Not Your Pharisee School Religion

 

"No amount of learning can bring you closer to God"

Phillip to Matthew ~ The Chosen 

Young Matthew was doing his best to grasp this new religion he was being exposed to.  Since being called by Jesus, the former tax collector had struggled with his past as well as finding a way to understand just what it was that Jesus was trying to teach him.  Obviously, it was something he had never heard of before.  In a private discussion with the disciple Phillip, young Matthew ponders the meaning of the Torah scriptures which we find in Psalm 139, "If I ascend into heaven, You are there; if I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there" {Psalms 139:8}.  As Matthew discusses the scriptures with Phillip, his brother reveals something profound, "No amount of learning can bring you closer to God."  Amen!  We could spend hours each day memorizing the scriptures and never be any closer to the Lord.  Many people have spent a lot of money on seminary degrees thinking that it might bring them on a closer walk with the Lord.  Nope.  Now, one might come out of seminary with a better understanding of the scriptures and how to teach it, but more often than not, they are no closer to God than when they entered.  My dear friend attended a seminary early in his pastoral career, yet he did not realize his own relationship with the Lord until years later.  I grew up going to church and learning what I was supposed to learn from other Pharisee school graduates.  Yes, I learned about the scriptures and of the basic concepts of the religion of Christianity, but I never knew a personal relationship which I have with God today.  That was revealed to me by the Lord Himself.  Granted, while in the church I learned of who God is through the scriptures and weekly sermons.  I learned that the best that I could do was to "Be like" Jesus.  That was the closest I ever thought I would get to Christ.  Was I ever wrong!  For no amount of learning will bring you closer to Jesus.  

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 So of God, Who loved me, and gives Himself up for me.

Paul to the Galatians 2: 20, Concordant New Testament 

Many Christians will point to the apostle Paul as one of the great ministers of the gospel of Christ Jesus, and they would be correct in doing so.  But where did Paul learn what he knew of Jesus?  We know that the man Saul was one of the most fervent persecutors of the early followers of Jesus.  Saul was deeply steeped in the knowledge and policies of the Jewish religion, the Pharisee schools of his day.  Paul would later describe his former life as a sinner as "Foremost of whom am I" {Paul to Timothy (1) 1:15}.  What happened?  Well, one day on the road to Damascus while the man Saul was traveling to once again persecute the followers of Jesus, Jesus threw him a curveball.  In that moment, as he lay blinded, Jesus inquired of this Pharisee "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?" {Acts of the Apostles 9:4}.  In that moment, Saul must have known who it was he was facing, for we see it in his response, "Who art Thou, Lord?"  Jesus was revealing Himself to this lifetime Pharisee.  No amount of his Pharisee school religion could have prepared Saul for this moment.  Granted, from that point on, Paul came to learn ABOUT this Jesus Whom he had encountered on that dusty road.  Not through the traditional scriptures of his former belief, but through the revelation of the Father and those who knew Him.  Paul himself would describe his transformation in Galatians.  Of how the Father "Unveiled His Son" in him {Paul to the Galatians 1:16}.  Paul also speaks of how it is that he came to know the spirit of Christ Jesus within him {Paul to the Galatians 2:20}.  Again, no amount of religious teachings had revealed this to him.  Before I left the mainstream church, I knew the scriptures.  I knew of who God and His Son were.  Yet I never knew who I was in Christ until it was spoken to me by my good friend.  It was then that God revealed His Son in me.  If you ask me, I saved a lot of money by not getting that Pharisee school diploma.  

Now, when it delights God, Who severs me from my mother's womb and calls me through His grace, to unveil His Son in me that I may be evangelizing Him among the nations. 

Paul to the Galatians 1: 15-16, Concordant New Testament 

~Scott~ 

Being Jesus

 

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

Peter to the Dispersion 3: 15, Concordant New Testament 

Back in my church going days, the preaching of the Lord Jesus was a big deal.  We had classes on ministry to Jesus, small groups on the ministry of Jesus, discipleship groups and seminars.  All geared towards telling others about Jesus.  Often, we used Jesus' own words found in Matthew to justify bringing the gospel to the world {Matthews Account 28:19}.  I myself was involved in a few discipleship classes designed to give me the appropriate verses to speak to someone about Jesus.  Yet, from my own experience, having someone toss scriptures at me was not a positive experience.  I realized this every time I hit a rough patch in my life and the first thing my Christian church friends would do is to lob a few scripture bombs my way.  I realized all too quickly that simply quoting scripture was NOT enough to convince someone to come to know Jesus.  Believe me, I've tried.  More often than not, by speaking the bible to an unbeliever would just put them on the defensive.  Here was another holier than thou Christian trying to tell someone how to live their life.  I started to wonder if I was even cut out for this ministry gig.  The more people were turned off by my efforts to speak Jesus to them, the more frustrating it became.  So, I tried less and less to tell others about Him.  Not long after leaving the church, I began to see Jesus through a fresh perspective through a good friend of mine.  The funny thing is, he didn't throw scriptures at me to explain the Lord Jesus.  What he did do was to speak from his heart.  In his heart, Dennis knew the true Jesus, and he was sharing Him with me.  He spoke to me of Jesus as if he were telling me of a cherished friend, which he was.  Could this be the secret of telling others about Jesus?  The apostle Peter calls for us to "Hallow the Lord Christ in your hearts" when we give an account of Christ Jesus {Peter to the Dispersion 3:15}.  How much more passionately can we speak of Jesus than when we really know Him?  When we know the truth of the Lord Christ in us, telling others about Him becomes less about church responsibility and more about a social interaction.  

"Now whenever they may be bringing you before the synagogues and chiefs and the authorities, you should not be worrying about how or what your defense should be or what you may say, for the holy spirit will be teaching you in the same hour what you must be saying" 

Lukes Account 12: 11-12, Concordant New Testament 

One thing I realized right away as my friend began to speak to me about the Jesus he had come to know was that he was speaking from the heart.  He was being himself.  No pressure, no scriptures and no expectations.  He was simply telling me about this Jesus he had come to know.  In my opinion, we have placed far too much pressure upon people to "Go and make disciples of the world."  Were these early followers of Jesus quoting the scriptures to those they ministered to?  Keep in mind that in those early days the scriptures as we know them did not exist except maybe for some memories jotted down by the disciples.  So, how is it that the disciples of Jesus ministered?  They told everyone who would listen of their life experiences with Him.  How is it that we're to tell those around us about the Jesus we have come to know?  By being ourselves and telling others of our own experiences.  Jesus will be well known to this world through the testimonies of those who know and love Him.  The physician Luke reminds us that when the time comes for us to speak about Jesus, that the spirit of Christ Jesus within us will be leading us {Lukes Account 12:11-12}.  I recently opened a conversation with a man at the gym I frequent who is also a believer.  Although he is going through a rough stretch in his life, I didn't throw scriptures at him.  What I did do is just be myself and engage him in conversation.  This is speaking Jesus to others.  This is the true ministry of sharing the gospel of Christ with the world.  

~Scott~ 

Christian Works

 For in Him the entire compliment of the deity is dwelling bodily.  And you are complete in Him, Who is the head of every sovereignty and authority. 

Paul to the Colossians 2: 9-10, Concordant New Testament 

I overheard a fellow gym patron proclaim the other day that they were a Christian.  Sensing an opportunity, I also introduced myself as a believer.  The issue was that this person wasn't filled with the usual happiness found in new believers.  He mentioned that he indeed had been a follower of the Lord for some time, but that lately had fallen upon some shaky times.  He ended our conversation by saying that he still believed, but that he was a "Work in progress."  I've often wondered what this comment meant to the believer.  A work in progress?  I admit that in my younger day that I sometimes felt as if I was also a work in progress for the Lord.  The underlying feeling which contributes to this frame of mind is the idea that sin continues to play a dominant role in our lives, that sin continues to control us.  I believe in the Lord, but due to my sin nature, I'm continue to be a work in progress.  That is, I fully expect sin to control me from time to time until such time as Jesus returns for me.  Far too many believers get caught up in this lie because far too many believers are not aware of the truth of Christ Jesus and our old man.  The apostle Paul gives us a definitive oratory on the defeat of sin by Christ in the book of Romans.  Paul calls upon the believer to consider themselves to be "Dead, indeed" to sin {Paul to the Romans 6:11}.  For it is Christ who has died to sin "Once for all time" {Paul to the Romans 6:10}.  Paul also proclaims that Christ was made to "Be a sin offering for our sakes that we may becoming Gods righteousness in Him" {Paul to the Corinthians (2) 5:21}.  How is it that we, as believers, can continue to be a work in progress for the Lord knowing all which Jesus has accomplished on our behalf?  Well, the sad part is that many believers are unaware of this truth.  It is a truth which is not proclaimed from the pulpits of the mainstream church.  Yet just because one has not heard the truth does not mean that the truth is disqualified in any way.  What it means is that some are unaware of the works of Christ Jesus on our behalf.  

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 

The belief that we are simply works in progress for the Lord gives us the false idea that we are somehow incomplete.  That God needs to somehow refine us into who He desires us to be.  People, we ARE ALREADY THERE!  Paul proclaims that we are complete in Christ Jesus {Paul to the Colossians 2:9-10}.  It is God who has created us in His own likeness {Genesis 1:27}.  God has not created us in His imperfect likeness, that we should continue to be a work in progress.  No, God is perfect, and our spirit is the perfect image of His likeness.  We are complete in Him.  To believe that we are simply a work in progress is to believe in the lie spoken by Satan in the garden {Genesis 3:4-6}.  Adam and Eve believed in the lie that once they partook of the forbidden fruit that they would "Be like God, knowing good and evil" {Genesis 3:5}.  This belief introduced the false narrative that we are somehow separated from God.  How is it that we can ever be separated from He Who created us?  The apostle John proclaims that we are not separated, but complete in union with the Father and Christ {Johns Account 14:10}.  We are not a work in progress, but complete in Him. 

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 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~ 

A Church On Every Corner

 For the era will be when they will not tolerate sound teaching, but, their hearing being tickled, they will heap up for themselves teachers in accord with their own desires. 

Paul to Timothy (2) 4: 3, Concordant New Testament 

People often wonder how it is that Christians solve disagreements within the church.  We're human, we have faults, how do we who are supposed to know better solve the internal disagreements within the church?  Well, one of the ways that we Christians often solve in house disagreements is to simply start another, different church.  I have been a part of a few churches in my time where an associate pastor was miffed at not receiving a lead pastor position and thereby left his church and started a new one in which he was the head pastor.  His desire was to lead a congregation, and that desire wasn't being realized in the church he was currently in.  I get it.  But when this man left that congregation, it was not just he that packed up and left.  No, following him was that portion of the congregation who enjoyed listening to this man and his teaching.  In the blink of an eye, a once large church congregation had been reduced to a small community church.  This is the model that is followed by many who become irritated with their current church.  Instead of resolving issues, they simply start a new church with leadership they agree with.  This is one main reason why it seems that there is a church on almost every corner in every town.  It seems that the days of one church per town are over, unless you live in a very small town.  I recall the church I used to attend and the rumblings and rumors which permeated the congregation from those who were not satisfied with the current leadership and teaching.  Of course, this not only takes a toll on the flock but also creates divisions within the church itself.  There will often be those who support the current pastor while others want a new pastor who they feel teaches better.  In the church I used to attend, people would often try to persuade me to accept one side or the other.  This was not what I came to church for.  

And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual, but as to fleshy, as to minors in Christ.  Milk I give you to drink, not solid food, for not as yet were you able. Nay, still, not even now are you able, for you are still fleshly. For where there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not fleshly and walking according to man?  For whenever anyone may be saying, "I, indeed, am of Paul," yet another, "I, of Apollos," will he not be fleshly?

Paul to the Corinthians (1) 3: 1-4, Concordant New Testament 

The apostle Paul, in his letter to the church at Corinth, spoke of his concern for the church there.  At how quickly they had turned from the teachings of the evangel of Jesus.  These Corinthians had chosen instead to follow a teaching they desired more than the original gospel of Christ Jesus.  What happened to the church at Corinth is happening to churches around the world.  Hearing someone speak a different, more appealing message, many turn from that which they know to something new.  This is exactly why the apostle John called upon believers to "Test the spirits to see if they are of God" {First Epistle of John 4:1}.  How many of those who have become enthralled at the teachings of an up and coming young pastor have taken the time to test the spirits?  To seek out the Lord in prayer and honestly seek His guidance?  Those who leave long standing congregations claim that they have spent time in prayer over their decisions, but have they?  Or, desiring to be the centerpiece of a new up and coming church, are blinded by the attention which that brings to them?  Honestly, these are the questions I ask whenever I see an established pastor leave his congregation in order to start another.  Are you seeking to speak the evangel of Christ Jesus, or simply your version of it?  Keep in mind that whatever decision you make affects not only you, but those of the congregation that follow behind you.  But if it doesn't pan out, you can always start a new church.  

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~ 

Not So, Joe

 

Do not worry about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God, and the peace of God, that is superior to every frame of mind, shall be garrisoning your hearts and your apprehensions in Christ Jesus. 

Paul to the Philippians 4: 6-7, Concordant New Testament 

I fell into the trap once again last night.  While watching the latest presidential debate on television my anxiety seemed to ease as the senility of one Joe Biden was put on full public display.  Now for sure, I told myself, Donald J Trump could work his magic and put our nation back on track.  It took me awhile before I realized my error in thinking.  Yet how many people watching this debate around the world were thinking the same thing?  That somehow each of these candidates on public display could somehow move mountains to right this ship?  If God has a sense of humor, and I believe He does, He would definitely find this thinking downright humorous.  That human man could do the work of God Himself.  This error in our thinking isn't new, but originated in the lush green foliage of the garden of Eden.  Here, when tempted by the deceiver speaking the lie, Adam and Eve partook of the fruit forbidden them by the Lord God their creator.  The lie which Satan spoke unto the Lords creation was that if they ate of the fruit, that "Your eyes will be unclosed, and you will become like Elohim, knowing good and evil" {Genesis 3:4-6}.  That is, eat the fruit and you will be like God.  The rest, as they say, is history.  Man, believing in the lie of the deceiver that he was indeed separated from God, continued to live that lie in his life.  This is the trap which I once again fell into last night.  Temporarily thinking that it was by one mans authority that our nation would be restored.  This has been the error in our thinking for some time.  The belief that we are separated from God.  But the dirty little secret is that despite our belief in the lie spoken by the deceiver, God has always been with us.  It is we who have separated ourselves from the Father.  It has never been the Lords intention that we be outside of His presence.  We are His children created in His likeness {Genesis 1:27}.  It is God who, taking the dust from the ground, breathed into us the breath of life that we our flesh would become a living soul {Genesis 2:7}.  How is it that that which has been created can say to its creator, "You are no part of me?"  

We are of God.  He who knows God is hearing us.  He who is not of God is not hearing us.  By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of deception. 

First Epistle of John 4: 6, Concordant New Testament 

As I contemplated my momentary lapse in thinking (Joe Biden wasn't the only one with brain farts last night), I realized that my trust in the man Donald Trump was nothing more than the believing in the spirit of error.  That spirit of error is continuing in the belief that we are separated from the Father.  I know better!  Yet I, like so many other this campaign season, have at times been too easy to believe that man is in control.  Again, this is a part of the spirit of error thinking.  For it is the Father who is ultimately in control of all that occurs.  There is nothing which has ever occurred that has gone unnoticed by Him.  So, where is it that we should place our faith and trust?  Exactly where it belongs, with God the Father!  It is God who, despite the storms which rage around us, has a plan for our life.  It is God who, in spite of the chaos and confusion of everyday life, desires to remind us that we are not separated from Him, but in union with Him {Johns Account 14:20}.  How wonderful it is to live a life in His presence.  We do not need to wait until we die and "Punch our ticket" in order to be in the intimate presence of the Father.  We're already there!  Having this realization is having the spirit of truth in our hearts.  No matter what happens this election year, the spirit of truth of our union life in Him will not change. 

~Scott~ 

When Religion Hurts

 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 lest you should be getting of her calamities, for her sins were piled up to heaven, and God remembers her injuries. 

The unveiling of Jesus Christ 18: 4-5, Concordant New Testament 

Have you ever tried to talk about Jesus with someone who has been deeply hurt by the mainstream church?  This was my situation this week as I shared a few conversations with a man who I see a lot at the gym I frequent.  Recently divorced, he shared with me the trials which he had gone through in his experience.  I was all too ready to accept a good portion of his bitterness as that of the normal pain of separation, but I was wrong.  When our conversation turned to if he believed in Jesus, his bitterness soon turned to resentment.  It seems that throughout his separation that the church he and his wife had attended for so many years had become a haven for her and her children and had, for the most part, shut him out of participation in the church.  His anger at the mainstream church and those who preached a loving Jesus was all too obvious.  Unfortunately, stories like this are more and more common in Christianity.  For many, the church has become a place of anger and not love.  How does one see Christ Jesus through an experience like this?  Isn't Jesus the church?  Isn't the brick and mortar church His house?  No!  Instead, Jesus has all too often become guilty by association from the actions of those within the modern church system.  Think about it, in many churches there are those who act according to, as they claim, the will of God.  Whenever it is that we are seeking to hear from God, we often begin that journey in the church.  I get it.  I was there once myself.  Growing up, the church was my gateway to God and Jesus.  Whenever it was that those in the church hurt me, which happened every now and then, I felt as if there was something wrong with me that was causing it.  Cristians, I told myself, would not treat others in that way.  Of course, I was mistaken on that point.  In more recent years, I have come to see the mainstream church for what it is, a man created system with all of the hierarchies one might expect from a similar institution.  The author J Preston Eby takes this one step further when he describes the Lords warning to the disciple John in Revelation.  It is here that we're told to "Come out of her, My people" {The Revelation of Jesus Christ 18:4}.  God is telling His children to remove themselves from the traditional institutional church.  

"So no, I'm not too big on religion...and not very fond of politics or economics either...And why should I be?  They are the man - created trinity of terrors that ravages the earth and deceives those I care about.  What mental turmoil and anxiety does any human face that is not related to one of those three?" 

Willam P. Young ~ The Shack 

It has taken me more than a few conversations with my gym friend, but I believe that I have finally been able to break through the anger which he has held for the church for some time.  What I have told him is that the church, that brick and mortar church which we are all so familiar with, is NOT Jesus.  The Lords brother, James , proclaims that "The anger of man is not working the righteousness of God" {James to the Twelve Tribes 1:20}.  Now, I am in no way saying that Jesus is never nor has never been present in the church.  For being all in all, the Lord is indeed present anywhere we go.  Still, all too often Jesus suffers from the actions of those in the man - created church system.  People can and have mistaken Jesus for what they have experienced in the church.  I recognized this in my friend when he told me that he could not follow a God who would keep him from seeing his children he loved.  I reminded him that despite the actions of a few in the church, that the love which Jesus had for him had never wavered.  Jesus does not punish us by excluding us from his presence.  What He does do is love us enough to have given Himself for us on the cross {Paul to the Corinthians (2) 5:21}.  When we began to see Jesus through the lens of our own heart and not of that of the institutional church system we began to see Him as He truly is and, ultimately, seeing ourselves as we truly are in Him {Johns Account 14:20}.  

~Scott~ 

Gods Works

And His disciples ask Him, saying, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents that he should be born blind?"  Jesus answered, "Neither this man sinned, nor his parents, but it is that the works of God may be manifested in him." 

Johns Account 9: 2-3, Concordant New Testament 

Have you ever wondered why it is that God does what He does?  How He allows some to prosper while other toil?  Indeed, this is one of the most common criticisms that I hear from both believers and non believers alike.  Some say that they cannot trust in a God Who would allow such suffering in the world.  Still others cling to the traditional "It's Gods will" mantra.  While the Lord may adhere to His will in so many matters, I believe that there is something which many Christians refuse to consider.  That being that God would allow some to suffer or toil that His love might be manifested in them.  In the series The Chosen, Jesus comes across a man who has been blind since birth.  Immediately His followers question him concerning the mans sin, asking Jesus if the man or his family were guilty of sin that he should be born blind.  Unfortunately, this is how many believers think when life gets difficult.  That somehow God is punishing us for our sin or unbelief.  Growing up, I was constantly reminded of the consequences of failing God.  Whenever I would be going through a difficult time, the first question my friends in church would ask is "What have you done to upset God?"  Although I may not have been guilty of anything, this is where their institutional church based thinking led them.  This is the place which the disciples of Jesus find themselves in as Jesus attends to the blind man.  In Jewish tradition, this man must have been guilty of some kind of sin for God to punish him with blindness, right?  But Jesus saw right through it.  For Jesus, this was an opportunity to manifest the Father, not to chastise the man for his sin.  Jesus responds by reminding His followers that it was not that the man sinned, "But that the works of God may be manifested in him" {Johns Account 9:2-3}.  Jesus took the attention away from sin and punishment and replaced it with the love and mercy of the Father.  Thus, the Jewish authorities criticized Jesus for healing a man on the Sabbath.  

Who Himself carries up our sins in His body on the pole, that, coming away from sins, we should be living for righteousness; by Whose welt you were healed. 

 

Peter to the Dispersion (1) 2: 24, Concordant New Testament 

The idea of sin has been one that has permeated Christianity for centuries.  God, being fair and just, must have a plan for punishing those who engaged in sin, right?  Yes, God does indeed have a plan for dealing with those who have engaged in sin, but it's nothing like many Christians have come to expect.  The apostle Peter tells us that Jesus bore our sins in His body on the cross {Peter to the Dispersion (1) 2:24}.  The apostle Paul proclaims that Jesus became sin on our behalf {Paul to the Corinthias (2) 5:21}.  The Lords plan for dealing with our sin was that He would dispatch His Son that He would give Himself for us {Johns Account 3:16-17}.  When we break it down, the issue isn't who has sinned, but who is able to see God at work in lifes most difficult situations.  Jesus looked past the sin issue and the love of the Father was manifested in His healing of the man born blind.  Ask yourself, where is God in the war in Israel?  Where is God in the child born with cancer?  God is where He has always been, right in the middle of all which He has created.  There have been many times in my life where I have been blind to the works of the Father by the situations I found myself in.  I no longer instinctively run to the issue of sin whenever life gets difficult.  For Paul has proclaimed that we should consider ourselves dead to sin through the work of Christ Jesus {Paul to the Romans 6:11}.  To know God on a more intimate level allows me to more closely see the works of the Father. 

~Scott~