The Good Of The Father (The Choice) #1989

 

Then the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it brought a yearning to the eyes and that the tree was desirable for gaining insight.  So she took of its fruit and ate.  She also gave some to her husband with her, and he ate.  Then the eyes of both of them were unclosed, and they realized that they were naked.  So they sewed fig leaves together and made girdle skirts for themselves. 

Genesis 3: 6-7, Concordant Old Testament 

Have you ever made a dumb decision and then, in that moment, realized that it probably wasn't the smartest thing you'd ever done?  Believe me, I've been in that situation more times than I care to count.  A fellow gym rat posed the question this week, why does God allow so much suffering in this world?  Well, why is it that God allowed His first creation to take of the tree which He had commanded them not to?  We must realize that there is nothing that will ever happen that God is not keenly aware of beforehand.  He knew me before I was even born {Jeremiah 1:5}.  I believe that at the root of this question is our own identity in the Father.  We were all created in His likeness {Genesis 1:27}.  Being created in His likeness means that we share in certain communicable attributes of the Father.  Our innate ability to reason and to make choices of our own are a direct reflection of the nature of God.  While we do not share in the Fathers unique qualities of omnipotence and omniscience, we do share in certain qualities of who He is.  Nowhere is this exhibited more than in the garden when Adam and Eve are confronted by Satan the accuser.  The serpent delivers his best sales pitch to the Lords creation, telling them that if they were to eat of the fruit which God had forbidden them to take that they would then "Become like Elohim, knowing good and evil" {Genesis 3:5}.  Did Adam and Eve really know at this point just what good and evil even were?  Probably not.  But they heard the words of the accuser telling them that they could "Be like God."  Of course, they had no idea that, having been created in His likeness, that they were ALREADY like God.  What they heard were the words of the accuser, and perhaps they mistook these words as coming from God, the only other voice they had ever known up until that point.  And so, the choice was made.  For those who don't believe in the consequences for our actions, I present to you Adam and Eve.  For immediately after taking of the forbidden fruit they were presented with the realization that they were naked, and they immediately began to make coverings for themselves to hide their nakedness.  Satan had been right about one thing, the eyes of Gods creation had become unclosed as a result of their choice.  

For even as, through the disobedience of the one man, the many were constituted sinners, thus also, through the obedience of the One, the many shall be constituted just

Paul to the Romans 5: 19, Concordant New Testament 

So it is that as a result of being created in the likeness of God, the choice of disobedience was made.  Granted, this is not a reflection of God, but of the choices we ourselves make.  One other consequence of the choice to take from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil is that man has chosen to accept the lie of the deceiver that he has been separated from God due to his own actions.  How many of you feel that your own sin has separated you from a relationship with God?  I was once in your shoes.  I accepted the lie that my own behaviors could affect the free gift of salvation given unto me by the Father through the sacrifice of Christ Jesus {Johns Account 3:16-17}.  I did this despite knowing in my heart that God cannot lie.  Yet if we accept the lie of the deceiver that our sin separates us from the Father, we believe God to be a liar.  We have been created in His likeness, God has always been an intimate part of who it is that we are.  So, knowing this, how is it that we could ever be separated from the Father Who created us?  Again, mankind has made that choice to accept the lie spoken by the deceiver back in the garden.  Not one of the smartest choices we've ever made for sure.  The apostle Paul speaks to the choice of disobedience of the one man (Adam and Eve) resulting in man being constituted as a sinner.  Adams choice had consequences.  However, Paul also speaks to the obedience of the One, Christ Jesus, through which all would be constituted just {Paul to the Romans 5:19}.  Mans choice led him into sin.  Gods choice gave unto him redemption.  

~Scott~ 

The Good Of The Father (Closer Than A Friend) #1988

 

"No longer am I terming you slaves, for the slave is not aware what his lord is doing.  Yet I have declared you friends, for all that I hear from My Father I make known to you" 

Johns Account 15: 15, Concordant New Testament 

One of our discussions this week centered around the difference between a friendship and a relationship.  A gym rat friend mentioned the possibility that he shared a relationship with a girl he had just met at the gym a few days before.  Of course, I was dumbfounded at his announcement seeing the fifty-year age difference between them.  What followed was a spirited discussion on the difference between a friendship and a relationship.  We're told that Jesus Himself has indeed referred to us as His friends, making known to us what He hears from the Father {Johns Account 15:15}.  But is this the depth of our connection with Christ?  No!  For Jesus has also spoken to our union life relationship within He and the Father {Johns Account 14:20}.  Obviously, Jesus knows the difference between a common friendship and a deeper intimate relationship.  Indeed, that is the difference between the two.  One is more on a level of common familiarity while the other involves a more intimate connection.  There is a reason by which a marriage is referred to in a relationship sense, as a husband and wife share a deeper, more intimate connection than that from when they first met.  That friendship has evolved into a relationship over time.  This got me thinking, do we simply want to be friends with God, or do we desire something more.  Yes, Jesus has referred to us as friends, but I believe that He was attempting to illustrate for those listening His closer connection to them.  A friend shares more about his life with another friend.  A friend involves his friends more into the activities of his life.  But you better believe that there are things I would involve someone I was in an intimate relationship with that I would keep my friends separate from.  I am not involved in all of the aspects of the marriage relationships of my friends.  For that I am grateful.  That being said, I have come to know Christ Jesus in a more intimate way over time.  To me, Jesus is much more than a friend.  

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 

Many believers have claimed that they desire a closer, more intimate relationship with God.  They do not simply want to be His friend.  For His part, God has assured us that we share in an intimate relationship with Him {Johns Account 14:20}.  Our connection with the Father reaches back to our own creation.  I know that I have been lovingly created in the Fathers likeness {Genesis 1:27}.  We're told that He has known us before we were born {Jeremiah 1:5}.  This has never been simply a casual friendship, but a more intimate connection with God.  So much so, that He has called us His own {First Epistle of John 3:1}.  We are so much more than friends, we are his children.  So, what is it that we can learn from our union relationship with the Father?  Well, first and foremost, we can see that a relationship is far more intimate than any friendship.  We can also see the love which the Father has for us in that He would declare us as His children.  The mainstream church might stake the claim that our sin has separated us from God, but this is simply the lie spoken by the separation theology of the church.  For Christ Jesus has died to sin that God would enjoy the intimate relationship with His creation which He once had in the garden{Paul to the Romans 6:10}.  The desire of the Father is not that He would have friendship with His creation, but that we would realize the intimate connection of our life in Him. 

~Scott~ 

The Good Of The Father (A Home Suitable For God) #1987

 

J Preston Eby 

Jesus answered and said to him, "If anyone should be loving Me, he will be keeping My word, and My Father will be loving him, and We shall be coming to him and making an abode with him" 

Johns Account 14: 23, Concordant New Testament 

At first I thought that my own realization of Christ in me was a bit hard to handle, and it was.  I grew up surrounded by the mainstream church narrative where I learned from a young age that I was still a sinner, and that the love of God could be conditional.  If I didn't pray enough, behave well enough or think bad thoughts, I was taught that my salvation in the Lord could be question.  That's right, the very same God who had loved me so much that He sent His Son for the forgiveness of my sins could in the blink of an eye disavow His love and dispatch me to hell.  There were many times that I even wondered, what kind of love is this?  That was the environment which I grew up in.  In what I would later recognize as the church separation theology.  That it is our own sin which keeps us from close communion with God.  It is this theology which I now recognize for what it truly is, the lie spoken by the mainstream church.  I'm sure that it is this theology which made it that much more difficult to understand the truth of God's love for me.  Not only that He would dispatch His Son for me, but that He would create me in His likeness {Genesis 1:27}.  When I read the words spoken by the apostle Paul I began to understand the depth of His love for me.  It is Paul who speaks to Christ dying to sin "Once for all time" {Paul to the Romans 6:10}.  Jesus did not give Himself to death on the cross that sin would continue to abound in spite of His sacrifice.  We must begin to accept the truth that Jesus died for the forgiveness of our sins past, present and future.  THAT is the truth of the gospel of Christ.  Once we are aware of this, it makes it that much easier to understand that special place where the Father chooses to make His home.  That is in His children, in us {Johns Account 14:23}.  It is Jesus who has spoken to our union life in the Father {Johns Account 14:20}.  But more than that is the truth that His home in within us.  This is where God chooses to call His home.  

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 

I think of the damage which the mainstream church has done to the beliefs of others and I cringe.  I've written that many believers often see their own sin as the main stumbling block to an intimate relationship with the Father.  Yet God has done away with that through the willing sacrifice of Christ {Paul to the Corinthians (2) 5:21}.  Indeed, God took He Who was sinless and made Him to suffer the penalty of our iniquities.  This He has done out of His love for us.  In a perfect world, all would recognize this and rejoice in the truth of Gods love.  But this hasn't been the case.  For there continue to be those who will blindly follow the separation theology spoken by those within the church.  One of the most damning statements which I've heard regarding the church came from author J Preston Eby.  It is Eby who connected the passage we see in Revelation 18:4 as the Lords call for His children to come out of the mainstream church {The Unveiling of Christ Jesus 18:4}.  After all, what is the church but that which has been created and propped up over the centuries by man himself.  We know that God does not make His home in our places of worship {Acts of the Apostles 17:24-25}.  His true home, that place where God chooses to be above all else in within His children.  Within us.  No longer burdened by sin, but living within those whom He created in His very likeness.  This is where He has chosen to call home.  

~Scott~ 

The Good Of The Father (The Jesus Life)#1986

 

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 

A whole lot of people have difficulty living the truth of Christ.  What is it that the Jesus life looks like?  Well, Jesus Himself speaks to this in the book of John.  It is here where He proclaims that He is not only in the Father, but in us as well {Johns Account 14:20}.  Wait, Jesus in me?  Absolutely, and the scriptures speak to this very truth.  The apostle Paul speaks to having been "Crucified with Christ," and that "Living in me is Christ" {Paul to the Galatians 2:20}.  The question was posed this week by a good friend, is it indeed Jesus who lives in us, or the spirit?  In answer to this question, I first looked into Who Jesus truly is.  We're told that the Father is in spirit {Johns Account 4:24}.  I believe that this is how we need to look upon Jesus as well.  Yes, we recall Jesus in the flesh, born of a woman {Paul to the Galatians 4:4}.  Yet we also see that Jesus was in the beginning with God {Johns Account 1:1-4}.  My own belief is that the reality of Christ Jesus is that He remains as the Father is, in the spirit.  He has spoken to the fact that He is one with the Father {Johns Account 10:30}.  Therefore, we can assume that He and the Father are indeed in their spirit identity.  This is who Jesus is.  For that reason, I believe that it is indeed Christ in Whom I live my own life.  This is our union life which Jesus speaks of in the book of John {Johns Account 14:20}.  So it is that the true reality of Jesus, in His spirit, is what we now live our lives in.  It is true that Jesus shares in the same divine nature as the Father.  If this were not so, He would not have identified Himself with Him as being one with the Father.  But Jesus has also declared that we share in His spirit reality as well.  We know this through our union life in He and the Father.  I have sometimes referred to my own identity as a reflection of who I am inside.  In reality, I AM that very image of Christ who is in me.  Paul speaks to our being transformed into His image "Even as from the Lord, the spirit" {Paul to the Corinthians (2) 3:18}.  This is who we are in Christ. 

Now we all, with uncovered face, mirroring the Lord's glory, are being transformed into the same image, from glory to glory, even as from the Lord, the spirit 

Paul to the Corinthians (2) 3: 18, Concordant New Testament 

One of the first obstacles I faced in my own understanding of my life in Christ was that reality of my own identity.  Who am I really?  Well, I know that I was created in the likeness of God the Father {Genesis 1:27}.  What is the "Likeness" of God?  Is God in the flesh as we often perceive ourselves to be?  We know that Jesus was indeed born of the flesh as an "only-begotten of the Father"{Johns Account 1:14}.  If we were created in the likeness of God, then He sees us as He sees Himself, in spirit.  In our physical mindset, it is often difficult to understand that our true identity does not lie with the flesh, but the spirit.  This is the difficulty I faced in discovering my own identity in Jesus.  We see the flesh and we immediately think of sin and evil.  For its part, the mainstream church has done its best to perpetuate this lie.  If God has created me in His own likeness, is there any part of me that is evil?  Remember, I am that very image of the Father, created in His likeness.  What part of God is wicked?  The lie that the flesh is evil and wicked is a lie spoken by those in the mainstream church.  These are the same folks who speak the separation theology that it is our own sin which prevents us from a close, intimate relationship with God.  That's simply nonsense.  Paul speaks to the truth of Christ Jesus dying to sin "Once for all time" {Paul to the Romans 6:10}.  That is, our sin past, present and future.  There is some belief that our flesh, created by God, is neutral in nature.  That is, it is often subject to suggestions good or bad.  Yet that is a discussion for another day.  Living the Jesus life is understanding that we live our lives in His true identity.  That is, we live our lives within the spirit of Christ. 

~Scott~ 

The Good Of The Father (The Man In The Mirror) #1985

 

Now we all, with uncovered face, mirroring the Lords glory, are being transformed into the same image, from glory to glory, even as from the Lord, the spirit

Paul to the Corinthians (2) 3: 18, Concordant New Testament  

I ask the question every now and then to someone who is going through the gauntlet of constantly being exposed to the opinions of who someone else thinks that they are.  Who do you feel that you are?  Too many times I get the same answer as those who speak the lie to them.  Without realizing it, they've accepted the lie of their own false identity.  This is what the world tells them, so they believe that it must be true.  People wouldn't lie, right?  Now, when someone asks of me that same question I often get confused looks from others.  For I am not who you perceive me to be.  The image which I see in the mirror is that of Christ Jesus in Whom I live my life.  This might be a tough pill to swallow for those who have never been introduced to Jesus on a relationship basis, but it is indeed the truth of who it is that we are inside.  I am created in the Fathers likeness {Genesis 1:27}.  He has called me His own {First Epistle of Johns 3:1}.  Jesus Himself has proclaimed that my life is in union with He and the Father {Johns Account 14:20}.  The writer of Hebrews speaks to our encouraging others through love and good works {To the Hebrews 10:24}.  But we all know that the world around us is not populated with those who worship Jesus as we do.  This is why it is so very important that we know in our hearts where our one true identity lies.  Like I said, I live in the confidence of my life in Christ.  THAT is who I am.  Whatever imperfections that this flesh vessel of mine might present are no indication of the man that I am.  Too many people spend millions of dollars each year on so called "Self help" seminars and materials when all that they need to do is to realize who they truly are in the eyes of the Father.  It is God who has called me His son.  This is who I am.  I don't trust in the lies of the world to tell me otherwise.  

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

Paul to the Galatians 2: 20, Concordant new testament 

It's pretty well known that the apostle Paul knew who he was in Christ.  He speaks to this in Galatians {Paul to the Galatians 2:20}.  Paul lived his life knowing in faith that the old man was dead and gone.  What remains is Christ Jesus.  Now, when I talk to others about the truth of their own identity in Jesus, I often toss a monkey wrench into that conversation.  Yes, your one true identity is in Christ, that is the truth spoken by the evangel of Paul.  Knowing this, how is it that you look upon those who speak unkind words to you?  Has not God created them in His likeness as well?  Obviously, it's easier to see that we are created in love by God, but we often chafe at the thought that God could create someone who would insult us.  But God was never selective in who He created.  ALL have been created in his likeness.  But wait, what about those wicked and evil people we often see and hear about?  Are you telling me that God created good as well as wickedness?  Yes, I am.  He is the creator of all we have or will ever know.  Now, I have not always believed in the truth of my life in Christ.  There was a time when I followed the mainstream church doctrine that there is indeed good and evil in the world.  That the good will be rewarded and the wicked punished.  There were times that I found myself treating others wrongly.  Did that change my identity in Jesus?  No!  My identity remains, despite my never knowing who I was until later in life.  In the movie Come Sunday, the reverend Carlton Pearson makes waves in his own congregation when he begins to speak to there not being a hell.  His basis on coming to this conclusion was questioning how someone who had never even heard or been taught the truth of Christ could be condemned by God to hell.  For his efforts, Pearson was eventually expelled from the congregation which he led.  But he had a point, will God condemn those who for one reason or another have never known Him?  I'd say no to that lie.  One of the most iconic and overused verses in scripture is John 3:16.  We understand that God dispatched His one and only Son.  Why?  Not for judgement, but that the WORLD may be saved through Him.  This is the desire of the Father, that all would come to know Him.  Not only that, but for His children to know their true identity in Him. 

~Scott~ 

The Good Of The Father (The God Man) #1984

 

In the beginning was the word, and the word was toward God, and God was the word.  This was in the beginning toward God.  All came into being through it, and apart from it not even one thing came into being which has come into being.  In it was life, and the life was the light of men.  And the light is appearing in the darkness, and the darkness grasped it not. 

Johns Account 1: 1-5, Concordant New Testament 

Is Jesus indeed God?  This question has been debated often over time.  The traditions of the Jewish faith speak to a future anointed one (Mashiach) who would come to redeem Israel.  The prophet Isaiah speaks of One who has "Borne our griefs and carried our sorrows" {Isaiah 53:4}.  Through the centuries, the Jewish faith has taught that this coming Mashiach would be the One who delivers Israel.  In the days of Jesus, we're told that there was definitely a belief among the Jews of His day that Jesus would be the military leader who would deliver Gods people from the occupation of the Romans surely as the Lord had delivered them from their Egyptian captors of old.  Is this an accurate description of the prophesy of Jesus?  I would say no.  But the nation of Israel of His day longed for the return of the nation of Israel to prominence under the protection of the Lord.  So convinced were they that Jesus would be this "Mashiach" who would deliver them from the hated Romans that they began to integrate it into their own religion of coming Messiah which the prophet Isaiah spoke of.  Yet where in the scripture is it proclaimed that Jesus will be a great military leader?  Where in the scripture does Jesus even proclaim Himself to be God?  The closest which I have seen is where Jesus proclaims, rightfully I might add, that "I and the Father, We are one" {Johns Account 10:30}.  Remember, the Jewish authorities of His day were ready to stone Jesus for daring to place Himself on the same level as God {Johns Account 10:31}.  Yet these have been the same people who have raised Jesus unto God like status over the years.  When you hear someone say that Jesus is indeed God, remember that it probably originated from the Jewish nations desperate hope of deliverance from Rome.  

And the Word became flesh and tabernacles among us, and we gaze at His glory, a glory as of an only-begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth 

Johns Account 1: 14, Concordant New Testament 

So, is Jesus God?  I would answer that in the negative.  We're told that there is but one God {Isaiah 45:5}.  THIS is the scripture we need to filter this question through.  If you believe that Jesus is God, and that is your choice if you do, was God lying when the prophet Isaiah proclaimed His words that HE is the one and only God?  Of course, every well-meaning Christian knows that God has never and never will lie.  So, if the prophet has spoken the truth that there is indeed only one God, why is it that we continue to lift Jesus up into the plane of the Lord?  The disciple speaks not of  Jesus being God, but of "A glory as of an only-begotten from the Father" {Johns Account 1:14}.  Now, do I believe that Jesus and the Father are one?  Yes, to this we have been assured through scripture.  But in the throne room of the Father, there is only room for One to occupy that throne of the most high.  If Jesus is God, why is it that, after His resurrection, He was taken to sit at the Fathers side {Marks Account 16:19}.  The answer is obvious, for the scriptures do not and never will support the man driven narrative that Jesus is God.  It is Jesus Himself Who has spoken to our union life in He AND the Father {Johns Account 14:20}.  When Jesus speaks to His relationship in the Father, He does so in the plural and never the singular.  For it is the Father who has dispatched His Son that all would be saved through Him {Johns Account 3:16-17}.  The prophesy spoken by Isaiah was true, it was simply misinterpreted by man. 

I am the Lord, and there is no other; There is no God besides Me 

Isaiah 45: 5, New King James Version 

~Scott~ 

The Good Of The Father (Pharisee School) #1983

 

Now when it delights God, Who severs me from my mothers womb and calls me through His grace, to unveil His Son in me that I may be evangelizing Him among the nations, I did not immediately submit it to flesh and blood, neither came I up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me, but I came away into Arabia, and I return again to Damascus.  Thereupon, after three years, I came up to Jerusalem to relate my story to Cephas, and I stay with him fifteen days 

Paul to the Galatians 1: 15-18, Concordant New Testament 

Many Christians would agree that one of the most prominent voices preaching the evangel of Christ has been that of the apostle Paul.  In fact, it is through the evangel of Paul that we learn much of the truth of our life in Christ Jesus.  Yet Paul wasn't trained through following Jesus.  Nor was he found to be mingling among His disciples.  For before his come to Jesus moment on that road to Damascus Paul was the man Saul, raised in the traditions of the Jewish faith.  From the time he was young, Saul spent years within the Jewish synagogues learning from the same Pharisees who would later criticize him for the teaching of his radical evangel of Jesus {Paul to the Galatians 1:14}.  Why does this even matter?  Well, the traditional line of thinking among Christians is that Paul walked right into his ministry after his conversion.  This simply wasn't the case, and Paul himself admits it.  Upon his own come to Jesus moment, we're told that Paul "Heralded Jesus, that He is the Son of God" {Acts of the Apostles 9:20}.  Yet how was this man, raised among the traditions of the Jewish faith, able to proclaim the truths of the evangel of Christ so quickly?  In the words of Paul, "But I came away into Arabia, and I return again to Damacus" {Paul to the Galatians 1:17}.  For it was during his time spent in the desert of Arabia that Paul had to unpack all which he had learned from his time in the Jewish faith.  This radical evangel which Paul would soon proclaim to the world was totally different from the traditional message spoken by the Jewish Pharisees in their synagogues.  Instead of a message based upon separation and tradition, Paul would speak of an evangel of our unity with God.  It should not surprise anyone that the message preached by the Jewish Pharisees is similar to that preached from the pulpits by many in the mainstream church of today. 

For I am making known to you, brethren, as to the evangel which is being brought by me, that it is not in accord with man.  For neither did I accept it from a man, nor was I taught it, but it came through a revelation of Jesus Christ

Paul to the Galatians 1: 11-12, Concordant New Testament 

In his own words, Paul speaks to his evangel as not being taught to him by man, but by the revelation of Christ Jesus {Paul to the Galatians 1:12}.  I submit that it was during his own time in seclusion in the deserts of Arabia that Paul received this revelation of his radical new evangel of Christ from the very One he was preaching of.  Paul relates that, "After three years, I came up to Jerusalem to relate my story to Cephas" {Paul to the Galatians 1:18}.  Therefore, we can assume that his time spent in the deserts of Arabia was somewhere around three years.  It was here, upon his return to Jerusalem, that Paul began to proclaim his evangel of the risen Christ.  One can only imagine what difficulties he faced during his time in the desert as he struggled to unpack all of the Pharisee school knowledge which he had come to know and accept as truth.  I can relate to Paul in the fact that my own struggle to come to know the truth of my life in Christ is contrary to that which I was taught by so many in the mainstream church.  For I was taught that it was my sin which has separated me from God.  That the free gift of salvation given to me was absolutely conditional upon my behavior.  The separation theology of todays mainstream church comes straight from the halls of the Jewish synagogues that instructed the man Saul.  Tradition over the truth of our union life in Jesus.  Paul speaks to his own life in Jesus in Galatians {Paul to the Galatians 2:20}.  Imagine the struggle Paul had unpacking this truth.  It's the same struggle I once faced as I was first introduced to the evangel spoken by Paul by a dear friend of mine.  How could I, a sinner, be in Jesus?  Again, the evangel spoken by Paul reveals the truth unto us.  For Paul proclaims of Jesus, "He died to sin once for all time" {Paul to the Romans 6:10}.  The truth spoken by Paul is not that our sin has separated us from God, but that Jesus has died to sin that our life should be lived in Him. 

~Scott~ 

The Good Of The Father (Speakers Of The Law) # 1983

 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: 14, Concordant New Testament 

Lately I've been scrolling through a few social media videos of disgraced pastor Mark Driscoll.  That's right, I said disgraced.  The former pastor of the Mars Hill church in Seattle has definitely has his share of controversy.  Not for speaking the word, mind you.  No, Mark Driscoll was admonished for, among other things, using church funds to promote his personal book sales.  But it's the message now preached by this man that sounds alarm bells for me.  His message is a version of the neo calvanist theology made popular by the late Abraham Kuyper.  The Dutch minister insisted on holding to the traditional teachings of calvanism.  However, if you listen to just a few moments of the words of Mark Driscoll, you began to see the authoritarian nature of the theology He preaches.  I commented to a good friend of mine the other day that I've often come away from watching one of these sermons feeling extremely guilty and condemned.  Why?  Because this sect of Christian theology primarily speaks to the law of God.  If I were to guess, I'd say that the most commonly used phrase in a sermon from Mark Driscoll is "Thou shall not!"  That's it, those who speak this branch of Christianity can lock onto any segment of society and immediately turn it into something absolutely forbidden by God.  To justify their claims, they often point to the scriptures of the law we find within the old testament.  Thou shalt not lie.  Thou shalt not steal.  Thou shalt not profane the word of God.  How about this one, Mark, thou shalt not misrepresent the true nature of God!  For the apostle John has spoken to the one true nature of God, and that is love {First Epistle of John 4:8}.  As I commented to a friend the other day, where is the love of God in the majority of sermons spoken by these speakers of the law?  The apostle Paul has spoken that it is through the death of Christ Jesus on the cross that these decrees have been taken away from us {Paul to the Colossians 2:14}.  But for preachers like Mark Driscoll, their words all too often find a home within a small segment of the Christian faith.  

Now as they persisted asking Him, He unbends and said to them, "Let the sinless one of you first cast a stone at her" 

Johns Account 8: 7, Concordant New Testament 

There once was a woman who had sinned.  Her crime was adultery, obviously a forbidden offense to those who preach the law.  In fact, the religious leaders of her day were all but prepared to punish and condemn her for her offense against the law of God.  That is, until the embodiment of God in the flesh insisted on the mercy offered by the Lord.  As these religious leaders stood poised to condemn the woman caught in adultery, Jesus shut them down with one simple phrase, "Let the sinless one of you first cast a stone at her" {Johns Account 8:7}.  The religious leaders, who only moments earlier were ready to condemn her, dropped their stones and walked away.  The words of Jesus spoken to her brokenness stand in contrast to those who would condemn her according to the law, "Neither am I condemning you" {Johns Account 8:11}.  I can only imagine that Mark Driscoll would have been among the church leaders that day hell bent upon condemning this breaker of the law of God.  But Jesus Himself speaks a different gospel, "Neither am I condemning you."  For Jesus did not come to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through Him {Johns Account 3:16-17}.  THIS fulfills the true love nature of God.  I wonder if preachers like Mark Driscoll are even aware of this truth.  What is painfully obvious from listening to him preach, despite being a disgraced pastor, is that he often places himself in the role of being the judge of men.  Of course, that is something reserved for the Father {First Epistle of John 4:10}.  It has never been the intent of God that all should perish, but that through His Son all would live through Him {Johns Account 14:20}.  

~Scott~ 

The Good Of The Father (All In The Family) # 1982

 

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

First Epistle of John 3: 2, Concordant New Testament 

Growing up, my family life was not much to brag about.  My own parents were divorced when i was young, and I grew up being raised in a single parent home.  I don't give my mother any discredit for the way she raised my brother and I, for she was doing what she needed to do.  So it is that I can trace my earthly family roots back to a somewhat jumbled mess of relationships.  I didn't have it like most people.  Or did I?  My mother, being a believer in Jesus and follower of God, would often tell her son that I was indeed a son of God.  Of course, back then I was much too young to understand the treasure of that identity that I know today.  I had yet to grow into my understanding of my own life in the family of God.  So much was my misunderstanding, that I all too often refused to see God as my One true Father, knowing that my own fathers choices had destroyed his family relationship.  When others in the church would affectionately refer to God as "Daddy," I cringed.  For if God was anywhere like my earthly father, I wanted no part of a life with Him.  For her part, my mother did her best to assure me that God was nothing like my dad.  For He had chosen me {Paul to the Ephesians 1:4}.  He has created me in His very likeness {Genesis 1:27}.  Above all, He has called me His own {Johns Account 10:27}.  If I had known and understood my special place within the Father that I know today, it might have made my younger years a bit less trying.  Yet I have also been blessed that my own mother had a heart for the Lord which she shared with her son.  

Yet whoever obtained Him, to them He gives the right to become children of God, to those who are believing in His name, who were begotten, not of bloods, neither of the will of the flesh, neither of the will of a man, but of God

Johns Account 1: 12-13, Concordant New Testament 

So it is that I am a part of the family which has not been conceived through blood or the flesh of man, but of the Father {Johns Account 1:12-13}.  There is no similarity between my relationship with my earthly father and God.  However, despite his wrong choices, I do agree that my father shares in the same lineage as I do.  We both share in the lineage of the family of God.  My mother seemed to understand this truth while my father did not.  Too many people within the mainstream church will chafe at the idea that all share in the family lineage of God.  This is the same misunderstanding that leads too many Christians to believe that heaven is a special place reserved for those who behave the best in Gods eyes.  For the church, salvation is a black and white issue, with the good being rewarded and the wicked punished.  Yet what do we, as the family of God, have to do with the judgement of mankind?  We do well to remember that it is by the love and grace of the Father that one is saved {Johns Account 3:16-17}.  We also do well to remember that all share a place in the Fathers heart.  This truth that all will come to know the Lord, known as universal salvation, has also been a major contention of those in the church.  Again, in the teachings of the mainstream church, the wicked must be punished and the good and faithful rewarded!  The apostle Paul speaks to the truth that it is not our works which guarantee our salvation {Paul to the Ephesians 2:8-9}.  This takes our salvation out of our hands and places it exactly where it belongs, with God.  Who are we to say whom God should save?  The truth is, the desire of the Father is that all of His children, all of His family, would come to know Him. 

~Scott~ 

The Good Of The Father (The One True Church) #1981

 For even as the body is one and has many members, yet all the members of the one body, being many, are one body, thus also is the Christ.  For in one spirit also we are all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether salves or free, and all are made to imbibe one spirit.  For the body is not one member, but many 

Paul to the Corinthians (1) 12: 12-14, Concordant New Testament 

It's been no secret, I've been pretty critical of the mainstream church.  The other day, in a conversation with a friend, I was asked the question if I really felt that negatively against the people in the church.  No, I do not.  Let me be clear, the church which I criticize is the institutional mainstream church system, not the body of Christ which is the one true church {Paul to the Corinthians (1) 12:27}.  The church which has drawn my criticism is the church system.  The church system of hierarchies, rules and traditions.  I believe that this is why Jesus called out the Pharisees of His day {Matthews Account 23:13-39}.  For it was these Pharisees who burdened the people with their traditions and rules, all in the supposed name of God.  I also believe that there are quite a few modern day pastors who continue in this tradition.  The church of Jesus, the one true church of which we are all members of the body of Christ.  For it is not the local pastor who is the head of this church, but Jesus {Paul to the Colossians 1:18}.  The theology of the mainstream church has long centered on the false narrative that it is the sin of man which separates him from God.  Question, how can our sin separate us from Jesus if we are indeed all members of His body?  The answer, of course, is obvious if one truly desires to believe it.  That Christ died to sin "Once for all time" {Paul to the Romans 6:10}.  That Jesus was the innocent sacrifice for the sin of man {Paul to the Corinthians (2) 5:21}.  Make no mistake, we are the ones who needed to die, not Jesus.  Jesus gave Himself that His church would be free of the slavery of sin {Paul to the Galatians 5:1}.  So it is that when I speak in terms of the mainstream church, I am not speaking of the church of Jesus, but that of the church of man created religion.  The separation theology of the institutional church cannot lead to freedom.  Freedom is found in Christ, the head of His church.  

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

Paul to the Colossians 1: 18, Concordant New Testament 

A good friend made the comment the other day that there comes a point where friendships become "Thin."  That at some point we might not be able to recall the names of some of those whom we once called friends.  My Gym Rat community currently is comprised of somewhere around 54 people who I have become acquainted with in my time going to the gym.  There is simply no way that I can walk into this place without someone recognizing me.  A lot of this has to do with my reaching out to others in conversation over time.  If I were still slaving in the mainstream church, one might refer to this as my community.  And it is just that.  But this isn't my community, this is the community of Christ which he has brought together.  This is His ecclesia, the one true church in practice.  While we all might not be aware of our life in Christ Jesus, that does not take away from the fact that we are all members of His body, each one of us.  I have a feeling that my friend might be right, and that at some point I may forget a name or two.  But I seem to have that unique ability to recall someone's name simply from recognizing them in person.  My mom had this ability as well.  It is Jesus who speaks through me into those in His ecclesia church each and every day.  And that's better than any boring mainstream church sermon.  

~Scott~ 

The Good Of The Father (Proactive Prayer) #1980

 

And this I am praying, that your love may be superabounding still more and more in realization and all sensibility, for you to be testing what things are of consequence, that you may be sincere and no stumbling block for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that is through Jesus Christ for the glory and laud of God

Paul to the Philippians 1: 9-11, Concordant New Testament 

This past week I was intrigued by a post by Wayne Jacobsen which he titled "Finding romance on the God journey."  This coincided with his weekly The God Journey podcast.  I've seen Wayne touch on more than a few topics which I honestly have not seen as religious in nature, but this one got to me.  The fact remains that somewhere around 51% of Americans proclaim themselves to be single, including myself.  What Wayne Jacobsen may have just done is tap into something which many Americans wish for themselves.  That being the love and companionship that comes with a marriage relationship.  In the past, growing up in the church, I was told that I should make my requests for marriage known to the Lord.  Well, that's all fine and good, but what about the faith and well-being of my future mate?  The other day I asked of a good friend of mine, one who has enjoyed over fifty years of marriage, about what he prays over his wife for.  His response?  He prays for the Fathers peace over her among other things.  I get it.  See, women are designed differently than men for a unique reason, created by the Father to be that compliment to her mate {Genesis 2:18}.  After my friend responded with his answer to my question, I realized that what is needed is not the general "Name it and claim it" prayers of the mainstream church, but a more proactive prayer for my future mate.  My prayers should be for her health, her knowledge of her life in the Father and for Gods peace surrounding her.  The truth is, as God prepares me for a new chapter in my life, he is also preparing her for that moment as well.  The traditional way of prayer which is taught within the mainstream church all too often speaks to the literal definition found in the scriptures.  How many grew up being taught that if we're to ask of God that He will provide us what we are seeking?  One look into the scriptures will reveal more than a few verses which speak to this {Johns Account 15:7, Johns Account 14:13, Marks Account 11:24}.  I see this as reactionary prayer.  That is, we realize there is a need and we seek the Lord to provide that need for us.  This despite the fact that Jesus Himself has spoken that the Father already knows what we need {Matthews Account 6:8}.  Why not, then, be proactive in our prayers? 

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 apprehensions in Christ Jesus

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

I believe that the apostle Paul was onto something when he spoke to prayer in the book of Philippians.  Paul speaks to not being anxious about anything, but in everything let our requests be made known to God {Paul to the Philippians 4:6-7}.  I admit that for much of my life, I was a reactionary praying man.  When the need arose, I lifted my prayers unto the Lord.  Many times these prayers were spoken as I was filled with anxiety and other emotions of the moment.  Now, there's nothing wrong with this, as the scriptures are filled with those of old who cried out to God in the moments of their distress.  I believe that what Paul was attempting to get across with his iconic scripture was to rest in the love and grace of the Father as we pray.  Obviously, in the heat of the moment this might not be the easiest thing to do.  But the prayers offered for a future mate are not simply prayers in the heat of the moment.  These are proactive prayers for the person which the Father chosen for us.  Obviously, if His spirit has placed it upon our hearts the desire for that relationship with another, then we can certainly pray over that person He has chosen.  That they know their life is in the Father.  That His peace will surround them.  These are proactive prayers for the relationship we seek.  Of course, our proactive prayers can most definitely be spoken for any area of our life or that of those around us.  That they would come to know the truth of the Father.  That their eyes would be opened to the truth of Jesus in them.  One thing that we can be certain of is that He hears our prayers. 

~Scott~ 

The Good Of The Father (No Shame In His Game) #1979

 

For not ashamed am I of the evangel, for it is God's power for salvation to everyone who is believing- -to the Jew first, and to the Greek as well

Paul to the Romans 1: 16, Concordant New Testament 

The other day a good friend reminded me of the power of my own personal testimonies in my writing.  Somehow, when we read of the experiences others have endured, we can relate to those experiences ourselves.  I've mentioned before the evangel of the apostle Paul and how important it is to our own understanding of a life lived in Jesus.  Paul understood this truth all too well.  It is Paul who reminds us in Galatians of the truth of Christ Jesus in us {Paul to the Galatians 2:20}.  Paul understood that it was no longer about him, but about Christ who now lived in him.  I would suggest that the evangel of Paul is made all the more powerful thanks to the apostle relating his own life experiences into his writings.  We know that he was far from being ashamed of speaking his evangel of Jesus to others around him {Paul to the Romans 1:16}.  Of course, we know that speaking these words often landed Paul in trouble with the powers that be of those days.  For he was mistreated and imprisoned simply for speaking his evangel of the Lord Christ Jesus.  Most would have backed away in the face of such mistreatment, but not Paul.  In fact, Paul speaks to rejoicing in our tribulations and difficulties {Paul to the Colossians 1:24}.  I can honestly say that I have retreated from speaking the gospel of Jesus unto others in difficult situations.  There are times that I worry about how my words will be taken.  If I am really speaking the words the Father intends me to.  We can be assured that Paul himself struggled with these same fears as well.  It was during one of these times, as Paul remained in Corinth, that the Lord spoke to him through a vision and encouraged Paul not to be silent in speaking his evangel {Acts of the Apostles 18:9-10}.  As he had done before, Paul persevered.  I've often prayed that my own words spoken of the evangel of the Lord could be as effective and convincing as those of Paul.  However, I can take comfort in knowing that he endured the same trials as I have. 

For me to be living is Christ, and to be dying, gain 

Paul to the Philippians 1: 21, Concordant New Testament 

In my own life, I have noticed more than a few similarities I share with Paul.  I grew up in the mainstream church, learning all about the separation theology of the church.  For his part, Paul spent a good deal of his life studying in the synagogues of the Jewish faith.  It wasn't until that day on the road to Damascus that Paul heeded the call of Jesus Whom he had spent so many years persecuting {Acts of the Apostles 9:1-6}.  By his own admission, Paul came to his realization of his life in Jesus "When it delights God" {Paul to the Galatians 1:15-16}.  Here, God had taken a Jewish zealot and shaped him into one of the strongest voices of the gospel of Christ the world will ever know.  What better testimony for Jesus is there?  In my own life, my own realization of my life in Jesus followed a similar path.  For it was over forty years until it pleased God that He would reveal His Son in me as well.  Yes, there are times that I wish that He had called me unto Him sooner, but who am I to dispute God?  God has transformed this man once akin to frequenting local strip clubs and porn websites into one who speaks the evangel of Christ unto others.  I'd say that's another similarity I share with the apostle.  I also know that I'm not alone in my journey to knowing my life in Christ.  For when it delights God, others will come to know Him as well.  

~Scott~ 

The Good Of The Father (The Proselyte) #1978

 

"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!  for you are going about the sea and the dry land to make one proselyte, and whenever he may be becoming one, you are making him more than double a son of Gehenna than you are" 

Matthews Account 23: 15, Concordant New Testament 

By definition, a proselyte is a person who has converted from one opinion, religion or party to another.  Donald Trump can be described as a proselyte, for he once sided with the Democrat party back when the Democrats were actually relevant.  In His "Woes to the Pharisees," Jesus publicly condemns the Jewish authorities for their conversions of proselytes.  Jesus suggests that these Pharisees do not create a righteous convert, but one who is "More than double a son of Gehenna than you are" {Matthews Account 23:15}.  Now, for clarification, Jesus used the reference of Gehenna in a bad way.  For in Jewish lore, Gehenna was that place of punishment after death.  Think of it as a form of hell.  Through their teachings and traditions, the Pharisees held the people under their yoke of authority, and Jesus called them out for this.  Why do I bring this up?  The other day I was in a conversation with a Gym Rat friend who often claims to be a believer, but also believes in some pretty outlandish stuff.  Is he truly a proselyte?  I'm not sure.  What I do know is that I've had to research more than a few claims which he has made in order to convince myself that he is mistaken.  But something interesting happened that changed my outlook on my situation with my friend.  Another good friend suggested to me that it is only Jesus can change my Gym Rat friends delusion.  I can speak Jesus into him, but it is only the Father who will open his eyes to the truth of his life in Him.  I use the example of the apostle Paul, who indeed became a proselyte for Jesus on that road to Damascus.  Remember, as he traveled to Damascus, the man Saul was doing so that he would persecute the followers of Jesus in that city.  Well, God had other plans for Saul that day.  Many believers will agree that Paul is one of the greatest speakers of Jesus of all time.  This coming from a proselyte.  

Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test 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 

By his own admission, Paul's conversion came at a point not of his own choosing, but "When it delights God" {Paul to the Galatians 1:15-16}.  Why is this important?  Because I do not set the timeline of when the Father will open ones eyes of another to the truth of their life in Him.  My Gym friend will not become a proselyte on my time schedule, but on Gods.  In my own experience, it has taken me over forty years for my own eyes to be opened to the truth of my life in Christ.  I have experienced Sunday sermons, conversations with other Christians as well as time alone in prayer, yet it was only when it delighted the Father that my eyes would be opened to my life in Him.  I can speak Jesus into the life of my friend, but it is only according to the will of the Father that he will come to know Him.  Make no mistake, those who know the truth of their lives in Christ will undoubtedly be a positive factor in the lives of those around them.  I believe that this is why Jesus spoke to the truth of "Letting your light shine in front of men" in His sermon on the mount {Matthews Account 5:16}.  We are indeed the light of the world {Matthews Account 5:14}.  That light is the light of Christ within us {Johns Account 1:4-5}.  We can speak the truth of Christ Jesus into the world, but it is the Father who will open their eyes to the truth of His Son in them. 

~Scott~ 

The Good Of The Father (Jesus As He Is) #1977

 

Now from the sixth hour darkness came over the entire land until the ninth hour.  Now about the ninth hour Jesus exclaims with a loud voice, saying, "Eloi! Eloi! Lema Sabachthani?"  This is, "My God! My God! why didst Thou forsake Me?" 

Matthews Account 27: 45-46, Concordant New Testament 

The other day I came across a podcast by Joe Rogan in which he unpacked a bombshell directed at those who proclaim that Jesus was indeed fully man and fully God.  Now, on the advice of a good friend, I have yet to find any reference in the scriptures that Jesus was indeed fully God as well as being fully human.  I would suggest that the Father Himself has declared that there cannot be any other God before him {Isaiah 45:5}.  God is alone in His deity and prominence.  Now, I don't know where the false narrative that Jesus is fully God came along, but there is definitely scriptural evidence to refute it.  We're told that Jesus has been from the beginning.  That all things have been created for Him and through Him {Johns Account 1:1-3}.  The Trinitarians, those who believe in the existence of the doctrine of the trinity in the Father, Son and the holy spirit, often fall short when attempting to explain How Jesus could be fully God.  One question which they won't answer is that which was uttered by Jesus Himself as He died on the cross.  "Eloi! Eloi! Lema Sabachthani!"  As He died on the cross, Jesus cried out "My God! My God! Why didst Thou forsake Me? {Matthews Account 27:45-46}.  Clearly, Jesus is recognizing the Father for who He is.  MY God.  Clearly, Jesus understood just what it was that He was saying.  He was not God in any way, fashion or form.  The truth is, Jesus is and always has been in union with God.  He speaks to our union life in the Father in the book of John {Johns Account 14:20}.  In this passage, Jesus clearly proclaims that "I am in My Father."  Does being in the Father somehow make Jesus God?  No!  I take this passage for what it is, that Jesus in in the Father and we are in Him.  If Jesus were indeed God, He could have lifted Himself off of that cross when the going Got tough.  Jesus Himself spoke to "Entreating the Father" to place beside Him legions of messengers (angels) to protect Him if He so desired {Matthews Account 26:52-53}.  If Jesus is fully God, why would he need to petition God for help?  

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 

The fact remains that we need to accept the Lord Jesus for who He is.  That is, who HE HIMSELF proclaims to be.  He has proclaimed that "I and the Father, we are one" {Johns Account 10:30}.  Does this make Jesus God?  No!  What it does do is confirm His words which we find in the book of John, that He is indeed IN the Father.  Jesus can be in the Father and yet not BE the Father.  I live my life in union with Christ, but I am not God.  Now, here is a question which I will attempt to answer in a future page.  If I live in Christ Jesus, am I indeed Jesus?  That's a question for another day.  However, it does dovetail into the discussion of whether or not Jesus is fully God.  We have plenty of scriptures where Jesus Himself speaks to His being in union with the Father.  However, we have no supporting scriptures that He is fully God as well as fully man.  Jesus was born in the likeness of man {Paul to the Philippians 2:7}.  He became flesh and has dwelt among us as an only-begotten from the Father {Johns Account 1:14}.  This is the truth which we have in Christ Jesus.  That we live our life in Him.  That He is indeed in the Father.  One with Him, yet not as Him.  

~Scott~ 

The Good Of the Father (The Many Travels Of Jesus) # 1976

 Who say also, "Men! Galileans!  Why do you stand, looking into heaven?  This Jesus Who is being taken up from you into heaven shall come thus, in the manner in which you gaze at Him going into heaven

Acts of the Apostles 1: 11, Concordant New Testament 

How many times have you heard believers and those within the church proclaim, 'When Jesus comes again?"  Indeed, there are those who base their entire life living for that moment.  I have a Gym Rat buddy who is always speaking to the joy the world will experience once Jesus returns.  I get it.  For their part, those in the mainstream church have stoked this belief over the years.  We're told in the book of Acts that Christ Jesus will come in the same way that we have seen Him depart {Acts of the Apostles 1:11}.  Of course, this was just after Jesus was "Lifted up, and a cloud took Him up from their eyes" {Acts of the Apostles 1:9}.  Taken literally, we can assume that Jesus will return again in the same fashion.  At least this is what the church theology will tell us.  But wait, what if they got it wrong?  What if Jesus has already returned?  What if Jesus never left in the first place?  Is Jesus limited to where He can go?  I would assume that if the grave could not contain Him that Jesus can definitely go anywhere.  Too many of our contemporary praise and worship hymns give the invitation "Come, Lord Jesus!"  Even in our prayer life, we often invite Jesus into our presence believing that He will add power to our prayer requests {Johns Account 14:13-14, Johns Account 16:24}.  Yet Jesus Himself has assured us that wherever two or more are gathered in His name, He is there among them {Matthews Account 18:20}.  So, do we really need to invite Jesus into our presence?  I would say no, and here's why.  One of the core beliefs in Christianity is that we have been created by God in His likeness {Genesis 1:27}.  How is it that something created can be separated from its creator?  We're also told through the scriptures that all came into being through Christ Jesus {Johns Account 1:3}.  Christ has always been the source of who it is that we are.  Knowing this, it's an error to believe that we need to invite Him into our life.  Growing up in the church I heard the same mantra, invite Jesus into your life and you will be saved!  Well, the truth is, He's always been here among us.  

To whom God wills to make known what are the glorious riches of this secret among the nations, which is: Christ among you, the expectation of glory

Paul to the Colossians 1: 27, Concordant New Testament 

The apostle Paul himself speaks to the presence of Christ Jesus among us in his Pros Kolossaeis "To the Colossians" letter {Paul to the Colossians 1:27}.  It is here that Paul proclaims that this "Secret among the nations" will be revealed to whom God will to make known.  That secret?  Christ among you, the expectation of glory.  I can honestly say that this has never been an easy concept for me to grasp onto, perhaps this is why Paul deemed it the secret among the nations.  It's definitely something which I never heard preached within the mainstream church.  Back then we never rejoiced in His presence, but prayed that He would come once again.  It's worth mentioning here that Jesus Himself has proclaimed that we live our life in union with He and the Father {Johns Account 14:20}.  Knowing this, do we really need to invite Jesus anywhere we might be?  He's already here!  He's been here.  It's just that this truth of our life in the Father does not fit into the narrative of the separation theology of the mainstream church.  In this false teaching, it is our own sin which has separated us from Gods presence.  Through his evangel, Paul lays waste to this line of incorrect thinking.  Paul speaks to Jesus dying to sin "Once for all time" {Paul to the Romans 6:10}.  As He died on the cross, Jesus proclaimed "It is accomplished!" {Johns Account 19:28}.  For Jesus, it is a one and done, which includes our sin past, present and future.  Again, this does not fit the theology of the church.  For instead of inviting Jesus into our presence, we should be glorying IN His presence. 

~Scott~ 

The Good Of The Father (The False Image) #1975

 

There is no independent, self-operating self in the universe, except the One who calls Himself the I AM {Exodus 3:14} and says "I am the Lord and there is none else, there is no God beside Me {Isaiah 45:5}

Norman Grubb ~ No Independent Self 

I've noticed over the past few years the impact of the false narrative preached by the mainstream church for thousands of years.  That being, that it is our own sin which has separated us from Gods presence.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  In fact, I would say that sin is simply the by product of our accepting the lie spoken by the church.  The truth is, we have never been separated from God.  For we are created in His very likeness {Genesis 1:27}.  He has breathed into His creation the breath of life, creating a living soul {Genesis 2:7}.  The origin of this false image is the lie spoken by the deceiver in the garden.  The serpent enticed Eve with his words that if she were to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, that which the Lord had commanded her never to take from, that she and Adam would then "Be like God, knowing good and evil" {Genesis 3:1-6}.  Of course, having been created by the Father in His likeness, Adam and Eve were ALREADY like God.  Yet Eve was enticed by the words of Satan, and she took of the forbidden fruit and ate of it and offered it to Adam as well.  The damage was done.  The church refers to this as "The fall," where mankind sank into sin.  I suggest that it wasn't the taking of the forbidden fruit which constituted the fall of man into sin, but the belief in the false image spoken by the deceiver.  That man could somehow be separate from God Who created him.  This is the same lie which Satan himself believed when he proclaimed that he would "Exalt my throne above the stars of God" {Isaiah 14:12-13}.  Satan not only desired to be greater than God, but he convinced Gods creation that they could be as well.  Even today, the belief is that we are our own individual self, with God in heaven and His human creation living separate from Him here on earth.  Our understanding of God has been permeated by this lie.  Our prayers invite God to "Draw near to us."  Our worship music all too often proclaims "Come, Lord Jesus."  This is the result of our belief in the lie spoken by the accuser in the garden.  Sin is the result of that belief.  Make no mistake, it is the church which even today perpetuates the lie through its own false teachings.  

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 

This lie of the deceiver is often directly related to our own view of ourselves as well.  For we accept that which we others speak of who we are instead of knowing who we are in the Father.  I have a friend who has taken to accepting the false belief that he is indeed one of the worst, vile people you'd ever want to meet.  This lie has been spoken unto him so often that he now accepts it as the truth.  That's the thing about a lie, if you speak it often enough people eventually accept it as the truth.  To his credit, my friend has began to realize that he is not who other people claim that he is.  He is, in fact, a child of God {First Epistle of John 3:1}.  The words of Jesus we find in the book of John speak to the truth of our life in the Father {Johns Account 14:20}.  We are not separated from Him, but live our life IN Him.  Unfortunately, the eyes of far too many believers have yet to be opened to this truth of our life in God.  The best example we're given of this transformation comes from the words of the apostle Paul.  Saul was raised in the synagogues of the Jewish faith, having been raised knowing the lie which spoke of God being far removed from man in heaven.  But all of that changed that day on the road to Damascus.  It's here where Saul had his infamous "Come to Jesus" moment.  From that point on, Paul began to gain in the knowledge of his life in the Father.  He realized that the his old man was dead and gone {Paul to the Galatians 2:20}.  What remained, is Christ.  Paul did not come to this realization right away.  In his own words, he speaks to "When it delights God" that He revealed His Son in him {Paul to the Galatians 1:15-16}.  My own realization of my life in the Father has taken over forty years.  The evangel spoken by Paul speaks to our union life in Christ.  That it is not sin which separates us from God {Paul to the Romans 6:10}.  We do well to accept this truth of our life in the Father. 

~Scott~