" {Paul to the Romans 6:10}.  Knowing this, how is it that our sin has separated us from God?  Yet this is what our modern theology teaches us.  

In this you know the spirit of God: every spirit which is avowing Jesus Christ, having come in the flesh, is of God, and every spirit which is not avowing Jesus the Lord having come in the flesh is not of God.  And this is that of the antichrist, of which you have heard that is coming, and is now already in the world

First Epistle of John 4: 2 - 3, Concordant New Testament  

I believe that there is a very good reason that the apostle John spoke of our "Testing the spirits to see if they are of God" {First Epistle of John 4:1}.  I also believe that in doing so that we can discern the ways of the accuser.  John speaks the truth of the antichrist already being in the world among us {First Epistle of John 4:3}.  This is evident within the various studies of science.  Satan has often attempted to flip the narrative of the truth of the evangel through science.  The "Big bang" theory of creation.  The false narrative of man-made climate change (Formerly global warming) which continues to spew falsehoods even today.  The advice that I give to believers who question me on these studies of science is to test the spirits as the apostle suggests.  Have we evolved from some microscopic material?  Test the spirits of Genesis 1:1.  The larger question is, are our minds centered upon science or God?  In my opinion, you can't have it both ways.  One notable exception may be the science archeology.  For it is through archeology that man has proven the history of the scriptures.  From the discovery of the lost ark of Noah to that of the ruins of ancient Egypt, archeology has continued to shine a light on the events of our past.  So, where is God?  As the creator of all which we see, God is indeed all in all.  Not only is our own life in Him {Johns Account 14:20} but there is nothing in His creation that He has is not a intimate part of.  Although science will continue in its attempt to refute that truth.  

~Scott~ 

The Good Of The Father (The Twelve Steps To Nowhere) # 2005

 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 

It's the mainstream church solution to almost every addiction of problem that we might face.  It starts with the admission of the problem, and then moves into the twelve-step phase.  While in the midst of my own addiction to pornography, I was encouraged quite strongly by a pastor to enroll myself in one of these twelve-step programs.  Only there under the church guidance, I was told, would I find freedom from my addiction.  Well, not surprisingly, I was lied to.  For even as I labored in the twelve-steps of mainstream church doctrine, my affliction continued.  In the confines of the church, I felt like a condemned sinner.  The separation theology of the church was never more prevalent than in the twelve-step process.  Despite the efforts of my accountability partner, I could never get over the feeling that God was disappointed with me.  The truth of the love that He had for me was rarely mentioned.  I was a sinner, and I needed to recognize that reality.  At the end of my twelve-steps, I was none the more released from my addiction than I had been when I began.  Why was God keeping me in this state?  Wasn't He happy with me?  Over time, I've found discovered that the whole idea behind the twelve-step process was wrong.  That guilt and condemnation were never intended to produce a change in someone.  My own release from my addiction did not come until I had come to the realization of who I was as a person.  I'm not speaking of the man everyone sees every day, but who I am inside.  For this is my true identity.  The words spoken by the apostle Paul were what introduced me to this realization.  It is Paul who speaks to his own knowing of Christ Jesus in within him {Paul to the Galatians 2:20}.  Wait, Christ within a sinner like me?  Those mainstream church theologies continued to haunt me as I struggled with my new-found revelation.  How could God be within a sinner?  I had been brought up to believe that God was holy, and that sinful man could never reach His level of closeness.  The best I could hope for is to somehow "Be like" Jesus.  But Paul never speaks of being like Jesus.  What his evangel does proclaim is that our life is in Him {Paul to the Romans 6:8}.  It is this evangel which eventually accomplished what those twelve-steps could never do.  

Now the God of all grace, Who calls you into His eonian glory in Christ, while briefly suffering, He will be adjusting, establishing, firming, founding you

Peter to the Dispersion (1) 5: 10, Concordant New Testament 

The story has been told more than a few times.  About the night that I found myself about to enter once again into one of the numerous strip clubs to be found in Portland.  Of how at that moment I was suddenly introduced as who I really was, and it wasn't the guy who had been frequenting these places.  No, the man I really am is one who is indwelled with the spirit of Christ.  My life is in Him {Johns Account 14:20}.  This is a knowing that I was never taught in the twelve-step process.  For the church based addiction recovery focuses on the external presumption of who we are (The sinner).  The truth of the evangel spoken by Paul assures us that this is NOT who we are.  This is not our true identity.  If I had known this revelation sooner in life, I would have had zero need for those twelve-steps to nowhere.  I think of the apostle Paul and his own conversion on that road to Damascus.  Paul speaks to that day in his life as "When it delights God" to unveil Christ Jesus in him {Paul to the Galatians 1:15-16}.  Indeed, when my own time came, the Father revealed His Son in me.  Of course, all of those years of mainstream church preaching made it difficult to unpack what the Lord was revealing in me.  We do well to remember that upon his come to Jesus moment, Paul did not immediately begin his ministry.  After his revelation, Paul went away to spend at least two years in Arabia {Paul to the Galatians 1:17}.  We can only assume that he has his own unpacking to do.  The truth that I have come to know is that I am not the sinner which the church has proclaimed.  Nor is my life separated from God.  Who I am is His son {First Epistle of John 3:1}.  

~Scott~ 

The Good Of The Father (The Least Of These) # 2004

 

'For I hunger and you give Me to eat; I thirst and you gave Me to drink; a stranger was I and you took Me in; naked and you clothed Me; infirm am I and you visit Me; in jail was I and you come to Me;  "Then the just will be answering Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we perceive Thee hungering and nourish Thee, or thirsting and we give Thee drink?  Now when did we perceive Thee a stranger and took Thee in, or naked and we clothed Thee?  Now when did we perceive Thee infirm, or in jail and we came to Thee?  "And, answering, the King shall be declaring to them, 'Verily, am I saying to you, in as much as you did it to one of these, the least of my brethren, you did it to Me' 

Matthews Account 25: 35 - 40, Concordant New Testament 

I've come to hate hospitals.  I'm ok with the occasional visit to my regular doctor, but to be cooped up in some hospital room for any length of time would drive me nuts.  In the past few years I have had far too many bad experiences in hospitals.  I was there when my mother was hospitalized on Christmas eve before her passing.  I was also there recently when I broke a bone in my foot.  Indeed, hospitals aren't my favorite places to be.  Yet the other night I found myself once again entering another hospital, except this time it was for someone else's piece of mind and not my own well-being.  This time I went to visit and to minister to a good friend who is recovering from his recent knee replacement surgery.  In my mind I am well aware of all of the negative reactions which I have while I've been in a hospital, so I can only imagine what my friend is feeling.  It is interesting that Jesus, in His parable which we find in the book of Matthew, seemingly refers to Himself as He describes how it is that others ministered to Him in His time of need {Matthews Account 25:35-40}.  He tells of those who visited Him in jail, who fed Him when He was hungry, and clothed Him when He was in need.  Like those who were listening to Him that day, I asked the same question, when was it that Jesus needed ministering to?  Yes, Jesus was not above being emotional in His time on earth.  Yet in these times, He would often retreat somewhere to pray to the Father.  Can we see these private moments alone with the Father as Jesus being ministered to?  I would think so.  I believe that in order to truly understand what Jesus is referring to in this passage that one first needs to the truth of our life in Him.  For Jesus has proclaimed that our life is not our own, but that we live in union with He and the Father {Johns Account 14:20}.  Not only do we ourselves live our lives in Christ, but all of Gods children live through Him.  Knowing this, it is easier to see what Jesus meant when He proclaimed that "In as much as you did it to one of these, the least of My brethren, you did it to Me."  When I visited my friend in the hospital, I was exhibiting Christ to someone who needed His love in that moment.  

With all humility and meekness, with patience, bearing with one another in love 

Paul to the Ephesians 4: 2, Concordant New Testament 

The few times that I have been in a hospital for an extended stay, I remember longing for someone to come to visit me.  In this way, I can understand what my friend has been going through as well.  I'm not sure if others go through this as well, but being in a hospital setting I think encourages feelings of separation from those around us.  But, as I told my friend during my visit, he has never been alone in his life.  I believe that it is these times when sickness or injury afflict us, that it is in these times that the Lord will reveal Himself more prominently to us.  The apostle Paul struggled with what he referred to as a "Splinter in the flesh" {Paul to the Corinthians (2) 12:7}.  He did what his spirit led him to do, he prayed to the Lord that this affliction would be removed from him.  Not just once, but three times.  God's answer to Paul's affliction?  "Sufficient for you is My grace, for My power in infirmity is being perfected" {Paul to the Corinthians (2) 12:9}.  Paul proceeds to proclaim that he shall delight in his infirmities for "Whenever I am weak, then I am powerful" {Paul to the Corinthians (2) 12:10}.  I'm not certain if my friend knew of this powerful lesson which we learn from the apostle, but I was there to exhibit Christ to him nonetheless.  I've been in his shoes, and I remember how much I wanted someone to come and minister to me in those moments.  However, it is in those moments that I now realize that I wasn't alone at all.  That is the message of the Father which I relayed to my friend.  

~Scott~ 

The Good Of The Father (Like Father Like Son) # 2003

 

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  

The question was asked this week, who is God?  Sure, you might fall back on your mainstream church upbringing like I have so many times in my descriptions of God and Jesus, but exactly who is He?  Is He an overseer, sitting upon His throne in heaven bestowing us with His approval or disapproval depending on what we do?  Indeed, this is how the church will speak of the Lord God.  From Sunday sermons to contemporary Christian worship music, the message is clear, "Cone near to us, Lord."  This is how I was raised in the church separation theology.  Where God was an impersonal, far-off entity.  Where sin was an ever-present danger.  Never once in all of my years in the mainstream church did I hear of the personal relationship I could have with the Lord.  Sure, I heard those words bantered around many times.  Yet a personal, loving relationship with God was deemed impossible for we sinners.  This is where our issue with knowing who God truly is lies.  I have honestly come to believe that if we are to began to see the truth of who God is that we first need to separate ourselves from the church and its theologies.  While this might sound like a radical statement to many, it is the apostle John who calls upon us to "Test the spirits to see if they are of God" {First Epistle of John 4:1}.  The author and theologian J Preston Eby has interpreted, rather correctly, the passage which we find in Revelation 18: 4.  In this verse, John issues the warning to "Come out of her (The church), my people, lest you should be joint participants in her sins" {The unveiling of Christ Jesus 18:4}.  Yet for many, the church has become associated with God, and to withdraw from it would somehow mean that they were walking away from God.  This is exactly how I felt when I walked away from the church so many years ago.  There had been a stirring within me in my spirit, something didn't seem right.  I would not discover what this uneasiness was until I began to share conversations with a retired pastor friend who had himself felt that same stirring in his spirit.  I would soon learn the truth of who God really is.  

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

Johns Account 14: 20, Concordant New Testament 

The words spoken by Jesus must have seemed inconceivable to those who were listening.  Jesus in me?  Jesus in a sinner?  Again, the sin issue is but one of the issues used by those in the church to illustrate that a relationship with the Father is at best difficult.  The apostle Paul speaks to the truth of that sin issue in Romans.  It is Paul who reminds us that Christ has died to sin "Once for all time" {Paul to the Romans 6:10}.  So it is that through Christ, our realization of who God truly is has become possible.  Jesus has spoken to the truth that if we see Him, we have seen the Father {Johns Account 14:9}.  Jesus also has proclaimed that He only does as He sees the Father doing {Johns Account 5:19}.  The truth is, we are the representation of Who God is.  It is the Father in Whom we have our life {Johns Account 14:20}.  We have been created in the Fathers likeness {Genesis 1:27}.  Contrary to the teachings of the mainstream church, we are much closer to God than they will ever admit.  Perhaps this is why Eby so correctly translated the scripture in Revelation that the Lords children need to "Come out of her."  For as the Son does only what He sees the Father do, so have we been declared sons as well {First Epistle of John 3:1}.  As our life is in Him, we share in all which God does.  The truth is, God has never been some far off entity separated from man by sin.  He is in our DNA, an intimate part of who we are.  THAT is who God is.  

~Scott~ 

The Good Of The Father (How Well Do You Know God?) # 2002

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

Johns Account 14: 20, Concordant New Testament 

I had the discussion the other day with a fellow gym friend about how well he really knew God.  What got me questioning his knowing of the Father was his expressing of the false separation theology spoken by the mainstream church.  When I run across someone such as this, I can empathize with them because I too once knew OF God but did not know who He is.  So, who is God?  For many well-meaning Christians, God is someone they read about in the scriptures.  We pray to Him and usually have a basic, fundamental knowledge of Him.  He created me in His likeness {Genesis 1:27}.  He also created all it is that we will ever know {Genesis 1:1}.  Our knowledge of the Father will usually come from whichever version of the scriptures we choose to use.  I have a friend who is immersed in the Eastern Orthodox way of thinking.  When we talk of God, he will speak of the traditions which he and his family follow.  Yet the biggest issue which he will speak to me of continues to be that of his own sin.  I have the feeling that my friends image of God is based upon what has been spoken to by his pastor.  That there is indeed a separation between ourselves and God.  That it is our sin which has doomed us to this fate.  Again, I grew up learning about God in this environment.  For much of my life, my own view of God reflected the theology of the church.  My own view of God changed when I began to join in conversation with a friend who is a retired pastor.  This is where the confusion started.  For too many years I has been exposed to the sermons from the church pulpits.  Often, these sermons spoke of the theology of the church and not the true identity of the Father spoken to by the evangel of the apostle Paul.  One of the first scriptures that exposed me to the truth of the identity of the Father is found in Galatians.  Here, Paul speaks to the truth of Christ in him {Galatians 2:20}.  For someone who has been exposed only to church theology most of their life, this can be a tough verse to unpack.  Jesus in me?  Jesus within a sinner?  Turns out that a lot of what the church had taught me about God had been in error.  

With Christ have I been crucified, yet I am living; no longer I, but living in me is Christ.  Now that which I am now living in flesh, I am living in faith that is of the Son of God, Who loves me, and gives Himself up for me

Paul to the Galatians 2: 20, Concordant New Testament 

Some time ago, I penned a page which spoke of the lies which the church told me.  For this I received a lot of pushback.  How could I dare say that the church has lied?  Well, let me make one distinction here.  God is incapable of lying, not so the man-made church.  The bitter truth is that the church is filled and led by error prone humans.  Knowing this, how could we not expect that there would be falsehoods involved in their teachings?  I have witnessed far too many disgraced pastors fall from their thrones due to one mistake or another.  One thing which we can be assured of is that Jesus is the same today as He was yesterday {To the Hebrews 13:8}.  I could never make that claim about the church.  There is a reason which the apostle John speaks to "Testing the spirits to see if they are of God" {First Epistle of John 4:1}.  We are called upon to test the words of our pastors, or anyone for that matter, to see if they align with the truth of the Father.  For the record, the truth of our identity in God is that we have never been separated from Him.  The truth, spoken from Christ Jesus, is that our life in IN Him {Johns Account 14:20}.  It is this truth of the Father which many people I speak to have difficulty understanding.  Their focus is on what the church has taught them.  Man is sinful and that sin has separated us from God {Isaiah 59:2}.  To this I will answer, what about Jesus?  Paul has spoken to the truth that it is Jesus Who has died to sin "Once for all time" {Paul to the Romans 6:10}.  Knowing this, what sin is it that separates us from God?  For Paul proclaims in response to his proclamation that all have sinned {Paul to the Romans 3:23}, that we have been justified by the deliverance which is in Christ Jesus {Paul to the Romans 3:24}.  This is the truth of the Father we find in the evangel.  This is the God that I know. 

~Scott~ 

The Good Of The Father (Those Damn Christians) # 2001

 

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 doesn't 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 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~ 

Somehow, I've become associated with one of "Them."  Despite the fact that what I believe in my heart speaks to a God seldom preached of in the mainstream church, I've become known as one of those damn Christians.  I see it as being guilty by association.  So, how is it that we've arrived at this point?  How is it that we who believe in God have become so reviled?  Well, I'd say that we as believers shoulder much of the blame for this.  We're the ones who have demeaned others in the name of the Lord.  We're the ones who have demanded a certain standard of behavior from others while seldom adhering to it ourselves.  All, of course, in the name of God.  Granted, not all believers fit this stereotype, just enough to leave a majority of the world with a bad opinion not only of the followers of the Lord, but of God Himself.  When I frequented the mainstream church, I was witness to many people who were shunned or turned away for one reason or another.  From the way you were dressed to the way you expressed your heart felt worship to the Lord, it seems as if someone was always critiquing you.  Like I said, I've been there.  This is not to say that every congregation is this judgmental, and I've been witness to a few that weren't.  Yet, somehow believers got it in their heads that we are not simply the voice of the Father speaking through us, but his mighty Christian soldiers ready to fight for His all-perfect plan for the world.  So it is that the almighty God, the creator of all which we see, has suddenly recruited the assistance of those who believe.  Does anyone but me see an issue with this?  Whatever happened to trusting in the Lord?  Whatever happened to trusting in God instead of fighting for what we perceive is His desire?  Somewhere along the way, the believers in the Lord got derailed.  

Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but tests the spirits to see if they are of God, for many false prophets have come out into the world

First Epistle of John 4: 1, Concordant New Testament 

Like I said, I have found a belief in the Lord which is spoken by the apostle Paul in his evangel.  I can honestly say that this evangel is far different from that which I have heard spoken from any church pulpit.  It is Paul who speaks of our true image in Christ Jesus {Paul to the Corinthians (2) 3:18}.  It is the apostle John who speaks to the one true identity of our life in Him {Johns Account 14:20}.  Do not be misled that if you follow the truth of the evangel of Christ instead of the separation theology of the church that you are somehow going against the scriptures.  Nothing is further from the truth.  I believe in the truth of the spoken evangel that sin is no longer an issue for me {Paul to the Romans 6:10}.  I believe that we have been created in the Fathers likeness {Genesis 1:27}.  I also believe that the mainstream church has been in error for speaking to our separation from God.  And it is this theology which we speak to the world.  A theology not of the true love of God, but of His judgement upon the world.  Folks, that ship has sailed!  We have been found guilty without a doubt.  Yet through the love and grace of the Father, He has provided our redemption through the sacrifice of the innocent on the cross {Paul to the Corinthians (2) 5:21}.  Make no mistake, God did not send Jesus into the world to judge it, but that ALL the world would be saved through Him {Johns Account 3:16-17}.  Jesus has also spoken that we are not to judge {Mathews Account 7:1-5}.  This means those who we feel are going against the Lord as well.  For God does not call on us to enforce His rules, but to exhibit His love through us {Johns Account 13:33-35}.  Do this, and we might not be seen as those damn Christians.  

~Scott~ 

The Good Of The Father (What about Jesus?) # 2000

 

Now He said, also, to some that have confidence in themselves that they are just, and are scorning the rest, this parable:  "Two men went up into the sanctuary to pray, the one a pharisee and the other a tax collector.  The Pharisee, standing, prayed this to himself, 'God, I am thanking you that I am not even as the rest of these men, rapacious, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tribute collector.  I am fasting twice of a sabbath.  I am taking tithes from all whatever I am acquiring.'  Now the tribute collector, standing afar off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his chest, saying, 'God, make a propitiatory shelter for me, the sinner!'  I am saying to you, this man descended to his home justified, rather than that one, for everyone who is exalting himself shall be humbled, yet he who is humbling himself shall be exalted." 

Lukes Account 18: 9-14, Concordant New Testament 

A good friend of mine sent an article to me the other day written by a man speaking to the "One thing separating most people from God."  Now, before even reading the article, I knew what his spin would be.  As I have written before, the mainstream church has made a business out of preaching the separation theology which claims that we have been separated from God somehow.  To back up their absurd claim, they often turn to the prophet Isaiah who speaks to the sins of God have caused the Lord to "Hide My face from you" {Isaiah 59:2}.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  Notice that one of the scriptures that those within the church use to illustrate the false theology is taken from the Old Testament.  When I see this I often ask, well, what about Jesus?  For we know that it is Jesus Whom the Father dispatched to deal with that sin issue through His own death on the cross {Johns Account 3:16-17}.  So, how is it that you can continue to claim the judgements of the Old Testament while ignoring the saving sacrifice of Christ?  Can anyone besides me see the absurdity in this?  I am constantly talking with so called believers who adhere to the practice of stressing themselves in prayers for the forgiveness of their sins.  Well, what about Jesus?  Have you ever heard of Him?  Better yet, have you ever known Him?  For if you had known the truth spoken by the apostle Paul in his evangel, you would more than likely think twice about your own views of sin.  It is Paul who proclaims that Christ has died to sin "Once for all time" {Paul to the Romans 6:10}.  I have had the unique perspective in my own life to have seen both sides of that fence.  I have sat through countless Sunday sermons which spoke to my separation from God.  I have even feared for the loss of my own salvation as a result of these false teachings.  When I read articles like the one in question, I can see that the author is steeped in the separation theology of the mainstream church because I've been there myself.  But here's the kicker, I found the truth.  Through the help of that same good friend who sent me the article, I have been able to separate the truth from the false theology spoken from the church.  

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 

While the mainstream church speaks to sin separating us from God, the evangel of Christ Jesus proclaims that it is He who has given Himself willingly out of His love for us {Paul to the Corinthians (2) 5:21}.  Make no mistake, Jesus IS that sin offering.  Jesus IS our propitiatory shelter {Lukes Account 9:13}.  I find it interesting that the same organization which claims to believe in the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross will so boldly deny that sacrifice through their own teachings.  Think I'm off base?  Has not Jesus come to perish on the cross for the forgiveness of sin, yes or no?  If you believe that Jesus indeed has given Himself for the forgiveness of sin, then you may just be on your way to knowing the truth of the evangel.  I say might because there are plenty of followers in the church who believe in the sacrifice of Jesus yet continue to adhere to the separation theology.  You might be saying to yourself, "But what about my past?"  Well, Paul speaks to this in Colossians.  Paul speaks to the Father 'vivifying us together with Him, dealing graciously with all our offenses' {Paul to the Colossians 2:13}.  If Jesus has given Himself to sin "Once for all time" as Paul proclaims, we can trust that He has defeated our sin past, present and future.  How many times will you send Jesus to that cross over some sin which has already been forgiven?  We should be in prayer graciously thanking God for His deliverance from our former state.  Yes, all have sinned {Paul to the Romans 3:23}.  But Paul also speaks to our being justified through the deliverance that we find in Christ Jesus {Paul to the Romans 3:24}.  Therefore, I hold to the truth of the evangel that I have never been separated from my creator.  

~Scott~ 

The Good Of The Father (Never Good Enough For God) # 1999

 

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

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

How good do you need to be in order to be accepted by God?  Those in the church are fond of telling us that if we behave badly that we can and will lose our salvation.  The other day I had a conversation with a gym rat friend who mentioned to me that he didn't believe in God at all.  Before I tossed this man onto the growing pile of non-believers, I asked him why he felt that way.  His response surprised even me.  It seems that someone close to him had died a few years ago, and that his prayers had gone unanswered for their healing.  I can empathize with him, as I felt the same way when my mother passed away.  But my friend also didn't believe that God could ever love a man like him who had done so many wrong things.  Again, the church has done us zero favors in this arena.  We've been raised in a religious system where the good are rewarded and the guilty are judged and punished.  I see my friend as a victim of that system even if he has never known God before.  All around him are the so-called believers who preach verses of hell and punishment if he doesn't behave in a Godly way.  I used to be among that crowd when I was in the church.  But who could blame me?  This is how I was taught.  The church is filled with those whose idea of gathering souls for God is to shame people into submission.  But what is it that the Father thinks?  The apostle Paul speaks to the salvation of the lowly and downtrodden among us, that He has raised Christ from the dead and gathers us unto Him {Paul to the Colossians 2:14-14}.  He has also wiped the slate clean of our offenses and the judgement which those in the church continue to hold over our heads.  Many people who continue to congregate the church will bristle at the mere suggestion that they will judge people.  That's Gods job! they shout for all to hear.  But what should I think of someone who vehemently speaks to my losing my salvation if I don't behave in a Godly fashion?  Isn't that placing ourselves in Gods judgement seat?  Yet this is a story for another day.  What I reminded my friend of when he revealed that he was a bad person unworthy of Gods love was who he was in the eyes of the Father.  For in Gods sight, he isn't who unloved, but loved {Paul to the Romans 5:8}.  

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 doesn't 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's all-powerful, all-perfect, all-knowing and all-wise, somehow he just can't handle money 

~George Carlin~ 

The sad fact remains that far too many people have been convinced of the false separation theology spoken by the church than those who have known the truth of the evangel of Christ Jesus spoken by the apostle Paul.  So it is that I am never surprised when I hear of someone who lives in despair, ashamed of how they think God sees them.  There is a reason that I spoke the truth to my friend of how it is that the Father looks at him.  This could be the first crack in the wall of deception that those in the church have built around him.  The wall which separates him from God.  That wall which has been built up by those in the mainstream church.  I know of what I speak, for I was a victim of this theology for years.  I've been in my friends shoes.  It wasn't until Jesus was revealed in my life that I began to see the truth.  With the help from a good friend, the evangel of Christ was revealed to me.  This is not something you'd hear from a pastor some Sunday morning.  No, this is the truth revealed to us of how the Father looks upon His children with love and grace.  No matter how far you think you've fallen in your life, the truth we find in the Father reveals to us that we are not sinners, but His loved child {First Epistle of John 3:1}.  We also do well to know that there is nothing which will ever take away that which the Father has freely given unto us through His Son Jesus.  It is Jesus who has that judgement upon Himself at the cross {Paul to the Corinthians (2) 5:21}.  Paul speaks to Jesus having died to sin "Once for all time" {Paul to the Romans 6:10}.  It is Jesus Who has taken the shame and punishment upon Himself for our sake.  What remains is our life in Him {Johns Account 14:20}.  

~Scott~ 

The Good Of The Father (A Love Freely Given) # 1998

 

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

First Epistle of John 4: 8, Concordant New Testament 

The conversation this past week centered around marriage and the love between two people involved.  I have been blessed in my life to have come to know a few Godly men who have been married for many years.  It is these brothers to whom I often turn to when seeking advice not only on the possibility of marriage but on relationships as well.  When I talk with those who have not been married very long there is a unique difference in how they often describe their relationship with their spouse.  A gym rat friend recently spoke to his need to earn the love and affection of his wife of only a few years.  Granted, I am not privy to the inner circles of their relationship, but this sounded strange to me.  How would someone who has promised to love another person until death do them part ever feel as if they needed to earn the love of the other?  Well, in the context of what we've come to know as church and religion, this is exactly what we've been taught about our own relationship with God.  The fact that we have to earn His love.  I've spent many a Sunday morning listening to one pulpit pounder after another threaten me with losing my salvation if I didn't behave in a way pleasing to God.  Sadly, there are many well-meaning Christians out there who have resorted to finding love and acceptance from another person instead of realizing the love which has been freely given to us from the Father.  The apostle John goes so far as to speak to the one nature of God, which is love {First Epistle of John 4:8}.  Indeed, I would offer that it is His live for us which drives all which the Father does.  It is through His love for us that we were created in His likeness {Genesis 1:27}.  It is also through His love for us that He dispatched His Son to be that propitiation for our sin {Johns Account 3:16-17}.  God does not seek payment for that which He freely gives to us.  It is the knowing of the Fathers love for me that has brought me through many a tough time.  It is that realization of His love that has revealed to me that my value and worth are not determined by how others around me perceive me.  I am His child, and He loves me as His own {First Epistle of John 3:1}. 

Yet God, being rich in mercy, because of His vast love with which He loves us (we also being dead to the offenses and the lusts), vivifies us together in Christ (in grace are you saved!) 

Paul to the Ephesians 2: 4-5, Concordant New Testament 

I cannot imagine a life lived where my own self-worth was dictated by someone else.  Yet this is the point where I was before my life in Him was revealed to me.  I would look to those around me for the acceptance I desired.  It was their opinions of me which often drove my own feelings of self-worth.  If they didn't like me, I all too often didn't like myself too much.  I look back on my conversation with my friend this week and I see those same struggles in him.  Each day fighting for the right to earn the love of someone who has vowed to love him forever.  I will note that my friend is one of those who knows about God, but has never known Him in that personal way in which I have come to know Him.  Therefore, I can see his own struggles in those which I once faced.  I have taken it upon myself to remind him of the Fathers love for him at each and every opportunity.  My prayer is that God will open his heart to that revelation of His love for us.  Although it seems sad and tragic to be involved in a relationship where we feel the need to validate the love of another, this is where we find ourselves.  Social media is thick with people who struggle with the acceptance of others each and every day.  Clicking that "Like" button has become more important to most people than actually liking someone for who they are.  For their part, the mainstream church speaks to God having His own like button.  He will click His like button in our favor if we behave in a way which pleases Him.  However, if we don't, His approval of us will wane to the point that our own freely given salvation could be in doubt.  This is what religion has taught us!  I am grateful that I have the truth of His love in my heart.  The truth not of the acceptance of others, but of a love freely given. 

~Scott~ 

The Good Of The Father (All Things) # 1997

 

Trillions and trillions of prayers every day asking and begging and pleading for favors.  'Do this' 'Gimme that' 'I want a new car' 'I want a better job'.  And most of this praying takes place on Sunday.  And I say fine, pray for anything you want.  Pray for anything.  But...what about the divine plan?  Remember that?  The divine plan.  Long time ago God made a divine plan.  Gave it a lot of thought.  Decided it was a good plan.  Put it into practice.  And for billions and billions of years the divine plan has been doing just fine.  Now you come along and pray for something.  Well, suppose the thing you want isn't in Gods divine plan.  What do you want Him to do?  Change His plan?  Just for you?  Doesn't it seem a little arrogant?  It's a divine plan.  What's the use of being God if every run-down schmuck with a two-dollar prayer book can come along and fuck up your plan? 

~George Carlin~ 

It's one of the most commonly asked questions in Christianity.  How is it that God can allow bad things to happen to good people?  How is it that God can allow such suffering in the world?  Indeed, I've often had difficulty in explaining to others the answer to these questions.  Mainly because I myself was unsure of that answer.  For I have often prayed for the Fathers provision in certain areas of my life.  Before my mother passed away, I did exactly what those in the church instructed me to do, I prayed that God would heal her from her pain.  I was not seeking something for myself, only that my mother would be free of her suffering.  The night she passed away, I was not only filled with sadness, but an anger at God which I had never felt before.  How could God simply ignore my prayer and take my mother from me?  Had I not prayed for her healing?  Had God abandoned me in my time of need despite proclaiming that He would never leave me nor forsake me?  In my time of mourning, it certainly seemed that way to me.  Then, a good friend from the church spoke something to me.  What had happened had been according to His will for her.  What?  Killing someone is according to Gods will?  It wasn't until some time later that God revealed to me that He had indeed answered my prayer, just not in the way I had been expecting.  My mother was now free of her sickness and pain, which was what I had been praying for all along.  I have no doubt that God knew even before time began everything that would transpire through the passing of my mother.  As believers, we know that God knows all things.  Nothing will ever escape His notice.  The author J Preston Eby describes Gods plan for the ages.  The apostle Paul writes of this divine plan in Ephesians {Paul to the Ephesians 3:8-11}.  So, how is it that God can allow such suffering into His creation?  That's been His plan all along.  I know that this sounds like a somewhat trite answer to the question, but it is nonetheless accurate.  Throughout history we have been witness to the unfolding of the plans of the Lord.  The failed plans of Satan to overcome God.  The disobedience of His creation in the garden and the reconciliation through Christ Jesus which He ordained from the beginning.  When we have this revelation, we can be assured of the words of Paul that God is working all together for the good {Paul to the Romans 8:28}.  

To me, less than the least of all saints, was granted this grace: to bring the evangel of the untraceable riches of Christ to the nations, and to enlighten all as to what is the administration of the secret, which has been concealed from the eons in God, Who creates all, that now may be made know to the sovereignties and the authorities among the celestials, through the ecclesia, the multifarious wisdom of God, in accord with the purpose of the eons, which He makes in Christ Jesus, our Lord 

Paul to the Ephesians 3: 8-11, Concordant New Testament 

One of the most difficult scriptures I've ever had to unpack are the words of Paul we find in Romans 8:28.  That God will work all together for good for those who are loving Him.  Really?  How is death, pain and violence considered working all for our good?  Again, this is a question often asked by well-meaning Christians looking for that simple answer to the troubles of life.  Of course, the answer to this question may just be too complex for them to handle.  That God created all from the beginning.  That He indeed had a purpose for His creation.  We might live in a black and white reality, but God doesn't work in that way.  All too often, that which we feel is best for us is not what the Father has in mind for our life in Him.  Our decisions are often based upon physical possessions and emotions.  If we were to strip away these filters, then perhaps we could see through the eyes of the Father just what He desires for us.  Instead of praying for that new car, how about praying for the Lord to open our eyes to that good which he has for us?  Why?  Because to do this provides no immediate physical reward for us.  Indeed, knowing of a gift is not as good as receiving one.  Yet we can be assured that the God who created all according to His desire for our good will also make known unto us What His desire for us is in His timing.  

~Scott~ 

The Good Of The Father (The Devils Choice) # 1996

 

Be observing accurately, then, brethren, how you are walking, not as unwise, but as wise, reclaiming the era, for the days are wicked.  Therefore do not become imprudent, but understand what the will of the Lord is

Paul to the Ephesians 5: 15-17, Concordant New Testament 

I have many well intended Christians speak to how we should be seeking the Lords help for delivering us from whatever addiction we might be facing.  In the church I used to attend, there was a small group whose intention it was to assist those who found themselves in recovery from addiction.  While I agree that we should pray for Gods help in delivering us from whatever addictions that we may face, I believe also that we are speaking about addiction that we're missing the point.  When we come to the realization that we are making choices that are destructive to us, we often seek the help of the Lord.  We do well for doing that.  I have a brother who I have been in prayer over for some time.  It's no secret among his brothers and friends that he has a history of making terrible choices when it comes to his own addiction to alchohol.  In my case, I can and have emphasized with my brother because there was a time when I too made life choices that led to my own addiction.  When it came to my own addiction to pornography, I often struggled as to why the Lord would allow me to suffer through that hell.  I can only imagine the struggles and questions which my friend is asking of the Father these days.  But what many in the Christian community have been missing is that the addictions we suffer are all too often a result of our own choices we make.  Yes, God is all in all, but He has also created us in His very likeness, with the ability to make choices for ourselves {Genesis 1:27}.  This is why it is a good thing when we come to that realization of our own self-destructive behavior that we seek the help of the Lord through prayer.  In my own addiction, I knew that I what I was doing went against what the Lord had planned for me.  I chose the flesh and not the Lord.  This is the devils choice.  Does this mean that our choices led to our own separation from God?  Not at all.  Those within the mainstream church will tell us that it is our sin which leads us into separation from the Lord.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  Yet through our own choices, we choose to accept this lie of the church as truth.  

For all am I strong in Him Who is invigorating me -- Christ! 

Paul to the Ephesians 4: 13, Concordant New Testament 

Those who know me have asked me more than a few times how it is that I overcame my own addiction.  I have one simple answer them...Jesus.  I recall standing outside that strip club that night, about to feed my addiction once again, when I suddenly had the thought that this was not the man that I really was.  At the time I wasn't aware of just who I was, but I had the feeling that my choices of the flesh were not a part of it.  Something changed in me that night.  I often feel that this must have been how the apostle Paul felt when he looked back on his trip down that road to Damascus.  That man Saul wasn't who he truly was.  Paul speaks to this in Galatians, that "When it delights God," that He would reveal His son in him {Paul to the Galatians 1: 15-16}.  I believe that my own life followed the similar path as Paul's life did.  So, what can Paul's experience teach us about our own addictions?  Well, first, that there is always room for God to reveal unto us how He looks upon us and not how the world sees us.  Whenever I come across someone in the struggle of addiction, my first question is always, "Who do you see when you look in the mirror?"  More often than not, others will tell me that they see a failure rejected by God because of their sin.  They've chosen to accept the lie of the deceiver.  When I stood outside that building that night, I knew in that moment that something had changed.  I wasn't that guy I thought I had been.  In that moment, the Father opened the door to an entire new reality for me.  My life is not in the world, but in the Father {Johns Account 14:20}.  Those in the church will tell me that my sin has separated me from God.  The evangel of Christ Jesus assures me that Jesus has given Himself once for the sin of all {Paul to the Romans 6:10}.  

~Scott~ 

The Good Of The Father (Eyes On You) # 1995

 

Trust in Yahweh with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He Himself shall straighten your paths

Proverbs 3: 5-6, Concordant Old Testament 

They're known as some of the best pilots in the world.  I have seen many performances of the United States Navy Blue Angels in my lifetime.  Each time more exciting than the last.  Who wouldn't be amazed by the sight of six supersonic fighter jets flying sometimes within inches of each other.  In a recent interview, Blue Angels commander Adam "Gilligan" Bryan was asked the question which so many people, including myself, have often wondered.  How is it that six of the Navys fastest and most agile jet fighters can continuously fly in such close proximity to each other without a major incident?  Bryan summed it up with a quote from a recent airshow.  As the Blues taxied out to takeoff for another show, Bryan's slot pilot, Lt Cmdr Wes Perkins, spoke the words which every Blue Angels pilot lives by, "Eyes on you, Boss."  This is how they train, eyes focused on the lead aircraft.  Whatever the flight lead does in the moment is often mimicked by those in close formation.  Nowhere else is this strict attention to detail illustrated than in the 1982 crash involving four T-38 Talon aircraft of the United States Air Force Thunderbirds over Indian Springs, Nevada.  While practicing a diamond loop formation, the four aircraft literally followed their flight lead straight into a crash without wavering.  Their attention obviously focused closely on each and every movement of the leader.  I was thinking the other day on how it is that we, as believers, all too often are called upon to focus our eyes not upon what we see, but to focus our faith on Christ.  The author of Hebrews speaks to our looking to Jesus, "The founder and perfector of our faith" {To the Hebrews 12:2}.  Indeed, what good is our faith in Jesus if our eyes are not focused upon Him?  But how is it that we see Jesus?  Do we look upon Him simply as someone who has punched out ticket to heaven?  Or, as I have learned, do we look upon Jesus as our source of life and all we are?  The apostle has spoken to the truth that all has come into being through Christ {Johns Account 1:1-5}.  As believers, we realize that we have been created in the image of the Father {Genesis 1:27}.  The obvious conclusion is that Jesus has always been an intimate part of who we are.  

And He is the head of the body, the ecclesia, Who is sovereign, Firstborn from among the dead, that in all He may be becoming first, for in Him the entire compliment delights to dwell 

Paul to the Colossians 1: 18-19, Concordant New Testament 

The apostle Paul has spoken to the truth that Jesus is the head of His church, the ecclesia {Paul to the Colossians 1:18}.  As such, our focus should be upon Him as the head of the church of Christ Jesus.  Like those pilots focused on those around them, our own eyes should be centered upon the source of our life in Him {Johns Account 14:20}.  Focused on our knowing that without Him, we are left with nothing.  Focused upon the truth that without Jesus, we would have endured that punishment which He, being innocent, took upon Himself because of His love for us {Paul to the Corinthians (2) 5:21}.  Indeed, our eyes should not be focused on this world, but on He who has overcome the world {Johns Account 16:33}.  Yet too many times our eyes become blinded by what we see rather than what it is we know in our hearts.  During their flight demonstrations, a loss of concentration can lead to disaster for the pilots of the Blue Angels.  It is that laser focus that enables them to perform in the way which they do.  It is also our focus upon Christ Jesus that enables us to overcome what the world sets before us.  We do well to remember that this life has never been ours to live, but the extension of Christ in Whom we live.  That is our focus. 

~Scott~ 

The Good Of The Father (A God Thing) # 1994

 

We may be coming, then, to the throne of grace, that we may be obtaining mercy and finding grace for opportune help 

To the Hebrews 4: 16, Concordant New Testament 

I have a friend who will tell the story of when he made that decision to give his heart to Jesus.  After a few serious health challenges, how he one day realized that it was the Father who had restored him to health.  How, after being shot at while out driving one day, the responding officer told him in all seriousness that the Lord had been looking out for him that day.  Many people have taken to referring to situations such as this as a "God thing."  They stop short of giving the glory to the Father for His provision.  Not so for my friend.  For he knows fully well why his own life has been spared more than a few times.  It has more to do with the love and grace of the Father than being simply a God thing.  A God thing is a way for those on the fence about Jesus to explain the Lords intervention in our lives.  I've known people who have prayed for the Lords help in their lives, only to be amazed when He actually shows up.  Well, what were you expecting?  It's funny, but you'll never see the phrase "God thing" written in the scriptures.  You will, however, find references to Gods help in our time of need {To the Hebrews 4:16}.  The apostle Paul goes so far as to proclaim that the Father will "Supply every need of yours according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus" {Paul to the Philippians 4:19}.  Notice that the apostle is careful to note that the Father will supply every NEED.  Indeed, there is a difference between what we desire and what it is which we need.  That does not mean that we cannot pray to the Father for the desires of our heart, and many believers often do just that.  But there is a blurred line between what we see as a need and that of a desire.  Bu that is a topic for another day.  I would say that it takes a strong ounce of trust and faith to know that God will do for us as He has promised.  Is it truly a God thing, or simply the Father delivering upon His promise?  I would say that the latter is true.  But we cannot delve into this without first knowing the truth of our life in Christ Jesus.  It is Jesus Himself Who has proclaimed that we live in union with He and the Father {Johns Account 14:20}.  The truth is, that the Father will indeed speak His desires for us upon our hearts.  To live in union with God is to understand that our life is in Him, not separate from Him.  

And he has protested to me, "Sufficient for you is My grace, for My power in infirmity is being perfected."  With greatest relish, then, will I rather be glorying in my infirmities, that the power of Christ shall be tabernacling over me.  Wherefore I delight in infirmities, in outrages, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christs sake, for, whenever I may be weak, then I am powerful

Paul to the Corinthians (2) 12: 9-10, Concordant New Testament 

Paul was no stranger to adversity.  For he endured much for following and speaking of the evangel of Christ.  I find it interesting that when Paul prayed three times for God to remove that splinter in his flesh which Satan used to buffet him, he received an interesting response in return.  I firmly believe that Paul was expecting to be delivered from that which ailed him.  After all, he had made his request known to God for just that {Paul to the Philippians 4: 6-7}.  The Lords response to Paul?  "Sufficient for you is My grace, for My power in infirmity is being perfected" {Paul to the Corinthians (2) 12:9}.  Not surprisingly, I believe that far too many Christians these days would view such a response from God to their requests as unanswered prayer.  How can it be a God thing if we didn't get what we want?  Again, I believe that many of those who refer to the Lord working in the lives of His creation as a God thing do not share that relationship with Him.  Legendary wrestler Terry "Hulk" Hogan once described his life as "Knowing of Jesus but not truly knowing who He was."  Sadly, that's the situation many believers find themselves in.  They react to the Fathers love and grace for His children not with praise and glory, but brush it off as being simply a God thing.  Don't get me wrong, I give them credit for realizing that God is involved in their situation.  But our life in Him is not so much a God thing, but a relationship with Him. 

~Scott~ 

The Good Of The Father (Boots on The Ground) # 1993

 

For I am reckoning that the sufferings of the current era do not deserve the glory about to be revealed for us 

Paul to the Romans 8: 18, Concordant New Testament 

While preparing for his role as gunnery sergeant Hartman in Stanley Kubricks film Full Metal Jacket, former Marine Corps drill sergeant R. Lee. Ermey was advised to use his experiences in the Marines in order to provide realism for the role in which he had been cast.  However, one of the difficulties which Ermy ran into was when the producers insisted that the Marine recruits in the film wear running shoes during scenes which involved physical training.  Over the objections of the staff, Ermy insisted that he had never allowed his recruits to train in athletic shoes.  His reasoning was simple, when these men hit the battlefield, they would be wearing standard issue combat boots and gear.  As a drill instructor, it was his job to prepare his men for that battlefield.  This got me thinking this week.  What is it which God has provided in order that we would be prepared for that which we face in this life?  Yes, we have the scriptures to fall back on, but is there something more?  The apostle Paul has spoken the sufferings of this life cannot compare to the glory to be revealed for us {Paul to the Romans 8:18}.  Indeed, how much easier will our life be when we have knowledge of the truth of the evangel of Christ?  One of the scriptures that many people have trouble with is that Jesus Himself has promised that our lives will have trials {Johns Account 16:33}.  Yet Jesus gives this warning not as a harbinger of bad times, but that "You may have peace."  For as Christ has proclaimed, in this world we will have affliction, but Jesus has overcome this world!  When we trust in our life in the Father, through Christ Jesus we have conquered this world as well.  Of course, it's easy to look at all of the chaos going on around the world and assume that we have no hope.  I have a fellow gym rat friend who is a self described "Empath" who feels greatly for the sufferings of others.  He is constantly bombarding me with the question of why God would allow His children to suffer.  Believe me, I have struggled with this question as well.  This is where the scriptures come in.  I believe that the scriptures to be our "Boots on the ground" which help us to navigate the trials of life.  Just as R. Lee. Ermy prepared his Marine recruits for the rigors of combat, so has the Father prepared us for the trials we will have in life.  

Yet not only so, but we may be glorying also in afflictions, having perceived that affliction is producing endurance, yet endurance testedness, 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 

Despite being a strong voice for the evangel of the truth of Christ, Paul also faced his own share of afflictions in his life.  From the temptations of the accuser {Paul to the Corinthians (2) 12:7-10} to his time spent in Roman prisons for speaking the word of Christ.  One could say that if anyone had cause to complain about the unfairness of his life, it would have been Paul.  But what does Paul proclaim of the afflictions of his life?  When speaking of the afflictions of his life, Paul proclaims that we may "Be glorifying in afflictions" {Paul to the Romans 5:3}.  Glorying in our difficulties?  Is that even possible?  It is when we see the forest through the trees.  When we know and realize that despite our own afflictions, that God has brought us into our union life in Him {Johns Account 14:20}.  That despite the troubles of our own lives, that this life we live is not outside of God, but in Him.  Therefore, it is the Father Who brings us through our various tribulations through His love for us.  Just as R. Lee. Ermy prepared his recruits for the rigors of combat, the Father has also prepared the way for us to endure the trials of life.  Paul speaks to these afflictions as producing endurance within us {Paul to the Romans 5:4}.  As he trained his recruits, Ermy knew that they would have the endurance which they would need to handle any situation they faced.  The difference between a Marine drill instructor and God is that when the rubber meets the road, we endure our tribulations in Him.  This is why Paul could be confident in glorying in his afflictions. 

~Scott~