Good Of The Father (Quick To Listen) # 2116

 We all talk a different language, talking in defense

The Living Years ~ Mike and the Mechanics (1988) 

I've come to realize over the years that there are those of us who are so very good at talking and listening to others.  In my time I've known more than a few.  I was reminded of this the other day while in a discussion with a gym friend.  The discussion was in danger of becoming more of a disagreement when I realized that what my friend needed was someone to listen and not to speak.  Realizing this, I introduced him to another friend whom I know has a heart for listening to people.  To my knowledge, their conversation soon flourished as a friend who needed that someone to listen found just that.  Now, I could have simply turned on my listening ears myself, but my friend was in a better place at that moment to listen to another.   I mention this situation because all too often we might find ourselves in the company of someone who doesn't need a speech, but simply someone to listen.  I perceived that in my friend the other day.  So, instead of escalating a conversation, I chose to connect him with someone I know would be more than glad to listen to him.  I have a dear friend whom I have known for some time, a retired pastor, who has been one of the most patient listeners I have ever known.  I know that no matter what I am dealing with, that I can talk with him and that he will guide me to what the Father is showing me in that situation.  I suggest that this is a unique gift, that gift of listening.  My mother had it.  She could walk into a room and within minutes she would be talking to a stranger like she had known them for years.  The art of listening.  The scripture tells us that we should be "Swift to hear, tardy to speak, tardy to anger" {James to the Twelve Tribes 1:19}.  If I would have continued in that conversation with my friend, I would not have been following the advice of James.  In my mind, he needed to hear what I had to tell him.  In reality, what he needed was that ear to hear what he had to say.  

I submit that many of the heated discussions which we engage in are a direct result of not having that ear to listen in the moment.  I admit that I've been guilty of that a time or two.  Sometimes I think I know better, sometimes I think that the Father needs to tell the other person something through me.  But what if I were to simply listen?  What would God reveal to me through this?  Many times, God places us in the presence of others not to convert or evangelize them, but that we would hear what God has for us to hear.  There is much to be said of seeking wise council in others.  In those who have the ear to listen.  The real reason that I introduced my friend to someone who I knew would listen to him is because in that moment I wasn't thinking about listening, but of trying to convince him that I was right and he was wrong.  That's not what he needed to hear.  I am thankful that I heeded the voice of the Father within me before that conversation got out of hand.  There are no winners in an argument.  Some might scoff at my speaking to knowing that voice of the Father in me, but this is the truth of my life in Him.  Unlike many well meaning Christians, God is always swift to listen to us.  We need only that ear to listen to what He is speaking to unto our hearts.  The truth is that God has always been an intimate part of us.  He created us in His likeness {Genesis 1:27}.  Jesus speaks to the truth that our life is lived through Him {Johns Account 14:20}.  When we speak to Him, He listens.  We can learn a valuable lesson from that.  

Now you are aware, my beloved brethren!  Yet let every man be swift to hear, tardy to speak, tardy to anger

James to the Twelve Tribes 1: 19, Concordant New Testament 

~Scott~ 

The Good Of The Father {Baggage Claim) # 2115

 

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, 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 

Have you ever hung onto something which you knew was no good but still gave it credence?  I believe that this is the very cycle many face with addictions.  They know what they're doing is harmful, yet they continue in the destructive cycle.  I've seen this repeated far too many times.  In fact, I myself have been involved in this cycle as well.  For many years, I was stuck in a cycle of food addiction as well as pornography.  I knew that these things were bad for me, but I continued to engage in the cycle of destruction.  Why do I mention this?  Because I believe that there are far too many well meaning believers out there who have been deceived into clinging onto something which Jesus has already done away with.  I'm talking about the idea of sin.  Yes, I know that I spend a lot of time writing about the S word, but it is my hope that by doing so that the children of God will come to the realization of the truth which we have in Christ.  In his evangel, the apostle Paul speaks to the truth that Jesus has indeed died to sin "Once for all time" {Paul to the Romans 6:10}.  In fact, one of the core beliefs of this so called Christian religion is that Jesus indeed gave Himself to take away the sin of the world.  The truth we have in Christ is that we have died to what once defined us.  Many in the church will continue to proclaim that we're still sinners.  They will back up this claim with the very words of Paul which we find in Romans, that all have sinned {Paul to the Romans 3:23}.  Yet they leave out the important part which we find in the following passage.  That "Being justified gratuitously in His grace" that it is Jesus Who has delivered us from sin {Paul to the Romans 3:24}.  

How many of Gods children continue to hold onto that false belief that they remain sinners?  I personally feel that there are quite a few that do.  This false belief continues to be spoken by those within the mainstream church.  That sin continues to be an issue in the lives of all believers.  So it is that the hordes continue to follow this teaching.  This despite claiming to believe that Jesus has indeed died for the forgiveness of their sin.  Did Jesus somehow miss a few sins while hanging on that cross?  I find that highly unlikely.  Moments before His death, Jesus proclaimed "It is accomplished!" {Johns Account 19:30}.  He had accomplished what He had come to do.  Why is this important?  Because to trust in the words of the Lord is to believe that we are no longer defined by that which we once held onto so tightly.  We're no longer sinners in the eyes of God.  That debt has been paid.  That's not to say that sin in this world does not still remain, only that we who have died to sin are no longer defined by it.  Paul proclaims "We, who died to sin, how shall we still be living in it?" {Paul to the Romans 6:2}.  Why do we continue to cling to that old baggage?  Because someone in the church says we do?  Again, the evangel spoken by Paul makes it clear.  That "If anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation" {Paul to the Corinthians (2) 5:17}.  I'm no longer that guy I once was!  Through Christ Jesus, I am a sinner no longer.  Knowing this, I no longer hold onto that former identity.  

May it not be coming to that!  We, who died to sin, how shall we still be living in it? 

Paul to the Romans 6: 2, Concordant New Testament 

~Scott~ 

The Good Of The Father (The Jesus Life) # 2114

 

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

Paul to the Philippians 1: 21, Concordant New Testament 

There are plenty of people who talk a good game when it comes to following Jesus.  I have come to know a few of them.  Back in my church days, to follow Jesus was as close to Him that I could ever hope to be.  As a sinner, I was taught that Jesus could never be in the presence of sin.  Never mind the fact that He was scolded by the Pharisees and teachers of His day for dining with sinners and tax collectors {Matthews Account 9:10-12).  Despite that, I had been taught by those within the church that to "Be like Jesus" was the closest that I could ever hope to be to my Savior.  This kept me at a distance from truly knowing Him.  It wasn't until I had been away from the church for awhile that I realized that what I had been taught was a but another lie spoken by the institutional church.  I realized that Jesus has been with me all along despite the man the church told me that I was.  The words of the apostle Paul speak to his knowing of his own life in Christ.  For Paul "To be living is Christ, and to be dying, gain" {Paul to the Philippians 1:21}.  Paul recognized that which he once knew was no more.  His life was no more, for he had been crucified on that cross with Jesus {Paul to the Galatians 2:20}.  What remained is his life within Christ Jesus.  I often wonder what Paul would say to one of the pulpit pounders of today who speak to our life apart from Jesus.  The evangel of Paul speaks to us not of a life separated from Christ, but our life AS Christ.  Jesus Himself was criticized for speaking that "I and the Father, we are one" {Johns Account 10:30}.  The Pharisees of His day must have been pulling their hair out at this blasphemous statement.  Yet this is the truth we have in Christ.  Jesus has assured us of a life lived within the love of the Father {Johns Account 14:20}.  But, for their part, the church continues to speak to Jesus and Gods children being separated by sin.  

It's not too difficult to see that this world which we live in is one of wickedness.  Those within the church will proclaim that we are bound to this wicked world.  That our only hope lies with living a righteous life and punching our ticket to heaven.  Yet Jesus has assured us that He Himself has overcome the world {Johns Account 16:33}.  This doesn't mean that we will not have trying circumstances, but that we do not live within the confines of this world.  Our home is not in flesh and blood, but within the love and grace of the Father.  This might seem difficult to fathom when we are faced with the every day challenges of life, but I believe that this is exactly why Jesus reminds us that He has overcome the world and all associated with it.  In the words of Paul, our life is IN Christ Jesus.  What fear, then, is there of death if we already know our future?  Again, Paul reminds us that to be dying, is gain {Paul to the Philippians 1:21}.  Death is not the end, but a beginning.  Knowing what I know of my own life in Christ, I would say that death is merely a continuation of what we're now living in the Father.  Walk into any funeral service and you'll likely encounter a pretty somber atmosphere.  There's more than likely a feeling of finality.  That this is the final act of a ones existence.  I experienced this with the death of my mother.  Even our so called "Celebrations of life" often leave out the truth of the union life we live in the Father.  The message is clear, death is final!  Not according to Paul.  In the words of his evangel, death is our ultimate gain.  Welcome to the Jesus life. 

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 

~Scott~ 

The Good Of The Father (The Fluffy Stuff) # 2113

 

Be rejoicing in the Lord always!  Again, I will declare, be rejoicing! 

Paul to the Philippians 4: 4, Concordant New Testament 

I have a friend who declared to me last week that to only proclaim the good news of the gospel of the Lord Jesus was not a good thing.  For to only feed these people "The fluff" of the scripture was to ignore the consequences of our sin that remains.  Not only that, but that people needed to know that there are indeed consequences for their actions here on earth.  So, are the words spoken by Jesus simply fluffy, feel good encouragement or is there something more going on here?  I believe that the apostle Paul spoke perfectly when, in his letter to those in Philippi, that they should be "Rejoicing in the Lord always!" {Paul to the Philippians 4:4}.  Paul didn't see the gospel of the Lord Jesus as simply something to make people feel good, but as the truth which we have through Him.  Tell me, why is it that we need to be continually reminded of sin when Jesus Himself has given His life that we would be set free from that which we were once slaves to?  In his evangel, Paul speaks to the truth of the happiness which we have through Christ Jesus.  Not only that He has provided for the forgiveness of sins, but that He has provided for our life lived within Him {Paul to the Galatians 2:20, Paul to the Romans 6:8}.  Paul understood that his former identity perished on that cross next to Jesus.  This is why he can say with confidence "Yet I am living; no longer I, but living in me is Christ" {Paul to the Galatians 2:20}.  Thes aren't simply fluffy, feel good feelings, but the truth of Christ Jesus which we find throughout the evangel spoken by Paul.  Not only that, Jesus Himself has assured us of our life lived within the Father {Johns Account 14:20}.  Therefore, we no longer live a life plagued by sin, but a life lived within the joy and happiness of God.  

I understand why someone such as my friend could boldly declare the good news of the gospel of Jesus as being simply fluff.  As simply window dressing.  I have known for quite some time that the theology spoken by those within the mainstream church speaks to a false identity which many continue to live by.  This is the lie which has been spoken by the church for thousands of years.  The lie which proclaims that we have been separated from God through our sin {Isaiah 59:2}.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  For the reason by which Jesus suffered and died on the cross was not only for the forgiveness of sin, but so that sin itself would be put to death {Paul to the Romans 6:6-11}.  It is ridiculous to assume, as those within the church continue to proclaim, that Jesus simply died for the forgiveness of a few important sins.  That somehow despite the sacrifice of the innocent blood of Jesus, that sin somehow remains within us {Paul to the Corinthians (2) 5:21}.  Again, Paul speaks to the truth that our former "Body of sin may be nullified" {Paul to the Romans 6:6}.  Are we to see these words spoken by Paul as truth or simply for our encouragement?  Well, Paul obviously believed his words to be true or he would not have spoken them to us.  I do not see the evangel spoken by Paul as simply encouragement, but as the living truth we have through Christ Jesus.  It has never been the desire of God that we simply be encouraged.  No, it is God Who desires us to live in the truth which we have through Him.  That our life is not our own, but that we are an intimate part of Him {Genesis 1:27}.  If you know this truth and it makes you feel good, so much the better. 

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 the 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 

~Scott~ 

The Good Of The Father (Come And See) # 2112

 

Now Jesus, being turned and gazing at them following, is saying to them, "What are you seeking?'  Yet they said to Him, "Rabbi (Which, being construed, is termed "Teacher"), "Where art Thou remaining?"  He is saying to them, "Come and see,"  They came, then, and perceived where His is remaining, and they remain with Him that day, it was about the tenth hour

Johns Account 1: 39-41, Concordant New Testament 

I have been involved in more than a few ministries in my time.  From Promise Keepers conventions to classes of Henry Blackaby's Experiencing God series.  Both of these were seen as crucial ministries during my time in the church.  Yet, the funny thing is that neither has ever brought me closer to knowing the truth of Christ Jesus within me than the revelation of the Father in me.  I think back to the days when the apostle Paul received that same revelation within him in the days following his Damascus road experience.  That it was when it pleased the Lord that He revealed in Paul the living spirit of Christ {Paul to the Galatians 1:15-16}.  I can say that my experience definitely mirrors that of Paul.  It is Jesus who invited those following Him by simply inviting them to "Come and see" {Johns Account 1:39-41}.  He never once invited them to a conference gathering (If they had those back then).  He never encouraged them to join in the study of a book in order to see Himself revealed unto them.  What Jesus DID do was to invite those who were curious to come and see for themselves His daily life.  To witness His presence and His ministry of the gospel.  I have not seen many Christian based ministries at all which tout the love and welcoming which Jesus offered to these early followers of His.  What I have seen in my own time in the church is far too many theology based programs disguised as ministry.  Of course, there have been a few exceptions.  A good friend of mine once engaged in a sports ministry which brought the message of the gospel to more than a few countries around the world.  He used his love for sports and Jesus to spread His message to others.  What strikes me about my friends endeavor is that his message was not church based, but speaking to others about the love and forgiveness of Christ.

I've been thinking a lot lately about how it is that this revelation I have received from God could be spoken to others.  The fact is, there are millions of people in this world who hunger to know Jesus on a more personal level.  Imagine a world where everyone knew and understood the truth of our life within  Christ Jesus {Johns Account 14:20}.  I truly feel that this is where the Father is leading His children.  But how?  Simple, the invitation to come and see.  Come and see the love and acceptance of Jesus.  Come and experience His love without the condemnation so often found within the confines of the mainstream church.  I have a Christian friend who seems to minister to others by means of reminding them of their own future in hell if they refuse to follow Jesus.  I feel that he doesn't attract too many followers with that rhetoric.  A simple Google search of the passage which we find in John 1:39-41 reveals Jesus' invitation to others to "Personally encounter Him."  Wouldn't you love to personally encounter Jesus?  Well, come and see.  James makes it clear that if we draw ourselves closer to the Lord, that He will in turn draw near to us {James to the twelve Tribes 4:8}.  I feel that this is a big reason why Jesus invites us to come and see Him for ourselves.  But how is it that those desiring to see Him will have that opportunity?  Well, it certainly won't come from those within the church speaking to us as condemned sinners.  That message doesn't sell when it comes to intimately knowing Christ within us.  How the world WILL come to know Jesus more intimately is through those who already know Him in that way.  While I don't see it as an official church endorsed ministry, I have my own group of gym goers which I speak of Jesus with on a regular basis.  Not of condemnation, but of the love and acceptance of Christ.  All are welcome, come and see.  

Yet hallow the Lord Christ in your hearts, ever ready with a defense for everyone who is demanding from you an account concerning the expectation in you, but with meekness and fear 

Peter to the Dispersion (1) 3: 15, Concordant New Testament 

~Scott~ 

The Good Of The Father (A Letter To Rome) # 2111

 

What, then, shall we declare?  That we may be persisting in sin that grace should be increasing?  May it not be coming to that!  We, who died to sin, how shall we still be living in it? 

Paul to the Romans 6: 1-2, Concordant New Testament 

Long before the conception of the holy Roman Catholic church, Rome was the epicenter of one of the most powerful civilizations ever known.  The Roman empire stretched from English Isles in the West to the nations of the middle East.  Whoever coined the phrase "All roads lead to Rome" certainly knew what they were talking about.  Against this backdrop of world domination, within this Roman territory a movement was growing.  A movement based on the teachings of a man from Nazareth in the nation of Israel.  Indeed, word of the teachings of the man Jesus had reached beyond the borders of the nation of Israel to the nations beyond its borders.  One of the loudest of these voices came from one who spent the early part of his life persecuting the followers of Jesus.  The man Saul had made a career out of doing the bidding of the leaders of the Jewish religion.  On the day his life would change forever, he was on a mission to deliver any followers of Jesus unto the chief priests in Jerusalem.  Yet God had different plans for Saul.  For on that day, the persecutor Saul became the apostle Paul, one of the staunchest defenders of the gospel of Christ Jesus we will ever know.  But these words of Paul written in his evangel do not have many fans withing the church itself.  For Paul writes to the truth of the Lord Jesus, and that truth often contradicts the message given by those within the church.  Where the church speaks to the lie that sin has separated us from God, Paul points out that Jesus Himself "Died to sin once for all time" {Paul to the Romans 6:10}.  Paul writes, correctly, that Jesus has given Himself for the forgiveness of sin.  He also provides a defense for those within the church who will continue to keep the sin issue alive.  To these he speaks to the truth of "We, who died to sin, how shall we continue living in it?" {Paul to the Romans 6:1-2}.  I have a friend who will bristle at the very idea that sin has been dealt with.  What about our bad behaviors and decisions?  Are they not the very essence of sin?  As Paul proclaims, why do we continue living in what Jesus has already dealt with?

I consider Paul's letter to the church in Rome to be one of the best rebukes of sin which we will find in the scriptures.  Not only that, it is Paul who introduces us to our one true identity in Christ Jesus.  Our identity in Jesus?  Yes!  For it is Paul who speaks to the truth of Christ living within him {Paul to the Galatians 2:20}.  Tell me, if Christ lives within us, how is it that sin can flourish?  This is, of course, the nature of the truth of sin spoken of by Paul.  Whenever someone speaks to me about the separation theology preached by the church, I remind them of this letter written by Paul to those in Rome.  I can imagine that those in Rome reading this letter of Paul also were taken by surprise by his words.  For those within Roman society were more akin to the gods of altars and statues than the truth of the Lord Jesus.  However, there was at this time a burgeoning church of the followers of Jesus in Rome itself.  It is to these that Paul writes his famous letter.  He reminds them of the truth of the words of Christ Jesus.  He also reminds them of the truth of who they were IN Him.  The truth that sin no longer has a dwelling place in their lives.  That through the innocent sacrifice of Jesus, that the sin debt has now been paid in full {Paul to the Corinthians (2) 5:21}.  But these words of Paul are not just a letter to the church in Rome, but to all believers in Christ Jesus.  A reminder of the truth which we find in Him.  A contrast to the false words coming from the church.  Paul contrasts the condemnation spoken by those in the church with the freedom which we have in Christ.  

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, 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

~Scott~ 

The Good Of The Father (The Bondage Of Sin) # 2110

 

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 the 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, He is living to God.  Thus you also, reckon 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 

Growing up I was a huge fan of the sci fi series Battlestar Galactica.  I recall one episode titled The Long Patrol where the warrior Starbuck has crashed on a planet inhabited by a penal colony.  The residents of this penal colony have been forced to pay for the sins of their ancestors by being housed in cells while being forced to brew the same adult beverage their ancestors did, with the profits going to their captors.  Near the end of the episode, Starbuck discovers that there the cells which house the prisoners are unlocked.  The only thing which keeps them imprisoned, it seems, is tradition.  I was thinking of this old TV show the other night as I was in a text conversation with a Gym Rat friend.  This man is an old school, church theology based believer.  Being such, he cannot or will not accept the scriptures proclaimed by Paul in his evangel which assure us that Jesus Himself has freed us from the bondages of sin.  It seems that he is stuck in that old building without locks on the doors.  He is able to walk free at any given time, yet he continues to wallow in his captivity.  For all intents and purposes, he remains a slave to the sin which once defined him.  Paul is clear in his letter to the Romans, we are to "Reckon yourselves to be dead, indeed, to sin" {Paul to the Romans 6:11}.  Sadly, far too many believers are just like my Gym friend, they follow the teachings of the mainstream church which continues to proclaim that our sin remains a vital issue in our lives.  Not only that, but that sin has actually separated us from the God Who created us.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  

When we live within the bondage of sin, we believe that despite Jesus having given Himself for our sakes to take away the sin of the world, that we must seek forgiveness continually for the sin we still continue to commit each and every day.  Like residents of that fictional penal colony, we accept the same punishments which our ancestors adhered to.  This cycle has been repeating itself over and over again for thousands of years.  Have we forgotten that Christ Jesus willingly gave Himself to take that punishment we continue to believe is ours?  That He Who knew no sin died for us {Paul to the Corinthians (2) 5:21}.  For its part, the church has been doing its best for centuries to hold believers in the bondages of sin.  This has NEVER been the Fathers intention for us.  The very reason by which Jesus has been dispatched to take away the sin of the world is testament to this truth {Johns Account 3:16-17}.  Those within the church know and celebrate the death of Jesus on the cross, but they refuse to practice what they preach.  To listen to them is to believe that Jesus has left sin remaining after His death.  I know this because of my conversations with more than a few church going believers.  It seems that there are far too many who continue to choose to live within the bondage of that which Jesus has already put to death {Paul to the Romans 6:10}.  If they were to accept the truth of the freedom which has been given them, they would then be able to escape that bondage and walk out of the unlocked prison they live in.  For Jesus has died that the chains which once bound us would be broken.  THAT is living free in Christ.  

Yet God is commending this love of His to us, seeing that, while we are still sinners, Christ died for our sakes

Paul to the Romans 5: 8, Concordant New Testament 

~Scott~