The Good Of The Father (Tomorrow's Forcast) # 2075

 

"You, then, should not be worrying, saying, 'What may we be eating?' or 'What may we be drinking?' or 'With what may we be clothed?'  For all these the nations are seeking.  For aware is your heavenly Father that you need all of these.  Yet seek first the kingdom and its righteousness, and all these shall be added to you.  You should not, then, be worried about the morrow, for the morrow will be worrying for itself.  Sufficient for the day is its own evil. 

Matthews Account 6: 31-34, Concordant New Testament 

I have often found it silly that man, with all of his technology, will have difficulty predicting what the weather will be yet still feel that they can comprehend what will happen a few days down the road.  This, of course, is foolish thinking.  For nobody knows what tomorrow will bring.  Jesus Himself spoke to the dangers of worry in His sermon on the mount.  In fact, He points out that despite our worries over tomorrow, the Father already knows what we will need {Matthews Account 6:32}.  Every once in awhile in my travels I will pass a little shop with the blinking sign in front which reads "Tarot cards read...fortunes told."  Let me tell you, if there were any credence at all to these hucksters claims, there would be zero element of risk involved in life.  Want to invest some money?  Have your fortune read and there's a good chance they could predict what to invest in.  Every college football fan is aware of the various pre-season polls which follow each season.  It seems that each and every news outlet has the inside scoop on what will happen before it even happens.  Indeed, man has become good at predicting what may happen tomorrow, or the next day.  The question we need to be asking is not what will happen tomorrow, but why we feel the need to dabble in that which has always been the Lords domain.  Somehow, man has been deceived into the thinking that we are responsible for our own lives.  This is the lie spoken by the deceiver in the garden.  The false belief that we could ultimately "Be like God" {Genesis 3:5}.  The lie has been perpetuated by the mainstream church, which preaches that our own sin has separated us from God.  Yes, that sin which Jesus supposedly died to free us from.  The author Norman Grubb has written that there can be but one self-operating self in the universe, and that is God Himself {No Independent Self ~ Norman Grubb}.  

At it's base, I believe the reason for our worry over tomorrow is the false belief that we and God are two separate individual selves.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  Jesus Himself speaks to the truth of our life in the Father in the book of John {Johns Account 14:20}.  Many of the false ideas harbored by man which I have recently written on can all be traced back to the false belief that we are an independent self.  The free will of man and our ability to choose for ourselves are all based upon the assumption that we, and not God, are in command of our lives.  So, if we are in control of our lives, why is it that we stress so much over what has not yet happened?  Why did Jesus feel the need to proclaim to that crowd on the mount of Olives that day, 'Do not worry?'  Why?  Because He knew the truth, that to worry over such things is folly.  That the Father already knows what we will ask Him for even before we do.  That God already is well aware of what it is that we need.  But we, believing that we alone control our life, continue to work overtime in order to predict what life will bring.  It's well understood that stress and anxiety can cause havoc with these flesh bodies or ours.  Yet I have found a remedy for the stresses of our anxiety.  Trust in the words of Jesus when He declared, 'Do not worry!'  Think about it, what good has worrying over tomorrow ever brought you?  For me personally, to worry brings only distress.  I have never gotten that feeling from trusting in God.  What I have experienced is the peace which comes from knowing that in Him I no longer need to worry. 

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}.

No Independent Self ~ Norman Grubb 

~Scott~ 

The Good Of The Father (The War Within) # 2074

 For the flesh is lusting against the spirit, yet the spirit is against the flesh.  Now these are opposing one another, lest you should be doing whatever you may want

Paul to the Galatians 5: 17, Concordant New Testament 

It's a comment that I have received all too often when I mention the truth we find in Jesus that He has delivered us from sin once and for all {Paul to the Romans 6:10}.  When faced with this truth, many people are aghast and say something along the lines of, "So I can just do whatever I want?"  Pretty much.  Well, at least that is what a part of us desires for us.  To do whatever it is that we see is good, but not what God might see as good.  I was reminded of this internal battle we face by a good friend the other day when he mentioned a life lived in the flesh.  The apostle Paul speaks to our conflict between the flesh and the spirit in Galatians.  For it is the flesh which is lusting against the spirit, and the spirit is against our flesh {Paul to the Galatians 5:17}.  Paul warns us that these two oppose one another "Lest you should be doing whatever you want."  There are people who brush off this conflict by simply saying. "The devil made me do it."  While I wouldn't put it past the deceiver to derail us in that way, I believe that there is something bigger in play here.  That being our struggle between the spirit we are and the flesh we live in.  I would be against condemning the flesh outright, seeing as we have been created in the likeness of the Father {Genesis 1:27}.  It is also God Who has breathed into us the breath of life, whereby we became a living soul {Genesis 2:7}.  So it is that all which we are has been planned and created by the Father.  For it is foolish to believe that anything escapes the Fathers notice.  He knew beforehand that we would encounter this war between our flesh and spirit.  The sides have been chosen long ago, on the one hand are the desires of the Lord while on the other is what makes us feel good.  There was a time when I followed that desire of the flesh as I was dabbling in an addiction to pornography.  My spirit took a back seat to the desires of the flesh.  I was doing what I felt good doing, not what was good for me.  Yet this is the battle each one of us faces every day.  We know what is right and pleasing the Lord, yet we all too often choose the alternate.  Again, Paul speaks wisdom to this truth by proclaiming the struggles he encountered in his life.  Paul concedes that "Good is not making its home in me (That is, in my flesh), for to will is lying beside me, yet to be affecting the ideal is not {Paul to the Romans 7:18}.  

Indeed, Paul knew all to well the struggle he faced between his spirit and his flesh.  It is for this very reason by which many Christians have condemned the flesh as being wicked.  I won't go that far.  In light that we have been created in the likeness of the Father, I will say that it is our flesh which is highly influenced by the world and the earthly pleasures which surround us.  A good friend once related to me that it is our flesh which is neutral, and therefore highly susceptible to the influences of the world around us.  I believe this to be true.  I would also say that to condemn the flesh is to condemn the Fathers creation, and I'm not prepared to do that.  Fortunately, the Father has a way for us to follow what He knows is right for us.  For it is His very spirit within us which speaks to what is right and good {Paul to the Galatians 5:16}.  We can indeed, as Paul proclaims, walk in the spirit which is within us.  Jesus Himself has spoken to our union life within the Father {Johns Account 14:20}.  We no longer live within sin, but in the love and mercy of God.  He IS our life.  Knowing this, we must also recognize that our flesh continues to battle against His spirit within us.  This does not diminish the truth that our true identity mirrors Gods spirit identity as well {First Epistle of John 4:13}.  For to walk in the spirit is the desire of the Lord {Paul to the Romans 8:5}.  

For I am aware that good is not making it's home in me (That is, in my flesh), for to will is lying beside me, yet to be affecting the ideal is not 

Paul to the Romans 7: 18, Concordant New Testament 

~Scott~ 

The Good Of The Father (The Pharisee In Me) # 2073

 

The Pharisaic spirit still exists.  And it's the chief reason why so many non-Christians want nothing to do with Jesus

8 Signs of a Modern Day Pharisee ~ Frank Viola 

Growing up in the mainstream church, I learned early on that there was one and only one narrative of the bible and that was the one which the pastor spoke to each Sunday morning.  I was told that I needed to listen to the padre in order that I might "Be fed" from the word of God.  Not only that, I was expected to take his words and bring them into the community outside of the church walls.  In this way I was seen as walking in the steps of Jesus, evangelizing those who needed to hear the word of God.  This was all fine and good, until I came across someone who either didn't adhere to Christianity or had a different interpretation than what I had been taught.  To me, these people were to be seen as lost and in need of saving.  I spent no time in contemplating why it was that they felt this way, only that I needed to bring correction to them no matter what.  After all, I was doing Gods work.  I never really saw myself as a Pharisee until recently when a good friend shared with me an article penned by author Frank Viola titled "8 Signs of a Modern Day Pharisee."  As I read the article, I thought back to all of those whom I had bullied into my way of thinking about God.  How vehemently I had defended my faith from those who needed to be "Taught about God."  Some know this as apologetics, the vigorous defense of their faith in the arena of any debate or discussion.  I this is one of the signs of a modern day Pharisee, I was indeed among that crowd.  It was my job to defend the word of God from those who disagreed with it.  However, over time I began to wonder to myself just why the creator of this universe would need my help defending Him.  Wasn't God more than capable of defending Himself?  Did He really need to defend Himself?  My "Aha moment" came as I was reading through the epistle of John and came across an interesting passage where the apostle calls on us to "Test the spirits to see if they are of God" {First Epistle of John 4:1}.  Test the spirits?  Whatever did this mean?  Was I being asked to go against what I had been taught about God?  As it turned out, I soon came to realize the truth of the love of the Father, and it hadn't come from any Sunday sermon.

I have come to see the passage we find in the First Epistle of John as one of the core verses of my coming to know the truth of my life in the Father.  As John states, "For many false prophets have come out into the world."  This is not a call for people to ignore the bible, but to seek His revelation through the word.  For Jesus Himself has declared our union life in the Father {Johns Account 14:20}.  The Author J Preston Eby has gone as far as to describe the modern church as a "Harlot" {The Savior Of The World ~ J Preston Eby}.  As I began to see the scriptures through a different lens of understanding, I began to know a God not of guilt and punishment but of His one true nature, which is love {First Epistle of John 4:8}.  Recently I have been reminded through a friend of what I must have been like back in my Pharisee days.  I have a friend who seemingly has a mind set that the scripture as taught by the church is the be all end all word of God.  There is even no room for debate in this.  Believe me, I've tried.  My friends defense of a God who loves His children yet hates sin and wickedness is often very...robust.  When I listen to him I hear the centuries old church doctrine that the good will be rewarded and the wicked punished.  Of course, he backs up these claims with plenty of his interpretation of the bible.  I've asked myself, was I ever this bad?  Although I am grateful for the revelation of my life in Christ, my prayers continue to be with my friend that he might enjoy the same love of the Father that I have experienced in my life.  I don't condemn him for his unbelief.  My Pharisee days are over. 

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  

~Scott~ 

The Good Of The Father (The Fathers Reach) # 2072

 

O man! who are you, to be sure, who are answering again to God?  That which is molded will not protest to the molder, "Why do you make me thus?"  Or has not the potter the right over the clay, out of the same kneading to make one vessel, indeed, for honor, yet one for dishonor? 

Paul to the Romans 9: 20-21, Concordant New Testament 

There are many Christians who have spoken to the arrogance of man, but there is no more arrogant belief than that which speaks to man having a free will of his own.  The apostle Paul speaks to this folly in the book of Romans.  It is here where Paul asks the reader, "Has not the potter the right over the clay" {Paul to the Romans 9:21}?  The arrogance of man assumes that he himself decides what he will do as well as how he will be doing it.  As the apostle would say, what folly!  To be clear, what part of our lives is God not so intimately involved?  What part of His creation does God not dictate what, when and where things will occur?  Man claims that he himself chooses to follow God and/or Jesus.  Jesus Himself declares that "No one can come to Me if ever the Father Who sends Me should not be drawing him" {Johns Account 6:44}.  So, it is not by our own volition by which we come to know Jesus, but it is by the will of the Father.  In fact, I would argue that there is nothing which man does of his own accord.  This seems logical seeing as it is God who has created all which surrounds us {Genesis 1:1}.  It is also logical knowing that we have had nothing to do with our own birth, but that God Himself has created all in His own likeness {Genesis 1:27}.  I do not recall having anything to do my own conception or birth.  Nobody asked me if I wanted to be born into this world.  My guess is that nobody else was given that opportunity either.  Man takes pride in taking credit for that which God is responsible for.  Yes, I've been among those as well.  For their part, those in the mainstream church don't do us any favors by continually speaking to the false belief that we have been separated from God by our own sin.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  But what sin has done is enslaved man into the lie that his life is solely his own.  If anything, man has distanced himself from God by accepting the lie spoken by the deceiver in the garden {Genesis 3:1-6}.  By our own accord, we have accepted that which has never been true, that we are beyond the Fathers reach.

A gym friend of mine has developed the habit of proclaiming that all must "Come to Jesus and accept Christ," as if it is in our abilities to do just that.  Yet, Jesus has spoken that no one comes to Him but through God Who draws them to him.  Of course, many well meaning believers continue to swallow the bait and hold to that belief that it is they who decide what they will do and when and how they will do it.  So, you decide what is to happen in that which you had no hand in creating?  Yeah, good luck with that.  I am not vain enough to recognize that my efforts are but an example of Gods presence here on earth.  It is He who ultimately decides what will happen and when.  You could say that we are simply along for the ride.  But this truth goes against all which is spoken from the pulpits of the church.  Yes, they will acknowledge that it is God Who has created all.  Yet, knowing this, they do not act according to that which is true.  In the theology spoken by the church, God created all, but man decides how he will conduct his life.  This is the error of the belief that man has been created with a free will of his own.  The belief that God has zero influence in whatever man decides to do.  Again, this is not speaking to the truth of the Father.  For our life has never been outside of Gods influence, but within Him.  Jesus Himself speaks to the union between man and the Father {Johns Account 14:20}.  Knowing this truth, what will man ever do that God is not intimately connected to?  In fact, I would argue that it is God who decides how and when we will do what He has set forth for us {Jeremiah 29:11}.  

For the scripture is saying to Pharoh that "For this selfsame thing I rouse you up, so that I should be displaying is you my power, and so that My name should be published in the entire earth" 

Paul to the Romans 9: 17, Concordant New Testament 

~Scott~ 

The Good Of The Father (Brought To Jesus) # 2071

 No one can come to Me if ever the Father Who sends Me should be drawing him, and I shall be raising him in the last day

Johns Account 6: 44, Concordant New Testament 

Christianity has taught us that among mankind there is a choice that needs to be made.  That in order to enjoy the glory of a life in Christ Jesus that one must first and foremost "Choose" to allow Jesus into their life.  That they must choose to accept Him and all which He offers us.  This has been enshrined in church doctrine for centuries.  Of course, this all centers upon mans own ability to make such a choice for himself.  We've been conditioned to believe that this is indeed the case.  Adam and Eve chose the apple.  Able made the choice to kill his brother Cain.  The Jews made the choice to bow before a false God.  But what if we've gotten it wrong all along?  What if we never really had that choice, but sere simply adhering to the ultimate plan brought forth by the Father?  Think about this, did we have the choice to be born?  To my knowledge, nobody ever asked me my opinion before I was conceived.  I'm sure that nobody was ever offered that choice as well.  Yet we will profess all day long that we ourselves need to somehow make a choice of our own volition to choose Jesus.  How about this, accept the fact that everything which we will ever see is from God.  Everything which we will ever do is from God.  It is well known fact that I have been created in the Fathers likeness {Genesis 1:27}.  That it is God who has breathed into me the breath of life {Genesis 2:7}.  All that I will ever be is because of Him.  So, how is it that I can claim that I am the only one who make that choice to accept Jesus into my life?  Do I even need to accept Christ into my life?  For it is Jesus Himself Who has spoken to the truth that our life is in union with He and the Father {Johns Account 14:20}.  If we accept the church claim that we need to somehow choose to accept Jesus, then we fail to see ourselves as we truly are.  It has never been about ourselves alone.  In fact, it can be shown that there is but one self-operating independent self in the universe, and that is God {Isaiah 45:5}.  

Those within the mainstream church will preach all day long that we have been separated from God due to our own sin.  This is the false separation theology spoken by the church.  It is based upon the lie spoken by the deceiver in the garden, that if Eve took of the forbidden fruit, that she would somehow "Be like God, knowing good and evil" {Genesis 3:5}.  As we all know, Eve swallowed that lie hook, line and sinker.  Not only that, but mankind has been living the lie ever since.  A self-independent man, really?  Remember that God is the ONLY self-operating self in the universe.  Man cannot be a self-operating self because it was not how he was originally created.  We were originally created to be live within the Father, to be an extension of Him.  It is man who has perpetuated the lie that we are separated from God.  This has never been the Fathers intention.  Knowing this truth of who we are in the Father, how is it that man can ever make the independent choice to accept Jesus?  We have never been independent of the Lord, therefore we do not possess that ability to choose for ourselves.  What we DO know through scripture is that man is drawn to Christ Jesus through the work of the Father {Johns Account 6:44}.  It is God who ultimately brings us unto His Son, not our own choice.  This is the desire of the Lord, that all will be saved through Christ Jesus {Johns Account 3:17}.  We have zero ability to choose our salvation in Him.  

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}.

No Independent Self ~ Norman Grubb 

~Scott~ 

The Good Of The Father (The Jesus Cult) # 2070

 

And I hear another voice out of heaven, saying, "Come out of her, My people, lest you should be joint participants in her sins, and less you should be getting of her calamities 

The Revelation of Jesus Christ 18: 4, Concordant New Testament 

I asked an important question to a friend the other day.  The question was, when did Jesus advocate that we follow any organized religion?  I believe that this is an important question if we are to come to really know Jesus and our life in Him.  Well, his first response is a passage many believers point to when it comes to advocating that we MUST find a bible believing church and that we must become members and worship in that church.  This passage is found in Hebrews, and it implores the reader "Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves" {To the Hebrews 10:25}.  This seems like a clear directive from the author (This may be Paul, or another of the apostles) that we should not neglect to gather in the worship of the Lord.  This is all fine and good, but I believe that some context is in order here.  When this scripture was written, the lands of the Middle East were dominated and ruled by the Roman empire.  These Romans were not very agreeable to the public worship of the followers of Jesus.  Truth be told, the Jews of Israel were not that fond of them either.  Remember, it was the Jewish authorities who persecuted and killed Jesus for the blasphemous words they felt He spoke.  So it was that the early followers of Jesus were persecuted if they were found worshipping in public.  Therefore, many chose to meet in secret, or not at all, to avoid this persecution and torture at the hands of the Romans.  Therefore, the writer of Hebrews is encouraging the early church to not forsake their gathering together in His name.  The last time I checked, we here in the United States are not being persecuted for attending a church.  So, again I ask, when did Jesus advocate for organized religion to those who followed Him?  Where did He advocate for Sunday morning praise music?  Where did He advocate for an offering in His name?  To my knowledge, Jesus had but one request for those who would follow Him...Follow Me.  We find His request not only in the calling of His disciples, but in those who would follow Him as well.  

When I first read the critical words which Jesus spoke to the Jewish Pharisees and authorities I was a bit disheartened.  Here was Jesus being critical of that church structure that I had been raised to respect.  Growing up in the church, it was expected that Sunday was church day.  It was rare that we were not sitting in a pew on a Sunday morning.  I was taught that this was the command of the Lord, to worship Him.  Now, I have nothing against worshipping and gathering in his name, I'm all for it.  But where is it that Jesus commands that we assemble in a brick and mortar church building in His name?  What Jesus DOES do is speak to the Samaritan woman He meets at the well that "God is spirit, and those who are worshipping Him must be worshipping in spirit and truth" {Johns Account 4:23-24}.  He does not mention a specific place or even a synagogue, only that she worship in spirit and truth.  In the very words of Jesus, "For the Father is also seeking such to be worshipping Him" {Johns Account 4:23}.  Jesus does not mention a Sunday sermon nor an offering to the woman at the well, only that she worship in spirit and truth.  I believe that the same holds true for all who desire to come to know Jesus.  For all who feel burdened by the practices and traditions of the mainstream church.  The truth we find is that Jesus is not found in a brick and mortar church, but inside of us.  It is Jesus who has spoken to our union with He and the Father {Johns Account 14:20}.  Our life is in Him.

"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 in spirit and truth"

Johns Account 4: 23-24, Concordant New Testament 

~Scott~ 

The Good Of The Father (God All In All) # 2069

 

Seeing that out of Him and through Him and for Him is all: to Him be the glory for the eons! Amen! 

Paul to the Romans 11: 36, Concordant New Testament 

I look at the morning headlines today and I see God.  Now, some might ask how God can be seen in such a fallen world.  Have you forgotten who created this place we call home?  Sure, He reorganized it with a flood during the days of Noah, but He never has undone that which He has created.  Knowing that God indeed created all which we see, is it therefore possible that we can see God truly as all in all?  Some well meaning believers might have a tough time accepting this truth of God.  I know that I did growing up in the church.  Growing up there was good and there was wickedness.  God loved one and despised the other.  The good would be rewarded and the wicked punished.  Unfortunately, we see this theology continue to play out in the modern church as well.  But has God ever actually hated that which He has created?  Many in the church will say that God has reached that point where He has regretted creating mankind {Genesis 6:6}.  They point to this passage as proof that we remain sinful.  But how is it that God can be sinful?  The apostle Paul speaks to the idea of the Father being all in all in Romans {Paul to the Romans 11:36}.  So, if God is all in all, as I believe He is, then He is a intimate part of all which surrounds us.  If we accept that God created all we will ever know, it isn't too difficult to believe that He is within all of His creation.  I was first introduced to this truth during a local hike with a good friend.  His question was simple, can we see God in the trees that surround us?  Remember, that in the beginning He created the heavens and the earth {Genesis 1:1}.  Personally, I don't believe that it's at all possible for that which has been created to not have the imprint of its creator upon it.  That is why I have such difficulty accepting the church mantra that our sin has separated us from God.  How can we who have been created in the very likeness of God ever be without Him?  Despite our former sin nature, were we ever separated from our creator?  I would say no to that all day long.  

And now for something that just might knock the socks off of some Christians and cause others to accuse me of a false message and heresy.  Hs God always been an intimate part of His creation?  If we agree to this then we must also agree that He has been within the bad as well as the good.  That God was in wicked men such as Adolf Hitler and Josef Stalin.  Is God in the tragedies of our life as well?  Was God in the illness which took my mothers life?  I would answer yes to all of these.  For if we see God as all in all, which he is, then we must also see Him in the negative as well as the positive.  For all are part of His creation.  Did God create men such as Hitler and Stalin as wicked?  Or, as I believe, did those men make choices that ignored who they truly were in the Lord?  Keep in mind, that Satan was never created to be wicked, but his own choices led him down that road {Isaiah 14:12}.  Indeed, Lucifer was created by the Lord as one of the most beautiful of the angels, yet he chose wickedness over righteousness.  He chose his own pride over the Father who created him.  Lucifer was not created as wicked, but he made that choice on his own.  Knowing this, again I ask, did God create men to be wicked?  Or, as with Lucifer, have certain men chosen the path of wickedness on their own?  If we understand God as all in all, we know that He has created all and has declared it as good {Genesis 1:31}.  Even as God has created all to be good, that does not mean that He is not in that which we see as bad.  Remember that His ways have never been our ways {Isaiah 55:8-9}.  At the time I did not understand why God allowed my mother to be taken from this world.  That does not mean that He was not in my grief for her.  He has been in all we will ever experience in this world. 

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

First Epistle of John 4: 8, Concordant New Testament 

~Scott~