Now, when the full time came, God delegates His Son, come of a woman, come under law, that He should be reclaiming those under the law, that we may be getting the place of a son. Now, seeing that you are sons, God delegates the spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!"
Paul to the Galatians 4: 4-6, Concordant New Testament
This morning I pose this question, who is it that you are in the Lord? The answer which you give will tell me a lot about how it is that you see God in your life. Do you see God as some distant entity Who sits in heaven while judging the unrighteous? Or, do you have a more personal connection with Him? Far too many Christians claim that they're seeking a closer walk with God, while not having any idea what that means. For their part, those within the church have never sought to introduce believers into a true communion with God. In all honesty, my own perception of God radically changed only after I had been outside of the church and their teachings and theologies for a few years. I believe that God has brought me to this place in my life in order to reveal my life within His love. In the same way, the Father brought the man Saul to his own Damascus road experience in order that God would "Unveil His Son in me" {Paul to the Galatians 1:15-16}. I have zero doubt that had I remained as a loyal church goer that I would not have come to know God as I now do. How is it that I now know Him? Well, I now have the intimate knowing of a Lord that I share my life with. I do not live a life separated from Him, but within Him {Johns Account 14:20}. This is Who God is to me. Now, there are plenty of nay saying believers out there who will scoff at this so called radical belief that I have. A belief that sinful man can not only be in the presence of, but live within God. This isn't something that I pulled out of thin air, but the knowing I've attained through His revelation within me. You cannot accept the revelation the man Saul experienced and expect that the very same truth of Christ Jesus within us cannot be revealed to another. The scriptures speak to this truth.
Aside from a few scattered Old Testament verses, the truth of our life within the love of the Father is clearly spoken of throughout scripture. Jesus Himself speaks to the union which we share with He and the Father {Johns Account 14:20}. He also speaks to the truth that "I am going to make ready a place for you" {Johns Account 14:2-4}. The common Christian religious belief is that Jesus is referring to our place in heaven in this passage, but I disagree. Because those within the church continue speak to the lie that heaven is something we earn and not the free gift bestowed by the Father {Paul to the Ephesians 2:8-9}. This is why I believe that Jesus has spoken the truth that the Father "Will be coming to him and making an abode with him" {Johns Account 14:23}. Our place was never meant to be outside of the Father, but within Him. The only voice we will hear which contradicts this truth of our life within the Father comes from those within the church. That should tell you something. Do we accept the truth spoken by Jesus, or do we continue to believe in the lie spoken by the church? That, in a nutshell, is the choice we have. Trust in the religion of mankind, or in the spoken word of God. I have chosen to follow the Father and not the words of man. For that, I'm deemed to have radical beliefs. But I take heart in the truth that those who opposed the teachings of Jesus considered Him a radical as well. Those within the church will speak to the lie that sin has separated us from God, but nothing could be further from the truth. Paul speaks to the truth that Jesus has died to sin "Once for all time" {Paul to the Romans 6:10}. Sin is no longer the issue we face. The issue we face is quite simple, do we accept God for Who He is, or do we accept the false teachings of the church? I refuse to live that lie.
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 Translation
~Scott~
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