Seek and ye shall find an Interpretation

Jesus did not say, "Seek and ye shall find the popular interpretation that fits your social, cultural or moral conditioning."

He simply said, "Seek and ye shall find."

The Idea of an Airplane is Nonsense

There was a time when, I assume, people laughed at the idea of a big machine up in the air transporting people and goods. The idea would have seemed ridiculous back then.

The dreamers, the thinkers, however, moved past the supposed limitations and saw the manifestation of what they initially saw with their mind's eye. I imagine, their first daunting task was to move past the biggest obstacle, which was simply an opinion held by the majority of people, based on their understanding at the time.

I think this analogy can be compared to what we believe. Our beliefs can sometimes be an echo of a popular interpretation, which was handed down by well-meaning and sincere (and in some cases, angry) people, but I think, it would be presumptuous of us to view them as the complete picture.

This is why I love to keep an open mind. Only when I am open, will I not fall into the trap of being led astray by limited beliefs that does not reflect the heart of the Father.

I can hear the concerned skeptic thinking, "but what if you get deceived?" I trust in the goodness of the Father who only gives "good things to those who ask", over the defeated (why do we always seem to forget that?) enemy's power to deceive me. I know that only "good and perfect gift come from the Father of lights with whom there is no variableness, neither shadow of turning". My exterior shell is a work in process, but I know Whose I am and in Whom my spirit is immersed in. It is with this knowing and boldness that I venture out into the wild. 

Our idea of who God is and how He acts is often a reflection of who we are. If we are averse to challenging questions (because we don't have the typical canned Christian answers), it is very likely that we believe God might be offended with out-of-the-box questions as well. But in my view, it is childish to assume that God, the creator of an ultra complex, yet magnificent machinery called a human being is not emotionally secure enough to handle a question or two.

Why do I love questions? Simply because I am selfish. I do not want to stay on the surface, satisfied with a form of godliness, satisfied with a formulaic, conditioned, domesticated existence, which is what the mainstream religion offers. What I have is an unbridled desire to limitlessly experience the core essence of Love. Only as I truly experience Him, can I be an authentic "witness".

How To Train Kings

"Preaching more against sin has not made the church look like Jesus. It tends to cause sin to increase. You don't train kings to be kings by telling them what not to do, you tell them who they are and how kings act."

- Curry Blake

What The Gospel Is Not About

The Gospel is not about Sin Management, Behavior Modification, Law Enforcement and/or Fruit Inspection. Those are religion's job descriptions.

The Gospel is about the divine union with God. We are fused in him and one with him, whether we feel it, or not.

Who gets to throw the first stone at whom?

God loves the "sinners", just like he loves us, who sin differently than "they" do.

If we are going to live by the law, we cannot pick and choose laws. Breaking one is akin to breaking all the laws (see James 2:10).

If that's the case, who gets to throw the first stone at whom?

When the Pharisees brought a woman who was caught in the act of adultery (note that the partner was conveniently missing; but that's another topic), and when the Pharisees brought her to Jesus, with the intent of stoning her to death (which is what the Law says), Jesus did not say, "Let him who is without adultery among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” He said, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.”

Our condemnation and finger-pointings to those who don't fit in our doctrinal boxes and our standards of righteousness will stop only when this finally sinks in. All of us are in the same boat - loved unconditionally by God.

Grace 101

If you have not yet been exposed to the message of Grace that is sweeping the body of Christ and setting many people free from religious bondages, please consider viewing/listening (video and audio links included) to this message by Steve McVey.

This is the message of Grace in less than 40 minutes.

If the video sparked your interest, and you would like to delve in, consider the books by Steve McVey (Grace Walk), Joseph Prince (Destined to Reign) and/or Andrew Wommack (Grace, The Power of the Gospel). [The list is not exhaustive by any means].

Understanding

"It is difficult to get a man to understand something, when his salary depends upon his not understanding it!" 

- Upton Sinclair.




Related post: The Cosmic Turtle

Paul has a chit-chat with Calvin and Arminius

When we quote scriptures and vehemently defend what we believe, we do not often realize that in most cases, it usually falls under either Calvinism or Arminianism.

So what is Calvinism and Arminianism?

Check out this video by Alice Dean Spicer:

Roadblocks to Paradise

A very large group of people is standing in the middle of the road, barring the way into Paradise.

The puritan asks: "What are these sinners doing here?"

The moralist bawls: "The prostitute wants to join the feast!"

The guardian of social values yells: "How can the adulteress be forgiven when she has sinned?"

The penitent rends his clothes: "Why cure a blind man if all he cares about is his il

lness and when he doesn’t even say thank you?"

The ascetic protests: You let that woman pour expensive oil on your hair! Why didn't she sell it instead to buy food?"

Smiling, Jesus holds the door open. And the Warriors of the Light go in, despite the hysterical shouting.

- Paulo Coelho



Related post: The Cosmic Turtle

There Is Only One Mediator

"Nothing should stand between yourself and God. Not imams, priests, rabbis, or any other custodians of moral or religious leadership. Not spiritual masters, not even your faith.

Believe in your values and your rules, but never lord them over others. If you keep breaking other people's hearts, whatever religious duty you perform is no good.

Stay away from all sorts of idolatry, for they will blur your vision. Let God and only God be your guide. Learn the Truth, my friend, but be careful not to make a fetish out of your truths."

- Shams of Tabriz

Message from the gods

My dear children,

You may have lived on earth for only 50 or 80 years, but because you did not say a particular prayer, I'm going to allow you to be deep fried for NEVER-ENDING billions and trillions of years.

Love,
The god of Arminianism

PS: My mercy is everlasting though (whatever the hell that means)!

===

Dear "non-chosen" ones,

It sucks to be you.

Love,
The god of Calvinism


Related post: The Cosmic Turtle  

Influence and Authority

“...there's a stinking huge difference between influence and the authority you get with a title. Any dolt can stumble into a title... Lots of people with big-sounding titles have people under them listening only because they have to.”

- from the book Bo's Cafe, by John Lynch, Bill Thrall and Bruce McNicol

Since when did the Gospel assume the role of Law Enforcement?

The Gospel is not about enforcing the Mosaic Law, which was given specifically to the Jews.

If it is, whom do we approach first - the homosexual or the Christian at a Red Lobster?


Related post: The Cosmic Turtle 

WWJD?

Once upon a time, a mother made her son a wristband. On it was written: WWJD. This, of course stood for: What Would Jesus Do?’ She instructed her son to look at the wristband before making decisions on how to live his Christian life...

Read the rest of the story at

WWJD: “What Would Jesus Do?” Do You Really Want To Know?, by Mick Mooney.

Let's Think Before Expressing Our Views

Some people are boycotting a restaurant because its management is anti-homosexual. But by that same argument, one should be even more driven to boycott gas stations as well (unless the gasoline is coming from non-OPEC nations), because the penalty for homosexuality in the member countries of the OPEC that operate under the Shariya Law, is death. We absolutely have the freedom to express our positions however way we want, but this is just a thought to keep in mind before we blindly grab the pitchforks.

That being said, I don't plan to take part in the so-called 'Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day', because:

1. Given an option, I don't prefer junk food.

2. I am slowly but firmly perfecting the art of taking a huge step back when something is super-sensationalized by either camps. The ensuing bliss cannot be explained in words.

3. I prefer to stay away from anything that promotes more hatred. Not everything that is done in the name of God is from God. Sure, not all liberals are "tolerant", just like not all the conservatives are angels, but that still does not give one the license to engage in an eye-for-an-eye match. That is so OT.

The Good News is... Good!

"Something Baxter Kruger said has really been weighing on me lately. He said (in my own words) Most of our theology leaves us at a place where God could die, and we would continue on existing.

John summed this up in 1:3 - All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.

We need to grasp that all things that were made, were made through Christ, which leads us to another realization. There is a seed of Jesus Christ in all mankind. Inside all, the very DNA of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit dwell, just waiting for the revealing of the sons of men.

The very reason James said to humbly receive the implanted word (the same word John used for "in the beginning was the word (Christ) and the reason Paul said "Christ is all, and is in all". This seed of Christ that dwells in all men, is waiting for us to point them inward to discover the truth about who they are and what they've been included into.

No longer do we need to evangelize as though we're doing some great work that Jesus forgot to do, telling others to pray some prayer that isn't found in the bible. We are here to direct mankind into the fulness of adoption, and the fulness of reconciliation."

- Caleb Miller

What a beautiful Gospel. And look at how we have messed it up over the centuries. Fortunately, more and more people are waking up to the Good News that does not have a hint of bad news!