One might ask, "Why does this man seem to want so desperately to challenge what I believe"?
Please allow me to say this, "I see the shadow of the kingdom of God here in the earth suffering violence by way of the resounding and empty messages that are being poured out on the ears of those who are in need".
I'm seeing the Hope that's been prescribed by the Lord mutate in the minds of men to then have many different faces because of the content of what is being presented as if the truth and what is "Believed".
Just as the Lord God and Christ are one so to is that same combined personage regardless of mans attempt(s) to fragment and divide the image of all that He is based on what he (man) chooses to believe about Him.
I've grown so tired from doing nothing and saying nothing in so much that I'm fatigued with seeing God almighty being "Re-presented" as if He's an impotent God and savior.
There was a time before I realized one can grow tired of saying or doing nothing while hearing and watching others (the youth more specifically) learn to accept the lie that God is just a mysterious God that can NOT be known or understood beyond what others tell you.
How easy is it to preach about an absentee Deity that seemingly remains silent while residing a billion miles away?
How present, alive and active can this God be while a throne above the clouds who by chance "Might" periodically and at random answers prayers?
Prayers that have been based supposition having been founded upon that which is being preached rather than what is true and real beyond all that our natural eyes and ears can comprehend?
To then place the added mystic element of demand on those that are listening to what is being preached to then find a way to please Him (God) in every way?
Col 1:10-12
And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.
NIV
I'm perplexed with regard to the contrast being preached between being "Known" in the full context of Lord as opposed to Him being a "Mystery or Mysterious" or a vague God in the minds of men and how those two considerations can somehow sit down together and come to agreement about what is "True".
Especially with respect to a relationship that's also one that's growing in the knowledge of our Lord.
Especially with respect to a relationship that's also one that's growing in the knowledge of our Lord.
John 17:3
Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. NIV
I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them."
NIV
My heart aches for those that are physically suffering and are being taught that what they believe has no role with regard to faith in a God that desires to be known.
If not only for their own healing but also the healing of others said to be loved by them and that said "Results" are all due to a God that is NOT willing to heal them for some never to be revealed reason.
What ever happened to the significance of this quote, 'Let God be true and every man a liar"?
Rom 3:3-4
What if some did not have faith? Will their lack of faith nullify God's faithfulness? Not at all! Let God be true , and every man a liar.
NIV
Mark 1:40
A man with leprosy came to him and begged him on his knees, "If you are willing , you can make me clean."
Filled with compassion, Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. "I am willing ," he said. "Be clean!" Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cured.
NIV
Matt 9:29-30
Then he touched their eyes and said, "According to your faith will it be done to you"; and their sight was restored. NIV
Luke 7:48-50
Then Jesus said to her, "Your sins are forgiven." The other guests began to say among themselves, "Who is this who even forgives sins?"
Jesus said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you; go in peace." NIV
I would love to be able to pencil in above, "Your faith in ME (Jesus) has saved you".
If everything we come to know concerning a God that is good which also comes by our faith in Him, what does it all suggest with respect to what we say we believe beyond doubt?
With regard to becoming spiritually "Mature" is it any wonder why immaturity rules the day within the body of Christ? How long will the tail wag the dog?
Why does the said leadership shut down those desirous to move further into the realm of the divine grace of God? Why does the call to be Holy get watered down with the flaws of mere men which elevate and promote thoughts of imperfection?
Is unbelief not where we we all once were who've since found ourselves in "Need" of being healed from such a state of mind? Is division not only fear brought on because of that which is "Unknown" as such that can not be easily explained away?
Acts 17:23-27
I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD . Now what you worship as something unknown I am going to proclaim to you.
"The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else. From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live.
God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. 'For in him we live and move and have our being.' As some of your own poets have said, 'We are his offspring.'
NIV
Where is spiritual discernment when questions need to be dealt with only in the light of the truth?
Where is the results of revelation knowledge when troubled hearts seek out what they do not know?
Where is the respect that's due towards leadership which exhibits the nature of Christ having sacrificed their daily lives while having foregone the pleasures of this world for the sake of Christ teaching(s)?
James 3:1
Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.
NIV
Does believing require more of leadership should "Their" followers choose to believe something promised that is greater than their present and divine endowment?
James 1:2-8
Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does. NIV
James 5:14-15
Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord:
And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.
At minimum because I do believe this much to be true, I do know when Gods word tells believers "When one part suffers the whole suffers with it". What's sad is when suffering has become the only thing we know concerning a God that is Love.
There is suffering that's guided by the hand of God as well suffering at the hand(s) of (Ignorance) while ignoring specific promises made as those proclaimed from the mouth of god.
Yes I believe there is healing beneath His wings as relief as part of His intentions in proving His goodness beyond said suffering. How much more is forgiveness unless we've realized the offense committed through unbelief?
There is suffering that's guided by the hand of God as well suffering at the hand(s) of (Ignorance) while ignoring specific promises made as those proclaimed from the mouth of god.
Yes I believe there is healing beneath His wings as relief as part of His intentions in proving His goodness beyond said suffering. How much more is forgiveness unless we've realized the offense committed through unbelief?
1 Cor 12:26
If one part suffers , every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.
NIV
But I digress while continuing in that vein of thought so let's move forward from here.
When answering tough life questions presented by others, when is a simple response enough?
More often than not there are simple answers to just about any question one could ask yet the complexity of many life question(s) being asked usually stem from the anticipated gain as a result of those same responses.
A sound basic formula might prove to be, If you don't know what you do need enough that you've asked, then don't assume you know beyond doubt the response that's "Needed".
So let's say you've decided that you may NOT know what you "Need" to hear beyond doubt, yet you're still stuck with the question, "Who do I trust with the (potential) influence should I make the choice to believe the response someone else provides?
Much like the word "Rewind' suggest, the word "Remind" also suggest bringing a thought "Back" to your remembrance. The truth however may or may not reside in you enough to where you find yourself able to recall it from memory.
Only then can you find yourself "Able" to come into agreement with "Respect" towards what someone else attempts to present to you as if the truth.
The Spirit of the Lord has told us that "Faith" comes by hearing and that (faith) by the word of God.
Mark 2:5
When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee.
Matt 10:41
Anyone who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet's reward, and anyone who receives a righteous man because he is a righteous man will receive a righteous man's reward.NIV
What defines a righteous man? What could possibly prove to be the reward of a righteous man?
God has set forth throughout the history of His chosen people many examples as well many symbols, yet who were such things intended to speak to and for what cause? Were they not spoken as if "For" you (pro-)?
How does one receive their inheritance from God as if a reward and what is the inheritance to be shared with the first born of the beloved of God?
Let's search for a few clues that might apply here.
Gal 3:5-7
Does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you because you observe the law, or because you believe what you heard?
Consider Abraham: "He believed God , and it was credited to him as righteousness." Understand, then, that those who believe are children of Abraham.
As is any well established symbol that also "Serves" its intended purpose the Lord has many. Some of which are to not only remind us but Him also.
The history of people runs parallel with the essence of things we encounter today. We have the bible that's full of lively examples all of which required human life in order to be lived and presented to the world.
The Apostles of the early church took the liberty afforded them to go as far to suggest the same thing in terms of those that have come and gone before any of us. All of which took place beneath the beloved eyes of the Lord.
Here a just a few of those mentions.
Ezek 14:7-8
"'When any Israelite or any alien living in Israel separates himself from me and sets up idols in his heart and puts a wicked stumbling block before his face and then goes to a prophet to inquire of me, I the LORD will answer him myself. I will set my face against that man and make him an example and a byword. I will cut him off from my people. Then you will know that I am the LORD. NIV
In a similar way, Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding towns gave themselves up to sexual immorality and perversion. They serve as an example of those who suffer the punishment of eternal fire. NIV
James 5:10-11
Brothers, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. As you know, we consider blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job's perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy (Love). NIV
Gal 3:15-16
Brothers, let me take an example from everyday life. Just as no one can set aside or add to a human covenant that has been duly established, so it is in this case. The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. The Scripture does not say "and to seeds," meaning many people, but "and to your seed," meaning one person, who is Christ. NIV
Follow my example , as I follow the example of Christ.
NIV
What many fail to see are the delayed results of their days lived. Could the delay of those results be time that's being afforded so that we might find on our own the "Need" to repent?
I've probably said it before and I'll say again in that "Silence is one of the most misinterpreted forms of communications that can pass through the possession of a man".
How might one see silence differently?
I'll respond this way, "What does it say as if to the charge of a sovereign Lord about what we may have failed to become day to day but also have refused to hear and then see (ignore) what the voice of the Lord has declared over us as His creation?
How effectual does that make the influence of His Holy spirit? What does that say about any potential ability concerning His Holy Spirit if it fails to produce the net result(s) that's in keeping with what His words says we should look like when its ability ti influence does take hold of our being?
What does it say about our love for How He has first loved us and in the way that He prescribes as the all that love is and does?
Not having heard (listened), what can such a mindset maintain as if a living hope that will also become something more specific in terms of His likeness here in the earth?
Are many waiting for another day where the Lord "Makes" you something different than you are now? (intrusively brings about this change). If so where does that leave room for the responses of a said "Faith"?
How much easier is a willing vessel filled and then endowed by the power of the promises contained in His words if those same promises are not "Believed" and made manifest?
The Apostle Paul was not chosen for his cumulative earthly wisdom or education. If one can accept Paul's opinion they might catch a glimpse of the embedded simplicity of his own words as seen below.
There is much more to be gained from what he (Paul) has already learned as the direct result of having lived through such matters.
Phil 3:7-9
But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ.
What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ — the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith.
NIV
The apostle Paul's increasing weakness which lead to his divine strength observed became testimony through word and deeds performed in that he (Paul) learned to esteem what God has said far above what man labored to maintain as his commentary concerning that same God.
Was he (Paul) persecuted and or suffer for having a greater esteem for what God seemingly revealed as if only to him or was it because He had little regard for the opposition concerning what God revealed to him as he then labored for the sake of what Christ preached (Came to proclaim to those in need)?
Suffering through the dying process of all that he once was in his own eyes for the sake of the Lord whose person (Christ) then began to manifest through him (what remained as his presence here in the earth).
Understandably so, it's easy to shy away from chasing after the same type of zeal Paul had for the things of God because of the ultimate price he did pay, yet Paul had it revealed to Him and then "BELIEVED" just how wretched He "Once" was while basking in his own righteousness having persecuted the early (babes in Christ) "Christians".
What earlier examples in writ could Paul have received a later (great) revelation of that would then prove to Him what he so desperately tries to convey to us today with such passion? As such that it thoroughly explains the "Why" behind all else he now pursues?
Gen 50:18-20
His brothers then came and threw themselves down before him. "We are your slaves," they said.
But Joseph said to them, "Don't be afraid. Am I in the place of God? You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.
NIV
When will Gods words take up their rightful place of residency here in the earth? Enough to where His words take up a permanent residency in our flesh which then walks the face of the earth in the midst of many? Why?
So that the Lord might accomplish what He sent His word to do.
If asking life questions while in pursuit of the truth were unhindered, how many of those questions could be responded to with, "What do you need to hear? What do you want to hear? What do you think (assume) you'll hear having asked of me?
I once heard asked in a group setting, "What would any of us do if it were not for other people and the problems in their lives"?
Someone then responded, "Maybe have more time to deal with our own problems"?
Then I heard wisdom speak, "We would starve to death mainly because He created and gifted us each uniquely so that our individual uniqueness (gifting's) might become the solution to just as many problems.
Having neglected the former we would then become a miserable consideration upon the face of the earth that has zero to little regard for the intentions of God"!
That's a question that all humanity could ask without worry of loosing sight of ones uniqueness (gifting's) as each pertains to the fundamentals of an eternal economic consideration.
Many love the claim, "Nobody is perfect" while defending themselves against blame for their pride enriched problems. At what point does that type of reasoning present itself as the center piece of the underlying root cause?
Is it only after they've managed their guilt scheme to the point and place where no one else is willing to accept their reliance upon their disclaimer of "imperfection"?
I'm not talking about where someone trips over a blade of grass and breaks their wrist while falling. What I'm speaking to are the type of problems that could have ended totally different if another reasoning paradigm had been adopted leading up to the cross roads of repeatedly poor decisions being made.
The type(s) of problems which usually blossom into an even bigger consideration as the result(s) of "Failure to seek righteous counsel" because that personage truly doesn't don't know what they "need"?
The essence of the real problem remains as such, "Has an accurate assessment been made concerning what we can do concerning our imperfections"? If and when we do truthfully acknowledge the essence of our problems do we continue to assume that we alone can fix them?
Even more while trying to come to terms with such a well established history as a people we can't seem to out run?
As such that would probably respond to that familiar and later in life question, "Where did I or we go wrong"?
Instead when does it get asked, "Do you need anyone outside of yourself or that small circle of those you've managed to manipulate with your personage? Manipulate to mean that you manage to get what YOU want or desire?
Even further to say in order to get others to respond to your needs the way that you "Choose" to understand as the "How" your life now moving forward gets lived?
The psychology of the day would suggest as the reason "Why" we should help others, is in case we ourselves need help in the future. In my opinion that type of reasoning speaks more to an economic investment rather than reasoning that is based on biblical intentions established by a faith that is also righteous.
Yes, I suppose in one context that reasoning could follow, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you", but what if you found that others have maintained their own version of faith with an added twist which differs from your own?
That is to say "Their realized day to day need(s) are being met (afforded) as compared to yours" because in their minds (reasoning) they somehow found themselves more financially prepared to meet those challenges than you?
Can you see how the principles of earthly economics can get in the way of so much more?
That principle can be applied towards anything that ranges from a house plumbing problem to the far reaches of many emotional related problems.
Having a listening problem has proved it can be life threatening, but when considered as if a problem in "Common" how easily does that consideration get serviced?
I think people these days are so obsessed with hearing what they want to hear that about 99% of questions being asked within the said "Adult" ranks of people outside of a classroom environment would qualify as "Rhetorical".
Relative to "Rhetorical" meaning that each already has their own (seeming) "Solution(s)" based on how they see the world around them AND how they "Plan" to operate/function within that same world.
To be continued.........
Lord willing come back later and join me in thoughts I trust lend themselves to a life that's also desirous to Know the Lord more than we did yesterday.
No comments:
Post a Comment