The Forgotten

 

"But concerning the dead, that they rise, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the burning bush passage, how God spoke to him, saying, 'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'?  He is not the God of the dead but the God of the living."

Mark 12: 26 - 27 NKJV 

There is a time honored tradition for a soldier who dies in the battlefield.  Once the soldier is carried from his final battle, a makeshift memorial is left behind, that others may know who walked before them.  It's simple, really, merely a reminder that we never forget.  The soldiers rifle, helmet and dog tags are meant as a sign of prayer, to remember a fallen friend.  The soldiers boots, worn and used, are meant to signify his final march into battle.  For most of my life I have been somewhat of a amateur student of military history.  I have devoured many a book about our nations conflicts from the past.  I'm not a warmonger by any means, I'm simply interested in history.  It's an interest which, looking back, triggered a emotional reaction from my mother.  It seems one day while out shopping my mom decided to ask me what it was I wanted to do when I got older.  Well, up to this point I had read almost every military history book in the school library so to me the choice was simple.  I wanted to be a soldier.  Up until that point, I had never seen my mother come as close to crying as she did in that moment.  Back then I couldn't comprehend what she was thinking.  I mean, soldiers were honored and respected, right?  What I didn't realize back then was that my mom had endured the long years of watching television and seeing the reports coming out of Vietnam of the fighting there.  She had seen the flag draped coffins of American servicemen coming home on their final journey.  She didn't want that for her youngest son.  Like I said, all I do is read books.  I was reminded this memorial day weekend of the many young men and women who have given the ultimate sacrifice for their country.  In a way, giving ones life for their country has always been seen as one of the most noble acts one can do.  Not according to general George Patton, however.  It was Patton who was once quoted as saying, 'Make the other poor bastard give his life for his own country.'  I agree.  There is yet another quote which is significant, 'Only the dead have seen the end of war.'  Indeed, regional conflicts and armed skirmishes seem to have haunted human history for centuries.  Perhaps realizing that war is inevitable and thus preparing for it is our best defense as a nation.  

Only the dead have seen the end of war.

~Plato~ 

I've never known the loss of a family member to military service.  My own father did his bit in the navy, but he passed away years after leaving the frog corps.  The loss I have had to deal with in my life is the death of my parents and a few close friends.  It is inevitable that sooner or later death touches us all in one way or another.  How can we prepare for this?  Well, I believe that the best way to prepare for the end of our life in this world is to realize that it is indeed not the end of our life.  The apostle Paul assures us of this in Romans where he describes the work which Christ accomplished on the cross.  We're told that Jesus defeated death once and for all {Romans 6:9}.  Now, here's where too many people get tripped up.  Paul assures us that we LIVE with Christ {Romans 6:8, Galatians 2:20}.  As in the verse of Moses and the burning bush, Jesus IS our savior.  God IS our merciful Lord.  There is noting past tense about our life in Christ Jesus.  It is not something which we must wait for as a reward after our life here has ended.  No, our life in Christ Jesus is alive and well today.  If there were a battlefield cross that would signify what Jesus has accomplished, it would be that image of the cross which He bled and died upon.  Yet, as believers we do not need such artifacts to know what Jesus has done for us.  We know because the Lord has instructed us through His word.  In our hearts we know that we are His.  What better memorial is there to Jesus than in the very hearts of those who believe?  Of course, memorials are for the dead are they not?  Not likely for someone alive in Christ Jesus.  

Knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin.  For he who has died has been freed from sin.  Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more.  Death no longer has dominion over Him.  For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God.  Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 6: 6 - 11 NKJV 

~Scott~ 

A God Of Convenience

 

For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.

2 Peter 4: 3 - 4 NKJV 

I've heard it more than a few times.  Someone, at some point, will become bored or disillusioned with the church which they are in and start searching for another church home.  Some will claim that they are searching for a church that "Fits their beliefs."  I've often wondered, what are the beliefs of these people?  To leave once something gets too uncomfortable?  I suppose that is the reason why there seems to be a church on every corner in whatever city you might be in.  Somewhere, there is a church who will preach God the way YOU want him preached.  If you prefer a traditional church service, there's a church for that.  If you prefer a new age church service, there's a church for that as well.  Is it just me, or has God suddenly become a God of popular opinion?  Because I will tell you, in any traditional church, eventually you will find something that will make you question why it is that you are there.  I'm guessing that it's human nature or something akin to it.  There have been times where I have questioned why I've stayed at my job for so long.  I've been in my share of churches, and there have been many times where I have come face to face with something in the church I didn't agree with.  The music was too loud, they didn't follow the bible as close as I wanted them too, The men's ministry was lacking, stay in any church long enough and you will find something that irritates you.  The reason for this is that churches, for the most part, are a man created system.  How wonderful it would be if I could walk into church on a Sunday and listen to the pastor talk about who we are in Christ.  Now, to me, THAT is a good church.  My itching ears were longing to hear about Jesus.  Thankfully we have a small group who gathers via video chat each Sunday to talk about all things Jesus.  Yet, I suppose that isn't for everyone.  Like I said, there are many other churches out there that satisfy many itching ears.  That many churches, however, does come with a down side. 

Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually.

1 Corinthians 12: 27 NKJV 

What is the down side to so many people darting back and forth between churches?  Well, all too often relationships suffer as a result.  I know that there are those out there who will say that it's "Just church," and that their friendships and relationships will not be affected.  Well, that isn't how it always happened in my experience.  I've been involved in more than a few churches where a change in pastors would bring a shift in the congregation as many would follow one pastor or another to their new church home.  I've been witness to pastors becoming so disgruntled over not being named head pastor that they up and left the church to start a new one of their own.  Does this sound like a sound reason to leave a church?  Is there ever a sound reason to walk away from a church?  I believe so.  I believe that if the Spirit leads us elsewhere because of what is being taught in a church, it is a sound reason.  Yet, in the end, we are the ones who decide where it is we will worship.  I make no secret of the fact that I have not stepped into a church to worship in over twelve years.  My reasons for doing this were personal to me, and I do not regret that decision I made.  For one of the results of my decision has been coming to know Jesus as I had never known Him before.  I have never been in a church where the Jesus I now know has been taught.  Jesus who lives in me {Galatians 2:20}.  I'll go out on a limb and say that I am not aware of any church which preaches the truth of Christ in us.  So, despite leaving the traditional church format, did I walk away from God?  No!  In fact, the exact opposite occurred, the revelation of who I am in Christ was revealed to me as I contemplated why it is I left the church.  I don't need a brick and mortar building to know who I am in Jesus.  Perhaps maybe one day someone will open a church and start preaching Christ in us.  Now, that's a church.  

Those who are leaving our churches aren't rejecting Jesus, just those who are representing Him badly

~Wayne Jacobsen~ 

~Scott~ 

A Life Once Lived

 This one a long time have I watched.  All his life he has looked away...to the future, to the horizon.  Never his mind on where he was...Hmm?  What he was doing.

~Yoda~

Young Luke grew up in the shadows of the Jedi knights, yet never realized who he was until later in life.  Despite his family history, he was blind to the man he truly was.  I was reminded this this week as I listened to a radio minister talk about the legacy which we leave.  What is it that we will ultimately leave behind for others to look upon?  Far too many people have been judged by what they did, or did not do, during their lifetimes.  So, what will be my legacy?  What will I leave behind for others to know me by?  That remains to be seen, but I add to it each and every day.  I think the greater question is, what is it that we judge others by?  I think of my own parents, long departed from this life.  What did they leave behind?  Well, for one thing, they left me.  Yes, I carry a part of my parents within me whether I like it or not.  For my own father left behind a legacy of what many would call failing as a parent.  Yet, I was thinking the other day, how is it that God looks upon a man like my father?  Does God judge my father for his life once lived?  I don't believe so.  I believe that God grieves for those who fail to realize who it is that they truly are in the Lords eyes.  Every day I am surrounded by people, events and situations which, if I am not careful, will shape how I feel about myself.  Do I slap myself because my neighbor doesn't like me?  No, but I pray for him that God will reveal Christ in him as He did in me.  I think that we put way too much emphasis on our lives and what we could have or should have done.  We have been discussing the concept of God being all in all in our little circle.  However, do we really believe in God being all in all when we believe that we ourselves are in control of our own legacy?  How can God, the creator of all that we see, not be present in all He has created?  I used to build model airplanes growing up.  I recall the best one I ever built was a F-4 Phantom II.  I spent hours on end perfecting it.  In the end, I was proud of my creation.  Yet, did I create it?  I mean, the model came in a box with all the pieces I needed to assemble it already there.  I did not create it, I simply put the pieces together.  

Now when all things are made subject to Him, then the Son Himself will also be subject to Him who put all things under Him, that God may be all in all.

1 Corinthians 15: 28 

What is it about your life that you want to be remembered by?  Money?  Good deeds?  Tell me, when you finally pass from this life will it at all matter to you what others remember you for?  My mother was a good, Godly lady.  Many who were blessed to have met her have described her this way.  After her memorial service, I was amazed at just how many people commented to me that my mothers friendship helped them with their own relationships with the Lord.  I don't know about you, but I'd take that legacy any day.  The apostle Paul is remembered as one of the greatest defenders of the faith who ever lived.  Yet how is it that Paul is remembered?  Is he remembered for his ministry?  Or, is he remembered for the lives of the believers he took as he sought to persecute the early church?  I will tell you, that the deeds of the man Saul and Paul both accounted for a life once lived.  I don't think that I need to elaborate too much on the fact that the life which we live is not our all in all.  This isn't a one and done scenario.  No, for once we've lived our lives for this short time, those who know Jesus will enter into a new life.  Our life once lived will be no more.  How will those who have known me remember me?  Hopefully as the man I really am, the expression of Christ {Galatians 2:20}.  

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

2 Corinthians 5: 17 NKJV 

~Scott~ 

Street Preacher

 

"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!  For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanliness.  Even so you also appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness."

Matthew 23: 27 - 28 NKJV 

I was reminded recently of Jesus' distaste for the organized religion of His day.  I'm assuming that the organized religion of Jesus' time was pretty much the same as we have today.  Nothing much has changed.  So, why would Jesus dislike organized religion?  Why would He dislike something which taught of righteous men and of the Father?  Well, I think I'll jump out on another shaky limb here and say that perhaps the reason that Jesus thought so badly about mans organized religion (that's right, we did it) was because of the fact of what it did to those who followed it.  Indeed, Jesus had a huge issue with the religious authorities of the day.  His "Woes to the Pharisees" we find in Matthew 23 pretty much lay out the issues which Jesus had not only with organized religion, but with those who presided over it.  Jesus proclaimed never to do anything according to the works of the religious Pharisees {Matthew 23:3}.  Why?  I'm assuming that these Pharisees were big on telling others what to do while not practicing it themselves.  Jesus was also not fond of the burdens which Organized religion placed upon Gods children {Matthew 23:4}.  Of course, I have seen this in practice in my own experience in the mainstream church.  Of pastors who lay down a gauntlet of guilt and shame, all the while not allowing their congregations to break through into the love and acceptance we will find in Christ Jesus.  Jesus also warned those of His day of the motivation of many of these Pharisees {Matthew 23:5-7}.  Indeed, how many of us have been witness to pastors and leaders of church congregations placing themselves above the people which God has placed them to serve?  I believe that this is exactly why Jesus claimed the virtue of being humble {Matthew 23:12}.  I firmly believe that someone who chooses to go into the ministry can do so for the right motives yet still have the wrong motivation.  If your goal is financial gain or personal advancement, you'll be better off as a car mechanic than as a pastor.  Jesus was also not a big fan of those religious leaders who forsook tradition over helping those around them {Matthew 23:14-15}.  Again, I've been witness to this in the mainstream church.  There is something to be said of a pastor who not only offers prayers but also any help which he is able to someone who is in need.  However, I was never a big fan of those preachers who, when faced with someone who was hurting, simply offered the standard Pharisee school authorized prayer then quickly moved on to their post service golf game.  Then again, maybe it's just me.  

Who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshipped and served the creature rather than the creator, who is blessed forever.  Amen.

Romans 1: 25 NKJV 

If Jesus has never been a big fan of organized religion, then the apostle Paul was even less of a fan.  Remember, Paul was raised in the predominant Jewish faith of the day {Galatians 1:14}.  It was his blind devotion to this religion which led Saul to persecute the early church of the followers of Christ Jesus.  Yet, at the Fathers appointed time, Christ was revealed in Paul on the Damascus road {Galatians 1:15-16}.  Notice that Paul did not obtain this knowledge of Christ in him through organized religion.  For it was organized religion through which Paul sought to destroy the early church and the followers of Jesus.  I have heard it said that Paul's experience on that Damascus road was simply that, a experience unique to Paul.  That's a good story if you can sell it.  The truth is, the revelation of Christ Jesus in him which the Father gave to Paul is open to all who know and love Jesus.  Like Paul, the timing of this revelation is not by our own choosing.  

I have often been amazed by some of the brick and mortar churches I have walked into by all of the shiny ornaments and statues within.  Tell me, when we divert our worship away from God to these idols of gold and metal, how much different are we from the Israelites who created idols for themselves to worship?  I know that I'll get some pushback here from those of the catholic faith, but I have always had a distaste for a religion that upholds Mary in the same regard as Jesus and the Father.  We do well to remember that is only by the work of the Father that Mary became pregnant with the Son of God.  Indeed, Mary was blessed, but to place her on the same plane as Jesus is, well, blasphemous.  It's no surprise that Jesus ministered to people wherever He found them.  In the temple, at the well and even as a adulterous woman was about to be stoned to death.  To Jesus, the brick and mortar churches and traditions we are so proud of are not as important as the realization of who we are in Him.  

"I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me."

Galatians 2: 20 NKJV  

~Scott~ 

A Young Boys Jesus

 

So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.  

Genesis 1: 27 NKJV

There is a conflict in Christianity today concerning the image of the Lord.  I saw this once again as I watched the film "Heaven is for real," where young Colton is suddenly thrown into a sickness and is, for all intents and purposes, considered dead for a short time.  Instead of being the end, this is where the young boys journey begins.  For as he tells it, he was privy to a visit to the Lords heaven while he was lying in the hospital.  Now, whether you believe this story or not is not the subject of this page.  I intend to focus on something Colton came away with from his trip to heaven.  One of the focal points of this movie was that this young boy claimed to have met and talked to Jesus.  Not only that, he gave a pretty good looking artists rendition of what this man whom he talked to in heaven looked like.  I recall when this movie hit the theaters, and everyone was chattering about this image of Jesus which a little boy related to a sketch artist.  Indeed, this MUST be the true image of Jesus!  Well, before you get your hopes up too high let me remind you of a few things.  First, this description of Christ is coming from a young boy.  Second, since Colton's father was a minister, we can assume that he was raised in the church.  How is it that most Christian publications and bibles portray the image of Jesus?  Let me refresh your memory, tall white guy, probably around 30ish with a beard.  There, that's Jesus...or is it?  I don't mean to cast doubt on the claims of this boy, but I've become familiar with another image of the Lord Jesus.  I am aware of this very image of Christ each day when I look into the mirror.  For the apostle Paul relates to us in Galatians that it is Christ Jesus who lives in us today {Galatians 2:20}.  The scripture tells us that we are all created in the Fathers own image {Genesis 1:27}.  Therefore, I usually don't waste too much time and effort worrying about just what His image resembles.  I already know that I resemble His image.  That is all I need to know.

"I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." 

Galatians 2: 20 NKJV 

I don't want to deter those Christian sleuths out there whose desire is to nail down what God and Jesus look like.  If that is what draws them to the Father then so be it.  However, do we really feel the need to come to agreement on the image of a God who has appeared to us not only as a burning bush {Exodus 1:4}.  Also, as a cloud {Exodus 19:9}.  Knowing this, can we truly believe that God is held down by one image?  I refuse to accept that.  I believe that the reason the Lord presented Himself to young Colton in the image that He did was because the boy was familiar with that image of Jesus.  Remember that we are told that no man has ever seen God {John 1:18, 1 John 4:12}.  Who was Jesus?  Jesus was the image of God upon the earth {Colossians 1:15-16}.  Without Jesus, God would still be a unknown to us.  It is Jesus who became the image of the Father, and it is Jesus who gives us that very image.  When I look upon myself, it is Christ that I see.  Once we realize this, then the scriptures of being created in His image start to make more sense.  How did Paul come to realize this truth?  Through the revelation of the Father {Galatians 1:15-16}.  If young Colton were to know the real image of Jesus, he need only look into the mirror.  Yet, the revelation comes slower for some than it does for others.  My own revelation of Christ in me came after more than a few years of thinking I knew who Jesus was.  Turns out all I knew was what the church wanted me to know about Him.  When we read the scriptures of being created in the Lords image, we can rest assured that we indeed resemble Him in all ways.

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.  For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers.  All things were created through Him and for Him.

Colossians 1: 15 - 16 NKJV 

~Scott~  

In Gods House

 

"God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands.  Nor is He worshipped with men's hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things."

Acts 17: 24 - 25 NKJV 

I thought about an old saying this week.  Indeed, there is a phrase out there which states that mankind ruins everything that he touches.  I'd be inclined to agree in most areas.  For the purpose of this writing, the focus will be on religion.  Or, for a better definition, man made religion.  For as I was looking through the book of Acts and the chronicles of the early church of the followers of Jesus I did not spot any descriptions of the church which I have come to know in my lifetime.  I didn't see any large ornate temples, save for those preserved to the Jewish faith of the day.  I didn't see any complex ministry programs designed to bring new "converts" into this growing church.  What I did see was a group of people who were hungry to hear the words and message of Christ Jesus.  They would gather in homes throughout their community, mainly because they were being persecuted by the Roman occupiers of the holy lands.  I read of the message of Christ, which the apostles of Jesus brought to those of this new church.  It was here, in the gatherings of the growing church, that the apostle Paul often spoke to the truth of Christ.  But, I digress.  For I didn't plan to write this as a glowing review of the church of Christ Jesus, but as a comparison of that church to one with the fingerprints of man all over it from the start.  How different must it have been for the followers of the new church to come together in different places in the shadows of the great temples not only of Judaism, but of other gods and man created deities as well?  We're told that Jesus Himself often taught in the temple {Luke 21:37-38}.  Yet, most Christians are familiar with one of the most popular teachings Jesus ever gave while gathered with His followers on the grounds of the Mount of Olives as well as speaking daily in the temple.  See, Jesus did not just speak and teach in temples.  I believe that the prevailing attitude in Jesus' day was just as we have seen in our own history, that Gods presence was indeed stronger in "His house."  That is...the temple.  I remember a friend of mine who used to ask me at work each Monday, "well, were you in Gods house yesterday?"  I'm sure he meant it in good faith, but it is the prevailing attitude among many believers today.  Well, I'm here to tell you, God has never been impressed with how big or fancy of a church which you claim is for Him but is really meant to fulfill your selfish desires.

Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need.  So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people.  And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.

Acts 2: 44 - 47 NKJV 

I have often used the term "man made religion" to describe what many know today as Christianity.  I stand by that claim.  For when we take a look into the history of what we know as the modern church we see something which can be a bit scary.  A nations leader bringing together religious leaders and demanding that they come up with a common church doctrine.  If this were to happen today there would be an outcry (Predictably mostly from liberal Democrats).  However, this is exactly what the emperor Constantine did with the Nicene council in 325 AD.  What was the purpose of the Nicene council?  Simple, "To provide a doctrinal statement of correct belief."  Yes, to tell you, as a Christian, what you are to believe in.  I know that I will get more than a bit of pushback on this, but history does not lie.  Nor do facts.  Once again, mans fingerprints upon a failed system.  However, if we are indeed true followers of  Christ Jesus, do we need to be told what to believe?  Does God only dwell in the brick and mortar churches which we build?  As Paul tells us in Acts 2, this is not the case at all.  It is also Paul who introduces us to what I see as the liberating truth of Christ Jesus.  In Galatians, it is Paul who assures us that it is Jesus Himself who now lives in us {Galatians 2:20}.  We LIVE as Jesus.  This is the foundational scripture of those who see themselves no longer as sinners, but as lives transformed by the realization of Christ in us.  We can continue to see God in those buildings we dedicate to Him, but rest assured that God has never been limited to one location.  Yet, the most important location we can see Him is within ourselves.  

And in the daytime He was teaching in the temple, but at night He went out and stayed on the mountain called Olivet.  Then early in the morning all the people came to Him in the temple to hear Him.

Luke 21: 37 - 38 NKJV 

~Scott~ 

The Lords Ledger

 "And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying.  There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away."

Revelation 21: 4 NKJV 

I'd like to take a deep dive this week into another of the prevailing teachings of Christianity.  This is one which I'm sure that many of us, myself included, have been raised on.  This is the belief that everyone will give an account of all they have done come the infamous "judgement day."  That's right, not only is God a God of love {1 John 4:8}, who has provided for the death and rebirth of His children.  He is also a God who keeps a ledger of all which we do so that He can use our trespasses against us later.  Can anyone see the mistake in that belief?  How is it that we can live IN a God who loves us all the while living in fear that He will use what we have done to somehow punish us in the end?  Was this Gods intent all along?  Is God a Indian giver of some sort?  Can God lie?  All of these questions become relevant once we open the can of worms which is the belief that God is somehow keeping score of all we've ever done.  So, can we ever lose our salvation?  NO!  Our salvation is the free gift of the Lord {Ephesians 2:8-9}.  We have not received our salvation through the works we've done {Titus 3:5}.  Knowing this, do we believe that God would suddenly go back on His word and condemn those He once saved?  I'm sorry, but I've never bought into the entire God keeping score teaching.  For at the heart of this belief is the desire of man to control the church.  When I looked into the history of the modern church I came across something I've become a bit familiar with.  That is, the Nicene Creed of 325 AD.  This was the result of the emperor Constantine seeking to control the Christians of his day.  What is the history of the Nicene Creed?  To "Provide a doctrinal statement of correct belief."  Yes, that's right, the Nicene Creed was all about telling Christians back in the day what they could believe in.  It is from this council that the teachings of the modern mainstream church emerged.  So, do you still think that many of the teachings of the church are God inspired?  

Last night I dreamed I died and stood outside those pearly gates

When suddenly I realized there must be some mistake

If they know half the things I've done they'll never let me in

~George Strait, A Love Without End Amen~ 

So, is God indeed keeping score on all that we do?  I don't believe that.  Frankly, I believe that this teaching is used by the mainstream church to somehow keep believers on the straight and narrow path of goodness.  Will we be more likely to stray if we know that everything we do is being recorded against us?  Maybe not.  However, I've also talked with more than a few believers who at one time or another have felt guilty for what they perceive to be their sin which they will need to account for eventually.  But hasn't Jesus already provided for the resolution of our sin issues?  The apostle Paul inspires us to consider ourselves "Dead to sin"{Romans 6:6-11}.  So, if we are indeed dead to sin through the works of Christ, what do we have to feel guilty about?  If we are indeed dead to sin through the works of Christ, what is it that God is marking against us?  What do you believe that God sees when He looks upon you?  Well, He created you in His image {Genesis 1:27}.  He breathed into us the breath of life {Genesis 2:7}.  This is itself should remind us that we share a intimate bond with the Lord.  Yet Paul goes deeper into this when he relates to us that it is Christ Jesus who now lives in us {Galatians 2:20}.  So, when God looks upon you what does He see?  He sees His own Son!  Would God indeed provide a record of the mistakes of His own Son that He might hold them against Him later?  I doubt it.  When we look at the teachings of the church compared beside the finished works of Christ Jesus we may come away with a very different perspective.  God is more interested in getting you to realize who you are in Him.  Whatever it is you feel you've done, in Gods eyes your ledger is blank.  

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. 

2 Corinthians 5: 17 NKJV 

~Scott~