The Good Of The Father (The Condemnation Crowd) # 2015

 

Nothing, consequently, is now condemnation to those in Christ Jesus.  Not according to the flesh are they walking, but according to spirit, for the spirits law of life in Christ Jesus frees you from the law of sin and death

Paul to the Romans 8: 1-2, Concordant New Testament 

Recently I've been having a few conversations with a gym friend.  This is nothing unusual.  What is unusual is how I end up feeling after our conversation.  For after we finish our talks, I usually am left feeling somehow condemned in my faith.  Now, I know the truth of my life in Christ, and I know that I will have eternity with Him, of that I am sure.  Yet my friend is big on following, to the letter, certain passages within the scriptures that seem to prove the point which he is trying to make.  Recently, that point is that we all have sinned {Paul to the Romans 3:23} and that we need to be in continual prayer for the Fathers forgiveness.  Yet the apostle Paul is careful to point out that we have been justified gratuitously through the grace of God through the deliverance which is in Christ Jesus {Paul to the Romans 3:24}.  So, yes, all have sinned, but through the finished work of Christ Jesus on the cross, we have been justified in the eyes of the Father.  It seems that my friend was not interested in hearing that, however.  My guess is that it did not fit his narrative.  That narrative is one that we see preached within the mainstream church.  The narrative that sharing the gospel means convincing others that they are guilty of sin.  That they are in need of Gods forgiveness.  Well, isn't that what happened at the cross?  I've said for some time that the church is stuck on the hamster wheel of reminding people of their sin guilt.  Yet Paul is quick to remind us that Christ has died to sin once for all time {Paul to the Romans 6:10}.  That we are to now consider ourselves "Dead, indeed, to sin" {Paul to the Romans 6:11}.  Yet many pastors within the church continue to preach the sin issue as if it is still relevant.  Their congregations are taught to remind the world of this message in order to "Save" them from themselves.  When I was still in the church, I saw first hand the effects of this ministry of condemnation.  I'm not afraid to admit that I also once practiced what the pastors taught me to do.  The funny thing is, now that I know the truth of my life in Christ, I find that people are more willing to listen to the message of the evangel that I speak to.  This is not a message of condemnation, but of the love we find in the Father.  

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

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

One comment which I made recently which I have received a bit of pushback from is the churches need to keep reminding people of the existence of sin.  You could say that the success of the church depends on their keeping the sin issue alive.  Why?  Well, when you remind others that they have sin in their life, far too many people will feel that the church is where they need to be in order to free themselves of their sin.  The truth of the evangel spoken by Paul AND the evangel of Christ Jesus is that sin is no longer an issue for those who are in Christ Jesus {Paul to the Romans 8:1-2}.  Those in the church bristle at the idea that Jesus died on the cross for our sins past, present and future {Paul to the Romans 6:10, Peter to the Dispersion (1) 3:18}.  In order to keep their pews filled , those in the church continue to speak of the sin issue as if it still exists.  In my opinion, they are doing their best to keep their congregations in the bondage of not knowing true freedom in Christ Jesus.  If this wasn't true, you would hear pastors speaking to the evangel of Paul from their pulpits.  Sadly, this isn't the case at all.  These congregations are taught that to minister to others in the community is to continue to remind them of their sin.  Knowing this, I understand where my friend is coming from.  He himself has been taught that his sin is ever with him.  That he needs to be in prayer for whatever sin he might have committed.  He feels condemned, and he brings this condemnation into his conversations of God with others.  I believe that he continues to carry the shackles of bondage.  It is only through knowing the truth of our life in Jesus that these chains are broken. 

~Scott~ 

The Good Of The Father (What The Hell?) # 2014

 

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~ 

It's a place which most well meaning Christians have been told that they will end up if they somehow fall short of the Lords expectations.  If their behavior somehow does not meet His holy standards.  Growing up in the institutional church, I lived in constant fear that my salvation which God had promised for me if I accepted His Son would be in danger.  That despite my accepting Jesus, God would choose to ignore all of that if my behaviors were deemed offensive to God.  Indeed, this seems to have  been the consistent message given by the mainstream church for thousands of years.  For His part, Jesus, in His woes to the Jewish Pharisees, mentions the Pharisees becoming "Double of a son of Gehenna than you are" {Matthews Account 23:15}.  What was He speaking to?  Well, it turns out that Jesus, as He so often did, referenced the location of Gehenna to represent a place where the unrighteous will spend eternity.  Some have found this to reference the existence of hell.  But was it?  Well, Jesus knew all too well what the name Gehenna meant to those listening to His words.  See, Gehenna was an actual location on the outskirts of Jerusalem in the valley of Hinnom which was known as a local trash dump.  It was also known to have been a place of child sacrifices to the Canaanite God Molech.  Tell me, who would want to spend their eternity in such a wretched place?  Living in a trash dump?  I can't think of a better illustration which Jesus could give to illustrate the plight of those who refuse to acknowledge the Lord God.  Jesus knew what Gehenna represented to those listening to Him.  Another word which the church has bantered about is that of Sheol.  It's widely agreed within the church that sheol represents hell.  Yet to anyone who knows the scriptures and their history, sheol was known in the Hebrew religion as the realm of the dead.  It is interesting that sheol is seen as that place where the departed go while they await their resurrection, sort of a holding place of the departed.  Whatever you call it, Gehenna, hades or sheol, believers have often been threatened with the existence of these places as their destination if they didn't adhere to Gods standards.  

For thus God loves the world, so that He gives His only-begotten Son, that everyone who is believing in Him should not be perishing, but may be having life eonian.  For God does not dispatch His Son into the world that He should be judging the world, but that the world may be saved through Him

Johns Account 3: 16-17, Concordant New Testament 

I find it interesting that those who so often speak of the torment of eternal hell are also those who refuse to speak to the truth of our life in Christ Jesus {Johns Account 14:20}.  I've always seen the separation theology of the mainstream church as being black and white, good and evil.  I've also noticed that it is those within the church, pastors and congregation alike, who are more than willing to sentence someone to eternal hell.  Of course, that has never been our responsibility at all.  That is the domain of the Father.  And what has been Gods plan for His creation from the beginning?  We find this spoken to by the apostle John in his iconic words we find in the New Testament.  That through His never-ending love, God has loved the world.  Such was the Fathers love, that He dispatched His only Son into the world.  Not to condemn the world, but that ALL the world would be saved through Him {Johns Account 3:17}.  So, as Jesus spoke to the crowds about Gehenna, was He actually condemning anyone to their fate?  No!  This was not why He came to be among us.  Imagine this, that despite the words coming from the synagogues of the day, that God came in the flesh to dwell among His children {Johns Account 1:14}.  This is the depth of the love of God for us.  That while we were lost, that He Himself would come to live among us.  Gods desire has never been that anyone would spend eternity apart from Him.  Yet these are the words spoken by those within the church.  Not only did He come to live among us, but it is Jesus who willingly gave Himself for us.  That He who knew no sin would perish for those who did {Paul to the Corinthians (2) 5:21}.  Does this sound like a God who desired any of His children to suffer for an eternity?  The church will tell us that the good will be rewarded and the wicked will suffer.  But we do well to remember that only the Father makes these decisions. 

~Scott~ 

The Good Of The Father (Degrees Of Knowing) # 2013

 

For His invisible attributes are descried from the creation of the world, being apprehended by His achievements, besides His imperceptible power and divinity, for them to be defenseless

Paul to the Romans 1: 20, Concordant New Testament 

The question was raised this week of who would be worse off, someone who has never heard of Christ or one who continues to adhere to the lie of separation theology spoken by those in the mainstream church.  In the film Come Sunday, the reverend Carlton Pearson was removed from his position of prominence within the church due to his speaking of his belief that there is no hell.  Pearson came to this realization while watching a tv newscast of suffering people in some far away land.  He correctly wondered, what if these people who have never even heard of the name Jesus were to die?  Would they immediately go to hell for their unbelief?  What followed was a struggle between one man speaking the truth and the institution of the church and their efforts to silence him.  I've recently been involved in a conversation with a fellow gym rat where I felt a little like the embattled pastor Pearson battling the lie spoken by the church.  The conversation began with my mentioning the truth of the Fathers desire that all be saved {Johns Account 3:16-17}.  Predictably, my church indoctrinated friend could not handle this truth.  In fact, he seemed a bit shocked and even called over another so called Christian brother where they could together show me the error of my ways.  This is the reaction I received for speaking the truth of the Father.  Indeed, the truth of universal salvation is a tough pill to swallow for those in the church.  But when we get down to brass tacks, is it our decision who does or does not get saved?  Is it the church who decides?  Do we ourselves decide the worlds fate?  As with all of creation, it is the Father who will ultimately decide whom He will save.  Yet those within the church have taken it upon themselves to dictate who and who will not receive this blessing.  If salvation is the free gift given unto us by God, what right do we possess to say who receives it {Paul to the Ephesians 2:8-9}?  Yes, I have accepted the truth of Christ Jesus in me and His salvation.  Does that give me the right to determine who else will receive that same gift?  Unfortunately, the church is filled with those who will take it upon themselves to say who is and who has not been saved.  

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 will go out on a limb and say that the mainstream church needs people to believe in the existence of hell.  What?  Think about this, when people live in fear of being condemned to an eternity in hell, what do they usually do?  They typically find their local church to seek a way out of their predicament.  I mean, who wants to willingly go to hell?  The anguish, torture and eternal fire is enough to instill fear in anyone.  Add to that the claim of some in the church that once in hell, we live forever separated from God.  Yes, I believe that the church desperately needs to continue to speak to this narrative for their very survival.  For the more Gods children believe that they need the church to avoid an eternity in hell, the more pews are filled on Sunday mornings.  See my point?  But this false theology spoken by the church goes against the truth we find in the Father.  For we are created in His likeness {Genesis 1:27}.  Jesus Himself has proclaimed that our life is in Him {Johns Account 14:20}.  Knowing this truth of God, how is it that we can ever be separated from Him?  How can that which has been created ever be separated from He who created them?  THIS is the truth that debunks the false separation theology spoken within the church.  So, if we have been created in the Fathers likeness and we live our life within Him, is there a hell for us to fear?  Perhaps this is the revelation which was given to Carlton Pearson.  The entire idea of hell is based upon a God who will no longer love His children as He has promised.  That the sacrifice of His Son meant nothing.  For despite the truth spoken by Paul that Christ died to sin "Once for all time," there continues to be those who live in fear of living an eternity separated from God {Paul to the Romans 6:10}.  This is what the false theology of the man-made church has left us. 

~Scott~ 

The Good Of The Father (Living The Lie) # 2012

 

Knowing this, that our old humanity was crucified together with Him, that the body of sin may be nullified, for us by no means to be still slaving for sin, for one who dies has been justified from sin.  Now if we died together with Christ, we believe that we shall be living together with Him also, having perceived that Christ, having been roused from among the dead, is no longer dying.  Death is lording it over Him no longer, for in that He died, He died to sin once for all time, yet in that He is living to God.  Thus you also, be reckoning yourselves to be dead, indeed, to sin, yet living to God in Christ Jesus, our Lord

Paul to the Romans 6: 6-11, Concordant New Testament 

The other day I was involved in a conversation with a fellow Gym Rat concerning the "Requirements" one must engage in in order to be saved.  To be honest, I came away from this discussion feeling as it I had just heard one of the common condemnation sermons which are popular among those inside the mainstream church.  I hold no ill feelings towards my brother, for I cannot blame him for that which he has been taught about Jesus from within the church.  I should know, because I've been in his shoes as well.  The very words spoken by the apostle Paul are often used as evidence of the so called requirements needed for one to be saved.  For Paul speaks in Romans that if one is "Avowing with your mouth the declaration that Jesus is Lord" and "Should be believing in your heart that God rouses Him from among the dead, you will be saved" {Paul to the Romans 10:9}.  So, is this indeed our requirement for being among those saved by the willing sacrifice of Christ?  Or, as I have come to believe, that the love of the Father is so strong that He desires all of His children to come to know Him?  Honestly, for Christians to set aside requirements for who will be saved sounds a bit judgmental on our part.  Are we the ones who decide who and who are not saved?  No!  This has always been the territory of the Father.  It is God Who decides whom He will set aside for a future with Him.  Yet too many humans have made a tradition out of proclaiming who it is that will be saved.  The single issue raised by my friend as to who will be saved and who will not is that of sin.  Sin continues to be the elephant in the room as far as believers are concerned.  Many in the church continue to speak to the fact that it is our sin that separates us from God.  They often refer to the words of the prophet Isaiah, who speaks of our sin separating us from God {Isaiah 59:2}.  Notice that these words of the prophet are spoken in the old testament, before the cleansing sacrifice of Christ Jesus.  To those who continue to speak to the church narrative that sin has separated us from God I ask, what about Jesus?  For it is He Who has given Himself that we would be free of the wrath of sin {Paul to the Corinthians (2) 5:21}.  

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~ 

Those within the church have made a career out of convincing people that we must earn our way into heaven.  Be it through our "Holy" behavior or adhering to the church traditions, people have become conditioned to believe that they must earn their way into Gods good graces.  To this I say, what about Jesus?  For Jesus has spoken that nobody shall come to the Father but through Him {Johns Account 14:6}.  Nowhere in this passage is it spoken by Jesus that we must earn our way into Gods eternity.  In fact, it is Paul who speaks to the truth that it is by the grace of the Father by which we will ultimately be saved {Paul to the Ephesians 2:8}.  Paul does not mention any requirements we must perform in order to achieve our own salvation.  Why?  Because there are none.  Salvation is the work of God, not of man.  It has never been our decision who or who is not saved.  It is by the grace and mercy of the Father that I have been saved, so why would it any different for someone else?  I think that those within the church who speak of the requirements we must take in order to be saved should once again look to the words of Paul in Ephesians.  But Paul doesn't stop there, he continues with what I see as the very reason by which salvation is not about what we do or don't do to earn it.  "Lest anyone should be boasting" {Paul to the Ephesians 2:9}.  Can you imagine the attitude of those who somehow earned their own salvation?  How they would perceive themselves to be that much better than others?  Believe me, this is how far too many Christians come off to others who are listening.  Preachy, elitist and much better than you.  It is for this reason that people enjoy the feel good testimonies of those who have hit rock bottom only to be come to know the Father.  I can say that I've been there.  The truth of my life in the Father I did not come to know in the halls of the church, but by His revelation unto me {Johns Account 14:20}.  

~Scott~ 

The Good Of The Father (Strange Bedfellows) # 2011

 

And the Pharisees and their scribes murmured to His disciples, saying, "Wherefore are you eating and drinking with the tribute collectors and sinners?"  And answering, Jesus said to them, "Those who are sound have no need of a physician, but those who have an illness.  I have not come to call the just, but sinners, to repentance"

Lukes Account 5: 30-32, Concordant New Testament 

The religious steeped Pharisees could not understand why Jesus would spend His time breaking bread with hated tax collectors and sinners.  They perceived that His time would be better spent condemning rather than befriending such people.  But Jesus put them in their place with a dose of the truth which He had been sent to proclaim.  "I have not come to call the just, but sinners, to repentance" {Lukes Account 5:32}.  In the wake of the assassination of Turning Point USA leader Charlie Kirk, I've been spending a lot of time in thought and prayer as to why it is that he has been so fondly remembered.  For even those who at one time disagreed with him have now confessed to the impact which his words had on their lives.  For much of my life within the mainstream church, I was taught that ministry to others involved seeking out the sinners and speaking condemnation to their behaviors.  "You're on your way to hell" became the catch phrase for many church ministries.  Even today, I can hear the echoes of this teaching in the words of well meaning believers.  That my sin will eventually lead to my downfall and eternity separated from God.  I've come to refer to this teaching as the separation theology of the church.  While I definitely heard this in the words of Charlie Kirk, I believe what separated him was not his message, but the audience he often chose.  Just as Jesus Himself chose to befriend tribute collectors and sinners, so it was that Charlie Kirk chose to put himself where his message was most needed.  That is, within the confines of the colleges and universities of this nation.  I believe that there is a reason for that.  For too long, people have been complaining about the disconnect between the youth of our nation and those of us who have seen too many years fly by.  All too often, we berate the younger generation as being lost.  I believe that Charlie Kirk dedicated his ministry to make an impact upon those who need a physician.  To speak his message of Jesus and common sense unto those who needed to hear it.  Like I said, it is this type of ministry that I was introduced to only after I walked away from the church.  

Faithful is the saying, and worthy of all welcome, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, foremost of whom am I 

Paul to Timothy (1) 1:15, Concordant New Testament 

I was thinking this week of the ministry of Jesus and I concluded that it is Jesus Who went where He was needed.  It would have been easy for Him to proclaim the good news of His gospel to those who accepted His message and call it good.  Yet this was not why He was sent.  Indeed, Jesus has been dispatched not to judge the world, but that the world would be saved through Him {Johns Account 3:17}.  I've spoken many times of the community which I've developed within the local gym I frequent.  I did not step into this area with guns blazing and speaking verses of the condemnation of sin.  I did not speak to those around me that they were condemned to hell if they did not repent.  No, I spoke to them as friends.  Like Jesus, I met many of my friends exactly where they were at in life.  I don't speak of condemnation, but of the grace and forgiveness only found in the Father.  I take no credit for myself, but give the glory to God.  For it is He who has brought me to this place in my life to speak His evangel of the truth of the Lord to those desperate to hear it.  The more I think about it, this is true ministry.  To meet people where they are in life.  To approach them as a friend and not a judge of their behavior.  The ministry of the church will focus on the sin of the individual.  The truth spoken by the evangel of the apostle Paul speaks to that sin no longer being an issue for us.  It is Paul who has proclaimed the truth the Jesus has died to sin "Once for all time" {Paul to the Romans 6:10}.  That we might be considering ourselves "Dead, indeed, to sin" {Paul to the Romans 6:11}.  The lie spoken by those within the church continues to be that our sin separates us from God.  I admit that I heard this in the words of Charlie Kirk as well.  I can't fault him, like me, this is how he was taught to minister to the people.  The truth is that we no longer need to believe in the lie that our sin is forever before us.  For Christ has died to that sin of our past, present and future.  Sadly, there are those who continue to believe in the lie spoken by the deceiver.  It is these who need the message of grace and forgiveness spoken by Jesus.  It is these who need the physician.  

~Scott~ 

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~