March 28, 2007
Jesus' Part
"I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh unto the father, but by me." Jesus, through his sacrifice, ripped the veil to the holy of hollies, and created a way to the Father through himself. The Life, Jesus made it possible for our bodies to be glorified in the kingdom of God to live forever. The truth, which is the Holy Spirit, he caused a portion to be given to every man and woman giving God claim on all people unto judgement. Those who believe on him, will then be sealed by the Holy Spirit which is already in them.
February 27, 2007
Within God's Will
I am being led to write this now. I do not really know where it is going to go, or how long it will be. The more I think on it the more important it becomes. This is stemming from the fact that my father and brother-in-law are pastors, and have different trains of thought on how to live for God than I do. Both of them are always talking about staying in God's laws and sinning. I on the other hand pretty much pay no attention to the laws, and focus on listening to the Holy Spirit and how he is guiding me at this moment, everyday, all the time. Each of the pastors has what they believe to be the answers on the actions one should take to be in God's will, and what is outside of his will. Most of these based in scriptures that they subscribe to. Believing if it is not in the scriptures, then it is not of God.
When looking at the Old Testament prophets, before there was a bible, how was it that they followed God? How were they to know what to do? How could they be in God's will if the be all and end all bible were not there? The answer is simple. They listened to the Holy Spirit. For in the bible, many times, it says that God told so and so to go here and there, and they went. Who was speaking to them actually? Very few times did God send an angel to show themselves to even the prophets. God did not actually show up, because as the bible says, no one on this earth can look on God and survive. The bible does not say that a being physically took form next to them and spoke words to them, it just says God spoke to them. Before the day of Pentecost, God gave the Holy Spirit to some, and at a measured amount. They were the chosen of God, and he used the HS to communicate to them. Sometimes audibly, and sometimes in compulsions, but he did communicate with them.
If God is unchanging as the bible says, then would he stop communicating to the people that he has given the HS to? No he would not. So when I say that I try to listen to the HS in all things all of the time, would I then be outside of God's will by listening to the HS even though what I am asked to do is not in the bible? NO, I would not. Law based faith was replaced by Grace based faith. Grace based faith is basically listening to the HS and obeying God in all that he asks us to do. Will God then ask us to do something outside of his law? NO. So by obeying the HS and God in all things, I then keep all of God's laws, and do his bidding at the same time, no matter what it is. Amazing. The best part about it is, I do not have to learn one law, do not have to worry if I am doing it right, and the freedom felt from that is AMAZING. It is truly just something else. That is the only way to describe the feeling. The great liberty that is in that feeling is terrific.
As Paul admonished, do not allow your liberty to cause others to fall. Just because God will forgive when you go outside of his will and his laws, does not mean you use your liberty to feel comfortable to do so. This is why the law based faith is no longer there. Men would just do what they pleased, then once a year, do what was necessary to earn forgiveness. But with no real repentance in their heart. That is why Jesus will judge the intent of the actions. If the intent was to follow God, then the action was within his will. If the intent was anything else, you are outside of his will, and will be judged accordingly. Intent of the heart, is what God replaced the law with. Because it is the only true measure of which to judge the character of the action. Again, even though the people would do the action to gain forgiveness, they were not doing it in humble repentance, but in resentment. They resented having to do these actions to get their reward later. But since they wanted the reward, they did the action. That is clearly outside of the will of God.
So, following God through the Holy Spirit, because it is what you want to do with all of your heart will keep you in his will, and within his laws. When I stand before Jesus, I do to want to say, "Lord, I knew where the Holy Spirit was leading, but what would my pastor think if I did such a thing." I want to say, "Lord, I followed you the best I knew how, and you blessed me more than I deserved. Thank You." And Jesus will say, "Yes, I know you have. Welcome into the Kingdom of Heaven. For here you will serve me still, until the end of time."
When looking at the Old Testament prophets, before there was a bible, how was it that they followed God? How were they to know what to do? How could they be in God's will if the be all and end all bible were not there? The answer is simple. They listened to the Holy Spirit. For in the bible, many times, it says that God told so and so to go here and there, and they went. Who was speaking to them actually? Very few times did God send an angel to show themselves to even the prophets. God did not actually show up, because as the bible says, no one on this earth can look on God and survive. The bible does not say that a being physically took form next to them and spoke words to them, it just says God spoke to them. Before the day of Pentecost, God gave the Holy Spirit to some, and at a measured amount. They were the chosen of God, and he used the HS to communicate to them. Sometimes audibly, and sometimes in compulsions, but he did communicate with them.
If God is unchanging as the bible says, then would he stop communicating to the people that he has given the HS to? No he would not. So when I say that I try to listen to the HS in all things all of the time, would I then be outside of God's will by listening to the HS even though what I am asked to do is not in the bible? NO, I would not. Law based faith was replaced by Grace based faith. Grace based faith is basically listening to the HS and obeying God in all that he asks us to do. Will God then ask us to do something outside of his law? NO. So by obeying the HS and God in all things, I then keep all of God's laws, and do his bidding at the same time, no matter what it is. Amazing. The best part about it is, I do not have to learn one law, do not have to worry if I am doing it right, and the freedom felt from that is AMAZING. It is truly just something else. That is the only way to describe the feeling. The great liberty that is in that feeling is terrific.
As Paul admonished, do not allow your liberty to cause others to fall. Just because God will forgive when you go outside of his will and his laws, does not mean you use your liberty to feel comfortable to do so. This is why the law based faith is no longer there. Men would just do what they pleased, then once a year, do what was necessary to earn forgiveness. But with no real repentance in their heart. That is why Jesus will judge the intent of the actions. If the intent was to follow God, then the action was within his will. If the intent was anything else, you are outside of his will, and will be judged accordingly. Intent of the heart, is what God replaced the law with. Because it is the only true measure of which to judge the character of the action. Again, even though the people would do the action to gain forgiveness, they were not doing it in humble repentance, but in resentment. They resented having to do these actions to get their reward later. But since they wanted the reward, they did the action. That is clearly outside of the will of God.
So, following God through the Holy Spirit, because it is what you want to do with all of your heart will keep you in his will, and within his laws. When I stand before Jesus, I do to want to say, "Lord, I knew where the Holy Spirit was leading, but what would my pastor think if I did such a thing." I want to say, "Lord, I followed you the best I knew how, and you blessed me more than I deserved. Thank You." And Jesus will say, "Yes, I know you have. Welcome into the Kingdom of Heaven. For here you will serve me still, until the end of time."
February 11, 2007
Being Like Jesus
I have rejected christianity because I do not want to be associated with the Doctrinal Organizations whose goal is to be perfect, just like Christ Jesus.
Well in my rejection of the Doctrinal Organizations I set out to just obey God in all things.
Through study I have found that all Jesus did in his time on earth, was obey God in all things.
I have become closer to the ideal by rejecting the organized religions, than by embracing them.
That should make me feel vindicated and proud.
It only makes me sad.
As to where no one will really listen to me, they will listen to the Big Organization, and never reach as close to the ideal as possible because of all of the stumbling blocks there. The ignorance will continue unabated.
Well in my rejection of the Doctrinal Organizations I set out to just obey God in all things.
Through study I have found that all Jesus did in his time on earth, was obey God in all things.
I have become closer to the ideal by rejecting the organized religions, than by embracing them.
That should make me feel vindicated and proud.
It only makes me sad.
As to where no one will really listen to me, they will listen to the Big Organization, and never reach as close to the ideal as possible because of all of the stumbling blocks there. The ignorance will continue unabated.
I Am Good, AND Worhty
"For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God." I do not know where that particular scripture even comes from, but I know it. "Though we live in Sin", who the hell is we? "Confess your sins for the forgiveness of God." Why? Didn't Jesus sacrifice already forgive my sins? "We are bad by nature, and only God can save us from ourselves." Who comes up with this crap anyway?
For all of the life I spent in a church. I was constantly told how horrible of a person I was. I was a sinner. Always was and always will be. You will never be good enough for God, you are soooooooo lucky he is merciful, otherwise he would let you lie in the gutter like the piece of trash you are. WOW what motivational, uplifting, positive feelings these sermons invoke. My favorite is, you are not worthy. YOU ARE NOT WORTHY. I think the most damaging statement of ALL, is that statement right there. It plays upon almost all peoples small fears of their self esteem. Those with self esteem issues will never be lifted up, and those without them, will develop them in the face of not being able to be the ideal. Thus the oppression that most people feel when going to church.
Now, unless I have a completely different God from the rest of the universe, mine is omnipotent, omnipresent and omniscient. Omniscient means that he knows all, so he isn't dumb. So If he isn't dumb, why would he give up his most prize possession to save me? Because I am worthy.
The next thing that I want to talk about is our nature. It is said that the nature of all humans is evil. Mine is not. So, since mine is not. That statement is not true. There are some who are so innocent and wonderful, that anyone that make a stupid statement like that, does not look for the good in the world, just the bad. That person may be bad, but that doesn't make everyone like them.
What is the point of all of this. It is about GUILT. We are taught to be ashamed of who we are, what we do, what we think, what we say, what we eat, who we speak to, what we laugh at, who we are seen with, where we are seen, what we are seen doing, what we wear, how we cut our hair, etc........ No matter what doctrine, they ALL have a prescribed behavioral pattern that is accepted, and not accepted. Then, if you step outside of that, someone some to you and says, "Because I love you, I need to tell you...." and then they proceed to tell you why you suck. But the worst part of the guilt, is not because they told you this. Maybe you do suck. But, from the fact that you let down someone you love, so much. God. The feeling that you are not making him happy is devastating. That is used against us way more than it should be. Trying to keep us on the straight and narrow. Basically, following the Doctrinal Organizations behavior pattern. But not Martin Luther, Billy Graham, The Pope, Pat Robertson, Oral Roberts, or anyone is going to be standing with me on judgement day. Just me. So it is between me and my God. If this is so, their opinions of me DO NOT MATTER AT ALL. I can brush off a pastor telling me I am going to hell, a priest excommunicating me,(that one actually makes me laugh, a dumbass little priest telling God who he can and cannot accept, that is hilarious) anyone telling me I won't go to heaven, that I am a blasphemer, heretic, sinner or a devil. Why can I brush this off, because God's opinion is the only one that matters to me, so screw 'em. Yeah there is a little venom there, but DOs are the only place you will find people knifing their wounded. knifing the healthy, knifing the young in Christ, the Old in Christ, hell, they knife everybody. Ridiculous.
Luckily I am a good person, so I refrain from all of that stuff by ignoring those fine established religions.
In the end, it comes to this. We are all basically Good people, Decent people, who love our families and try to do what is right. This makes us something that is valuable, not just to those around us, but to God as well. So valuable in fact, that he gave to us, his most valued thing, his son. Not only did he deem us worthy enough to give us his son, but to allow him to be sacrificed, on earth, and tortured in hell. For me that is a lot of worthiness to live up to, and I strive everyday to live up to God's expectations of my worthiness.
For all of the life I spent in a church. I was constantly told how horrible of a person I was. I was a sinner. Always was and always will be. You will never be good enough for God, you are soooooooo lucky he is merciful, otherwise he would let you lie in the gutter like the piece of trash you are. WOW what motivational, uplifting, positive feelings these sermons invoke. My favorite is, you are not worthy. YOU ARE NOT WORTHY. I think the most damaging statement of ALL, is that statement right there. It plays upon almost all peoples small fears of their self esteem. Those with self esteem issues will never be lifted up, and those without them, will develop them in the face of not being able to be the ideal. Thus the oppression that most people feel when going to church.
Now, unless I have a completely different God from the rest of the universe, mine is omnipotent, omnipresent and omniscient. Omniscient means that he knows all, so he isn't dumb. So If he isn't dumb, why would he give up his most prize possession to save me? Because I am worthy.
The next thing that I want to talk about is our nature. It is said that the nature of all humans is evil. Mine is not. So, since mine is not. That statement is not true. There are some who are so innocent and wonderful, that anyone that make a stupid statement like that, does not look for the good in the world, just the bad. That person may be bad, but that doesn't make everyone like them.
What is the point of all of this. It is about GUILT. We are taught to be ashamed of who we are, what we do, what we think, what we say, what we eat, who we speak to, what we laugh at, who we are seen with, where we are seen, what we are seen doing, what we wear, how we cut our hair, etc........ No matter what doctrine, they ALL have a prescribed behavioral pattern that is accepted, and not accepted. Then, if you step outside of that, someone some to you and says, "Because I love you, I need to tell you...." and then they proceed to tell you why you suck. But the worst part of the guilt, is not because they told you this. Maybe you do suck. But, from the fact that you let down someone you love, so much. God. The feeling that you are not making him happy is devastating. That is used against us way more than it should be. Trying to keep us on the straight and narrow. Basically, following the Doctrinal Organizations behavior pattern. But not Martin Luther, Billy Graham, The Pope, Pat Robertson, Oral Roberts, or anyone is going to be standing with me on judgement day. Just me. So it is between me and my God. If this is so, their opinions of me DO NOT MATTER AT ALL. I can brush off a pastor telling me I am going to hell, a priest excommunicating me,(that one actually makes me laugh, a dumbass little priest telling God who he can and cannot accept, that is hilarious) anyone telling me I won't go to heaven, that I am a blasphemer, heretic, sinner or a devil. Why can I brush this off, because God's opinion is the only one that matters to me, so screw 'em. Yeah there is a little venom there, but DOs are the only place you will find people knifing their wounded. knifing the healthy, knifing the young in Christ, the Old in Christ, hell, they knife everybody. Ridiculous.
Luckily I am a good person, so I refrain from all of that stuff by ignoring those fine established religions.
In the end, it comes to this. We are all basically Good people, Decent people, who love our families and try to do what is right. This makes us something that is valuable, not just to those around us, but to God as well. So valuable in fact, that he gave to us, his most valued thing, his son. Not only did he deem us worthy enough to give us his son, but to allow him to be sacrificed, on earth, and tortured in hell. For me that is a lot of worthiness to live up to, and I strive everyday to live up to God's expectations of my worthiness.
January 23, 2007
The Hardest Thing Ever
He you become a believer, God will rain his blessings upon you. Ask and ye shall receive. You will go to heaven, where the streets are paved with gold. You will be an angel and be able to bask in the glory of the Lord forever. Etc. etc. etc.......
How many times as a believer have you heard the lines above to describe what becoming or being a "christian" is all about. I call it the "Christian Lottery" line that is given to non-believers in order to get them to convert. Why does the mainstream evangelical complex lie to gain converts. Because to them, the end justifies the means. To me, it means that being a believer and a servant of God, is the biggest let down that there is.
He will purify us by throwing us in the fire, as a goldsmith purifies Gold. This means, that God will continually be throwing us things that we do not like. Things that burn away anything that we hold onto in this life. Things that we truly hold dear, and do not want to let go. He will take away our pride, our love of material possessions like clothes, cars and houses. He will take away anything that gets in the way of our relationship with him. Why, to make us into the vessel he would like us to be, not the one we want to be. All God asks, is utter-complete-total surrender, absolute obedience, and implicit reliance on him. Isn't that great, we get nothing to call our own. But we do get to be one of God's Children. Being a believer is the same as being a servant, for eternity. That is why it is the hardest thing ever.
When we have no control over our lives, we have to live by faith. True faith is the hardest road to follow. The path is straight and narrow, and few can stay on it. People normally stray because of comfort. "Hey this job pays a ton!" Or, "this little lie will get me out of so much hot water." Or, "They didn't charge me for it, why should I tell them they made a mistake." Or, "No one saw me hit the car, I'm not leaving a note." All to your benefit and comfort. Doing the right thing in all of those situations is really hard. Others stray for tangible security. Money in the bank. Medical insurance at this job. Retirement planning. But God asks us just to rely on him. That is why it is the hardest thing ever, it is very hard to trust everything to faith.
My grandfather loves to talk about LMDs, last minute deliveries. Meaning God delivers us from our troubles at the last possible moment. Why, because by then we KNOW we are helpless to control the situation, and that deliverance can only have come from God. Even putting it this mildly, it does not even begin to describe the difficulty of the situations we as servants face, and face often. God systematically runs us through his boot camp, by tearing down any structured belief we had about ourselves, and replacing it with Himself. Where we once had self reliance, we now only have God. The ripping of those things away from us is EXTREMELY painful. That is why it is the hardest thing ever.
Why with all of this trouble should we become Believers and life long Servants. It is obviously the benefits. If God is in control of everything, and he is, he will always take care of you and give you what you need. Not what you want, what you need. He will give you the Liberty of spirit, peace, comfort, the feeling of security, love, and wisdom. None of these has a monetary value really, but spiritually, they are priceless. When Grace finally descends upon your spirit, there is no better feeling in the world. Nothing more free or wonderful. Nothing better than knowing that I don't have to worry, because at the last minute, God will take care of me. Yes it is the hardest thing ever, but the most rewarding thing ever.
How many times as a believer have you heard the lines above to describe what becoming or being a "christian" is all about. I call it the "Christian Lottery" line that is given to non-believers in order to get them to convert. Why does the mainstream evangelical complex lie to gain converts. Because to them, the end justifies the means. To me, it means that being a believer and a servant of God, is the biggest let down that there is.
He will purify us by throwing us in the fire, as a goldsmith purifies Gold. This means, that God will continually be throwing us things that we do not like. Things that burn away anything that we hold onto in this life. Things that we truly hold dear, and do not want to let go. He will take away our pride, our love of material possessions like clothes, cars and houses. He will take away anything that gets in the way of our relationship with him. Why, to make us into the vessel he would like us to be, not the one we want to be. All God asks, is utter-complete-total surrender, absolute obedience, and implicit reliance on him. Isn't that great, we get nothing to call our own. But we do get to be one of God's Children. Being a believer is the same as being a servant, for eternity. That is why it is the hardest thing ever.
When we have no control over our lives, we have to live by faith. True faith is the hardest road to follow. The path is straight and narrow, and few can stay on it. People normally stray because of comfort. "Hey this job pays a ton!" Or, "this little lie will get me out of so much hot water." Or, "They didn't charge me for it, why should I tell them they made a mistake." Or, "No one saw me hit the car, I'm not leaving a note." All to your benefit and comfort. Doing the right thing in all of those situations is really hard. Others stray for tangible security. Money in the bank. Medical insurance at this job. Retirement planning. But God asks us just to rely on him. That is why it is the hardest thing ever, it is very hard to trust everything to faith.
My grandfather loves to talk about LMDs, last minute deliveries. Meaning God delivers us from our troubles at the last possible moment. Why, because by then we KNOW we are helpless to control the situation, and that deliverance can only have come from God. Even putting it this mildly, it does not even begin to describe the difficulty of the situations we as servants face, and face often. God systematically runs us through his boot camp, by tearing down any structured belief we had about ourselves, and replacing it with Himself. Where we once had self reliance, we now only have God. The ripping of those things away from us is EXTREMELY painful. That is why it is the hardest thing ever.
Why with all of this trouble should we become Believers and life long Servants. It is obviously the benefits. If God is in control of everything, and he is, he will always take care of you and give you what you need. Not what you want, what you need. He will give you the Liberty of spirit, peace, comfort, the feeling of security, love, and wisdom. None of these has a monetary value really, but spiritually, they are priceless. When Grace finally descends upon your spirit, there is no better feeling in the world. Nothing more free or wonderful. Nothing better than knowing that I don't have to worry, because at the last minute, God will take care of me. Yes it is the hardest thing ever, but the most rewarding thing ever.
January 17, 2007
Works Because Of Faith
This is the hotly contested issue surrounding the DO (doctrinal organization/church of today) in the world today when measuring the doctrines they have, versus a Grace based "Servant" belief. They point out, and rightly so, that being a "Christian" there are things that you must do to enter the Kingdom Of God.(KOG) The proof of this is in Matthew 25 verses 31 through 46. This is where is describes Jesus judgement of all men. Please read it at this point from whatever version of bible that you choose to use. It describes Jesus separating the Goats from the Sheep. There is a lot of significance if that. Goats were put among the sheep to protect them because they were headstrong and would not follow easily, and would attack things that they did not like around them. This is why they were kept with the sheep. This is the perfect analogy for the Servant based belief system versus the DO works based belief system. The servant based belief system says that we follow God where ever he leads, just like sheep will. The goats will not follow as they should. They will believe that what they are doing is the correct thing and God will see that what they do, will show how they feel, and how deep their faith in Jesus runs. Either way, Jesus is judging the actions that we have taken in our lives, and determining whether they are "works guided by the Holy Spirit (HS) or guided by our own desires and beliefs. Now that the set up is over, let's get to it.
I have spoken of Core Beliefs in other posts, and these go to the heart of the matter in obedience to God. Not once, have I ever heard of any DO anywhere, explaining why, when the sheep look at God and say, "When did we feed, cloth, take you in, or give you drink?" To me, this is the most important part of the WHOLE parable. The why, is that they did not know they were doing it. You say "How is it possible not to know you are doing those things?" Because of Core Beliefs. What CBs do is cause you to act automatically, and without thought. When a situation arises that needs immediate reaction, CBs take over, and you act according to what you believe. For example, you find yourself in a situation with a person that looks likely to beat you up almost immediately. Based on CBs, you can choose to do certain things. If you do not believe in violence, you may try to reason, or find a way out of the situation. If you believe that what the person is upset about important enough not to back down, you may stand your ground and prepare to fight. Or you believe yourself to be stronger than the other person and attack. Same situation, and three very different responses. But, not uncommon responses, only unconscious reactions. This is why people do not know that they help the least of these. Because they do it without thinking about it, since it is no big deal, they do not remember it. That is what being a servant of God is all about. Following like a sheep, no questions, no doubts, no worries, no what about me's, no HESITATION. Just OBEDIENCE. Obedience so ingrained, that you do not even notice when you are doing it. This is going to sound crude, but it gets the point across. Do you remember the details of wiping your butt two weeks ago? It is something that to most of us is important. It is something that I truly believe is a good thing. Something I do everyday, well pretty much everyday. But it does not leave a lasting impression on me. It is a learned behavior, one that I had to be taught. One that I believed important enough to continue my whole life. It is a Core Belief of mine, and I always act upon it, even though it does not leave an impression. Were our beliefs in God as strong as our belief in wiping our own butts, the world would truly be a better place. Sorry, stray thought. But powerful none the less.
Now to the DOs versions of works. This is where the Goats say, "But Lord, I did visit the least of these in prison, gave them food, and took them in!" "ON December 17th, 2003 our church group went to the prison for a visit. On Thanksgiving the next year, we volunteered in a soup kitchen. For Easter Seals we formed up a clothing drive every year." Listing the good works they had done on and on. Why now would these things be remembered. Because they were out of the ordinary. They stood out. They were not the norm. It was something that the person had to tell themselves that, "Hey, this is what Jesus says we should do, so I am going to make myself do it to show Jesus that I am good enough for heaven." So they teach Sunday School, even though they really do not like doing it. They do daily devotions, so they can talk about what they have read in church later that week. They can spout of all of the things they do to make sure Jesus is happy with them. But it is not automatic, it is not a core belief, and it does not please the one that gave Jesus the authority to be the Judge. God. God gave the Holy Spirit to each and every one of us, to help us discern his will for us. When we listen to what the DOs tell us to do to get Jesus notice and approval, we have already lost the battle. Because we are not to listen to what the DO told us to do, we are supposed to listen to what God tells us to do through the Holy Spirit.
That is why the Goats are in with the Sheep in the story. I believe the story is about the "church". The Goats and the Sheep the different people in the church, and what God thinks about them. Most people remember Dana Carvey's character the Church Lady. Anyone who has been in a DO very long, knows people like the church lady. They are definitely the Goats. And there are many who are. But the only reassuring thing is Grace. Jesus will be able to see through the why of the act, and get to the intent of the act. Was it to show Jesus you are good enough for him? Or was it because the belief was so strong, you did it with out conscious thought, and just obeyed God. Jesus will judge, with God's authority behind him, how well you listened to the Holy Spirit.
The works that bear fruit come because of listening to the Holy Spirit. The works come because they are born of Faith that created the Core Beliefs that guide everyday actions. The works come because, you can not stop them. But no person on the planet, PERIOD, can tell you what the mind of GOD is expecting of you. NO ONE. Not you Pastor, Priest, Rabbi, or Reverend can tell you what God wants you to do. Why, because only God knows his plan for you, and only the Holy Spirit can tell it to you. No one else can, PERIOD, END OF STORY.
I have spoken of Core Beliefs in other posts, and these go to the heart of the matter in obedience to God. Not once, have I ever heard of any DO anywhere, explaining why, when the sheep look at God and say, "When did we feed, cloth, take you in, or give you drink?" To me, this is the most important part of the WHOLE parable. The why, is that they did not know they were doing it. You say "How is it possible not to know you are doing those things?" Because of Core Beliefs. What CBs do is cause you to act automatically, and without thought. When a situation arises that needs immediate reaction, CBs take over, and you act according to what you believe. For example, you find yourself in a situation with a person that looks likely to beat you up almost immediately. Based on CBs, you can choose to do certain things. If you do not believe in violence, you may try to reason, or find a way out of the situation. If you believe that what the person is upset about important enough not to back down, you may stand your ground and prepare to fight. Or you believe yourself to be stronger than the other person and attack. Same situation, and three very different responses. But, not uncommon responses, only unconscious reactions. This is why people do not know that they help the least of these. Because they do it without thinking about it, since it is no big deal, they do not remember it. That is what being a servant of God is all about. Following like a sheep, no questions, no doubts, no worries, no what about me's, no HESITATION. Just OBEDIENCE. Obedience so ingrained, that you do not even notice when you are doing it. This is going to sound crude, but it gets the point across. Do you remember the details of wiping your butt two weeks ago? It is something that to most of us is important. It is something that I truly believe is a good thing. Something I do everyday, well pretty much everyday. But it does not leave a lasting impression on me. It is a learned behavior, one that I had to be taught. One that I believed important enough to continue my whole life. It is a Core Belief of mine, and I always act upon it, even though it does not leave an impression. Were our beliefs in God as strong as our belief in wiping our own butts, the world would truly be a better place. Sorry, stray thought. But powerful none the less.
Now to the DOs versions of works. This is where the Goats say, "But Lord, I did visit the least of these in prison, gave them food, and took them in!" "ON December 17th, 2003 our church group went to the prison for a visit. On Thanksgiving the next year, we volunteered in a soup kitchen. For Easter Seals we formed up a clothing drive every year." Listing the good works they had done on and on. Why now would these things be remembered. Because they were out of the ordinary. They stood out. They were not the norm. It was something that the person had to tell themselves that, "Hey, this is what Jesus says we should do, so I am going to make myself do it to show Jesus that I am good enough for heaven." So they teach Sunday School, even though they really do not like doing it. They do daily devotions, so they can talk about what they have read in church later that week. They can spout of all of the things they do to make sure Jesus is happy with them. But it is not automatic, it is not a core belief, and it does not please the one that gave Jesus the authority to be the Judge. God. God gave the Holy Spirit to each and every one of us, to help us discern his will for us. When we listen to what the DOs tell us to do to get Jesus notice and approval, we have already lost the battle. Because we are not to listen to what the DO told us to do, we are supposed to listen to what God tells us to do through the Holy Spirit.
That is why the Goats are in with the Sheep in the story. I believe the story is about the "church". The Goats and the Sheep the different people in the church, and what God thinks about them. Most people remember Dana Carvey's character the Church Lady. Anyone who has been in a DO very long, knows people like the church lady. They are definitely the Goats. And there are many who are. But the only reassuring thing is Grace. Jesus will be able to see through the why of the act, and get to the intent of the act. Was it to show Jesus you are good enough for him? Or was it because the belief was so strong, you did it with out conscious thought, and just obeyed God. Jesus will judge, with God's authority behind him, how well you listened to the Holy Spirit.
The works that bear fruit come because of listening to the Holy Spirit. The works come because they are born of Faith that created the Core Beliefs that guide everyday actions. The works come because, you can not stop them. But no person on the planet, PERIOD, can tell you what the mind of GOD is expecting of you. NO ONE. Not you Pastor, Priest, Rabbi, or Reverend can tell you what God wants you to do. Why, because only God knows his plan for you, and only the Holy Spirit can tell it to you. No one else can, PERIOD, END OF STORY.
December 28, 2006
Conscience and the Will of God
Terminology:
DO = Doctrinal Organization- I use this instead of Church. Because I know of no church in the sense that God Intended.
Servant = what DOs would term a Christian. I believe our purpose on this earth is to serve God. Nothing else.
HS = Holy Spirit
The conscience is how God speaks to us. On the blog Wendy quoted saying that the conscience is to convict, comfort, and to guide us to the truth. She is absolutely correct, God couldn't put it any better himself. (just a hint at my humor, that was a joke because it was God that put it that way) The biggest thing that people want to know is "What would God have me do?" There are two things that he provided to help us know that. The first is the bible . Now here is the rub, when it was said 2,000 years ago to 12 people in the room, was is just for those people, or was it for everyone? DOs love to pick an choose those and tell you what you have to do if you want God to approve of you. Well that brings us to the second thing that God gave us to know his will, the Conscience. We have all suffered from a guilty conscience and normally that is all we know the conscience does. But, the moment you chose to follow God, an overwhelming since of Joy, Peace, Warmth, Love, Understanding, came over you. That was the Holy Spirit saying, "Welcome, new servant of God. Welcome to the fold." That is the comfort that the bible is talking about. When you feel God's arms around you making you feel safe, that is the conscience at work. The last is the connection to God. For I am the way, the TRUTH, and the life. Jesus sacrifice allowed the Truth to be given to every man. Who or much better yet, what is the TRUTH. The Truth is the Holy Spirit. The HS is what guides the conscience of a man or woman. Those who have no conscience have basically decided they are not going to listen to God ever. When you pray, the HS will answer in your conscience, you must just be willing to listen to it.
God will also use the HS to test you through the conscience. Knowing God's will normally comes from a peace on a decided course of action. What if that peace will not come. That is where the test comes in. You will never see it when it is happening. But may recognize it after it is gone. Let me relate a personal tale from this last year. With circumstances beyond our control, our family ended up needing about $200-$250 dollars every month to make the ends meet. This started in February last year. In March, we had no idea of how we were going to keep food on the table, or clothes on our backs. When all of the sudden, a check showed up from my Grandfather for $250. April, a check from sister for $200. May, a check from her brother (not a servant) $250. June, needed to get my car fixed, my brother loaned me the money, then ask for $200 dollars less than I borrowed to be repaid. July, fridge broke, parents offered to pay up to $500 to get it fixed. We had done our taxes and were going to get money back. Told my parents we did not need the money. Fridge cost $250 they sent $500. Then we found out an error had occurred on our taxes, and the money was delayed. We didn't know, but God did. August, other car broke, $660, no money in the bank. Tax return came in the day we had to pay and pick it up. Through this whole time, with all of the praying, "God you have me where you want me, its your problem, you work it out." I had no peace about the situation. But for the seven months we went through, we never missed paying a bill on time. The tax return was big enough that we did not have to worry for a while. Then looking back, I noticed who had helped, when, and why. Once a month, almost on the same day every month, God had a check there waiting on us. Then I recognized it for what it was. A test of faith, "will you rely on me?" I had many job offers during this time, they would have Clearly helped my financial situation. But did not take them, because they were not where God wanted me. For my obedience I was rewarded with the comfort that no matter what happens, my God is with me, and will take care of me.
Onward. Listening to the HS is a difficult thing at first. WHY? Because he asks you to do strange things, and you do not know why you do them, you just have to. So, most people tune that part of themselves out. What are some of the things that I have done? Stepped ahead in line and made up around $4-$5 dollars someone was missing in the checkout line in front of me. 2 groups of people in front of me, that I had to fight through to get there. But the person took the help. Would you have unless you really needed it. I normally pay absolutely no attention to the people ahead of me in the checkout line. Can't tell you what ANY of them ever looked like. Then he had me pick up the old lady drunk, and buy her beer. What was that all about. With my four year old son in the car. Talk about uncomfortable. Are you willing to listen this closely? Are you willing to stand up in front of 300 people, in a special gathering and start doubling numbers with no one in the room knowing what you are doing, not even your wife. 1,2,4,8,16,32,64,128,256,512,1024,2048,4096,8192, my grandfather got to 100,000 something before he sat down. That was the second time he tried it. The night before he couldn't take the embarrassment and sat down before 100. When people say "we are willing to follow God", are you truly willing to listen, and obey instantly. No matter what. If not, the communication with the HS gets smaller and smaller.
If you are NOT truly willing, why would God talk to you? Especially if you are not going to listen.
Knowing whether you are feeling conviction or breaking another's expectations is the next section. When you think about the conviction you are receiving, are you saying, God I am sorry. Or are you thinking, what will the people at the DO think if they find out about this? If it is God's conviction, there will probably be fewer thoughts about the DO than not following God. Now if you are always thinking :What will pastor say?" Reevaluate your faith, because it is not about what pastor thinks, it is about what Jesus our Judge thinks. If you are not focused on him, then you have not TRULY given yourself to him. I digress. The conviction of the spirit is there pretty much always making you miserable all the time until the conviction is taken care of. Like Jon said of his thought life with his wife. If it is not of God, but disappointing some one else, when you stop thinking about how that person will be disappointed, then you feel just fine and it doesn't matter. But learn to listen to both, and know which is which. Because sometimes the disappointing of a person, by not being honest, lying, etc.. will cause God to come down on you, and until you make it right with that person, your conscience will continue to bother you. Just pray and ask God to reveal to you what it is. And the LISTEN even if you do not like the answer.
When do you know it is God that is talking, and not something else? Just some lamebrained scheme. Well, the peace and comfort of God lead to the TRUTH. I read the cross and the switchblade the other day. David Wilkerson is a good person to read about following the HS immediately. When you have an idea in your head that won't go away, and you do not feel at peace except when you are following that idea, that is the HS. When you pray that you have some great need, even though it has not been met yet, you feel peace. That is God saying, it has already been taken care of. You can worry if you want, but it is a waste of time. I've got you. That is the HS. MANY Pastors will not put much stock in this. It screws with their DOCTRINE that they believe to be true. Ignore that, because when you stand in front of Jesus on the day of Judgment, you will not be able to say, "well pastor so and so said it was fine." If you think Jesus is going to buy that, I've got something to sell you. You are responsible for your own faith, and if you disobey God, he will know, and you will have to answer for it. Not anyone else.
This is where the call for verses that this idea of mine came from, well, my reading retention is below 17% and I do not remember chapter and verse, never will. God made me that way for a reason. Don't know why, I just obey.
Nate
DO = Doctrinal Organization- I use this instead of Church. Because I know of no church in the sense that God Intended.
Servant = what DOs would term a Christian. I believe our purpose on this earth is to serve God. Nothing else.
HS = Holy Spirit
The conscience is how God speaks to us. On the blog Wendy quoted saying that the conscience is to convict, comfort, and to guide us to the truth. She is absolutely correct, God couldn't put it any better himself. (just a hint at my humor, that was a joke because it was God that put it that way) The biggest thing that people want to know is "What would God have me do?" There are two things that he provided to help us know that. The first is the bible . Now here is the rub, when it was said 2,000 years ago to 12 people in the room, was is just for those people, or was it for everyone? DOs love to pick an choose those and tell you what you have to do if you want God to approve of you. Well that brings us to the second thing that God gave us to know his will, the Conscience. We have all suffered from a guilty conscience and normally that is all we know the conscience does. But, the moment you chose to follow God, an overwhelming since of Joy, Peace, Warmth, Love, Understanding, came over you. That was the Holy Spirit saying, "Welcome, new servant of God. Welcome to the fold." That is the comfort that the bible is talking about. When you feel God's arms around you making you feel safe, that is the conscience at work. The last is the connection to God. For I am the way, the TRUTH, and the life. Jesus sacrifice allowed the Truth to be given to every man. Who or much better yet, what is the TRUTH. The Truth is the Holy Spirit. The HS is what guides the conscience of a man or woman. Those who have no conscience have basically decided they are not going to listen to God ever. When you pray, the HS will answer in your conscience, you must just be willing to listen to it.
God will also use the HS to test you through the conscience. Knowing God's will normally comes from a peace on a decided course of action. What if that peace will not come. That is where the test comes in. You will never see it when it is happening. But may recognize it after it is gone. Let me relate a personal tale from this last year. With circumstances beyond our control, our family ended up needing about $200-$250 dollars every month to make the ends meet. This started in February last year. In March, we had no idea of how we were going to keep food on the table, or clothes on our backs. When all of the sudden, a check showed up from my Grandfather for $250. April, a check from sister for $200. May, a check from her brother (not a servant) $250. June, needed to get my car fixed, my brother loaned me the money, then ask for $200 dollars less than I borrowed to be repaid. July, fridge broke, parents offered to pay up to $500 to get it fixed. We had done our taxes and were going to get money back. Told my parents we did not need the money. Fridge cost $250 they sent $500. Then we found out an error had occurred on our taxes, and the money was delayed. We didn't know, but God did. August, other car broke, $660, no money in the bank. Tax return came in the day we had to pay and pick it up. Through this whole time, with all of the praying, "God you have me where you want me, its your problem, you work it out." I had no peace about the situation. But for the seven months we went through, we never missed paying a bill on time. The tax return was big enough that we did not have to worry for a while. Then looking back, I noticed who had helped, when, and why. Once a month, almost on the same day every month, God had a check there waiting on us. Then I recognized it for what it was. A test of faith, "will you rely on me?" I had many job offers during this time, they would have Clearly helped my financial situation. But did not take them, because they were not where God wanted me. For my obedience I was rewarded with the comfort that no matter what happens, my God is with me, and will take care of me.
Onward. Listening to the HS is a difficult thing at first. WHY? Because he asks you to do strange things, and you do not know why you do them, you just have to. So, most people tune that part of themselves out. What are some of the things that I have done? Stepped ahead in line and made up around $4-$5 dollars someone was missing in the checkout line in front of me. 2 groups of people in front of me, that I had to fight through to get there. But the person took the help. Would you have unless you really needed it. I normally pay absolutely no attention to the people ahead of me in the checkout line. Can't tell you what ANY of them ever looked like. Then he had me pick up the old lady drunk, and buy her beer. What was that all about. With my four year old son in the car. Talk about uncomfortable. Are you willing to listen this closely? Are you willing to stand up in front of 300 people, in a special gathering and start doubling numbers with no one in the room knowing what you are doing, not even your wife. 1,2,4,8,16,32,64,128,256,512,1024,2048,4096,8192, my grandfather got to 100,000 something before he sat down. That was the second time he tried it. The night before he couldn't take the embarrassment and sat down before 100. When people say "we are willing to follow God", are you truly willing to listen, and obey instantly. No matter what. If not, the communication with the HS gets smaller and smaller.
If you are NOT truly willing, why would God talk to you? Especially if you are not going to listen.
Knowing whether you are feeling conviction or breaking another's expectations is the next section. When you think about the conviction you are receiving, are you saying, God I am sorry. Or are you thinking, what will the people at the DO think if they find out about this? If it is God's conviction, there will probably be fewer thoughts about the DO than not following God. Now if you are always thinking :What will pastor say?" Reevaluate your faith, because it is not about what pastor thinks, it is about what Jesus our Judge thinks. If you are not focused on him, then you have not TRULY given yourself to him. I digress. The conviction of the spirit is there pretty much always making you miserable all the time until the conviction is taken care of. Like Jon said of his thought life with his wife. If it is not of God, but disappointing some one else, when you stop thinking about how that person will be disappointed, then you feel just fine and it doesn't matter. But learn to listen to both, and know which is which. Because sometimes the disappointing of a person, by not being honest, lying, etc.. will cause God to come down on you, and until you make it right with that person, your conscience will continue to bother you. Just pray and ask God to reveal to you what it is. And the LISTEN even if you do not like the answer.
When do you know it is God that is talking, and not something else? Just some lamebrained scheme. Well, the peace and comfort of God lead to the TRUTH. I read the cross and the switchblade the other day. David Wilkerson is a good person to read about following the HS immediately. When you have an idea in your head that won't go away, and you do not feel at peace except when you are following that idea, that is the HS. When you pray that you have some great need, even though it has not been met yet, you feel peace. That is God saying, it has already been taken care of. You can worry if you want, but it is a waste of time. I've got you. That is the HS. MANY Pastors will not put much stock in this. It screws with their DOCTRINE that they believe to be true. Ignore that, because when you stand in front of Jesus on the day of Judgment, you will not be able to say, "well pastor so and so said it was fine." If you think Jesus is going to buy that, I've got something to sell you. You are responsible for your own faith, and if you disobey God, he will know, and you will have to answer for it. Not anyone else.
This is where the call for verses that this idea of mine came from, well, my reading retention is below 17% and I do not remember chapter and verse, never will. God made me that way for a reason. Don't know why, I just obey.
Nate
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)