As I get a glimpse of the finished work within, as I gain a greater understanding of the magnitude of His accomplishment and its revelatory weight, the conventional and callow expressions I was taught by religion cease and I learn to bow down before Him and His unfailing love. Silence is overtaking me because of sovereignty. My confidence and glory is in Christ and His cross. What more needs to be said about the finished work?
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
Thursday, April 18, 2013
What Do You Want First, The Good News or The Bad News?
Sure Jesus. I’ll tell you what the bad news is. But first let me remind our readers what good news means.
News means the communication of a current event. The story of the New Testament makes it clear that what happened in Christ accomplished something. An event significantly newsworthy occurred that changed everything. It happened in history, but its report constantly makes it contemporary and relevant to the hearer. And the news is that it is finished! It is consummated. The Christian message, the story of the Christ, is that God is no longer separated in the Heavens, but among us, in us, through us, between us, as us in the loving collective. This is the Spirit. This is why it is good news. Which explains why it was secondary to Paul whether the message got a good reception or not. Paul rejoiced in the fact that the news of a present reality was published. It could not be altered by whether or not it was believed. For Paul, the event changed everything, changed the world, and the world now hears this good news. In fact, Paul claims it’s already been heard. This is why we are all equal. This is why there is no longer any dividing wall and we are all children of the same family. It is finished!
Now, Jesus, this is the bad news. Some people are going to change it into a good plan. A good prescription. A good suggestion. A good formula. A good proposal. They’re going to change the news into a possibility depending on whether or not they believe it. They’re going to package it into a program to sell and that it all depends on whether or not they buy the product and use it. They’re going to change the good news into a marketing scheme to make bad people into what they want them to be. It’s bad news because they’ve turned free information into a costly proposition. They’re going to change something free and finished into something pricey and pending.
Of course, we already know that the real good news is so robust that not even our deviant mutations can alter it.
- David Hayward - http://www.patheos.com/blogs/nakedpastor/
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
Mama's Broken Heart
I cut my bangs with some rusty kitchen scissors
I screamed his name ‘til the neighbors called the cops
I numbed the pain at the expense of my liver
Don’t know what I did next all I know, I couldn’t stop
Word got around to the barflies and the baptists
My mama’s phone started ringin’ off the hook
I can hear her now sayin’ she ain’t gonna have it
Don’t matter how you feel, it only matters how you look
Go and fix your make up, girl, it’s just a break up
Run and hide your crazy and start actin’ like a lady
'Cause I raised you better, gotta keep it together
Even when you fall apart
But this ain’t my mama’s broken heart
I wish I could be just a little less dramatic
Like a Kennedy when Camelot went down in flames
Leave it to me to be holdin’ the matches
When the fire trucks show up and there’s nobody else to blame
Can’t get revenge and keep a spotless reputation
Sometimes revenge is a choice you gotta make
My mama came from a softer generation
Where you get a grip and bite your lip just to save a little face
Go and fix your make up, girl, it’s just a break up
Run and hide your crazy and start actin’ like a lady
'Cause I raised you better, gotta keep it together
Even when you fall apart
But this ain’t my mama’s broken heart
Powder your nose, paint your toes
Line your lips and keep 'em closed
Cross your legs, dot your I’s
And never let 'em see you cry
Go and fix your make up, well it’s just a break up
Run and hide your crazy and start actin’ like a lady
'Cause I raised you better, gotta keep it together
Even when you fall apart
But this ain’t my mama’s broken heart
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
Brokenness
"Oh, we must realize that all the experiences, troubles and trials which the Lord sends us are for our highest good. We cannot expect the Lord to give better things, for these are His best. Should one approach the Lord and pray, saying, "O Lord, please let me choose the best," I believe He would tell him, "What I have given you is the best; your daily trials are for your greatest profit." - Watchman Nee (from http://isleofexile.blogspot.ca/2012/01/the-importance-of-brokenness.html)
Christ Jesus is Lord
The above verse written by Paul states that every knee WILL bow and every tongue will confess that the Lord is Christ Jesus.
Note the scriptures position on the will of God, "who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. " (1 Timothy 2:4)
The masterpiece the scripture paints for us---with divine brushstrokes---displays the finished work of Christ and the family of God including all men; this is hidden throughout the scriptures to the unenlightened mind.
So what does it mean that Jesus is Lord?
687 times in the New Testament the word Lord is used to display for us the absolute truth that Jesus is the possesser, deciding power and controlling influence of all things, including all souls.
When we search the Greek text for the word "Lord", we see that it is G2962 and in the Greek the word κύριος(Kurios). Let's look at the depth of the meaning of this word and to the astonishment of some, it reveals to us that Jesus is going to save all men; this is a direct confrontation of orthodox thought and the unscriptural doctrines of eternal torment and man's free will.
Thayer Greek Lexicon defines the term Kurios:
- supreme in authority, i.e. (as noun) controller; by implication, Master (as a respectful title)
1) he to whom a person or thing belongs, about which he has power of deciding; master, lord
1a) the possessor and disposer of a thing
1a1) the owner; one who has control of the person, the master
1a2) in the state: the sovereign, prince, chief, the Roman emperor
1b) is a title of honour expressive of respect and reverence, with which servants greet their master
1c) this title is given to: God, the Messiah
Jesus' Lordship extends to the absolute control of all things, He is the owner and the empowered decider and disposer of everyone and everything. God has stated that Jesus is the Sovereign Prince of all realms.
With these terms fresh in our minds, we now must return to what the will of God is for all things, as we discussed this earlier in 1 Timothy 2:4.
"Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth." (emphasis mine)
Religious Christianity talks a good talk when discussing Jesus as Lord; sometimes emphasizing His sovereignty, but refusing to extend his sovereignty to include the salvation of all. Man's will can not overcome the will of God in Christ Jesus to save all, for man is not Lord, Christ Jesus is!
What I have just declared to you IS the good news and IS the only gospel.
Do you believe Jesus is Lord, as expressed in the scriptures and bearing the full revelation of the mission and sovereignty of Christ Jesus?
Not one soul can escape so great a salvation, for Christ Jesus is Lord!
Friday, April 12, 2013
Christ Awakened
So the LORD God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep, and while he was asleep, he took part of the man's side and closed up the place with flesh. (Gen. 2:21)
Much of the world is in a deep sleep to spiritual reality, this divinely consigned to them. But God is awakening us to who we are (in/as) Christ.
Do you know Who lives in you? Do you know who you really are(or aren't)?
You are not the identity that has been placed upon you by earthly voices, but you are who the Father says you are, this voice spoken from the heavens. I have heard His voice and it changed everything I knew life to be. It is His mind and His voice that speaks the truth.
My Father has told me who I am and Who I belong to. I don't belong to systems of the world, though they might use me as collateral for their own carnal ambitions. I don't even belong to myself.
I became aware of this only as my Father orchestrated my awakening from who I thought I was to who I really am. This awakening is His working, not ours. This awakening does not occur through the forms or ceremonies of religion, but as Christ is awakened within me through the pre-written plan of the Father.
Disguised as a common flesh-man, we err as we lower ourselves to the labels and identities given to us by anyone but my Father.
We are so deeply loved and adored and our Father is about our awakening.
When we believe what the world states we are, the storms overcome us and we weep and travail as a soul birthing the Son.
Unto the woman(soul) he said, I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception; in sorrow you shall bring forth children; (Genesis 3:16 italic emphasis mine)
There is One veiled by the identity posing as you, Who, when birthed and revealed from within you, will astound you.
Where Is The Christ?
"Then they said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him.”
Now when she had said this, she turned(Gk. Strepho G4762 "to change one's mind") around and saw Jesus standing there, and did not know that it was Jesus. (John 20: 13-14)
You are more than you have first known, but you must change your mind about the person you believe yourself to be.
Yes, I know you give in to the common emotions of the soul, which batters and throws you about like a wave of the sea, but Christ is in your boat.
Is Christ asleep in your boat? "Father, awaken Christ in the boat of all those whose time it is for Christ to resurrect within, that the Word become flesh.
Go forth knowing, my friend, Christ is being awakened in you. And when the Father awakens him in you, when are standing face-to-face you may weep, but not because of the trials you are enduring, but because you forgot Who lives in you and as you.
He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from off all faces; (Isaiah 25:8)
You must die to who you have thought you are, for Christ is swallowing up your former identity with His life that is conquering every soul "but each man in his own order." (1 Cor. 15:23)
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 flesh, I am living in faith that is of the Son of God, Who loves me, and gives Himself up for me." (Gal. 2:20 CLV)
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
Resurrection Of Damnation
"for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear His voice, And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation" (John 5:28-29).
Krisis - Strong's #2920 - κρίσις
Thayer's Definition
1. a separating, sundering, separation
a trial, contest
2. selection
3. judgment
opinion or decision given concerning anything
4. the college of judges (a tribunal of seven men in the several cities of Palestine; as distinguished from the Sanhedrin, which had its seat at Jerusalem)
right, justice
Damnatory Judgment?
"DAMNATION is one of the words that needs to be addressed.
Rather than the resurrection of damnation, it is more accurately translated the resurrection of crisis, the resurrection of judgment, or the resurrection of turning. The Greek word is krisis from which we get our English word crisis. The word in the truest sense means a turning point. For example, when a person's body is racked with fever, and its highest temperature is reached, this is called the crisis. It is the turning point! Strong's Exhaustive Concordance says the primary meaning for the word is a decision. Damnation is very misleading; but turning point, decision, or judgment are words much closer to what krisis means. When we understand what judgment in the truest sense means, we would know that it is a good thing.
Judgment carries the thought of a decision for or against, and when the action is applied it brings about a turning point. When a judgment is in a person's favor, rewards are generally given due to their good works (promotions, raises, etc.).
Upon looking at the lack of evidence of an accused man, judgment can also come as an acquittal, and the turning point frees him. But when the situation constitutes it, judgment is levied against a person in the form of remedial (corrective) punishment. After the time of refining incarceration has worked its purpose, the man is also freed. This is the context that the word is most often used in the New Testament. The other translators of the Bible commonly used Judgment for the word krisis, depending on the degree they were influenced by church dogma or how daring they might have been to stray from the Authorized King James Version.
Before we get into the Lake of Fire and swim from the shallow shores of its basic understanding, which we hope to delve into later in the series, we will first notice some other points:
"And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and JUDGMENT was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection" (Rev. 20:4-5).
There are many interesting things about this verse, but one thing in particular stands out. The Greek word for JUDGMENT is KRISIS. This is the same word Jesus used in John 5:29, which the King James translators rendered as "damnation." Fortunately it was translated properly in this verse. It would have been just as easily translated judgment in John 5:29, but Rome's doctrine of a humanistic god had to be propped up wherever possible. It was a doctrine that could not stand on its own merits of truth, for it had none. It was popularized early in the Roman Catholic Church by Jerome's translation of the Bible, known as the Latin Vulgate. The error received reinforcement by an angered Dante Aleghieri (1265-1321) in his epic poem the "Divine Comedy," commonly called "Dante's Inferno." Both titles are very accurate in what they express. Considering truth, Dante's poem is a comedy, for it is truly A LAUGHING MATTER, but to be taken seriously, it is a travesty. And the title, "Dante's Inferno" — it is exactly that. It is Dante's! It isn't god's! It is a product of Dante's vindictive hostility toward his bitter enemies of the Church and State. In exile his imagination created graphic pictures of the horrors of hell that he consigned his detractors to. From the abyss of the carnal mind came Dante's Inferno, not from the heavens of God. " End Quote (Full article here)
Krisis - Strong's #2920 - κρίσις
Thayer's Definition
1. a separating, sundering, separation
a trial, contest
2. selection
3. judgment
opinion or decision given concerning anything
- esp. concerning justice and injustice, right or wrong
- sentence of condemnation, damnatory judgment, condemnation and punishment
4. the college of judges (a tribunal of seven men in the several cities of Palestine; as distinguished from the Sanhedrin, which had its seat at Jerusalem)
right, justice
Damnatory Judgment?
"DAMNATION is one of the words that needs to be addressed.
Rather than the resurrection of damnation, it is more accurately translated the resurrection of crisis, the resurrection of judgment, or the resurrection of turning. The Greek word is krisis from which we get our English word crisis. The word in the truest sense means a turning point. For example, when a person's body is racked with fever, and its highest temperature is reached, this is called the crisis. It is the turning point! Strong's Exhaustive Concordance says the primary meaning for the word is a decision. Damnation is very misleading; but turning point, decision, or judgment are words much closer to what krisis means. When we understand what judgment in the truest sense means, we would know that it is a good thing.
Judgment carries the thought of a decision for or against, and when the action is applied it brings about a turning point. When a judgment is in a person's favor, rewards are generally given due to their good works (promotions, raises, etc.).
Upon looking at the lack of evidence of an accused man, judgment can also come as an acquittal, and the turning point frees him. But when the situation constitutes it, judgment is levied against a person in the form of remedial (corrective) punishment. After the time of refining incarceration has worked its purpose, the man is also freed. This is the context that the word is most often used in the New Testament. The other translators of the Bible commonly used Judgment for the word krisis, depending on the degree they were influenced by church dogma or how daring they might have been to stray from the Authorized King James Version.
Before we get into the Lake of Fire and swim from the shallow shores of its basic understanding, which we hope to delve into later in the series, we will first notice some other points:
"And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and JUDGMENT was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection" (Rev. 20:4-5).
There are many interesting things about this verse, but one thing in particular stands out. The Greek word for JUDGMENT is KRISIS. This is the same word Jesus used in John 5:29, which the King James translators rendered as "damnation." Fortunately it was translated properly in this verse. It would have been just as easily translated judgment in John 5:29, but Rome's doctrine of a humanistic god had to be propped up wherever possible. It was a doctrine that could not stand on its own merits of truth, for it had none. It was popularized early in the Roman Catholic Church by Jerome's translation of the Bible, known as the Latin Vulgate. The error received reinforcement by an angered Dante Aleghieri (1265-1321) in his epic poem the "Divine Comedy," commonly called "Dante's Inferno." Both titles are very accurate in what they express. Considering truth, Dante's poem is a comedy, for it is truly A LAUGHING MATTER, but to be taken seriously, it is a travesty. And the title, "Dante's Inferno" — it is exactly that. It is Dante's! It isn't god's! It is a product of Dante's vindictive hostility toward his bitter enemies of the Church and State. In exile his imagination created graphic pictures of the horrors of hell that he consigned his detractors to. From the abyss of the carnal mind came Dante's Inferno, not from the heavens of God. " End Quote (Full article here)
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